Page 147 of Toxic Kiss

“Not a chance.”

“Haven, if you don’t get up and walk in, then I’ll carry you exactly how I did on the stage. You over my shoulder with your ass in the air.”

“Fuck you, Cy.”

“I’d rather fuck you.”

She smacks her hand on the table, eyes shining with the volatile emotions bubbling over.

“Ugh…why are you like this? You’re so infuriating.”

“Like what?”

“This? You say one thing, then you set out to hurt me the next. Nothing has changed.”

“I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“Bullshit,” she fumes, like she’s going to explode.

“Just admit that you love me, that you are jealous, that you want us to work, and we can leave.”

I toss it out for her, gift-wrapped, nice and easy.

But, of course, Haven takes the hard route.

“This will never work.” She glares at me.

“Wrong answer.”

“Ah!” She screams as I grab her arm, yank her out of the seat, and throw her over my shoulder. “What the fuck, you psycho!”

I don’t even care that my joints are burning tonight. This is worth the pain. She is worth all the pain.

“Cy, put me down. Why can’t you just be normal for once?”

“Because you keep fighting what’s between us.”

“Gee, I wonder why,” Haven bites out sarcastically.

The bouncers give me and the security following in my wake a WTF look, but open the door without question. Smoke, alcohol, and a sickeningly sweet, cotton candy body spray scent hit me as I march deeper into the club. The music and whistling get louder with each step.

“Seriously, Cy. I don’t care if you want to come here, just leave me on the bus.”

“Again, wrong fucking answer.”

“For fuck’s sake! Why are you such an asshole?”

She punches my ass, making me laugh.

“That is a conversation over a bottle of wine, or with a therapist. Hell, probably both.”

“You need more than a therapist or a bottle of alcohol can fix,” she growls.

Haven has no idea just how right she is. But there is no turning back now. Project Make-Haven-Admit-She-Loves-Me is already underway.

“You’re right, I need you.”

She doesn’t respond to that, and it only makes me more determined, not less.