Page 78 of Inflict

He gave a quick swat on Evelyn’s arse, and off she went, with him right on her heels. Neither of them looked back at the bouncer following them as they disappeared out the exit, and into a dark, back alley.

Connor grabbed a large pole, likely used to hold the door open, and jammed it between the handle and the ground, effectively stopping the bouncer from getting outside. His hand found Evelyn’s lower back as he guided her through the maze of the back alleys, keeping her close to his side.

“How do you even find your way around back here?”

Connor shrugged. “Mostly, you just walk until you see light coming from a street.”

He was joking.

Sort of.

Finally, a light did come after another turn, and a street came into view. Connor held back from taking Evelyn out into the street so they could find his truck. “Are you all right, lass?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, it’s fine.”

He turned her around to face him. “I shouldn’t have—”

“Beat that guy’s face into a table?”

Connor smirked. “Not in front of you, maybe.”

“You’re too honest for your own good.”

“Not a bad thing.”

Evelyn sighed, saying, “I just … it shocked me.”

“I have a violent streak sometimes.”

Understatement.

She glanced up at him, her brow puckering. “No, not that. I meant, the fact you reacted at all. That you got angry enough over him bothering me to react. I think we say that’s jealousy, Connor.”

He cleared his throat. “Hmm.”

“You were jealous—admit it.”

“So what if I was? You didn’t look very comfortable, I handled it.”

“Two birds, one stone?”

“Exactly, lass.”

Evelyn grabbed his hands, and looked them over. “You’ve got blood all over your hands, you know.”

“It washes off.”

“Does it?” she asked.

“The bits of it you can see,” he said vaguely.

“Thank you, Connor.”

“For what?”

“For caring at all, I guess.”

Before Connor had blinked, Evelyn stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him hard on the mouth. At first, the kiss was innocent, sweet enough to make him smile, even, until it wasn’t innocent and sweet at all. Her lips parted and her tongue darted into his mouth, almost hesitantly at first, seeking something from him. He grabbed her waist, dragging her body into his until every inch of her was pressed against him while he got the chance to taste her mouth again.