16. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
Every cell in my body lights up, going on high alert.
I’m acutely aware of everything going on around me.
The music. The talking. The people. The pulse pounding in my ears.
If he’s here to take me again, I’m ready.
There’s a flicker of excitement coursing through my veins, something I haven’t felt in years.
He’s here, and I’m finally prepared.
But, fuck. No. Not today. Not on my cousin’s wedding day. Not here. I can’t do this to Reese.
Sev stares into my eyes, smirking as he brings a rocks glass of dark liquor to his lips. When he places it down, he darts his tongue out to lick the corner of his mouth.
My dick twitches.
Fuck no.
But I can’t help it. The look he’s giving me… Christ, it’s intense. Maybe I’ve had too much to drink. I think back, but only recall having two so far. I’ve been taking it easy because it’s going to be a long night. After this, Reese is having us go to a fucking club as if we’re celebrating his twenty-first birthday. We’re all in our mid-thirties, why the hell are we going out clubbing?
The confusion over how I’m feeling is quickly replaced with nothing but pure rage when my brain finally processes what is happening. Thank fuck for this head thinking clearly because my other one certainly isn’t.
Sev is going to ruin my cousin’s wedding. And I won’t have that.
I storm around the bar, shouldering past people in my way, not giving a shit what they have to say about it.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I whisper-shout when I reach him. The bar is packed full, but thankfully everyone seems happily drunk and too busy with their own lives to worry about me and him.
He glances at me, raising a brow. “A ‘hello’ or ‘nice to see you’ would be nice.”
“It’s not nice to see you,” I growl.
“No? Pretty sure your dick thinks otherwise.” He reaches for me, but I slap his hand away.
I grit my teeth when I realize I’m hard and he probably noticed because these stupid pants Reese got for the wedding are too damn small and it was too late to find anything else.
I take a step closer to Sev, noting the flash of heat in his eyes.
“I’ll ask you one more time, psycho. Why are you here?”
His smile is slow forming. He makes a low growling sound in the back of his throat. Those full lips of his quirk up in the smallest smile. Why are all the crazy guys so good looking?
“I do love your demands.” Before I can throttle him, he says, “We’re playing a game. Remember?”
“My family is here. Children. If you—”
He rears his head back as if I’ve slapped him. Then he looks pissed. Offended, even. “I would never hurt a child. Never. And I’m not here for your family, Hawk. I’m here for you. The game has nothing to do with them.”
His words settle my worry but do nothing to quell my anger. Wish I knew why I believed him. Why I listen to anything he says. Why I fucking trust him when I shouldn’t.
“I never agreed to this fucking game. You’re going too far by being here.”
“That’s the best part of the game, baby. Forcing you to like it.” He places his hand on my hip and I shove it away.
At least, that’s what I want to do.
But the way his large hand sears my skin through the button up has me frozen, both unable and unwilling to push him away. Nothing has ever felt like this before. I stare down at his hand, wondering how the hell he feels like this. Warm. Electric. I don’t hate it.
But I hate him.
“The fuck is taking you so long!” Reese’s familiar voice has my attention. I look over my shoulder to see him hurrying toward me. I’m still stunned, and this is going to be so fucking bad. He stops beside me. “Is the bartender taking too long or what? You—”
Reese stops talking when he notices the way Sev is staring at me and the way I’m glaring back. Then, of course, he looks down and smirks when he sees this asshole’s hand on my hip. Reese glances at Sev, then to me. And he smiles. The fucker smiles. God, I wish he were drunk already so I could act like this never happened. I’d deny it. He’d forget all about it. I’d tell him he was crazy and he’d probably believe me. Gaslighting isn’t my thing, but I don’t need him throwing this back in my face for the next year.
I step out of Sev’s grip, but I feel his gaze on me. My skin prickles.
“Who is this?” Reese asks sweetly.
“His date,” Sev answers before I can. I shoot him a glare and he winks at me.
Reese grins wider, turning his attention on me. “You said you weren’t bringing a date.”
“Typical Justin,” Sev says, like he knows me. Like we’re friends. Like we hang out all the damn time. Asshole.
“Right! The guy is so secretive.” Reese pats me on the back, and I wish a black hole would suck me up and shoot me into another universe where people didn’t annoy me.
Sev offers Reese his hand. “Sev. You must be the groom. Reese, right?”
Two things here.
One: I notice he only uses the name Sev and nothing more to not give away his name. He doesn’t want to give a hint as to how much longer we will be playing this game. Smart.
Two: It’s clear he knows all about Reese, this wedding, and my involvement in it.
“Exactly right,” Reese responds.
“Congratulations,” Sev says before pulling his hand back and picking up his drink. “Sorry I missed the ceremony. I was held up. I bet it was beautiful.”
“Oh, it was amazing. I—”
“Enough,” I growl. There is no way this is happening. Reese is not going to befriend my stalker. The guy I have to kill. The guy who is a complete nutcase and shouldn’t be here at all. But leave it to Reese to want to be friendly with everyone, the attention whore.
Reese points his thumb at me and mutters, “He’s so grumpy.”
Sev gives a little shrug, sipping his drink. “I like 'em grumpy.”
Reese barks out a laugh, and pats Sev on the back. “I’m glad you’re here. Hey, I’ll handle the drinks. Why don’t you guys go back in the room, yeah?”
Sev stands and Reese looks up at him. And whistles.
“Bro, you better hope his cock isn’t as big as he is, or you’ll be torn in two,” Reese mutters out of the side of his mouth to me.
I close my eyes to push away the vomit crawling up my throat. Sev’s raspy chuckle only makes it worse. But what really has me sick is I’ve already considered that.
“Don’t ruin my fucking night,” I growl at Sev a few hours later when I’ve had way too much to drink. Way too much in the sense that I’m probably drunk and incapable of making good decisions. Yet I just got back from the bar with another drink, and there’s another on the table for me. And the more I look at Sev, the more I realize how hot he is. He’s just so… rugged. He actually looks like he could tear me in two, and though I’m not a bottom, I kinda want this guy to manhandle me. For once in my life, I want to let go of literally everything, and let him handle it all. Take control. Take me over. Allow me to let go and be free. The thought is relieving. It’s… insane, really.
Sev smiles. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I loosen my tie and tug it off as I plop into the seat across from him. He looks ridiculous sitting in a chair made for normal sized humans and not Sasquatch. Ridiculously sexy, unfortunately.
No, Justin. Not sexy. Sev is bad. He’s so bad. Like really fucking bad.
Yet no matter how many times I say that, I don’t believe it for a second. I mean, I know he’s bad because of what he does, but does that make him bad for me? Not really. It has nothing to do with me, actually. What he does on his own time is on him. What he could be doing to me? That’s my business. I want it to be my business.
He’s so fucking hot.
I’m so fucked…
I can’t remember the last time I was attracted to someone like this, maybe never, and it has to be him? What is wrong with me?
“Why are you really here?” I ask, bunching my tie and tossing it onto the table. I fucking hate ties. And I hate this stupid shirt too. I undo the top few buttons because it’s hot as fuck and I can’t breathe.
Sev watches my fingers intently as I get them undone, then he swallows hard, keeping his gaze on my throat for far too long. It has my skin growing hotter than it already was. How does the man make me sweat just by looking at me?
“You know why.” His eyes dart up to mine.
“You didn’t come all the way to California just for the game.”
“You’re right. I didn’t. But you know that.”’
“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask.”
He smirks then sips his drink. “I was in the area.”
“For what?” I bark. Why does he have to play games all the time?
“You’ll see tomorrow.”
“So that’s just it then? You were in the area and figured you’d stop in?”
“Or maybe I was in the area because you were. Two birds. One stone. You know how it goes, little birdy.”
It’s not lost on me that the nickname is mocking my actual nickname, Hawk.
I lean close to him, pressing my hands on the table. “I could kill you right now. Collect the bounty. And be done with this whole thing. Not a single person in this room would say shit. In fact, they’d all help me haul your body out of here.”
“Yeah.” He nods, agreeing with me. Then leans closer and lowers his voice. “But we both know you won’t do that.”
I hold his gaze, hating the way he knows me. Because he’s right. I won’t do that. I wouldn’t do that even if we were alone, and I don’t know why. I need to kill this man. I need the money. Whatever the hell is stopping me, it needs to fuck right off.
“Time to go, assholes. We’re going out!” Reese shouts, slapping the table. I pull my gaze from Sev.
“I’m not going,” I say as I stand up.
“Like hell you aren’t. This is my one and only wedding. You’re my cousin. You’re coming to the club with us and you can grind your ass all over your jolly giant’s dick over here.”
Sev chuckles. Reese winks at him. I consider stabbing Reese with the butter knife that’s on the table but think better of it. I’d probably regret it tomorrow. Maybe not. It’s tempting.
“We’ll be there,” Sev says. Reese walks away. Sev gets to his feet and buttons his jacket, getting so close to me we’re touching. “Can’t wait to feel your ass all over my cock, baby.”
Fucking hell.
Neither can I.