CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
LILA
I glance at Aster, my face flushing so fast I feel it in my ears. “You have got to be kidding me…”
She grins like the devil herself. “You ready to wreck some hearts or get wrecked?” She throws me a wink. Dread rolls through me like a wave ready to take me under.
Act normal. You can handle this.
The air tastes like sweat, smoke, and sin. Somewhere above us, a woman moans. Long. Slow. Drenched in pleasure.
Nope. Absolutely not. Abort mission. I can’t do this tonight.
We glide toward the table like we own it.
But inside, I am a full-blown disaster. Category five.
Screaming silently. My watch vibrates on my wrist. Sharp.
Unrelenting. Buzzing like it knows I am about to fall apart.
I am not panicking. Just anxious. Or excited.
Or maybe I am actually panicking. Internally. Loudly.
Kage glances at the flickering screen on my wrist like he’s reading my pulse.
My thoughts. My unraveling. He sees straight through me, past the sarcasm, past the lipstick and lashes, into the fragile thing I fight to hide.
He saw it when I shattered over something as stupid as a phone.
Now he knows too much. He knows how breakable I am, and that makes it dangerous.
Because he could use it. He could turn my weakness into another move in his fucked up game.
Aster, of course, is smooth as ever. Her voice drips like honey as she purrs, “May we join you boys?”
Before anyone can answer, she takes Clint’s drink straight from his hand and sips it, slow, seductive, totally unfazed .
Clint stands and takes her hand like it’s some old-Hollywood romance. “How about we grab a drink and hit the dance floor?”
She scrunches her nose. “Ew, Clint. Not even if we were the last two people on earth.”
Leon turns to me, smirking. “You know them?”
I hesitate. “I… do. Beck, Clint, and Kage are my bosses at Heartford.”
“You work forthem?” He raises a brow.
“Yes…” I start, but he cuts me off, pulling me onto his lap like I weigh nothing. His hand settles on my thigh, and his mouth grazes my ear.
“How about you come work forme?”
Beck chimes in before I can breathe. “Absolutely not. You’re not stealing my new hire. She’s got wicked skills with code.” He chuckles, sipping his drink.
But I barely hear him. All I can hear is the sound of my own heart, thrumming wildly in my chest, because I can feel him.
Kage. Staring. I see him in my peripheral, not even pretending to look away. His presence beside me is like static in the air. Buzzing. Burning. So close it hurts. So loud it drowns everything else out. I don’t look at him.
Instead, I turn to Leon. I meet his warm brown eyes, soft and inviting, like I am slipping under a spell, and slowly wrap my arms around his neck. Then I kiss him. Right there. Right in front of Kage. It starts gently, a whisper of lips, but then it deepens, fast and hungry.
Leon’s hands grip the bare skin of my hips, firm and possessive, just rough enough to send a shiver racing up my spine. It feels good to be touched. To be wanted. Not like the one beside me, who keeps his hands to himself, keeps his secrets, and couldn’t even give me his real number .
Aster perks up. “See, boys? That’s how you treat a woman. Screw this. I’m going to find a hot guy on the dance floor. You good, Lila?” Before I can answer, Leon cuts in.
“I’ll take good care of her. You don’t have to worry.
” Then he kisses me again. Deep. Claiming.
Addictive. It feels nice. But the truth?
None of this is for him. It’s for Kage. And the rush that hits me when I sense him watching is intoxicating.
Every. Single. Moment. His presence seethes with wrath and rage.
Why? He was all over Natasha. What is his problem? I feel like I have emotional whiplash from him hating me one second and buying me groceries the next.
Is this rage because he truly loathes me, or is it something else?
I exhale and glance around the table. Clint’s mouth drops open. “Damn, Lila. You reallydiduse me for the job!” He grins. “I tried to kiss you like five times and you dodged every single time.”
“It’s okay,” Beck cuts in smoothly, cigar between his teeth. “She disappeared after we grinded at the Halloween party… then ghosted me.” He smirks, sipping his drink with that wicked edge.
“Hey, hey, hey,” I protest, throwing back a shot. “Since when is this the Crap-on-Lila Club? I can’t help it if I’m irresistible.” A laugh slips out of me.
Leon slides his arms around me from behind, lips brushing my neck. “Well, tonight you’re not getting away from me.”
My heart stutters. And strangely, I feel something. Excitement. And disappointment. Because I do like Leon, but he isn’t Kage. He isn’t the Red Mask. He isn’t the Phantom. I wish he were enough to drown out the others. I wish I wanted him the way I want them .
Abruptly, Kage stands, raking a hand through his hair like he’s dripping in charisma. “I need a cigarette… and some pussy,” he mutters.
My jaw drops. “Why don’t you just call up Natasha? And I thought you didn’t smoke?” I snap.
He doesn’t answer, grabs his whiskey, and rises from the leather couch.
Beck chuckles. “Kage said he doesn’t smoke?
” His laughter deepens. “It’s not his usual thing, but yeah, he definitely lights one up when he’s pissed.
” He glances at me, then back at his friend.
“Kage, what’s got your panties in a wad? ”
He says nothing, just storms out in silence. What the hell is his problem? Why lie about something as small as smoking? And did he seriously say he needs pussy? Right here. Right in front of everyone .
Typical man whore.
He walks away, no glance back, no hesitation. And I hate how much Iwanthim to look back, to wonder if I’m watching him leave, to need me like I’ve been needing him. I ache to follow, but I don’t, because I know he doesn’t want me, and I have to stop.
Lila, get over it. Over him. The Red Mask. The Phantom. The fantasy.
He wants women like Natasha, polished and perfect, and this club is swarming with them.
I grab two shots from the table and knock them back, the burn chasing down the ache. “Who wants to dance?” I shout over the pulse of the music, hopping off Leon’s lap like I don’t care… like I’mnotfalling apart.
Leon stands, sliding off his jacket, and holy hell. He looks like sex and danger wrapped in designer fabric. His white shirt hangs half-unbuttoned, its cuffs rolled to his forearms, exposing his tan skin, thick veins, and a lightning tattoo that ripples up the length of his arm.
I blink. Hard. Because damn… that ink? It’s hot.
Raw. And completely unexpected. I’ve always had a thing for tattoos, but this one?
This one hits different. I didn’t peg him for the inked type, not with that charming smile and tender eyes.
But this… this makes my stomach flip. It crackles across his skin like it has a pulse of its own, and I can’t stop staring.
His strong hand reaches for mine without hesitation.
He pulls me onto the dance floor as the crowd pulses around us. Lights strobe and flare, purple, pink, and electric blue bleeding into a kaleidoscope of want. The atmosphere wraps around us like a fever dream, hot, dizzying, and heavy with lust.
The bass vibrates through my heels and settles low in my belly. Around us, bodies grind and sway like they are all chasing the same high. Neon shadows dance across his face as he pulls me closer, his body pressed flush against mine.
His heat rolls off him, his scent thick with cinnamon and spice, warm and intoxicating. The rest of the world disappears.
It’s only us. Only this moment. The haze that surrounds us.
And it feels like I am finally breaking free of the cocoon that has held me.
The doubt. The heartbreak. The ache. This butterfly top is more than an outfit.
Now I understand why Aster had it made for me.
Tonight, I am done hiding. I am spreading my wings. I am ready to fly.
Leon’s hands grip my waist, and I look up at him through my lashes.
Without breaking eye contact, I guide his hands lower, sliding them over the curve of my ass.
A bold move, but the smirk that curls across his lips tells me everything.
He’s into it. More than into it… I feel the hard ou tline of his erection press against my stomach, heavy and impossible to ignore.
Wow. He’s not average… that’s for sure.
I shift against him, and the heat between us spikes.
He leans down and kisses me, soft at first, like he’s asking if I’m sure.
I answer by grinding just enough to pull a groan from his throat.
His length throbs against me. My mouth goes dry.
I try to swallow, but I can’t. I’m so turned on, I feel weightless.
Like I might float right out of my body.
His hands trail from my ass to the hem of my skirt.
His fingers skim my bare thigh, light as air but searing hot against my skin.
Then he looks at me. Not with a question.
With a promise. The kind that says he will ruin me sweetly, slowly, and make every hidden dream I’ve ever dared to have come true.
I answer with a look so needy, so feral, he doesn’t even have to ask.
His hand slides under my skirt, slipping beneath the edge of my panties.
His fingers brush my entrance, hot and slick, aching for more.
I grind my clit against the hard ridge of him, desperate for friction, for relief, for anything.
Then one thick finger pushes inside. Slow.
Gentle. Deliberate. My legs weaken, and I clutch his shoulders for balance, gasping as he curls it just right.
Pleasure coils low in my belly. I bite my lip, barely holding back the moan rising like a tidal wave.
“I want you,” I whisper. “Now.”
His grin goes wicked. “That’s all you had to say, Lila.” He grabs my hand and starts guiding me off the dance floor, already pulling me toward the elevator. But then I hear it.
That hum. Low. Sultry. Hypnotic.The Red Mask?
My head snaps around, heart skipping. I scan the room, eyes darting through every shadow, but nothing.
Maybe I’m hearing things… or did we just pass each other? Was it just a memory? Or did someone else hum that same forbidden tune ?
Leon keeps walking, unaware. Oblivious. He doesn’t hear it.
Lila, stop. You’re being crazy.
“WAIT!” Aster’s voice slices through the music, sharp and relentless.
Aster, I’m going to kill you.
I freeze. Of course,she’s about to cockblock me. Again. She’s running now, full sprint in heels, chaos in motion.
“Come play with us! We’re starting a round of truth or dare! We just ordered a round of shots!”
Neither of us responds. Leon looks down at me. I look up at him. And then Aster grabs my hand, ripping me right out of the moment.
Damn it. Not again. Leon fades, his warmth vanishing from my skin.
I was so close…
I glance back at Leon with a silent,“help me”.
He gives me a soft smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. We both know it. Whatever moment we had, it’s gone, and it might not come again.
The disappointment fades the moment I see Kage. Sure, I wanted to go upstairs, but getting to watch him feels like a win in my book.
God, this man belongs in the Louvre.
He sits there like a masterpiece sculpted by Da Vinci himself, all brooding beauty and effortless arrogance. A brunette leans against one shoulder, a redhead curls into the other. A living, breathing pain in my ass. And yet I still can’t look away. He pulls me in.
Every. Single. Time.