It connects with his nose with a satisfying crunch, and the vise around my head vanishes.
“What the fuck?” I snarl. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out he was trying to get into my head.
“Stop being a bully.” I glare up at him as I shake out my hand, my knuckles hurting like a bitch. “I swear to the gods, if you broke my hand, I’m going to break your nuts.”
The pain is almost worth the shock on his face.
The man lurches back and clutches his nose, his curses muffled. He glares at me, but I do nothing but smirk when blood drips between his fingers.
“Here, let me.” Cassius saunters forward, slaps the man’s hands away, then probes the area. With a quick jerk, the nose snaps into place, and the man curses all over again.
Cassius only smirks and shrugs, ignoring the glare aimed his way. “What? You deserved it, Porter, and you know it.”
Porter…so that’s his name.
Kind of stern.
A little unusual.
It suits him.
Porter swipes the back of his arm across the lower half of his face, smearing the blood around. “If we’re sticking our necksout for her, then we deserve to know what kind of trouble she brings.”
They both turn toward me at the same time, and I sit up straighter, suddenly suspicious of their intent. I refuse to wilt under their stares and trade them glare for glare.
“Tell me, little rabbit, what secrets are you hiding?” Cassius asks, the cadence of his voice soothing, a slight rattle that slows my heart and makes me want to tell him all my secrets. A low buzz fills my ears, and I shake my head to clear my fuzzy thoughts.
Before he realizes my intent, I lean forward and flick him on his forehead. “Shame on you. If you want to know something, just ask. Don’t use your mojo shit on me.”
Cassius rears back and stiffens.
He’s so still that I’m not even sure he’s breathing.
It’s almost like he’s waiting for something, and I narrow my eyes on him.
When nothing happens, he rubs his forehead, more confused than offended. “You don’t want to tell me?”
He genuinely seems perplexed, sounding like a confused child, and I roll my eyes. “Why would I want to share my secrets with a total stranger? Would you want to share yours with me?”
He adjusts his sunglasses, more of a nervous gesture, and my fingers twitch with the need to lean over and remove them. I want to see what his eyes look like, wishing I could tell if he’s fucking with me or not.
“No?” Though he answers my question, he doesn’t sound sure.
He’s gazing down at me like I’m something special, like he’s seeing me for the first time. My insides turn to goo under the attention, and I struggle to harden myself against his sexy wiles.
If I’ve learned anything during my short life, it’s that men are tricky fuckers. They dickmatize women, making us do shit we wouldn’t normally do.
Though he might look like a fun ride to climb, I’m not falling for that ploy.
I’m smarter than that.
Right?
But I can’t help noticing his broad shoulders and thick, muscular chest, not to mention the scent of thunderstorms on a hot desert morning that seems to rise from his skin.
Something about him is just beautiful to watch.
“You were looking for me?” Another man stands in the doorway, scanning the room. His gaze briefly pauses on Cassius and Porter, then comes to a stop when he spots me.
