Page 38 of PortCity Killers

I didn’t need to be told twice. My hands clutched my phone in my pocket as I made my way to the front, past the bar and the stage. Just before I reached the door though, Don’s warm fingers wrapped around my wrist.

“Not so fast. Not so much as a goodbye, little Lexi?”

I felt myself blushing at the familiarity in his tone; how his accent already seemed to slide itself into intimate places he hadn’t even seen or felt. He pulled me into him, forcing me to let go of my phone or risk falling completely into his arms.

I rested a palm on his chest, the silk of his shirt sliding across my fingers as warm as he was.

“I would like to see you again, soon.”

“Valentina will make sure of that. I still owe you all a favor.”

Don shook his head, a rueful smile twisting his lips, “No, not like that. I meant what I said, Alex. I want to know you. I would like to take you out on a date–a proper one.”

“As far as first dates go this one definitely was the worst,” strangled as it was, a laugh escaped past my lips.

“All the more reason for me to make it up to you on the second one,” his hand slid down my side, pulling me closer to him, to the thick length that strained across his groin, “Besides, it wasn’t all bad, was it?”

“No.” I whispered, my hands a little shaky, “No, I guess it wasn’t all bad.”

“Then allow me to fix that.”

I shook my head, not sure if I was denying the request or just processing my disbelief, “And if I say no?”

“Then you say no,” he shrugged, “And I will try again another time. Maybe the next time your brother steps in a mess of his own making. He seems good at that.”

My eyes cut to Don’s. There was no threat in his gaze, but his words teetered on the razor’s edge of one.

He sighed at my weariness.

“It was meant as a joke, princess, but in poor taste I admit. If you’re unwilling then I will not press the matter, but I cannot say I wouldn’t be disappointed, and you couldn’t blame me for trying to convince you.”

A date with Don Giovenni. A real, proper date...in public? What would it look like to be dating one of the most powerful men in PortCity? I guess I already was, wasn’t I? In a way?

But this was different. Bryce had never offered to take me out somewhere with intent. He’d just gone with the flow, taken me to places he could when he could, and most of our time was spent in our own little bubble.

I loved that, I really did, but this? This felt like a claiming I’d never really felt before, and I sure as hell didn’t know how to navigate it with any grace.

“Yes,” I said, answering as honestly as I had in the bathroom, “I would like that.”

His smile brought out a little dimple in the right corner that had me transfixed.

He leaned down, kissing my cheek in the way men and women often do from affectionate cultures, but there was a subtle tension in the gesture that made me want to lean into his crisp linen scent.

His stubble rubbed against me, making me shiver as he pulled back.

“Then we will be in touch soon. Can I call a car for you?”

I shook my head, ushering myself out the door without looking back. I threw a hand over my shoulder, “I’ve got it, but thanks.”

I ran across the street, the early morning light clear and the scent of the sea enveloping me.

I didn’t stop running, not until I was blocks away, turning into the fire escape hall and up the stairs to Bryce’s place. He wasn’t at his apartment when I got there, neither was Jaymes, which I hadn’t really expected.

I let myself in with the thought that I would call them both, take a shower and order some much needed Chinese the moment they opened.

My phone was between my shoulder and ear as I opened the door with his spare key, the ringing on the other end sharp as I locked myself in tight.

Unlike my apartment, Bryce’s locks would hold through a lot, even my own stupidity it seemed. I realized as my eyes caught those of a strange man dressed to the nines across the room.

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