Page 2 of Merciless Angel
A moment later the Angels walked away. Instead of leaving, they helped themselves to drinks from the keg on the patio. Blaze glanced over, his piercing gaze landing on me. I swallowed hard as I took in his low slung jeans and black t-shirt before meeting his eyes.
Quickly I averted my gaze. It was too late. Eye contact had been made. That’s all he needed.
With a drink in hand, Blaze headed right for me. As he approached, he gave Zane a dismissive glance. Then his attention was solely on me. He made a show of looking me up and down. An unwelcome heat rolled over me under the weight of his stare. Why did he have to so blatantly undress me with his eyes?
Ugh, those eyes. A beautiful amber brown that a girl could easily fall into. No, no, no. No falling into anything. Not with this piece of human garbage. Despite telling myself this, I couldn’t help the way I responded to his sudden presence. He still took my breath away.
“Hey there, cutie. You’re looking especially colorful tonight. There’s no missing you in a crowd. I’ve gotta say, I love the look. I don’t think anyone else could pull off that skirt the way you do.” Blaze hit me with a grin that had no right being so damn charming.
I resisted the urge to glance down at my outfit. I’d always loved bright colors. Life was too short not to have fun with your attire. My skirt was a puffy tutu style in rainbow. It showed off a lot of thigh. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious about that.
“Uh, thanks,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t shake as much as my insides. I took a drink of my cooler, using it as a way to avoid saying anything else.
Zane stood stiffly next to me. I felt the growing anger emanating from him. He had a bit of a hot temper. It didn’t take much to set him off. If he lost it on Blaze, the Angels would kick his ass. Raina didn’t want any fighting at her party. I couldn’t let that happen.
Completely ignoring Zane, Blaze booped me on the nose. “You’re awfully quiet. You’re not shy, are you? It’s okay. I won’t bite. Unless you want me to.”
Blaze stood close enough for me to smell the musky, smoky scent that surrounded him. It penetrated into my psyche, tempting me with the forbidden. His dirty blond hair was just long enough to fall into his eyes. He moved it with a head toss that had no right being that sexy. The tattoos on his arms added to the rocker guy vibe he had going. I kind of wanted to lick the music notes inked down the side of his neck behind his ear.
Shit, what was wrong with me? This guy had watched as his friend violated Raina. He was scum.
“Quiet doesn’t always mean shy,” I said, desperately trying to play it cool. “It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for, you know.”
Blaze quirked a brow, his grin widening. “Is that so? Color me intrigued.”
I nervously gnawed the silver hoop in the middle of my bottom lip. Flirting with Blaze hadn’t been on my agenda tonight. Especially not with Zane standing next to me clenching his fists.
Before I could find a way to dismiss myself from the awkward conversation, Blaze reached to twist one of my blonde curls around his finger. His hand grazed my cheek, making me suck in a sharp breath.
“Has anyone ever told you how fucking adorable you are?” Blaze’s gaze fell to my lips, like he wondered what it would be like to kiss me.
Dumbfounded, I stared at him. I gaped at him like a deer in the headlights, lost for words.
Zane wasn’t similarly affected. Quite the opposite. He shoved in front of me, forcing Blaze back a step. Then he shoved Blaze hard enough to make him stumble backwards. I held my breath, expecting the worst.
“Has anyone ever told you what happens to assholes who fuck with another guy’s girl?” Zane snarled. He raised a fist, ready to throw down.
Thankfully, he never got the chance to throw a punch. Havoc and Gage, two of Raina’s guys, were suddenly there, pushing Zane and Blaze apart. I thought for sure there would be a hell of a fight once the Gods got involved. To my utter relief, they told Blaze it was time to leave, and he did.
As he and the other two Angels sauntered from the yard, Blaze cast a glance back at me. With a cocky smirk, he winked. Then he was gone.
Raina appeared beside me like a ghost taking form. She dragged me away from Zane. “Please tell me you’re not going to fall for Blaze’s smooth talking bullshit.”
My mouth dropped open in surprise. “After what they all did to you? That’s a hard no. Those guys can take a flying leap off a very tall building. I’m not interested.”
That seemed to appease Raina. She visibly relaxed, her tight hold on my arm loosening. I had no intention of encouraging Blaze. I wanted nothing to do with him or his screwed up friends.
It felt like a good time to let her know I’d be leaving soon. Once she’d returned to her guys, I told Zane I was ready to go home.
“Already?” he asked, an annoyed frown creasing his brow. “It’s still early. Let’s just stay another hour or so. You’ll still have time to study.”
“How about I head out and catch you later then?” I suggested, putting my cooler bottle on the patio table. “Call me tomorrow.”
Zane let out an irritated huff and chugged back the rest of the beer in his cup. “Whatever. Let’s just go then.”
I’d once thought he was a hottie with his unkempt blond hair and sky blue eyes. His mass of tattoos gave him a bad boy look that had appealed to me when we first met. Now that I’d gotten to know him better, I’d realized his personality could use some work.
“It’s fine if you want to stay,” I said, trying to keep the peace. I didn’t want to argue with him tonight. “I can get myself back to the dorm.”