Cal turned his back on Christian, who now refused to meet his eyes, heading for the back of the bar where the wall lights didn’t quite reach. A woman coming back from a smoking break leaped out of his path when she saw him, the acrid smell still fresh on her clothes. Cal seated himself at one of the tables. The stool was an awkward length, not quite tall enough for him to sit comfortably. He rested one foot on the rung, stretching out his other leg.
Nora Adams tried to catch his eye from the bar, but he ignored her, clocking the locals and the townies alike as he waited for Rael, wondering which of them were here for the festival.
Wondering which of them would leave it alive.
The door swung open bringing a draft with it. Rael came in with the swagger he’d inherited from his father, only to get sucked into Deena’s orbit as she jumped him like she’d been lying in wait. Nadine’s new friend, he thought, amused, as he took another bracing sip of the bottom-shelf libations that tasted like solvent. Why were she and Rael looking at each other like they wanted to fuck? When had that happened?
Their heads bent close and the shadows around him seemed to flicker, the room growing that much darker.So, he thought,you, too.
The door opened again. This time it was Nadine who stepped in, wearing dark jeans and a black tank top that was snugger than anything he’d ever seen her wear that wasn’t from his sister. She didn’t see Deena, who certainly didn’t see her, and with a frown she went up to the bar and ordered a tall glass of something dark and heady, avoiding eye contact with the crowds.
She was so determined not to be seen that she didn’t seehim, either, and he had the pleasure of observing her in her natural element, watching her take her accept her drink like it was a weapon as she marched herself over to the arcade in the small alcove at the front of the bar.
Her hair was loose, hanging past her shoulders. It trapped the neon lights of the old arcade games, giving her long brown locks an ethereal shimmer. She put her drink in the cup holder as she leaned over to access the system. Bending over the way she did highlighted the lush curves of her hips, the swell of her full breasts.
Cal found he could not look away from the focused look on her face, or the tense animation in her hands as she deftly worked the controls.She looks like that when she kisses me.
The realization pulsed through him like lightning, seating itself in his bones with a white-hot heat that he felt throughout his body, despite the residual chill from the open windows.
He had been replaying that scene in the mine in his head until the scenes themselves felt as brittle as weathered glass. Subduing her had given him pleasure, yes, but not when it made her look at him with the wounded bewilderment of a half-tame creature crushed by a previously gentle hand. But oh, when she looked likethis—
When she played him like a game she knew she couldn’t win—
Rael put his hand on the game to get her attention and then the spell was broken and she retreated into herself again. Cal found himself mourning the loss of it.
Whatever Rael said made her scowl: an expression he was far more intimately acquainted with. Defiant now, she picked up her beer and drained most of it, her throat working with every swallow. She followed Rael deeper into the bar, to where Deena was sitting. Cal leaned forward in his seat, his eyes on Nadine as she dragged out a chair and sat down.
She drained her glass. He suspected her hand was trembling. It usually did when she was nervous, which was often when she was with him. When she’d gripped his cock, he could feel the vibration of her fingertips like a second pulse against his skin.
The city manager pushed a shot of whiskey on her, which Nadine accepted eagerly. It affected her very quickly, making her lean back in her seat and grip the chair tighter, even as her body began to loosen. He knew that feeling well.
Rael pulled up a chair to join them, his eyes flicking to Cal’s dark corner—in apology, or in invitation? he wondered cynically, with a subtle shake of his head.
He had no intention of being cross-examined.
The tension melted from her bones like hot wax and her gestures became liquid, easy. She bobbed a little as she talked, gesturing with her glass, which was surprising to see. Usually her gestures were close. She tended to keep her arms close, ready to hold herself in. The strap of her top slid down her shoulder. She didn’t bother to fix it.
Rael caught her by the wrist as she reached for her glass. His eyes met Cal’s and he didn’t need to imagine what the look on his face was like when Rael abruptly released her.
Cal got up to go to the bar. “Another double?” Christian deadpanned.
“Please.”
She had seen him. Her face was angled towards him under the low lights, like a night-blooming flower tilting towards the moon. And though she had no problem pulling fromhisembrace, she leaned towards his friend with a haughty tilt to her head, the gesture pushing up her cleavage to a level that was nearly obscene.
He almost smiled.
“She was at the wedding.” Christian was following his gaze. “Shame about her sister.”
“Yes.” Nadine averted her eyes from his heavy stare, her mouth pulling down in a frown. “Such a shame.”
“Do you think they’ll ever find her?” There was a hint of judgement in the question.
“I couldn’t say.” Cal wrapped his fingers around his glass. “These woods are dangerous.”
Christian nodded tightly, like he’d expected nothing else. He could feel Nadine’s questioning gaze as he moved in the direction of their table. Could almost imagine the inhalation of breath as he walked closer, caught between apprehension and anticipation. He held onto that moment, savoring it—and then walked past them to Nora Adams, who was beckoning him over like a red flag drunkenly courting a rampaging bull.
“Cal Cullraven,” she purred. “I haven’t seen you in a hot minute.”
