Page 10 of Dread’s Beloved

He lets out a whistle. “Got damn.” He slaps his beer into my chest as Kitty slides off the bull and takes a step forward.

I drop his beer onto a nearby table and jerk him back by the collar of his tee. Tonky’s has a no colors rule, and we all respect it. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”

“Don’t be a cockblock, brother.”

“Dark is standing right over there. What do you think he’ll do you go over there making a play at his sister?”

“Think he’ll respect that I got the balls to go after what I want.” He stomps toward what I want but can never allow myself to have.

Whatever. Like I told him earlier, what Kitty does is her own business. If she wants to fuck Haunt, who am I to stand in her way?

I do a scan of the bar. Everyone is living it up. Drinking. Dancing. Cuttin’ up. I order another beer. Sukie is on the bull now. Dark hasn’t taken his eyes off her since we got here. Everyone knows he’s got a thing for her and that she’s crazy about him. Beats me why they don’t make shit official.

I glance back to where I last had eyes on Kitty. Haunt catches my eye, grinning at me as he leads her onto the dance floor. But I see the play she’s making. The fuckwad she married is standing off to the side watching the show. Haunt could be any man in here. She wants that asshole to know she’s moving on.

Good for her, but I’m not sticking around to watch how this plays out.

“I’m out,” I tell Dark.

“I need to you to make sure Kitty gets home.” He motions his chin toward Sukie.

“Haunt's got her.”

“I didn't ask Haunt, man. I assigned you to protect her.”

I cup the back of my neck. Fuck me. When your Prez gives an order, you’ve got no choice.

“Shit,” I growl. Haunt’s ex just walked in looking ready to make a scene. I don’t waste any time cutting in.

Haunt shoots me a dirty look as I twirl Kitty away from him.

Ashlynn stands next to the dance floor, hands on her hips, looking like her head is about to explode. He stalks toward her and pulls her out onto the floor as a slow song hits. The second she opens her mouth, he shuts her up with a kiss, and I chuckle.

“For all the lovers out tonight,” the DJ announces, turning the lights lower.

I pull Kitty in close, breathing in the scent of her cherry lip gloss and vanilla-scented perfume.

“Didn’t take you for the dancing type,” she whispers.

“Plenty you don’t know about me.” I dip her and she laughs.

Haunt and his woman, or ex or whatever she is, are on their way out the door. Dark has his tongue down Sukie’s throat. Zane is watching Kitty, so I make sure that dumb fuck gets his eyes full. I run my nose along her cheek and run a hand over her ass. Prez isn’t paying attention to us.

Kitty’s eyes widen when I press my lips to hers in a brief kiss.

“Giving that ex of yours a taste of what he lost out on,” I tell her.

“Zane doesn’t care about me.”

“That why he hasn’t taken his eyes off you since the second he clocked you?”

“Well, I don’t care what he thinks.”

Haunt’s words from earlier about Zane talking shit play through my mind. “You wouldn’t take him back?”

“Three months ago? Maye. Now? Not a chance.”

“What changed?”