Nick looked at me and announced, “Your friend’s a pain in my ass.”
She was a pain in mine too. Then again, at that moment, so was he.
I decided not to answer.
“Fuck, she thinks she can make me come and she owns me?” he asked.
I had no answer for that either, though, I had to admit, he was a screaming jerk but he was kind of right.
“You’re also a pain in my ass,” he declared.
What did I do?
I didn’t ask. First, I didn’t want to know. Second, I was trying not to throw up and/or have a heart attack and I thought both were priorities.
“Only way I know your honey isn’t locked up in ironclad panties is I’d see ‘em through that f**kin’ dress. Jesus, do you f**k anybody?” he asked.
“Um…” I mumbled but said no more mostly because this was none of his business, partly because I had, indeed, hit a long, dry spell and lastly because he was scaring the heck out of me.
I watched him pull a hand through his hair and it hit me that he slightly resembled his brother but not much. They both had black hair with a bit of wave in it but Nick kept his perfectly cut and styled with product. Nick also had blue eyes but they were nowhere near as vibrant as Knight’s. He was at least two inches shorter but still tall. And although Nick was built, he was slighter of frame.
Their facial features, however, were not the same. Not at all. Nick was handsome but he didn’t pack the punch of Knight’s pure, aggressive, masculine beauty. Not even close.
He dropped his hand and looked at me.
“Fucked up,” he muttered.
“What?” I whispered and he watched my mouth move which was uncomfortable but considering the fact I was whispering in a club, if he didn’t lip read, he’d have no idea what I said.
He leaned in and repeated, “I f**ked up.” Then he went on, “With you. That scene. Fucked up.”
Yeah he did.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said back, this time louder so he could hear me. “Let’s just have this drink then I’ll, uh… go and, uh… check on things.”
His eyes held mine and I noticed the anger had leaked out of his. “What’s it take with you?”
I felt my eyebrows draw together. “Pardon?”
He leaned further in and I tried not to lean back because he seemed not to be angry anymore but I didn’t want to test it.
“What’s it take with you? Dinner?” he asked.
Oh God, please, do not ask me out. Please, please, please.
I was considering the option of informing him I was a lipstick lesbian, concerned about the fact this might turn him on more, when I felt it.
That swell of frightening, searing, vibrating heat.
I knew the feel of that so I knew he was coming.
Nick did too because his body jerked, his head whipped around and mine did as well, to see Knight stalking up to us, face a mask of unadulterated fury, eyes on his brother.
He stopped in front of Nick, chin tipped down, eyes scorching and I froze.
“Knight –” Nick started.
“You put your hands on a woman in my club?” Knight asked, his voice vibrating with that same heat he was radiating.