Page 47 of Hero & Villain
Somehow, I got separated from Trix. Someone bumped me from behind, and I fell into the person in front of me. I turned around to punch the guy then held back because the last time I punched someone, I’d hurt my hand. It was the beer guy from the store. What were the odds?
He smiled brightly. “Hey, Pink! Imagine bumping into you here. Literally! You clean up nice.” He gave me an appreciative up-down. “Really nice. Are you in the mood for an afterparty? For that dress, I’ll spring for a nice room.”
I had my heel in my hand and was about to stab him with it when Tom stepped between us. He had a hand on the guy’s chest and gave me a nod.
“Dagger wanted to know if you’d like to join him for dinner,” he said, the bald brick wall not seeming to notice that he was holding back the idiot who had been about to bleed.
“Dinner?”
He gave me another nod. “That’s what he said. Also dessert. Either way, I’ll escort you where you want to go. Trix shouldn’t have left you in this press looking like that.”
Like what exactly? Tom put his hand on my back and walked me out of the crowd, handling the hysterical fans easily. We made it through a side door that led beneath the stadium and into the cement halls where fighters and sparkly women talked and laughed.
Bulldog was sitting on a bench while a medic taped his eyebrow. He gave me a look- hungry, angry, a look that I’d seen enough times to know what it meant. I was still holding my glitter heel and gave him a look of my own.
“There you are,” Dirk said, stepping between us and cocking his head to study me. “Or are you? I can’t see you underneath all the sparkles. It’s cute. Isn’t she cute, Tom?”
“Yes, sir. Almost as cute as you. Your nose was misaligned. You’re going to have to tape it for another week.”
“Aw, Tom, I didn’t know you thought I was cute. I’m touched. Come on, Pinkie. You owe me dinner.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd, pink button-up shirt over dark jeans and shoes.
He thought I was cute? Was that as much of an insult as I thought it was? I wanted him to think I was pretty, not cute. I shook my head. It didn’t matter, but my heart was still fluttering all over the place. “What do you mean I owe you dinner? You made me pay for the turtle burgers last time.”
He flashed me a smirk that relaunched another wave of butterflies. “I won your bet, so I deserve a good snack. I’m in the mood for Greek kebabs, maybe some of that nice saffron rice.”
“Dolmades would be good,” I agreed, trying not to notice how good his hand felt in mine, how awkward this entire situation was. Was this actually what seducing Dirk looked like? It felt a lot more like he was seducing me, but like I could go back now. Particularly when it felt so good to have him hold my hand.
He glanced at my shoe. “Is there a reason you’re holding your heel? Did it die from a glitter overdose?”
I should say something girly and sweet. But I’d already dumped him unconscious in the desert. I gave him a sweet smile. “I was going to stab a guy. He keeps running into me, but I guess that’s not really a legitimate reason to stab someone. Toni always said that the punishment should fit the crime.”
He raised a brow over a shiny eye. “So you could run over him with Prudence, right? Since he’s always running into you.”
I rolled my eyes and stopped to put on my heel. I held his hand tight to keep my balance and took longer than I needed to, because I was going to let him go once I had both of my shoes on. Seduction wasn’t a hand-holding event.
I was, I really was, but then we were walking down the sidewalk between palm trees and a big pool in the still warm darkness. It was beautiful, like an oasis in the desert, and I didn’t want to let him go, not when he’d won the fight for me.
“Why don’t you mind losing?” I asked as we walked through the garden. The wind rustled around my shoulders, and I stepped into him, nestling against him for warmth without thinking.
My heart fluttered when he wrapped an arm around me like it was the most natural thing in the world. He felt so good, strong, protective.
“I like fighting. Winning, losing- that’s not what it’s about for me. I just like the violence. Bulldog’s a good fighter, and that makes it more interesting. How about you? Why do you like stabbing people?”
I snorted and sank closer to him, resting my head against his shoulder. “What else do you think those kinds of shoes are for? They aren’t for comfort.”
“Ah. Now I understand women much better, or at least Pinkie. Nix is going to be happy.”
“So am I. I tripled my paycheck thanks to your fine demonstration of martial artistry.” I grinned up at him without leaving the comfort of his shoulder.
His eyes widened in horror. “Tripled? Don’t tell me that you gambled your entire first paycheck on my fight.” He shuddered theatrically. “I don’t always win, even when I mean to. You took a big chance on me.”
He kissed my nose, sending a wave of ridiculous delight through me.
We walked over a bridge and paused to look over the water.
Okay. This was romantic. We were snuggled together, looking at something pretty. Say something seductive. “I feel like you’re a sure bet, the only sure thing in this place.” I staredat him. How could those words have come out of my mouth? They’d sounded so sincere, and stupidly vulnerable.
I coughed and cleared my throat. “I mean, everyone here is crazy. What’s going on between the Dragon and the Horse?” Yes. Excellent seduction technique. Talk about other people’s obvious chemistry.
