“See? All I get are death stares anymore. Man. You fuck a hot piece of ass with your bro a few times and get nothing but—”
Alex lunged for him.
Gideon didn’t stop it.
Alex rolled with Eli onto the floor, aware of Gideon and Carter critiquing their scuffle. They knocked into the table, broke a vase, and nearly smashed a lamp Carter managed to save.
“What’s going on?” Bailey yelled through the door.
“Nothing, dear,” Gideon yelled back, grinning. He murmured something to Carter, who laughed.
“Well that nothing better not break too much. If a bottle of water costs ten bucks, you can bet a lamp costs a heck of a lot more!”
Gideon glared at the door and said loudly, “She takes all the fun out of everything.” But Alex saw him wink at Carter.
Heshouldhave been paying attention to Eli, because that moment of inattention hurt. Eli elbowed him in the jaw, and he started wrestling the asshole in earnest. Eli was lean, quick, and a champion kickboxer. Plus he was mean. Alex used what he’d learned, in addition to his Circ strength, and let his beast guide him.
It helped that Eli didn’t fight back too hard, but Alex was pissed. “She’s not apiece of ass, you shit. She’s a person.”
“See?” Eli managed through Alex’s chokehold. “He’s into her.”
Gideon snorted. “We all knew that, dumbass. Alex, you know how he is.” He lowered his voice. “Of course she’s not a piece of ass.”
“She is sexy,” Carter said. “And in some circles,piece of assis a complement.”
“Right?” Eli choked. “Alex, let go.”
Alex wanted an apology. Plus his beast was having too much fun to stop now. All his hormones and emotions were tangled in the woman a room away. Taking out his frustration on Eli would work as well as fucking her out of his system. Not that he’d had any luck with that last night.
No, he wanted her even more. Could taste her deep inside.
And Eli called his beautiful female a piece of ass?
“Ow. Damn it. Thathurts.I said let go.” Eli bit his forearm, and a burning flickered through Alex’s arm and up his shoulder. But he ignored it.
“Eli, no venom,” Gideon warned.
Carter shook his head. “Too late. Look.”
Alex didn’t see the trace of black veining along his arm, but obviously the others did. Alex felt the burn in his arm spreading to the rest of his body.That’s going to be a bitch to sweat out.His beast agreed.
Fucking Eli.
They rolled again, this time Eli squirming out of his hold and returning the headlock. But Gideon must have had enough, because he swore and ordered Carter to help break them up.
It took Gideon holding back Eli and Carter too easily restraining Alex—Carter, you monster—to part them.
“I’m sorry, okay?” Eli glared. “Jesus, stop being such a pussy. Yeah, she’s cute and nice and all that shit. She’s also a great lay. And no, I’m not taking that back.”
Eli would always be Eli. Alex rolled his eyes. “I accept your heartfelt apology.” Carter let him go, and he stepped right back into Eli’s personal space. Gideon continued to hold Eli back, and a good thing, because Eli looked ready to throw down again. “But be nice to her, okay? She’s not used to violence like we are. And she’s not doing anything for Lang. I read her, Gideon. She’s real. And she’s scared.”
Like Katie had been scared. But Katie hadn’t had anyone to help her in time. She hadn’t trusted that Alex might save her, because she’d seen her death in a vision. Well, fuck that. The future was always changing, wasn’t it?
He’d help protect Kennedy. And not just for Katie, but because Kennedy needed help. She soothed him, made him feel good. And he liked her. A lot.
Eli relaxed. “You made your point. I’ll be nice.”
Gideon grunted and let him go.
