Better when He's Bold

Just then my phone went off with Adria finally returning my calls.

“Where are you?”

I was scared and I was mad. It wasn’t a good combination.

“What do you mean?” She sounded sloppy and drunk.

“I came to get you like you asked. Where in the hell are you, Adria?” I wrinkled my nose as a whiff of whatever I had landed in snuck up into my nose. What an awesome way to end the night.

“I left with some guys that were really nice. I’m going to an after party back by the university. You should meet me there.”

Oh, for the love of all that was holy. I was going to murder her. I gritted my teeth and clenched my phone so hard in my hand that it hurt.

“Why did you ask me to come get you if you were just going to leave with a bunch of random dudes, Adria?” I was starting to really rethink calling her a friend.

“Oh, loosen up, Bry. You need to get out more. I knew you wouldn’t come hang out if I just asked you. You need to live a little. Come to the party! Oh, and bring the blond hottie. I saw him floating around the crowd while I was there; yummy.”

I hung up on her and had to seriously fight the urge to throw my phone back into the muck on the ground. I growled—actually growled like a beast—and looked back up at the nervous guy watching me.

“What did the guy who has been following me look like?”

“Yeah, Aldo, what did he look like?”

I spun around, startled at the sound of Race’s deep voice. His golden head cleared the top of that nasty stairwell, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from rolling greedily over him. He had on dark jeans that were rolled up over well-worn, black cowboy boots, a fitted black sweater that had a hood on it, and over that a dark gray blazer that looked tailored and expensive. He looked as out of place in the dingy alley as I felt.

The guy, Aldo I guess was his name, started pacing back and forth in front of me like a nervous little rodent. I came to the rapid conclusion that I wasn’t fond of the people Race did business with.

“A bigger guy, like your size but thicker. At first I thought it was a couple different people, which is why I didn’t say anything. He wears a hat or glasses, and one time I think he even had on a wig. And he never drives the same car. One day it was a truck that followed her to work, and then a Volkswagen that followed her from school. I’m not cut out for this shit, Race. I just like to bet on sports.”

Race’s green eyes drifted over me then over the nervous guy. I saw his chest rise and fall in a heavy sigh.

“Fine. Consider your last marker paid.”

“For real?” I could practically feel the guy vibrating with excitement.

“Yeah, but next time you’re going to have to pay in actual cash, Aldo. No more solids from me.”

The guy nodded and practically darted off into the night.

I crossed my arms over my chest and tried not to flinch when he prowled toward me.

“You were having me followed and didn’t bother to mention it? I’ve been jumping out of my skin all week thinking someone was after me.”

Race shrugged and moved until he was totally up in my space. I breathed him in and wondered how he could make even this dank alleyway smell divine.

“If Aldo wasn’t such a waste of skin you wouldn’t have even known he was there. I wanted whoever has been messing with you to know that we know he’s there. What happened to you? Why are you all dirty?”

I blushed hotly and hoped he didn’t notice. “That Aldo guy grabbed me and freaked me out. I fell.”

He lifted a sandy eyebrow and reached out to rub a spot on my cheek. “What are you doing here anyway?”

Wasn’t that the question of the night?

“My friend was really excited she got invited to fight night. Like an idiot, I tried to talk her out of coming, so she tricked me into coming down here to give her a ride. Only she took off before I got here and now I’m covered in alley goo and was scared half out of my mind by that creep. It’s not an awesome night.”

He tilted his head to the side a little bit and just stared at me. I shivered again, and this time it had nothing at all to do with being in the Point after dark, or feeling like I was being followed.

“I can make it better.”

Kill me now. I had to physically bite down on my tongue to keep from groaning out loud.

“Aren’t you working?”

The dimple made an appearance and I felt my breath catch in my throat.

“One of the guys who was fighting went in the Pit injured. It was pretty brutal to watch, but he somehow managed to pull out a win. Since he was a long shot, most of the bets were placed on the loser. It was a collecting night, not a payout night. I did my part, but now Nassir won’t let anyone leave without ponying up.”

His world was so different from anything I had ever known, and I hated to admit that it was fascinating, alluring, and dangerous—just like him.

“I should go home.” My voice was strained to my own ears. I couldn’t have sounded less convincing if I tried.

“There are always other things we should be doing. Come back to my place with me, Brysen.”

It wasn’t a question, it was almost an order. It shouldn’t sound as hot as it did.

“I don’t really think that’s a great idea. Besides, we haven’t even touched on the fact that I do officially have a stalker.”

He took a step even closer and the finger he had used to rub my cheek he now used to push some of my hair back behind my ear. It was probably the most kind, most reverent touch I had felt from another person in my life. That it was coming from this complex and troubling man hit me in all of my warm and squishy places.