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“Come here.”
Before I knew what I was doing, I had stepped toward him. One single step had me pressed up against the side of the bar, my arm stretched across the mahogany as he maintained his grip on my wrist. When he snaked his other hand around the back of my neck and pulled my face toward his, I stiffened again. He stopped when we were no more than an inch apart, and I could feel the brush of his breath on my cheek.
There was something about him, and I cursed myself for getting this close.
Despite everything—growing up in this city and witnessing all the stupid things people do, not to mention the stupid stuffI’vedone—there was always a part of me that felt I was somehow invincible and could look after myself no matter what. My childhood and life experiences had been nothing compared to what I knew others in this city suffered, although the whole thing exploded in my face with a few messed-up acts.
Call it stupidity because I sure did, but there was a tiny hint of lingering faith that deep down, most people were good. Because whenever I needed someone, whenever I was in the gutter and reaching up blindly, someone would take my hand and help me, even if only for a moment. I never drowned in this city like many do, but I was afraid I would, which is another reason I had to leave. This place had a way of chewing people up and spitting them out, leaving them as a husk of their former selves or bringing out the worst in them and displaying it to the world.
I didn’t want the world to see the worst of me, not again.
When I saw Emrick’s eyes, there was something there beyond the darkness—a broken man who had so much anger he directed it at anyone who stood in his way. But I wondered if with a gentle touch, I could show him not everyone was bad.
I wondered if his anger was masking something else.
I was kidding myself.
All the things I had heard about him, all the warnings and stories, this wasn’t a man with some kindness lurking within him. I had acknowledged to myself he was unapologetically dark, and there wasn’t any coming back from that.
But there was the other side of the coin. If he was as dark and rough as everyone said he was, then my God, he had the potential to be excellent in bed.
If he didn’t kill me.
Emrick’s breathing hitched as my fear spiked with that final thought. When his fingers tensed around the back of my neck, the vulnerability of this position came rushing to me in an instant. I couldn’t believe I had given him this much power and put myself in a place where he had all the leverage. Being in a semi-public place wouldn’t save me, not with him, not when he owned it. No one would dare question or stop him, even if I was kicking and screaming.
But I wouldn’t. I already knew I’d go willingly, jogging after him like an eager puppy wanting a treat. He had me. It was obvious with how I wondered about him and couldn’t seem to accept he was as bad as everyone said, even though he literally had blood on the hand that held me.
I was already his, but I hadn’t admitted it yet.
He leaned in further, his dark eyes flickering between mine, wide and green.
“Don’t be afraid of me,” he whispered against my lips.
I swallowed, and it felt heavy. “It’s hard not to be.” Raw honesty. I’m not sure if it was the best course of action, but I barely had the frame of mind to think of anything else I could say to this man. “But…” I couldn’t get the words out, the admission he turned me on as much as he terrified me would seem too real if I were to vocalize it.
The chemistry where he touched me was burning into my skin, but my mind and body were screaming conflicting messages at me—all the stories I had heard were swirling around in my mind. Was hetoodark? Would he be the mistake I couldn’t, or didn’t, come back from?
The one-night stand, the orgy, with the man from The Palace, had been mind-blowing, the best sex of my life, and the tingle between my thighs and the electricity passing between us told me Emrick could be better—the best. Between him and I, something incredible could happen. But was hetoofar gone? Would I be in genuine danger in his bedroom?
Whatever happened, they never came back.
He interrupted my thoughts with a deep growl. “I could make you feel so fucking good, Cara.”
My legs just about gave out when he said my name, and part of me was surprised he even knew it. Emrick radiated power and drew me to him like a magnet. It was too much, and I couldn’t resist.
If Maddie were here, she’d stop me.
She would save me.
I hated I was glad she wasn’t here.
His fingers tangled into my hair at the base of my skull, holding me in place but not pulling me any closer to him. However, we couldn’t possibly get any closer than this without kissing.
“Come upstairs,” he said. The breathy whisper was gone, and the words were somewhere between a command and a request.
My lip began to tremble as I fought internally.
Go.
