Fractured (Deep In Your Veins, #5)(37)

He flashed me a crooked smile. “I’ve been called worse.” His arm slid around my neck until I was burrowed into the crook of his elbow. “None of them wanted more than a night of fun, baby. No one got hurt.”

“You’re wrong, you know. Plenty of girls wanted more from you, including Jen. She’s nice.” But still at risk of having her hair shaved off with a blunt razor.

He shrugged. “She’s not you.” He kissed me. “None of them were you, and that was the problem. I didn’t want a pale substitute. I wanted you. The real thing. I just didn’t think that would ever happen. Especially not when I heard that Dean planned to be Turned.”

As a human, Dean could never have been a real mate to me because we could never have Bound. He’d claimed to want to be a vampire so that we could have a real life together. But…“Sometimes I wonder if he played me, hoping I’d Turn him to keep him with me.”

Butch tilted his head. “You didn’t offer to ask Sam and Jared’s permission to Turn him?”

“I made it clear to Dean that I don’t plan to Turn anyone. Starting a line is a serious thing and involves responsibilities that I don’t want.”

His mouth twisted. “How long was it after that conversation that he cheated?”

“A week.” Which made it very likely that I had indeed been played. God, I was dumb. A part of me was hurt by his behaviour, but it was a teeny, weeny part because I now had something much better.

Butch rested his forehead against mine. “See, he’s a prick.”

I laughed. “Yeah, he really is.”

Chuckling, Butch kissed me again. It was slow and deep and drugging. It was also a possessive display, so maybe he understood that the only way that people would believe this relationship was serious was if he—a usually commitment-shy guy—made such an obvious and public display.

He broke the kiss with a bite to my lip. “When we get back, I want you to go straight to the bedroom and strip for me.”

I arched a brow. “Oh, you do?”

“I do.”

Sounded like a plan to me. Just then, our waiter reappeared, gathered our plates, and said he’d be back shortly with our dessert. I gave Butch a quick kiss. “I need to use the ladies’ room; I’ll be back in a minute.”

He bit my lip again. “All right.”

As I was passing Jen’s table, she smiled up at me. Considering she’d been flirting with Butch all evening, I didn’t feel the urge to smile back. Instead, I bent and spoke in a low voice. “I know you flirt as easy as you breathe, Jen. And I like you, so I won’t hurt you. But you do not try to get my man’s attention like that again. It’s disrespectful to me and it’s pointless for you...unless of course you’d like to be off solid food for a year. Understood?”

She looked from me to Butch, who was watching us closely. “You two are serious? I heard the rumours but, well, it’s Butch.”

Her disbelief was understandable. “They’re true.”

She patted my hand. “I’ll spread the word that he’s all yours and not to be flirted with. You’re kind of cute together. I’m happy for you.”

See, she was a nice person. Just very misguided and not all that bright. I gave a curt nod. “Have a good night.”

Her smile was impish. “Considering what you’ve got in your bed, I think it’s safe to say that you will.”

Oh, it was.

I hurried to the restrooms and did my business. I was just washing my hands when the door opened and in walked my supposed friends. Groan. They gathered around me, their expressions determined. Apparently there was going to be an intervention. Awesome.

Drying my hands on a paper towel, I sighed. “Make it quick. I don’t want my ice cream to melt. But before you tell me you think I’m making a mistake, you should know that I don’t care.”

Mouth tight, Jude shook her head in disbelief. “Never thought I’d see the night when you chose a guy over your friends.”

Was she kidding? “Um, actually, it was you who froze me out. Was I supposed to chase after you? Beg your forgiveness for making decisions regarding my own life without your approval?”

“It’s not that we think you shouldn’t act without our approval, Imani,” said Alora, casting Jude a ‘calm down’ look. “We just don’t like that you kept something so big from us.”

“There was nothing to keep from you until the evening before you and Paige showed up on my doorstep.” I splayed a hand over my chest. “I’m sorry, should I have text you all straight away to let you know what happened?”

“Imani, honey, there’s no way it all came out of the blue like that,” Maya insisted, though her tone was soft and not in the slightest bit challenging. She seemed more concerned than anything else.

“You’re right. It didn’t. I knew what Butch wanted, and I took some time to think about it.” I wasn’t going to apologise for that.

Jude put her hands on her hips. “But you didn’t tell us.”

“Nope, I didn’t.” And I didn’t regret that. “It was a big decision, and it needed to be my decision. Asking your advice wasn’t necessary since I knew exactly what you’d say.”

Paige leaned forward. “We’d say what you didn’t want to hear. The truth. Butch doesn’t do relationships, Imani. You, of all people, know that.”