The crowd doesn’t part for me the way it does inBravo. There, one look at me ignites a mix of fear and respect. My clothes, my gait, my face, my gun... all send people scattering.
Here, I barrel through the crowd with the determination of a charging bull, elbowing my way toward Hailey.
Her brows draw together, a worried crease as she tries wiggling out of Jensen’s embrace without making a scene. Overly polite. Overly considerate. She should knee his balls, then once he bends in half, knee his nose.
She doesn’t, and the violence inside me soars.
I bludgeon my way through the last group of dancers, throwing them off rhythm, and the commotion draws Jensen’s attention. Color drains from his face and his hands fall down his sides as he stumbles back, away from Hailey, his eyes wide.
My first instinct is to nail his face. It’s the least he deserves for making Hailey anxious, but one look at her changes the plan.
She notices me in time, visibly relieved when I reach her. My heart bangs like a kick-back from the gun I imagine pressing against Jensen’s temple.
“Hey,” Hailey coos, her cheeks growing pink. “You said you weren’t coming.”
“So did you.” I cuff her wrist, then lace our fingers as I steer her out of the building.
“Where are we—” She stumbles over an empty wine bottle, losing her balance.
I snap my arms around her waist, pulling her flush to my chest, her small hands bracing against my pecs. She’s warm, flushed, her skin’s clammy, and locks damp, stuck to her neck.
“Careful, pretty girl. How much have you had to drink?”
“Not that much,” she mutters, betraying the lie when her breathing hitches and hungry eyes drop to my lips. She swallows hard, attempting to control the desire glowing from her neck and cheeks. “Where are we going?”
“Back to campus.”
“But—”
“Don’targue.”
I lead her out of the building; the stuffy atmosphere of the party gives way to the heat of the crackling bonfire.
I guess she was right all those weeks ago when we sat on the boat platform... I am a bit of a caveman.
Maybe more than a bit.
Jensen’s lips touching her neck plays on the back of my eyelids, fueling the acid dissolving my veins. Holding Hailey’s hand is all that’s stopping me from turning around and throwing punches at Jensen’s face.
The last three minutes prove Hailey’s no longer a task. No longer a tool or a means to an end.
She’s an obsession. A constant worry at the back of my mind. I can’t shake it.
Another novelty. I’ve never felt this territorial about a woman. About anyone, but Hailey’s stirs a sinister, reckless flavor of possessiveness.
“I don’t want to go.”She snatches her hand from my grip, her expression a compromise between anger, confusion, and...lust? “Let’s stay.”
“The party’s over, Hailey,” I grit out.
Itislust swimming in her eyes... and it triggers a short, erotic fantasy: Hailey on her back, naked, her legs spread wide to make room for me.
The sudden, primitive urge to feel her, claim her,markher pools in my stomach, chest, and my fucking cock. It’s maddening. I want her body, her moans, her nails scraping my back. I want her orgasm. Orgasmspowerful enough she’ll be too exhausted to move.
“No it isn’t!” She pokes my chest. “Tell me why I can’t stay or I’m going back inside.”
“Like hell you are.” Without thinking, I swing her light frame over my shoulder.
Ifeelher.
