My dick twitches and I release her arms, taking a step back.
Giving her the perfect amount of room to knee me in the balls.
“God damnit,” I yell, hunching over with my eyes squeezed shut.
Eva’s laughter floats away as she darts across the street.
I force my legs to move in spite of the shooting pain radiating down my groin. I will not let her get away.
I walk two full blocks looking like the alien in Men in Black who needed more sugar in his water before I can stand fully upright. Sucking in deep breath after deep breath, I keep my eyes glued to the back of her head as she moves through the crowd.
Every now and then, she glances over her shoulder and spots me. She can act as hostile as she wants, but her eyes give her away every time.
Eva likes this little cat and mouse game we’ve got going on.
I like it too.
My balls, not so much.
Eva’s walking into a ritzy apartment building by the time I catch up to her. When she steps inside, my chest hits her back, invading her space, her every move. She pretends it doesn’t bother her, but I can tell it does, judging by her tiny, balled-up fists at her sides.
We enter a crowded elevator, and I remain behind her. Like the brat she is, she backs her ass right into my crotch and winks at me in the reflection of the mirrored wall. My fingers dig into her waist—telling her to stop or to keep going, I have no fucking clue at this point. The ends of her hair tickle my arms, and I imagine wrapping it around my fist while I—
Ding.
The elevator door slides open and everyone piles out. Loud bass from the music inside the party pulses in my ears as we approach the door at the end of the hallway.
This is going to be a long night.
“Damn, he’s fine.”
Eva rolls her eyes and downs a Tequila shot. “The guy’s like herpes. Just when you think you got rid of him, boom! There he is again, back for more.”
Deanna shakes her head, her eyes undressing me from where I stand several feet away. “I’d let him give me herpes.”
“First of all, that’s disgusting. And you don’t know what it feels like to be followed around everywhere you go.”
Eva’s still angry that I got the jump on her earlier. Even angrier that she wasn’t able to shake me.
“It’s embarrassing having him here,” she says. “None of these prissy-ass bitches have body guards. It makes me look ridiculous.”
“I think it makes you look important, which you are.” A brunette wraps her arm around Eva’s shoulders. “Forget about him and try to have a fun time.”
Deanna’s smile drops and her expression hardens. “Dominick’s here, but he’s not alone.”
I follow their gazes across the room, landing on some dude in black slacks and a pink dress shirt. His hair is gelled, swooped to the side like a tool, and he’s got his hands all over a busty blond.
Who’s this Dominick guy to Eva, and why does his presence make her skin flush?
More importantly, why does it anger me that someone like him has this effect on her?
“I don’t care,” Eva says, even though her body language proves otherwise.
She pours herself another shot and throws it back. Then she pulls Deanna by the hand and leads her to the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the spacious room. Pushing into the middle of the crowd, she positions herself so her back is to Dominick. Her friends gather around her and they move to the awful music blaring through the speakers.
Eva isn’t dressed like the other girls here, not even her friends. She sticks out like a sore thumb, and I wonder why she’d want to come to a party like this. It isn’t her style.
It doesn’t take long for Dominick to spot her, and when he makes his way to the dance floor, the answer becomes clear: Eva’s not here to have fun. She’s here to prove something.
Her eyes are closed, arms overhead, hips swaying to the beat. She’s taunting him. Showing him what he’s missing.
Deanna leans in to whisper in her ear, and Eva’s eyes pop open to find mine.
I’m already on the move, but she shakes her head, eyes pleading with me to stay put.
She wants this, wants to hear whatever he has to say.
My jaw clenches, but I nod and let her know I’ll play nice.
For now.
Dominick smiles at Eva’s friends as he approaches, but they cross their arms over their chests, glaring at him like best friends should.
Eva glances over her shoulder, barely acknowledging him, before she turns back around and continues to dance.
The dick steps in front of her and snakes his arms around her waist. Eva presses both hands against his chest and pushes him back. They exchange words, but I can’t hear what they’re saying.
I move toward them, shoving people out of my way.
Deanna steps in front of me before I can get there. “Wait. She needs to do this.”
“Who is he?”
“Her ex. He cheated on her. She found out the night she got jumped. She’s had a rough week.”
Guilt twists my insides.
“The guy’s a real piece of shit,” Deanna continues. “She wasn’t in love with him or anything. Eva never lets anyone get too close for that, but still.”
Eva’s hands fly as she shouts at him, and she gestures to the blond who Dominick was cozied up with moments before.
He shakes his head, probably giving her some pathetic excuse. But she doesn’t buy it. She flips him off and starts weaving through the crowd in the opposite direction.
Good girl.
Then Dominick grabs her wrist and yanks her back to him.
And my patience snaps like a twig.
In two strides, I’m there and jerking him back by his collar. I drag him to the other side of the dance floor, and don’t stop until I toss him through the exit.
He stumbles into the hallway and whips around. “What the fuck, bro?”
“Stay the fuck away from Eva.”
He smooths the out-of-place hairs on his stupid gelled head. “Who the hell are you?”
I’m about to show him just who the fuck I am when Eva’s hand wraps around my bicep. “He’s mine.”
My dick hardens at those two words.
Dipshit’s mouth hangs open, eyes flicking between the two of us. “Eva, you serious right now? This guy?”
I chuckle. “I guess your Richie Rich pencil dick just doesn’t do it for her like I can.”
He balls his hands into fists and lunges toward me. In one swift move, I push Eva behind me and connect my fist with his jaw. He staggers backward and I jam my forearm into his neck, pressing him against the wall.
“Like I said, stay away from Eva. Otherwise, you’ll be choking on your own dick when I rip it off and ram it down your throat. You got that, pretty boy?”
He nods, sputtering against the pressure of my arm in his jugular. I should stop, but I hold him there just to drive my point home. It feels good to let go, to release some of this tension. Asshole’s face turns a nice shade of purple, and I dig my arm deeper.
Eva’s palm slides up my back, pulling me back to reality. “Easy, Big Guy.”
I snap out of it and step back. Dominick falls to the ground, clutching his throat like a pussy. Eva’s eyes are wide, looking at me with a mixture of fear and shock and ... intrigue?