My fingers curled into fists at my sides. He looked ready to bend her over my bed and screw her right in front of us.
Before I even realized I’d moved, I hit Slate’s chest so hard he stumbled back. “Touch her and die, Wentworth,” I growled.
Slate’s hazel eyes bugged out as he caught his balance. “Whoa, Kill. Didn’t know she was taken. I thought you and Battenberg were on again.”
Axel’s chuckle held a nervous edge, almost as if he sensed my control barely hanging by a thread. “Kill’s a little wound up today.” He grabbed Slate’s drink and shoved it into his hand. “Let’s give him some alone time with his lovely employee. Maybe she’ll help him relax.” He winked and propelled Slate toward the door.
I turned my back on them to hide my confusion.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Now, I’d almost attacked two of my closest friends simply because they found Lexi hot.
The girl in question studied me, but could she see past all my armor? Did she realize I’d been close to fighting my friends over her?
This is fucking ridiculous.
“You two kids play nice.” Axel slipped behind me and crushed a hand into my back, shoving me right into Lexi. His laughter echoed in the hall as he shut the door on us.
She screeched as the two of us tumbled forward, landing in a heap of tangled limbs on my bed. On instinct, my hips rocked into hers, electricity crackling down my back, and she gasped.
That sound hit me like a punch to the gut, and my dick instantly hardened.
“Well, fuck.” I couldn’t stop the husky words from dropping out of my mouth any more than I could prevent my cock from rubbing against her pussy. Calm, level-headed Killian had left the building. “Looks like the big bad wolf caught you, little Red.” My voice dropped. “Now what are you going to do?”
CHAPTER 16
BEFORE YOU BECAME A PSYCHOPATH
Lexi
“Get the fuck off me.” I shoved against Killian’s chest, but damn he’d gotten strong since we were kids.
His shirt sleeve rode up, finally giving me a good look at that tattoo on his arm. A snake wrapped around a dagger. Something about it sent a chill up my spine. I shuddered and his piercing emerald eyes drilled into me, a mix of fury and something else, something raw and much more dangerous. His hips bored down, and his erection brushed my lower belly.
What the actual fuck?
“Killian!”
A sinister smile curled his lips as he pinned me to the mattress. Darkness edged into the corners of my vision as that sweet scent of cigar and scotch invaded my senses. Fear lanced through my chest, and I couldn’t drag in enough air.
Not again. Not like this.
It had taken me years of therapy to allow anyone in this position of power without a major meltdown. I was always on top. It was the only way I felt safe.
I drew in a breath, stilling my racing pulse.
“What’s the matter, Red? I thought you liked this game.”
“That was before you became a psychopath,” I spat.
For a second, he went still.
Tears burned my eyes, and my throat tightened. Killian’s chest expanded, his haggard breaths pressing me deeper into the mattress. I blinked quickly, chasing away the panic.Fear is just a mental response to an outside stimulus. I repeated the phrase over and over again until the steel bands around my chest loosened. I would not let him see me lose control.
“I see you’re following in your stepfather’s footsteps,” I hissed.
His entire body stiffened. Then, his eyes widened, that mouth curving into a capital O. “No,” he growled. “That’s bullshit. And you know it.”
