“I haven’t lost my touch, Ms. Messenger,” Marshall calls out as he takes off into the crowd. “Don’t you forgetit.”
A hearty sigh escapes me as I open my eyes to find that the new arms wrapped around me belong to none other than Chloeherself.
“What are you doing here?” I sneer into the crowd and spot Nat locked in Pierce Kragger’s tree trunk-like arms. “Never mind. I see Nat’s traded you for something far more sexuallysatisfying.”
A dark laugh remains buried in her chest. “Judging by that orgasm you just had, I’d say the same went for you and Gage. Marshall Dudley, Skyla? Really? And right here in the bowling alley. I knew you were a littleperv.”
“Oh, shut up. You and I both know I’ve been suffering from an entire string of mini earthquakes all week long.” It’s true. I’ve had an entire rash of vaginally-inspired seismic events in my husband’s absence. “What is it? What do you want?” I try to untangle our limbs, but she latches on that muchtighter.
“First, I saw that disgusting wanton look on your face for someone other than your better half, and I thought I’d be the one to smack some sense into you. And second—” She shoots someone to her right a dirty look, a regular occurrence for Chloe. Pausing to distribute her hatred is as natural as breathing with Bishop. I’m betting it’s Emerson. The fact Chloe hates me doesn’t make me special. “Oh, Skyla.” Her finger traces my lips before she painfully flicks my nose. “You are special to me.” That familiar drugged look enters her eyes, only she trades the sexual nature of it for something far fiercer. “We are beyond sisters, beyond lovers. Our Celestra bond has us bound together, intricately woven through the tapestry of our beings. We are the light and the dark, the other side of our own coin.” Her brows lift a moment. “We are frighteningly one in the same, disposable to the powers that pursue us. And they do pursue us, Skyla. We are their pawns.” Her fingers grip me, and my body electrifies with fright, with a strange delight and an eagerness to hear her pour out her truths. “We are the survivors. Our greatest enemies, our only true friends. We can no longer trust anyone outside of ourselves. For me to deceive you would be tantamount to deceiving myself. We have overcome the pettiness of who we were—and here we are, the new reality, thebestreality. The most dangerous reality of all—together we have the power to move heaven and earth, destiny and fate. We have put destiny on a chain, called fate a cruel illusion to its face. We are the victors, Messenger.” Her mouth inches closer to mine, those wicked eyes still knifing their way into my existence. Chloe is luring me into the dark pit of her soul, and I can feel the suction. Can’t fight it. “We arethe—”
Logan plucks her off me so hard and fast, he sends her twirling into thecrowd.
“Wow.” My hands find a home over his waist. “Eighties music really brings out Chloe’s esotericside.”
“What was she saying?” Logan searches my features with those citrine lenses he sees the world through, and I melt at the sight ofhim.
“Is that a black eye?” I’m suddenly pulled out of the quasi-sexual moment as I inspect his swollen features. “And a fat lip? Logan, who did this toyou?”
He inches back as I attempt to touch his cheek. “I don’t want to talk aboutit.”
“Talk about it, Oliver, or I’ll rip this place to pieces looking for the dude who did this to you. I bet he’s got two broken legs. There’s no way the Logan Oliver I know would let anyone get away with ruining his perfectface.”
His eyes close as he pushes out a sad, half-hearted laugh. “Trust me, I didn’t lay a hand on the otherdude.”
“And that would be because?” God, if Gage did this to him, I’ll bite off his nads. Right after I roll them around in my mouth for just a tiny bit. My body shakes just begging for more of thevisual.
“That would be because it wasn’t a dude, Skyla.” Logan’s shoulders sag with defeat. “I got beat up by agirl.”
“What?” A tiny laugh bubbles in my throat, but I won’t give it. “Who is she? God, it was Lex, wasn’t it? I always knew she had a darkside.”
“No.” He pulls me in, and I can feel his body rumbling with laughter. “It wasn’t Lex. Look, I don’t want to talk about it right now. What had you locked in Chloe Bishop’sarms?”
My hormones roar back to life at the sight of him, resilient, impervious to any form of satisfaction Marshall might have doled out. That orgasm, powerful as it might have been, has nowhere near taken the edgeoff.
He winces. “Never mind that. What are you thinking?” He gives my body a quick squeeze, and I can feel that coil tucked deep inside of me ratcheting upagain.
“I need to get laid.” I bite down hard over my lip. “I’m sorry,” I mouth, this time near tears. “It’s my body. I’m a ball of nerves, a jumble of hormones. And don’t look at me like that. It’s not my fault biology is trying to have its way with me. You can’t judgeme.”
“I’m not judging you.” He squints at me with a pained look in his eyes. “In fact, I get it. I’ve got needs, too. Trust me, I know how agonizing a little deprivation canbe.”
“You do? Youdo!” I practically shout it in his face. “Maybe we should help each other out?” God! What am I saying? “You know, just something quick and dirty in the office maybe?” Chloe was right. Even I can smell the desperation onme.
“Skyla.” He inches back at the offensive odor no doubt. Then his lips twitch, and a dark look comes to his eyes as if he’s actually entertaining the idea. “I want to invite you to come to the bowling alley before thedemolition.”
“That sounds great. But as much as I would love to roll around every square inch of this place with you naked, I’m not sure I can wait thatlong.”
He gives a dark laugh. “No, Skyla. I want to do exactly this with you.” He sways his hips with mine in time to the music. “I want to give the bowling alley a proper private sendoff, and I couldn’t think of a better person to say goodbye to the place with thanyou.”
“Not even Ellis?” I tease. It’s actually heartwarming the way Logan has taken our old friend under hiswing.
“Not even Ellis.” There’s a tired look in his eyes that pains me. Logan is thirsty for so much more than something quick anddirty.
“I’ll gladly be here to help you give this place a proper sendoff.” My body adheres to his, and my hormones are taking the elevator up once again. “But first, how about a quick look at the schedule?” I nod toward the office. “Maybe you can bend me over the desk for old times’sake?”
He barks out a laugh. “I have never bent you over the desk,Skyla.”
“Now is a perfect time tostart.”
