Page 29 of Fright Night
Launching myself between them, I grab his collar and yank him away, knowing full well my court documents demand me to play nice and not be violent following the completion of my charges. There will be no second chances, and if this is reported, I’m fucked. But prison feels like the least of my worries if it means dealing with this dick.
Julian stumbles, catching himself before realizing who’s standing between him and Oakley.
“Knox,” she whispers, her tone edged with a sharp warning. “Leave it. It’s fine.”
“Fine?He was fuckin’ harassing you, Oakley.” Whirling halfway, I get them both in view. “Do you want him here?”
There’s only one correct answer, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, the belief of choice.
“No.”
The single word drives me forward, fisting his collar to bring him closer. There’s only one person allowed to freak out Oakley. One person to make her heart race before getting to sink into her heat.
And that’s fuckingme.
“Listen, motherfucker. Go away before I find you a nice grave to spend the holiday buried inside.”
“Fuck off. Go back to prison or something. I have business with Oak.”
My grip tightens andOakrepeats my name in a warning tone. In my peripheral vision, I notice Blaze and Cody approaching.
When I don’t listen to her, she pulls on my arm. “Knox, stop. You can’t get in trouble again; it won’t end well for you. Let him go.”
Despite our shared joke earlier about returning to prison, it’s her concern that breaks through the haze of red and has my fingers loosening from his collar. She cares enough to not want me to get in trouble with the law again. Exactly like when we played our games and both disliked having one another as a stepsibling, but regardless, she was there for me when Dad got too rough.
“Get the fuck out of here and don’t even fuckin’ breathe near her again. You hear me?”
I shove him farther away, jerking my chin towards Blaze and Cody, asking them to ensure he fucks off. This whole thing’s puta damper on an otherwise perfect plan. Not that it won’t still happen, and we’re hours away from showtime, but now I need to make sure she’ll be okay for the rest of the evening.
While Julian escapes out the far side of the park, I whirl on her, stalking forward until she brings her phone between us, a pointless barrier.
“Why thefuckis he still hanging around? Is he still bothering you?”
Her nod ensures Julian and I are about to have a little chat.
“What does he want?”
“Doesn’t matter.” She goes to duck beneath my arm, but I’m faster, stopping her with a hand to her throat because I’m getting the sense, strangling her is the only way to gain a damn answer these days.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
Her tongue dips out to her bottom lip, and fuck, I get hard and crave chasing it with my own.
Soon.I didn’t kiss her last night, though desperately wanting to. But right now, her fear needs to be taken care of. It’s not a good kind of fear, since it wasn’t created by me.
“It’s nothing important.”
“It is if it’s making you skittish.” Keeping a light but firm grip on her neck, I arch her face up. “No one but me is allowed to frighten you.”
“It doesn’t matter.” She chops her hand into the bend in my arm, impressively breaking my hold. “Thanks for your help, but it was unnecessary. Go home, Knox.” She grips her phone tighter and starts walking around the tent. Her skin’s a bit paler than earlier, her eyes a bit more shadowed.
There’s a story and I will get it.
My phone vibrates.
Blaze
He’s gone. Plan still on?
