Stoking the Fire (Salus Security #1) - Teodora Kostova Page 0,50

a golden prince, saving one fucked-up peasant at a time.

A hysterical giggle rises inside me, and I’m powerless to stop it.

“I think he’s had a bit too much to drink,” the guy says, his arm tightening around me. “I was trying to help him into a taxi.”

“Thank you.” Alec’s voice is nearer now, and before I know it, I feel his strong grip around me. I sink into it, weaving my arms around his neck. “But I’ll take it from here.”

The golden prince doesn’t seem thrilled at the knight’s dismissal. He hovers close, his hand still on my arm.

“It’s no trouble. I can—” he begins, but Alec doesn’t wait for him to finish.

“I said I’ve got it,” Alec snaps at him.

The guy steps away without further protest. Alec’s grip supports me enough so that I can walk out of the bathroom on my own. Sort of. Outside, he hustles me into an alcove, away from the crowd.

“We need to leave. Now.” His voice is urgent, and I can read the anxiety in it even in my state.

“I don’t feel so good, Alec,” I manage, my head swimming, but my thoughts becoming clearer.

His dark eyes assess me top to bottom, a deep frown darkening his features.

“Someone slipped you something. Was it Laskin?”

I jerk away from him, regretting the sudden movement immediately. “What? No! Of course not. Why would Adri drug me?”

Alec shrugs. “How well do you actually know him? He’s away most of the time, doing god knows what.”

“He’s an investigative journalist,” I hiss. “It’s part of the job.”

Alec doesn’t react. He keeps looking me over as if trying to find which screw is loose so that he can tighten it.

“And besides, how would he do it exactly? He never handed me any drinks.”

“He did have his tongue in your mouth for quite some time, if I remember correctly.”

“So, what? He slipped me a pill and I didn’t feel it?”

Alec sighs, then rubs a hand over his face—a visible gesture of frustration he rarely shows.

“Doesn’t matter,” he says, glancing over his shoulder as his body presses into mine. “We need to get out of here without bringing any attention to ourselves.”

I stare at him blankly.

“Whoever spiked your drink has managed to bypass the security to get here. So, they’re probably a friend of Stanley Washford’s. I don’t know how long their reach is, how many people they’ve got in here, or how far they’re willing to go to get to you. And I’m pretty sure I saw the guy in the bathroom just now in the club the other night.” His voice is low, and he’s speaking right in my ear, his body so close to mine that I can feel the tight muscles of his torso.

Unable to stop myself, I lift a hand and drag it over his abs. Alec groans, but doesn’t pull away. Emboldened, I sneak my fingers under the hem of his shirt and caress the warm, soft skin underneath.

“Zach…” It’s a warning, but the low growl in his voice only urges me on.

I look up to meet his eyes. They’re dark and so fucking intense that I start shaking with the need to feel him; all of him.

“I want you.” The words are barely a whisper, barely even audible over the cacophony of music, laughter, and raised voices. But he hears me. I know he does. His expression changes from stern resistance to longing, so much fucking longing in these dark eyes. “I never stopped wanting you,” I say, my hand sliding up his stomach.

He groans again, and I feel the rumble running though his body with my fingers. But then he stiffens, his body rigid against mine. Turning to look over his shoulder, Alec places a hand on the wall behind me, caging me in. “We have to go,” he says.

His gaze slides expertly around us, until he finds what he’s looking for. Grabbing my hand, he pulls me off after him.

“Wait. Adri?”

“I saw him leave with the hot guy he was dancing with before I followed you to the bathroom.”

I’m relieved by his answer, but I still hesitate. What if he’s in danger somehow, too? Just because we came together?

“Zach,” Alec says, turning to fully face me and lifting my chin until I met his eyes. “Laskin is fine. I promise.”

I nod and let him drag me through a door and into an emergency stairwell. It’s nearly dark, the only light coming from a few LED lamps on the walls and the luminescent strips