Or, wait, maybe she was kissing him like someone starving and desperate. Because she was moving against him desperately. Arching. Trying to get closer. Opening her mouth wider. Sliding her tongue against his and that throaty, breathy moan? It had totally just come from her.
“Here you go.” Glasses clinked on the bar top. “Enjoy.”
The bartender was back. The too expensive whiskey was back. And Jinx was ever so slowly lifting his mouth from hers.
He didn’t immediately move to take the shots. Instead, he stared down at Ali. She tried to calm her frantic heartbeat. A task that was not easy. Especially since she was still gripping his shoulders and wanting—with all her soul—to yank him back down toward her.
Pretend.
She forced her gaze off him. Her stare jumped to the right to find Imari’s dark eyes on her.
The woman’s face was carefully expressionless, but there was something there. Something…familiar. “I’m sorry,” Ali said, not sorry at all, “but have we met?” The woman was undeniably beautiful, with a face that should have been unforgettable, but Ali couldn’t quite place her.
I just know she’s giving me serious cop vibes. It’s in the watchful eyes. The way I saw her survey the whole crowd before she realized I was watching her. When the woman had realized that fact, her attention had sure sharpened on Ali.
“Don’t think so.” The bartender flashed her a wide smile. Diamonds slid up the lobe of her right ear. She offered her hand to Ali. “I’m Imari.”
Ali finally let go of Jinx’s shoulders—or, rather, let go of one of his shoulders—and she shook the offered hand. “Ali.” Imari’s handshake was firm.
Imari pulled back and raised a brow as she looked at Jinx. “So I’m guessing you’re his girlfriend?”
Ali opened her mouth to agree, because that was the deal, after all—
“Hardly,” Jinx said with a laugh.
What? Ali made sure her expression didn’t alter. Was the man seriously changing the story on her now? Was he about to say she was just some flavor of the week and not his girl—
“Ali is the love of my life. My whole damn reason for being.” He smiled at Ali. “She came back to me and made me the luckiest bastard in the world.”
Ali felt her mouth part in surprise. He swooped in and kissed her again. A kiss that was hard and demanding and possessive. One that had her heart racing once more, her body tightening, and her nipples aching. No, had her aching because he was the only man who’d ever been able to kiss her and instantly make her want to rip off her clothes, his, and have sex right then and there.
“Well, okay, then. You two have fun tonight,” Imari said. “Though obviously, you’re off to a killer start.”
Ali pushed back from Jinx in time to see Imari heading for other customers.
Jinx handed her another shot glass. “To the fun we’ll have tonight.” A devilish gleam was in his eyes.
She tapped his glass. “To the fun.”
Ali tipped back her head and gulped down the liquid.
***
It was easy to disable the motorcycle. Fucking child’s play. He just went up to the ride, crouched down next to it as if the bike was his, and he went to work. There was a long, winding crowd around Armageddon. But he didn’t worry that anyone was looking his way. They were focused on the bar, focused on each other…
No one paid much attention to the guy wearing the helmet as he fiddled with his motorcycle.
A few twists, a few cuts with his knife, and he was sure that he’d done the job he needed to do. Not like this was his first time making a move like this one.
He was sure Jinx would get the point.
Death had a way of making a man understand.
Chapter Six
His hands were on her hips. The music played in a slow and steady beat, and Jinx moved his body in time with Ali’s. She was in his arms, her head pressed to his chest, and all he wanted to do was take her out of there. Take her home. Get her in his bed and—
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Problem.”
It was a problem, all right. He’d just been interrupted mid-fantasy. Jinx turned his head and glared at War. “If this is about the whiskey, I totally mean to pay you back.” Nah, he didn’t.
War shook his head. “Upstairs. Now.”
Uh, oh. Someone was using his I-mean-business tone. Never a good sign.
Without another word, Jinx and Ali followed War away from the crowd and up the private stairs that would take them to the building’s second level. As soon as they were securely in the PI office, War locked the door behind them. “The fucker screwed with your bike.”
“What?” Not his new ride. Hell, no. The scratch he’d gotten last night had been bad enough. “What did he do?”
“How do you know?” Ali demanded in the same instant.
“Because Odin was watching the security feed from the camera I have at the door. It caught the guy—he came up wearing a helmet, just crouched right down, and went to work. Smart SOB, I’ll give him that. People who saw him in the helmet figured it was probably his bike. No one even looked twice at him.”
Odin had. “What did the jerk do?” Jinx repeated.
“Screwed with your brakes. Odin said you probably would have gotten a few miles before they gave out completely.”
Ali would have been on that bike with him. If he’d crashed, she would have crashed. “Sonofabitch.” He lunged back for the door.
War stepped into his path. “Odin is searching for him. By the time Odin got to your ride, the perp was gone. Odin is scanning the area. We’re looking for the joker. In the video, the bastard wore gloves, so he didn’t leave prints behind—”
“He could have killed her.” Low, lethal, and ice-cold.
War’s stare was unwavering. “He could have killed you both. I think it’s safe to say that you definitely have his attention.”
Ali’s hand touched Jinx’s shoulder. He spun to face her. Horror was on her beautiful face. “The plan isn’t working,” Ali said. “I told you—”
“He’s coming out of the dark, Ali. Making mistakes. We will get him.”
But Ali asked, “Before or after he gets you?”
But it hadn’t just been Jinx that the SOB had been trying to hurt. This time, Ali would have been in the crossfire, too. “Has he ever tried to hurt you before?”
Her brow furrowed.
“Has he ever come at you directly? Done anything that could have injured you in any way?” Jinx pushed.
“No.”
“Has he ever threatened to hurt you? Told you to stay away from anyone or he would do—”
Her eyelids flickered.
Bingo. “Ali…”
“When I came back…the one time I went to that bar and saw you dancing with the redhead—”
“I don’t even remember her,” he growled automatically.
“Drama,” War noted in a flat tone.
Jinx cut him an annoyed glance. Then he stared back at Ali. “You said he called you as you were leaving that place.” And he’d made his BS taunt.
A nod from Ali. “Yes, and the next day, I got another call from him. He said it was better that I saw you for what you were because if I’d gone back to you, he would have made me sorry.” She licked her lips. “I thought he meant that he would hurt you, but it’s possible…” Her words trailed off.