Page 13 of Off-Limits Bad Boy

“Stop,” I whisper, not sure if I'm pushing him away or pulling him closer. “Or don't.” I have no idea what I want, or what to say.

“Make up your mind.” His tone is teasing, but there's an edge to his voice that tells me he's just as lost in this moment - and what to do next - as I am.

“Maybe I don't want to,” I whisper, feeling like I’m playing with fire. No, this feels more like jumping off a cliff—thrilling, terrifying, and utterly out of control... and certain to be the end of me.

Chapter Six

Kade

Alex's voice echoes in my head as we both crunch down on fried chicken, but none of the noise or the sound or the sensations of this place can drown out the memory of Emma’s lips almost touching mine.

I've been dodging the club since that night, but it's like there's a magnetic pull to the place. Or more accurately, I’m pulled toward her.

Across the table, Alex shovels a forkful of coleslaw into his mouth, blissfully unaware of the push and pull of emotions raging inside me.

As if he's reading my mind he begins to talk about her. “Emma’s been off lately,” he says between bites, and my attention snaps back to him. Concern floods his voice in the way only a brother can talk about a little sister.

Guilt fills me as I wonder if I’m the reason. “Off?” I ask, pretending the word doesn't tighten my chest.

He nods. “I think she might be mad at me for leaving the other night.”

The pain in my gut hits harder. “What makes you think so?”

He shrugs both shoulders, studying a crispy piece of chicken before answering. “She’s been quieter.” With a frown, he wipes his mouth with a napkin, still focused on his food like it’s hiding the answers. “Shorter tempered, too.”

His words make me feel more awful. I hate the thought of Emma's bright eyes dimmed and her usual energy gone. It doesn't sit right with me, knowing I'm partly to blame.

“Nothing I do or say seems to get through to her. It's almost like she doesn’t see me anymore.” The dejected droop of his shoulders tells me things are serious. But what can I do about that?

“That does seem pretty strange.” I try to pretend to be somewhat nonchalant. “Maybe she’s sick?”

Alex shakes his head. “She's also been fixing things around the club.” His expression fills with guilt. “I know it's my job, but for some reason she just took it over.”

Oh, there's a reason. Being stuck in the walk-in must have had a serious effect on her. “Well, has she said anything about it?” I hate that I know more than I'm letting on, but I don't see any gain in letting Alex in on what happened when he was gone.

He shakes his head.

The image of her taking charge and getting things done flashes in my mind, her expression all focused and furrowed brows. The mental picture does strange things to my pulse.

“Damn, though.” Alex shakes his head. “She's got to chill out. She’s freaking me out.”

“I can tell,” I say, though part of me—a reckless, hungry part—wants to see her fired up, wants to be the reason she’s grabbing life by the horns and refusing to let anything happen without her signing off first.

Even so, I just can’t shake the feeling of her wrists under my palms, the heat from her skin, the softness of her curves against my body... The memory is like a live wire in my blood.

“Anyway,” Alex says, licking a fingertip and picking up every crispy bit of chicken breading on his plate, “thanks for the lunch, man.”

“Yeah, of course,” I say, tuning out his responses as he stands up.

“I have to get back to work,” he says, an apologetic note in his voice.

I wave away his concern with one hand. “That’s fine - go on.” I’m going to stay for a few moments. And I watch him leave, my mind already racing ahead, plotting how to get back into her life and under her skin. I want Emma to tell me what’s going through that pretty little head of hers. Did our almost kiss really change everything for her?

Beyond that, as much as I try to avoid her, I know I'll keep coming back. I’m an addict and she’s my fix.

When I finally leave, my mind shifts to autopilot as I try to decide on my next move. It’s her day off, so she won’t be at the club. Maybe that means she’ll be at her apartment. I know the address because Alex had given it to me back when he thought he might need someone he trusted to check in on her.

Man, that doesn't feel good. He trusts me, and here I am wanting to do indecent things with her.

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