Page 10 of Echo and the Homicidal Sea Panda

“Oh, I think you do,” Mael whispered, leaning close again. He inched his lips closer to Echo’s, ready for that taste.

Echo lifted his chin, seeming to invite the kiss coming his way.

Mael was a breath away from claiming it when he heard a man ask, “Whatthe fuckis going on?”

He looked over his shoulder, pissed to have been interrupted. Even more pissed when he found Echo’s friend glaring up at him. “We’retalking.And you’re interrupting us.”

Echo’s friend whipped his gaze past Mael. “Is this guy bothering you?”

Mael turned his focus on Echo to await an answer.

Echo held his gaze, appearing unsure. He closed his eyes and gave a quick shake to his head before focusing on his friend. “I’m fine.”

“I don’t think you are,” Echo’s friend said.

“Diego…”Echo said, a hint of warning in his tone.

Instead of starting a fight—which would draw unwanted attention—Mael stepped back from Echo. He wasn’t happy he’d been forced to do it, either. Facing Diego, he gave a disingenuous smile. “Echo and I are old friends. We were together last night, in fact.”

Diego’s gaze whipped to Echo’s before he looked up at Mael. “I seriously doubt that.”

Mael chuckled. “Ask him yourself.” He spun to face Echo, leaning in close again. “Thisisn’tover.”

He grinned at the mixture of anticipation and dread swirling in Echo’s gaze and decided then and there to find more privacy for their next encounter. After giving Diego another glare, he walked out of the back door of the bar and into the alleyway. Pausing a few feet down, he adjusted his jeans to give himself a little relief before heading toward his motorcycle parked in the shadows.

There was no way he was waiting long. He’d caught scent of his prey.

The hunt was on.

* * *

“What the hellis going on?”Diego demanded, his brows drawn tight. “You were withan orcalast night?”

Echo closed his eyes, attempting to steady his breathing. When he opened them, all he could see was Diego’s disappointment in him. “It’s better that I didn’t tell you.”

“Ishethe top-secret project you’ve been doing? Fucking an orca isn’t smart, Echo.”

Echo lifted a hand to his chest, willing the rapid beating under his fingers to slow. “Who said anything about fucking him? Just to be clear, I didn’t.”

I might have if you hadn’t interfered.

That thought had Echo reeling.

“It sure didn’t look innocent when I rounded the corner,” Diego said.

Echo avoided Diego’s angry stare.

“It looked like he was about to…devouryou,” Diego continued.

The hungry look in the orca’s eyes was still burned into his brain. Something told Echo that he wanted to be devoured, at least by that specific orca.

“Did you invite him here?”

“No!”Echo barked, his gaze darting to Diego’s. “Of course not. I told him he couldn’t be here.”

“Oh, itreallylooked like you were pushing him away hard.”

“I owe you no explanations,” Echo snapped. He propelled himself off the wall he’d clung to while trying to calm his shaken nerves. After storming through the bar, he shoved the front door open. The cool night air washed over his face, which he welcomed. He paused at the curb and drew in a long, slow breath.

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