Page 200 of Poison Aches

There’s nothing about him that screams remarkable and frankly, he looks out of place, like his crooked nose and even more crooked teeth.

“Oh, uh… crap, I just got tongue-tied,” the douchebag starts. “I’m happy to meet the friends of my Ivy.”

His Ivy?

“Who are you?” Vaughn repeats immediately as the atmosphere shifts.

I can tell people are glancing at us, but my eyes are on Angel.

And she’s watching me.

“Me?” the asshat stutters. “I-I’m Jack?—”

“Jackass, got it.”

Without sparing the asshole another moment I can’t afford, I grab Angel’s hand and lead her to the dance floor, leaving the shithead standing there with anger in his eyes.

He doesn’t even know that if he steps a toe out of line, he’s done.

“What are you doing?” Angel demands breathlessly.

“Wondering.”

“What?”

“How it must feel to have to pretend, lie, and deceive all the time with no time off.”

CHAPTER 27

Ivy

His gaze is deep and so, so dark, almost like obsidian.

I’ve never seen him like this before, exhibiting a ruthless aura that brings chills to my entire body.

An old adage comes to mind about gods.

They’re fine when you can think of them as something to give you strength, something to believe in and appreciate from afar.

But when they’re up close like this, stalking toward you in all their incomparable glory, everything becomes real.

The danger? Real.

The chance of never recovering? Also real.

The fear that strikes your heart when their true face is revealed… that’s exactly what’s happening to me now.

All my life, even though I knew Emmett was an asshole, I believed he didn’t much care about trivial stuff.

I thought he wasn’t petty, nor did he waste his time on insignificant things.

But now, that calm, kind, patient facade has been pulled away and for the first time in my life, I’m truly seeing him.

“I…” I clamp my jaw shut. What can I say anyway?

His warm, large hand completely engulfs mine and warms it as he pulls me along with intention.

“Emmett…” I try again, but if he’s ignoring me or can’t hear me, it doesn’t matter because he leads me straight to the dance floor then stops and turns to look at me.

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