I didn’t even look at the screen. I just swiped and pressed it to my ear, the words tumbling out in a vitriolic rush before the person on the other end could even draw breath.
“We are nothing. You are nothing!” I said. “Stop wasting my time and go fuck one of your side bitches! Stop calling me. Actually, lose my number.”
I went to pull the phone away, ready to feel the triumph of the final word.
“Mm… but I don’t want to fuck anyone else,” a voice chuckled.
The world didn’t just stop; it tilted. The voice was a velvet landslide—deep and dripping with an authority so dark it made Amos sound like an ankle biter.
I pulled the phone back, my eyes straining to focus on the name at the top of the screen.
Dane.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” I rushed, my heart did a frantic dance against my ribs.
Dane’s low laugh vibrated against my ear. “So that wasn’t meant for me?”
“No,” I breathed.
Beside me, Kade’s aura shifted. He stepped closer, his shirt stretching against his chest as he leaned his weight against me, trapping me between the cool marble and his sudden heat. He cocked his head, eyes narrowed, silently demanding to know who was making me blush.
“That pleases me. Where are you?” Dane asked.
“A party,” I said, trying to focus on the call while Kade’s fingers ghosted over the hem of my flannel.
“I saw,” Dane rumbled.
“You did?” I asked, lifting my head to scan the crowd. A hollow ache of disappointment settled in my stomach when I didn’t spot a delectable, tatted, sex god staring back.
Kade’s hand cupped my jaw, tilting my head back toward him in a way that forced a surprised laugh from my throat.
“SnarlChat,” Dane supplied.
I frowned, my brow furrowing as I tried to blink away the jello-induced fog. I couldn’t remember posting anything to my story.
“Having fun?” he asked. There was no edge of jealousy in his tone, no bite of possessiveness because he’d seen me surrounded by others at the party. Instead, his voice held a quiet, steady gravity. He wasn’t checking on his property; he was making sure I was okay.
“I am,” I rasped, and for once, it wasn’t a lie.
Kade’s fingers trailed lower as I ignored him. His thumb hooking into the collar of my flannel, tugging the fabric just enough to expose my throat. He was watching me with eyes that threatened to burn it all down, his head tilted as he tried to catch the rumble of the male voice on the other end.
“Good,” Dane rumbled, and I could almost hear the tension leave his shoulders through the phone. “I want to see you, but you deserve a night out. I just need you to be safe.”
My body lit up with need.
“I’m safe, Dane. I’m with…. a friend,” I said, my voice hitching as Kade leaned in, his nose brushing against the sensitive skin just below my ear. He inhaled deeply, a low growl vibrating against my jaw.
“A friend?” Dane repeated. The word didn’t sound like an accusation; it sounded like an evaluation, and he already knew the answer.
“Lumberjack,” Kade murmured, his voice loud enough to bleed through the speaker. He didn’t care who was on the other end; he just wanted my attention back. “Stop whispering to him and come play with me.”
His teeth nipped at the base of my throat, a sharp, playful sting that forced a gasp into the receiver.
Oops.
Dane paused.
“How much have you had to drink, Babygirl?” His voice was the epitome of calm, but there was a note of danger that made my thighs clench.
