He cut a glance at the Bastards and the other guys standing around the pool table. “Waiting for your friends?”
Denying it was a reflex. “They’re not my friends.”
“If you say so. Let me know if you change your mind.” He headed back for the other end of the bar.
I got up and threaded my way through the room, past the smaller room at the back, and down a hall leading to the restrooms.
The women’s restroom was empty (a miracle). I used the bathroom and washed my hands, studying my face in the mirrorbehind the sinks, wondering if I looked different now that I’d made out with Nolan. Maybe it was my imagination — or maybe it was just the salt air at the beach — but I thought my green eyes looked brighter, my cheeks pinker.
I looked alive. I felt alive too.
I dried my hands and walked out of the restroom, then ran smack into an immoveable wall of muscle that almost knocked me off my feet.
“Sorry,” I said instinctively.
I’d barely registered that I’d run into Rafe when he pushed me into a shadowy vestibule in the hall.
“What are you doing?” I shoved at him but even I could admit it was half-hearted. I hadn’t been this close to Rafe since the night at Brandon MIller’s party, and I hadn’t exactly been sober then.
But now? Now I was stone-cold sober and more than aware of the fact that Rafe’s body was pressed to mine, his storm-cloud eyes glassy, almost like he had a fever.
He braced his hands on either side of my head and lowered his head to neck. “What areyoudoing?” he asked against my throat.
“I… I was in the bathroom.” I should have told him to fuck off, but I was too distracted by his hot breath on my neck, the slide of his nose behind my ear.
My nipples got hard when he dropped a hand to my throat, stroking his thumb over my pulse as his breath caressed my neck, my jaw, my cheek.
“You don’t even know you do?” he asked, his voice full of torment.
“Know what?” I breathed as he touched his lips to my cheek.
“What you’re fucking doing to me,” he murmured, moving closer to my lips.
His free hand came up to one of my tits, his mouth touching the corner of mine, and all at once my head cleared.
Rafe didnotget to touch me. And he sure as hell didn’t get to kiss me.
I reached into my pocket and removed my knife, extended it, and held it against his dick, big and hard in his jeans.
He froze.
“Maybe we can talk about it,” I said, “after we talk about what you did to me.”
He lifted his head to look into my eyes. “You should be careful starting games you don’t want to finish.”
There was a threat in his voice, but instead of scaring me, a shiver of anticipation ran up my spine.
I put pressure on the knife against his dick. “Who said I don’t want to finish it?”
I thought he might be mad, but when he stepped away I was surprised to see that he was grinning.
“Be careful what you wish for, Lilah.”
I watched him disappear down the hall, my breath coming fast and shallow, a fire burning between my thighs.
What the actual fuck?
I waited for my breathing to return to normal, then continued into the bar, but when I looked at the group by the pool table, the Bastards were gone. The other guys were still there, drinking and laughing while half-heartedly playing pool, but my three giant roommates — including the one whose junk had been at the end of my knife — were no longer in there.