Play (Stage Dive, #2)(34)

I stopped, smiled. “You didn’t even hesitate.”

“You’re pissed about something.” He leaned down, making our conversation private despite the packed room. “What’s wrong?”

“Promise me you won’t sleep with her.” I nodded to the beast in question. She was now busy talking to an elderly man, smiling and nodding. In all likelihood, she was Ev’s cousin or something equally harmless, not the Harpy Queen of Darkness. Still didn’t make her behavior right.

Also sometime soon, I should try to not insult someone every time I entered this building. A great idea.

“I won’t sleep with her,” said Mal.

“And you won’t have sex with her either.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Just to clarify.”

“What’d she do to you, Anne?”

“She insulted me. But it’s fine.” I just needed to know she’d never get near him. Now my soul was at peace. “Carry on with your partying.”

Mal’s face hardened, his mouth drawing tight. “What the f*ck did she say?”

“Doesn’t matter. I might get another drink. I have no idea where I left mine and suddenly alcohol sounds like a really good idea. I feel I need the social lubrication.” I started toward the kitchen, all well once again with my world. Justice would prevail. Mal’s pants were closed to the woman.

A hand hooked my elbow, drawing me back into the bathroom. It was a nice bathroom. Dark gray stone surfaces, shiny chrome features. A great bathroom, really, but I didn’t need to spend quite this much time in it.

“Mal?”

He slammed the door shut. Whoa, his eyes. There was not a single hint of happy. “What did she say to you?”

“Hey, really, it’s okay.” I rested my hip against the counter, setting the right example and trying to play it cool. This level of emotion had not been expected.

“Anne.”

“I just needed to know she wasn’t going to get what she wanted, namely you. Blame it on my little black vindictive heart,” I joked.

He did not laugh.

Face still set in furious lines, he stalked toward me, backing me into the counter. The hard gray stone edge connected smack bam with the bruise on my back from earlier. It hurt.

“Ouch.” I rubbed at the sore spot, wincing.

“What?”

“I think I’ve got a bruise from the kitchen bench. Your fault.”

He harrumphed in a strangely sexy manner (it had truly never occurred to me that noise could be a turn-on). “I already said sorry about that.”

He picked me up by the waist and set me on top of the counter. His able hands pushed my knees apart as far as my skirt would allow and he stepped between.

“Ah, hey there.” I put my hands to his shoulders, pressing against the cool material of his suit jacket. “Ease back a bit.”

“Tell me what she said.”

“Why? You going to challenge her to a duel? Pistols at dawn?”

“You read too many books.”

“No such thing!” I cried, aghast.

“No duel. But I’ll sure as hell have her ass thrown out of here.”

“Mal, seriously. I dealt with it. It’s okay.”

He just stared at me.

“I very politely thanked her for her opinion and told her to go f*ck herself.”

The tension in his face eased a little. “You told her to go f*ck herself?”

“Yes, I did. I channeled my inner Scarlet O’Hara and took none of her crap.”

“Good. Liking that boundary. And you’re okay now?” He set his hands on the counter either side of my hips, meaning we were damn close. Much closer with some clothes missing and we’d almost be together in the biblical sense.

“I’m all good. Though my bottom lip sort of hurts. No more biting.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, yeah. I figured that when you pulled half my hair out to get me off of you. You know you can be kind of vicious, pumpkin. I like that.”

I smiled and he smiled and everything was fine and dandy.

“You’re definitely not going to sleep with her though,” I said, just to be sure. I really didn’t like the woman. “Seriously.”

“My dick doesn’t go near anyone that’s rude to my friends. That’s not cool.”

“Your dick has good taste, then.”

His eyes went kind of hazy.

“Mal?”

“Hmm? Sorry. I like the way you say ‘dick’ and ‘taste’ in the same sentence.”

“Right.” So not going there. I squirmed ever so discreetly on the countertop. “Thank you for worrying about me. But we should go back out and join the party. People probably want to use the bathroom.”

“There’s four more.” Soft as a feather, he brushed his lips across mine. Every nerve in my body kick-started at the contact.

“I’ll make you feel better, Anne.”

“Ah, yeah. I already said I was feeling fine. And you remember that line in the sand you drew about us not getting involved in a sexual manner and stuff? You’re messing with it big-time tonight.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“It kind of is. I don’t want to be your joke, Mal.”