But now, he’s not making me follow. He’s silently asking.
And I do.
But I hadn’t prepared for this.
I didn’t know I’d be seeing them all again so soon. Last night was hard enough, but this?
All four of them, dressed in their enforcer uniforms.
This is cruel. Savage. Yes, I’ve seen them like this before, but that was weeks ago, before everything, and this is now.
How can anything be more deadly than this?
“Julien, are you trying to kill us, mate?”Sai murmurs, and I know I shouldn’t be able to hear it. He doesn’t even turn to Julien, his blinding gaze is fixed on me.“Last night’s outfit, then this?”
“I don’t think it’s the clothes.”Julien slowly stands, revealing all his towering glory.
A dark chest plate covers his pecs, sculpting his shoulders to look even broader, more imposing. But everything below… that grey, skin-tight long sleeve leaves nothing to the imagination—every ridge of his lean six-pack, every muscle beneath, on full display.
Holy Goddesses, give me strength…
I’ve completely stilled, lingering in the doorway, my eyes darting over each man in a repetitive cycle.
“Are we not holding back enough?”Ezekial’s voice slips into my thoughts—soft, concerned. Unaware I’m hearing it.
My sight darts to him, and stays.
Now I remember how well his chest plate, hard and rigid armour, draws the eye to those broad, brutal shoulders. Huge and solid. And I remember how close I was to him last night. How close I came to putting my hands on all that strength...
Wait. They’re holding back their powers, again?
And I still feel like this?
A flash of something sharp nips me. It dousessomeof this heated emotion, and I cling to it, latching onto the feeling of… worry?
They think I’m… leaving?
That’s how they’ve interpreted my hesitation.
I seek out the worst culprit, and his piercing eyes make it worse.
“Where should I sit?” My soft question freezes them. For a second.
Then they launch into a blur of action. All standing, all silently offering their chairs, ignoring the fact there are several empty ones.
I bite my lip to smother the laugh dying to get out.
“Thank fuck that truth serum’s out of my system,”Sai mutters,“because my answer had nothing to do with a chair.”
I force a cough to stifle that laugh.
“You can sit right here, b—red.” Sai’s face immediately shuts down.
“Did you just call her bread?”Ezekial teases, and I can’t help but drink him in, the way his smile pulls at one side, revealing a hint of teeth as he runs a thumb across his lower lip.“Smooth, man. Very smooth.”
Sai keeps his eyes shut, gritting out,“Shut the fuck up.”
“Bread?” My laughter slips out, I can’t help it. Not with this internal bickering.
