Page 111 of Riot Act
Pax’s eyes harden. He lets go of me and sets off after Wren and Elodie. “You should have just texted me tonight.”
Oh my god! Is he seriously changing the subject?
“Ididtext you. I messaged you four times. You ignored me and carried on with whatever the hell you were doing—”
“Working.”
“And you left me to assume your mother was dying. Or you were bleeding out off of the New Jersey Turnpike or something.”
“What the fuck does the New Jersey Turnpike have to do with anything?” he says. “Do you have any idea how far away that is?”
“I don’t fucking care where the New Jersey Turnpike is, Pax! The New Jersey Turnpike doesn’t fucking matter!”
Pax grunts. He doesn’t say another word until we reach the restaurant, where Wren and Elodie are waiting outside for us. Where they’re pressed up against the wall around the corner, draped in shadows, to be more precise. Wren has his hand up Elodie’s dress. I know from the way his hand is moving between her legs, and the soft, whimpering sounds that are coming out of her mouth that his fingers are inside her.
Pax hisses. “Hell’s fucking teeth.You’ve gotta be kidding me.”He rips his ballcap off and runs a hand over his scalp, shaking his head—the embodiment of pure frustration. “Put her down, Jacobi. You’re gonna get your ass arrested, and I am not posting fucking bail.”
“Go in. We’ll be there in a second!”
Steely, silver eyes flash murderously. “I swear to god, I’m gonnakillhim.”
“Relax. They’re just…having fun?”
The muscles in Pax’s jaw work overtime. “You’re okay with hanging ’round on a street corner in New York while one of your friends gets fingered?”
“No. I—”
“Youintothat? You wannawatch?”
He’s furious now. Boiling over. Why the hell is he so angry all of a sudden? He grabs me again, this time very roughly, spinning me around and yanking me to him, that my back is pressed up against his chest. I try to pull away, but his arm locks around my ribcage—a solid steel bar, holding me in place. “Let go of me, Pax.”
He doesn’t. He takes me by the chin, fingers gripping my jaw, fixing my face toward the alleyway and the dark shape of our friends. I can’t look away. “Does that make your heart beat faster, Chase? Does spying on them turn you on? Is…” He pants between gritted teeth. “Is that what you wantmeto do toyou?”
My attempts to wriggle free are futile. I still try, though. I strain against him, shockwave after shockwave of adrenalin exploding like bombs in my head, coursing through every cell and nerve ending of my body. I’m hot. Way, way, way too hot. “Let me go, Pax.”
“Stop,” he snarls, shaking me. “Fucking quit it. Look at them and tell me the fucking truth. Is that what you want me to do to you?”
I go still in his arms. Utterly limp, like a ragdoll. In the dim alleyway, less than twenty feet away, Elodie moans, the sound of her breathless pleasure echoing off the crumbling brick walls. Her eyes are closed. Her head rocks back, her lips parting, and a look of pure bliss settles on her face. The muscles in Wren’s shoulders and back tense, shifting with his movements. He buries his face in the crook of Elodie’s neck, growling loud enough that I can hear him. The sound of it sends a shiver through me. He grazes his teeth over the skin at the base of her neck, over her collar bone, and my breath hitches in my throat.
Behind me, I can feel Pax’s heart slamming beneath his ribcage. His chest is rising and falling just as fast as mine, all of a sudden.I realize that he’s loosened his grip on my jaw. His hand slides down the column of my throat, and for a moment he simply holds it there, his palm resting over my windpipe, his fingers pressing lightly into my skin. And then…
God…
And then, he very carefully, very lightly trails his thumb over my skin, running from my earlobe down to the hollow of my throat. His warm breath stirs my hair, skating over my neck, and I break out in goosebumps over every square inch of my body. “Say the word and I’ll do it,” he whispers. “I’ll pin you up against that wall right next to them. You can get down on your knees right there in the piss-soaked trash and I’ll shove my dick halfway down your throat until you choke on it. Isthatwhat you want from me?”
A hot wall of fury slams into my chest. I wrench myself away from him, and the band of steel across my chest that was trapping me disappears. He doesn’t try to stop me this time. His cold, arrogant laughter fills my ears, turning the heat that was just blooming inside of me ice-cold; I feel like I’ve just had a bucket of freezing water dumped over my head.
“You’re a fucking asshole,” I mutter, straightening my jacket. “What the hell is wrong with you? Why can’t you just be normal?”
His wretched smile fades. A look of curiosity takes its place. Tipping his head to one side, he pulls a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his jeans and lights one, then narrows his eyes at me. “What’snormalfor you, Chase? Do guys simp over you day and night? Do they bust in their tightey-whiteys the moment you look sideways at ’em. That what you’re used to?” He blows out a breath of smoke, the twin plumes of it billowing out of his nose, and for a second his face is hidden amongst it. Enough time for me to drag in a deep breath and recover myself.
“Just shut the fuck up, dude.” I turn away from him, wrapping my arms around myself.
In the alleyway, Elodie’s muffled cries are getting louder and louder. Thankfully, it’s the front entrance of Le Bernadin that’s busy and not the rear of the building. For once, there isn’t a single person in sight. No one around to hear Elodie’s rising pleasure except for me and Pax. Her pants are cut off, just as it seems she’s about to start screaming at the top her lungs, and I can’t help but look. Wren has his hand clamped over her mouth, blunting the one last final cry that comes out of her. His forehead is pressed against hers, his mouth moving quickly; he’s saying something to her, some whispered sweet nothing as she bucks against his hand, her back arched away from the wall, but I can’t hear what he’s saying.
“Itiskinda hot,” Pax’s voice purrs in my ear. I haven’t noticed him drawing nearer again. Now, he’s standing right next to me, close enough that his chest brushes my arm again when I spin to look up at him. He sucks on his bottom lip, one eyebrow arched as he gazes back at me. “If I told you my dick was hard right now, would you judge me for it?”
I roll my eyes, hating the heat that explodes across my cheeks. “Yes.”
