Page 65 of Haunt the Mall
Either way, this target was going down.
I rocked back on my leg and threw the hatchet as hard as I could. The thrust reverberated through my arm all the way to my toes. I might as well have flung my heart at the board.
Somehow, it landed. The hatchet sank into the wood with the same fierce determination Jinx dug his claws into catnip-infused mice toys.
I screamed and spread my arms. “Oh my god, I got it.” Laughing, I spun to Victor. “Jason Vorhees would be so proud of me right now.”
He chuckled at the classic horror villain reference. “And so am I.” He hugged me tight, our hearts thumping so hard I could feel them pulsing through our clothes.
I gripped his vest and arched my neck to gaze at him like we were in some haunted harlequin romance. “Take me home?”
He caressed my jaw and blinked, his gaze darkening with tender affirmation. “As you wish.”
We kissed, grabbed our stuff, then high-tailed it to the car.
His knee bounced as he drove. He had one hand on the steering wheel, the other stroking the inside of my thigh. Did he not know what that did to me? Desire tickled my veins. I laced my fingers through his and moved our joined hands to a spot less likely to make me wet.
“Can we go any faster?” I wiggled my hips.
His lip twitched up. “Are you ready for this?”
What was ‘this?’ Our burgeoning relationship? Warp speed? Penetrative sex?
Whatever his intention was, I nodded with confidence. “Yes.”
He flipped a switch. A brilliant blue light streaked across his dashboard with the phantom promise of a shooting star. It wound around the windows and circled his wheel, the glowing veins mimicking the life blood of his car. I sat forward in awe, transported into a sci-fi phenomenon. We were in our own pocket universe. A wonder. Going somewhere neither of us had gone before—at least not with each other. Cast in a cool glow, he smiled at me. The starry beams reflected in his dark eyes seared themselves across my heart.
Whatever beast roamed the sullen corners of my mind panted and pawed at the prospect of playing with its own kind. Victor and I had similar minds. Or maybe hearts. Maybe we were drawn to the beauty of darkness because it forced people to feel, to find what made them burn: a friend, a fear, a foe, a desire. Even our faith. It stripped us to our cores. We were vulnerable. We could find salvation. Right now, Victor was my glimmering light.
I was going to rock his world. Tonight.
29
Bring Me to Tears
I pushed the door open to my apartment, the hinges squeaking with intrigue.
Victor laid a hand on my waist and brushed his lip against my ear. His murmur rumbled deep in my core. “Should I leave my shoes at the door?”
The courtesy made me want to fuck him even more. I slid my fingers into the soft hair at the nape of his neck. “Leave everything at the door. Including your clothes.”
Grinning, he glanced down the hall. “Don’t you have a roommate?”
“Yes, but she’s on night shift. It’s like living with a ghost who leaves their dirty dishes in the sink.” This wasn’t a romantic conversation, but we couldn’t keep our hands off each other any longer. I pulled him into a kiss and stumbled inside, kicking the door shut behind us. He spun me around, then pinned my back against it.
The impact of the solid wood and his warm body momentarily stunned me. I was dizzy, high on sage and Victor’s dominance. Was this really happening? Would he fuck me against the wall? Love me? Promise me…loyalty?
He waited, gauging my interest.
Fuck, I loved this energy, every second brewing with possibility.
I didn’t know what I wanted. Not exactly. I reached for his face and kissed him with desperate need. We twisted together, our hands wandering and tongues tangling. I unbuttoned his vest as he groped my ass. Every touch stoked a roaring fire in my soul. I needed more.
I twisted every button I could find with my eyes closed: his vest, shirt, and pants. I wanted them off.
He shoved my shorts and panties down my thighs, then knelt to wrangle them over my boots.
Warm air caressed my freshly exposed skin.