Page 100 of Infernal

He laughed, the sound of it dark and biting. “I most certainly would,” he said, still facing forward.

There was nothing in front of us but a deserted road with broken streetlights and overgrown grass, but it somehow held his interest. Behind us, the old factory stood guard, bruised and battered and no longer of use to anyone.

“Youwon’tdo that,” I corrected myself, eying him pointedly.

He didn’t respond except for a small tick of his jaw muscle.

But I knew Dominic, and I knew he’d let me have my fight. As long as I was fighting it. But what would he do once he realized I wasn’t there to fight at all?

He would get in my way. He would do everything in his power to stop me, and let’s face it. He had a whole lotta power over me.

I had to find a way to ease his worries, to calm him enough to drop his guard and stay back.

“Look, you really don’t have to worry about me,” I said, keeping my voice as light as possible. “I’ll always be okay as long as I keep this little trinket around my neck. You know that.”

He met my eyes and held them. “Do I?”

“It’s not the first time I’ve had to face-off against—”

“This is different,” he interjected, his tone and expression equally smooth. “You are different.”

I could practically feel the tension seeping out of his pores.

“Why? Because I kissed you?” I asked, and then chewed my bottom lip as the memory of his mouth against mine rushed back in.

“Yes, because you kissed me.Youkissed me,” he gritted out, suddenly looking upset by it. “The mere fact that it happened at all is not sitting very well with me.”

What in the freak was that supposed to mean?

“Are you trying to say you didn’t want it to happen?” I asked, trying to remain calm, because, what the freak?

His lusty eyes immediately dropped to my mouth. “Of course I did.”

Phew. “Then what’s the problem?” I asked, still thoroughly and completely confused.

“The problem, angel, is that you’ve been pushing me away for so long that it actually feels natural to me, yet tonight of all nights, you accosted me in the car—”

“Accostedyou?” I pushed off the car and faced him. He didn’t seriously just say that.

“Yes, angel, accosted me. Try to keep up.”

My cheeks flamed with anger as I rammed both hands into his chest—hard. “You know what, Dominic? Screw you,” I said and then tried to storm away, but he promptly snatched my elbow and propelled me back to the spot I’d been standing in, only this time, he was in front of me, boxing me in as he towered over my five-foot-seven frame.

“Get out of my way before Iaccostyou with my fist,” I warned him, and I wasn’t even kidding.

He flattened both hands against the trunk and leaned in, searching my eyes like a fiend scouring the street for his drugs. “There it is.” A mischievous smile curled his lips.

“Therewhatis?” I snapped, trying to break myself out of his crazy-town prison.

“That fire and fight of yours that I like so much.” He was looking directly into my eyes, mining me once again. “They’ve been missing all night.” Narrowing his eyes, he leaned in closer. “I’d like to know why that is, being that you’re heading into the biggest fight of your life tonight?”

Shit. He was on to me. The freaking jig was up!

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said dismissively, lying my ass off almost as easily as I breathed in air.

“I think you do.” He practically sang the words, but the dark undertones made it sound like anything but a song. “It’s as though you’ve already given up. As though you have no intention of winning whatsoever. Honestly, angel, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were—” His voice dropped off a cliff as an icy film of realization settled over his eyes.

Everything halted. Me, him, time, my heart…

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