Page 44 of Vicious Little Darling

This is not good.

Chapter Twenty-One

JAXTON

Ican’t help it. I’m enjoying every fucking second of the tension between Josh and Ember. Heabhorsthat I gave his secret love a ride back and forth to work, and I revel in every glare he sends my way. Yeah, am I living a lie with Ember? Kind of.

But I’ll work that out. Well, or I won’t. Still, I can always make her disappear if I can’t pull this off.

“I’ll take you home tonight,” Josh says at the end of the shift to Ember. “And I’ll be driving you to your apartment.”

I frown at this exchange, especially when Emberagrees.That makes no fucking sense. She’s not staying there, so when Joshtakes the money to the back to place in the safe, I pull Ember aside.

“Why are you letting him take you back to your old apartment?” I demand, trying to sound like I’mconcerned,not jealous as fuck. “That guy could be skulking around.”

“I need to get some stuff from there anyway. I’ll let him take me there, and then I’ll come to your place,” she says, her words careful, but I don’t miss the hint of something else there.

She’s not over my alter ego.

It pisses me off. I don’t know why it pisses me off. I mean,Iam him, but I need her to see me as something more. I have noticed that she is showing signs of being attracted to me. I just need to seal the deal with the real me.

I need to fuck Ember as Xander.

As soon as Ember meets Josh at the door of the back room, I start to think about how the hell I can pull this off. I still have the nasty, painful injury in my side. It’s going to take alcohol in Ember’s system to keep her from recognizing me, at least to some degree. But that’s not impossible. I can make this work. I leave the bar in front of Josh, Major, and Ember, and head straight for my car. My cock strains against my jeans as I think about having Ember again.

It's taken everything I have not to fuck her while she’s been in my apartment, and as much as I could let her think the killer has found her at my apartment, it would take away the sense of safety I’ve managed to give her—and that’s something Josh hasn’t given her…

And I have a pretty good idea why.

That’s also the exact reason I follow Josh and Ember toward her apartment when he pulls away from the curb. The beauty of living in the city means I can keep my distance and blend in, without having to make that much of an effort, even at this time of night.

So, I follow them to Ember’s apartment building, and watch as she climbs out of the car. The two exchange some words, none of which I can make out. She leaves to go inside of the building, a pep in her step, and Josh pulls away as soon as she’s inside. As soon as he leaves, I pull up my phone, and send her a text.

Me: I’ll pick you up from outside. Be there in five.

Three dots appear, but nothing comes through. I tap my finger on the steering wheel. I hate the game that Ember and I are playing right now. She rejected me first, then I rejected her, and now we’re at this standstill of awkward tension. I don’t know how the fuck I’m supposed to handle it, and I can’t ask Pitman.

Everything I’m doing goes against his wishes.

Finally, a text comes through twenty minutes later.

Ember: On my way out. Thanks.

I like the text and then lean back in the seat, waiting for her to show her face. A few minutes later, she appears, carrying a suitcase. I hop out and rush across the street to join her. At the same time, that fucking neighbor of hers appears at the doorway.

Holy shit. This isn’t good.

“Let me get that,” I clear my throat, and grab the suitcase from Ember’s hand.

“Hey,” the neighbor calls out. “I think I know you.”

I grimace as I turn my back to her and Ember both. “I don’t think so.”

“He was here a few nights ago,” Ember explains. “The night of… You know. He had taken me home, but then he went home.”

“No, I’ve seen him before that,” she mutters, clambering after me, and grabbing my arm.

“Whoa,” I snap. “Easy. I haven’t seen you before. Jesus.”

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