Page 14 of Hero & Villain
He went down, and I lunged towards him, but before I could break his nose, someone grabbed me and hauled me off my feet, holding my back against a very solid chest.
“Tom, what’s up? Picking fights with the tourists?” The guy holding me had no accent; his voice was low, and he smelled really, really good- woodsy and crisp. I was certainly out of my mind if his scent did so much to me. His hands tightened on my arms, and the pain had me kicking and struggling in a pathetic reflex that wasn’t going to hurt him nearly badly enough. “Easy,” he said, wrapping his arms tighter around me.
I twisted my head around to snarl at him. When I saw his face, I just stared. Dirk Dagger looked more hardened than he had five years ago, but that only made him more dangerous and, apparently, attractive. He looked like James Dean and Cary Grant had had a baby. Mussed hair, chiseled jaw, kind of sarcastic tilt to his mouth. That was not the mouth that said ‘miss’ to people they were holding like an escapee from a psych ward. That was a mouth that could erase an entire universe with a kiss.
He stared at me with surprise before he blinked, and for a split second, softness filled his brown eyes. “Easy.” His voice was lower, a growl that made my heart pound much too fast. My heart felt so fragile, like it was about to beat its last.
“I’m not easy,” I whispered. Toni would never say that. I wanted to smack myself, but he still held onto me.
His lip curved as he glanced down at my lips. I started hyperventilating. I did not like being close to him, not when I still remembered how he tasted. I was supposed to seduce him, not be seduced by him. I needed to follow the plan. What was the plan? He felt so good. He was holding me gently now, likehe knew that I wasn’t going to kick him, not when I’d seen how beautifully bad boy he was.
“No, you aren’t.” He put me down and stepped back, crossing his arms like Tom, who had watched the whole thing without any expression on his face. I’d forgotten all about him. I wove on my feet. Would it be a good idea to faint and hope that the hero caught me? What if he didn’t? I didn’t need a concussion.
“Cars are coming in soon,” Tom said, staring at me but clearly talking to Dirk Dagger.
He looked so dangerous. He didn’t look like a hero, he looked like a bad boy who would know every devious thing in my heart. Why had I thought this was going to work?
“Trix’ll make mincemeat out of the tourist,” Dirk said.
Tom nodded. “Pity. Pink smears are the hardest ones to scrape off the pavement.”
Dirk smiled. “Are they? I thought it was blue. I think pink would be good. Trix would hate it.” He said it as if he knew the driver well enough to tease her.
Was I jealous or just nauseous? I should have eaten more on the bus. Maybe I shouldn’t have eaten that sandwich from the machine in Colorado. I stepped closer to them. “Look, I just need to talk to Nix for a second.” I needed to start with Nix. I needed to get Dirk’s notice in a much subtler way than this, but I sounded so pathetic and everything wobbled on the edges of my vision.
“Yeah?” Dirk raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Tom leaned over and said, “She says she wants a job doing makeup. You know any makeup artists who start interviews kicking out knees?”
Dirk gave him a look. “Any makeup artist who worked for Death-Hammer’s team would have to know how to start negotiations with violence. I’d love to see a cute little lady like Pinkie here try to tell Jezebel how to put on her face.”
“She wouldn’t have a face after that. Your call, Dirk.”
Could I really say it? Could I really deliver this lie? I was so dizzy. I swallowed, took a deep breath and then made my bed. “I’m Nitro’s cousin. She always said I should come out if I got the chance. I mean, she’s gone now, but I thought…”
Dirk grabbed my hand, dragging me past Tom. “We’re getting you out of the drive before Trix gives you a heart attack. She’s rounding the end of the parade route now. She’s always aggressive after those things. They’re slow. She doesn’t like slow things. What do you want me to call you?”
“I forgot my backpack.”
He shot me a look. “It’s a little long.” There was something like a smile in his eyes as he let me go and started jogging back towards my bag. At that second, an enormous assault vehicle, bigger and scarier than the one Nitro had driven, screeched around the corner and drove towards my backpack at forty, fifty miles an hour. Dirk darted forward and grabbed my bag. I watched the driver’s eyes narrow, and then there were screeching tires, smoke, the smell of burning rubber and asphalt.
I put out my hand to the brick wall while everything got weird and unfocused. I’d killed the only man I’d ever liked kissing. Good, right? It didn’t feel good. It felt absolutely terrible. Those were my last thoughts before everything went black.
Chapter Six
VILLAIN
Iwoke up to the sound of a woman cursing enthusiastically while strong arms carried me down an alley with bleached brick walls.
My eyelids fluttered, and I turned my head to see the boy I’d kissed at the top of the world. It took a long time for all the pieces to fall into place. He smelled of chocolate and whiskey. “Stop smelling so good,” I whispered in a husky voice. I needed water. Or his mouth. He had a scar on his upper lip. Was this a memory or a dream or…
I gasped and tried to sit up, but his arms were around me, and any movement hurt and made me dizzy. Did I have internal bleeding?
He grinned at me, a devastating smile that made my stomach flop around like a dying cat. “I can’t help myself.” He winked at me as he carried me inside. “I’ll take you to the prep room. You can watch the pre-party madness and decide if you’re up for it long term. Sweat and blood do smell strongly, but most women don’t protest that it’s too good, just too strong.”
“You’re too strong,” I said, and then wanted to die. Yes, I was supposed to play up the helpless damsel role, but it shouldn’t come so easily.
He smirked, which to be completely be honest was a really good look for him, and carried me through a few doors opened by security wearing their black shirts and ominous scowls until we reached the large room where food and drinks were laid out for the team. He put me down carefully on a bland gray couch, leaning over me and sniffing my hair obviously.
