“No, it’s nothing like that.”
Wrapping a hand around the back of his neck, he studies my expression. “So swallowing a load of my come isn’t too intimate for you, but telling me where you’re going is?”
“Something like that.”
He sighs heavily. “This is bullshit.”
“Look, we had fun. I’d stay if I could, but I have to go.”
“I’m not pissed that you’re leaving. I’m pissed that you won’t tell me where you’re going.”
I hold up the screen of my Greenlight phone for him, and he scans the latest messages.
“Someone named Rustler wants to meet you for coffee? At this hour?”
I shrug. “It’s a nickname. She’s one of my girlfriends.”
“I could go for some coffee. I’ll drive you.”
I’ve been getting dressed as we talk, and after I zip up my second boot, I smile and walk over to him.
“No, thanks.”
“You don’t have a car here. Might as well take the ride, Ken.”
I meet his dark eyes. “Remember what I said earlier, or this thing between us will be over before it even starts. If you’re looking for a woman who wants your protection, go find your friend Coco. That’s not me.”
“This is the thanks I get for saving your ass earlier?” He tips my face up toward his with a finger beneath my chin.
“I can still taste my thank-you for that,” I say. “And I would’ve been fine.”
He shakes his head and drops his hand. “You think you’re not like Coco, but you’re just as fucking headstrong and impulsive as she is.”
“Yeah, but I can back it up.” I walk over to a chair and grab my bag. “Now, go get some sleep.”
“While you go meet your friend for coffee?” He narrows his eyes.
“Right.”
He scoffs. “So when you said you didn’t want to lie to me, you were lying.”
This anger is different from earlier. Nix isn’t acting like a caged beast anymore. Maybe the blow job mellowed him out. But I actually find raging Nix easier to handle.
“See you at the club,” I say.
“Fuck you.”
I flip him off and then turn for the door. “Go take out your alpha protective tendencies on some other woman before we see each other again.”
“You mean that?” His tone is cold and demanding.
A few seconds of silence pass before I say, “No. I don’t.”
“Come here.”
My body answers his command without conscious thought. I cross the room and stand before him, and he leans down and kisses me. It starts soft and then his tongue slides against mine as he cups my neck.
By the time he tugs my lip ring gently between his teeth and pulls away, I’m breathless.
