good as he used to.”
I caught on to that not-so-subtle threat. “Where is he now?”
“Rotting in the mental ward of a Dutch prison. Xanthe pressed charges and had that asshole put away.”
Shocked, I looked across the space and spotted Xanthe and Lilla dancing, as though neither of them had a care in the world.
“Since then, Xanthe’s avoided any sort of publicity. She hasn’t done any signings, won’t put her image on her books—well, until now. This whole Dreamstone shit really is a dream come true for her. But even still, we all had to fucking convince her to do this. I just think she’s really worried something like George Kastor will happen again.”
Turning to face Ronen once more, there, in his hard gaze, was the absolute certainty that if I did fuck with her, I would not like what happened to me.
“See to it, you don’t fuck with her, or I’ll fuckin’ tell Ricki to make you into a woman.”
I didn’t find this to be a deterrent. If anything, it made me want to get closer to the woman who had inspired that level of loyalty. I wanted to give her my loyalty, too.
Nodding curtly, I finished my beer. “I need another. You?”
Ronen smiled toothily. “Yep.”
As I made my way up to the bar, I couldn’t help but watch as Xanthe sang and danced in front of the stage. Carefree, she was stunning. I took in her attire. Those ratty jeans looked pretty damn good on her, and that elegant tattoo on her breast…
“Do you always judge people before you get to know them?”
Her question from the day before had me thinking about myself in ways I’d never even considered. Seeing myself from her perspective, I could only speculate as to why she was giving me the time of day. Xanthe had called me out for being an asshole. The man I had been before I’d met her…I wasn’t so sure I liked him.
Wondering if she had any more ink hidden anywhere, the thought had me panting slightly. Tattoos on women had never appealed to me, but on Xanthe, it made sense. Her ink was a work of art, created to enhance and reveal something deeper. It wasn’t there to attract attention. She had kept it hidden until tonight. It was just another thing I found incredibly sexy about her.
Returning with our beers, I plonked Ronen’s down in front of him.
“Did you do that tattoo on her chest?” I asked him.
“No, Ricki did that. I did the crows on her shoulder blades.”
“I didn’t know she had any tattoos,” I confessed.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about her,” he replied.
I was coming fast to that realization myself. Xanthe was a Pandora’s box of wonderment that I couldn’t wait to unleash into my world.
In silence, Ronen and I watched our women. The sway of Xanthe’s ass and hips made my mouth go dry. I was dying to feel her moving against me, to put my hands all over her curves, to mark her as mine with my teeth—
Ronen swiftly reached across the table and whacked me upside my head.
“What the—” I spluttered, rubbing out the sting.
“I fuckin’ saw that, asshole.”
I tried to glare at him, but the man had busted me drooling over Xanthe. I grinned instead because there was no way I would be ashamed of that. What was amazing was that Ronen grinned back.
It was time to take this to the next level. Ronen had all but given me his blessing to do so.
Xanthe and Lilla came back after a few more songs, winded and thirsty, shimmering with a delicate sheen of sweat. When Xanthe dropped down into the booth next to me, I caught the warm spicy scent of her on a damp cloud, and my groin got instantly tight. Wondering what she smelled like between her legs didn’t help my situation. I bet she would taste like the most mouthwateringly sugar-and-spice dessert.
With a decent amount of alcohol coursing through me, I had no restrictions with pulling her into my arms and burying my face in her hair. I wanted to rub her all over every part of me. At first, she stiffened, not knowing what to expect, but it
I caught on to that not-so-subtle threat. “Where is he now?”
“Rotting in the mental ward of a Dutch prison. Xanthe pressed charges and had that asshole put away.”
Shocked, I looked across the space and spotted Xanthe and Lilla dancing, as though neither of them had a care in the world.
“Since then, Xanthe’s avoided any sort of publicity. She hasn’t done any signings, won’t put her image on her books—well, until now. This whole Dreamstone shit really is a dream come true for her. But even still, we all had to fucking convince her to do this. I just think she’s really worried something like George Kastor will happen again.”
Turning to face Ronen once more, there, in his hard gaze, was the absolute certainty that if I did fuck with her, I would not like what happened to me.
“See to it, you don’t fuck with her, or I’ll fuckin’ tell Ricki to make you into a woman.”
I didn’t find this to be a deterrent. If anything, it made me want to get closer to the woman who had inspired that level of loyalty. I wanted to give her my loyalty, too.
Nodding curtly, I finished my beer. “I need another. You?”
Ronen smiled toothily. “Yep.”
As I made my way up to the bar, I couldn’t help but watch as Xanthe sang and danced in front of the stage. Carefree, she was stunning. I took in her attire. Those ratty jeans looked pretty damn good on her, and that elegant tattoo on her breast…
“Do you always judge people before you get to know them?”
Her question from the day before had me thinking about myself in ways I’d never even considered. Seeing myself from her perspective, I could only speculate as to why she was giving me the time of day. Xanthe had called me out for being an asshole. The man I had been before I’d met her…I wasn’t so sure I liked him.
Wondering if she had any more ink hidden anywhere, the thought had me panting slightly. Tattoos on women had never appealed to me, but on Xanthe, it made sense. Her ink was a work of art, created to enhance and reveal something deeper. It wasn’t there to attract attention. She had kept it hidden until tonight. It was just another thing I found incredibly sexy about her.
Returning with our beers, I plonked Ronen’s down in front of him.
“Did you do that tattoo on her chest?” I asked him.
“No, Ricki did that. I did the crows on her shoulder blades.”
“I didn’t know she had any tattoos,” I confessed.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about her,” he replied.
I was coming fast to that realization myself. Xanthe was a Pandora’s box of wonderment that I couldn’t wait to unleash into my world.
In silence, Ronen and I watched our women. The sway of Xanthe’s ass and hips made my mouth go dry. I was dying to feel her moving against me, to put my hands all over her curves, to mark her as mine with my teeth—
Ronen swiftly reached across the table and whacked me upside my head.
“What the—” I spluttered, rubbing out the sting.
“I fuckin’ saw that, asshole.”
I tried to glare at him, but the man had busted me drooling over Xanthe. I grinned instead because there was no way I would be ashamed of that. What was amazing was that Ronen grinned back.
It was time to take this to the next level. Ronen had all but given me his blessing to do so.
Xanthe and Lilla came back after a few more songs, winded and thirsty, shimmering with a delicate sheen of sweat. When Xanthe dropped down into the booth next to me, I caught the warm spicy scent of her on a damp cloud, and my groin got instantly tight. Wondering what she smelled like between her legs didn’t help my situation. I bet she would taste like the most mouthwateringly sugar-and-spice dessert.
With a decent amount of alcohol coursing through me, I had no restrictions with pulling her into my arms and burying my face in her hair. I wanted to rub her all over every part of me. At first, she stiffened, not knowing what to expect, but it
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