Page 125 of Illusory

“Taxi’s already on speed dial,” confirmed Tessa.

“Good.” The bartender smiled and then veered her eyes to someone over our shoulders.

A wall of a man stepped up between Tessa and me, hisgaze fully pinned on the bartender as though they were having a private conversation no one else could hear. She nodded to him and then shuffled off to serve another customer on the other side of the bar, leaving Tessa’s fifty-dollar bill stranded on the counter.

Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome flattened his hand on the bill and slid it back to Tessa. I craned my head all the way back to get a good look at him.

And what a good look I got.

A tailored jacket and tan skin peeking out from his unbuttoned dress shirt, shaggy brown hair and linebacker shoulders. I was starting to understand why Tessa used to like coming here so much. If nothing else, the scenery was positively delightful.

“Your money’s no good here, Tessa. You know that,” he said with a husky rumble that practically vibrated through the floorboards.

She pushed the bill back to the spot it had been in. “I can pay my own way, Americo.Youknow that.”

“I never said you couldn’t,” he replied, a playful note to his voice.

“Then we’re square.”

He shook his head and tutted. “Still just as stubborn as always I see.”

I snorted at that causing him to turn his head and look at me. Gold eyes flicked over me and then narrowed with recognition even though I’d never seen this tall drink of water in my life.

“You must be the little sister,” he said with the kind of smooth, easy smile that could charm the panties off a virgin.

“I usually go by Jemma,” I said and then extended my hand to shake his, but he brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back of it instead. “Oh. Okay. Thanks.”

“Americo.” He was definitely charming, and also definitely a werewolf. Possibly an Alpha. I could tell he wasn’t human by the way my skin prickled when he touched me, but it was his musky masculine scent that gave him away most. “I’ve heard a lot about you over the years, Jemma. It’s nice to finally put a face to the stories.”

“Stories, huh?” My brows went up as I eyed Tessa, wondering what exactly she had shared with him. “And how bad do I come out looking in these stories of hers?”

His smile widened. “Not bad at all. She’s only ever spoken very highly of you.”

“Well, now I know you’re a liar,” I said with a knowing nod, and he laughed at that.

“So, what brings you ladies all the way to Avalon territory?” he asked as he adjusted his shirt collar, casting a sidelong glance at Tessa. “Something tells me it’s not because you missed my company.”

“Nothing gets past you,” said Tessa as she picked up another shot glass and gulped it down. “We’re not here on business if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Pleasure then,” he surmised, his voice dropping.

“Sure.”

Silence.

I blinked, my attention darting back and forth between the two of them as they just continued to stare at each other without saying anything. At least not with their mouths. Their eyes, however, seemed to be saying a whole lot ofsomething.

“Yup. Just a couple of sisters having themselves a well-deserved, trouble-free girl’s night out,” I said, throwing that tidbit in for no other reason than to relieve the third wheel awkwardness I was feeling from all the eye-fucking they were doing.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” he said, finallytearing his gaze from Tessa like it hurt to do so. “You won’t find any trouble here. Not the kind you’re running away from anyway.” A pointed pause. “Enjoy your night, ladies. Drinks are on the house.”

And with that, he flashed another one of those sultry, panty-eviscerating smiles at us and then disappeared back into the crowd like he hadn’t just gone to third base with my sister by way of his eyes.

“What the hell was all that?” I asked when he was out of earshot, dying for just a crumb of detail. There was no way she would leave me out to drynow. Not after what I’d just witnessed.

I needed information. I neededcontext.

“All what?” she asked flippantly and then yanked me off my barstool. “Come on. Let’s dance.”

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