Page 117 of Dominion
She scowled, but nodded.
Mark stood up and he and Melissa both followed suit, shaking hands with him again and seeing him out.
When he left, Cody blew out his breath and put his hands on his hips. This whole thing was a cluster fuck.
Melissa watchedCody pace around his small living room. A muscle jumped in his jaw, his brows were down low. Even though she hadn’t been the one to call in the favor, regret speared her for getting him involved.
“I don’t want you to bring that money to Rabago,” she spoke from the couch.
He whirled and glared at her. “Why not?”
“You shouldn’t have to risk your life like that. This isn’t your mess and you’ve already done enough to help me. I should bring it.”
“Like hell,” he growled.
“I’m sorry Ben dragged you into this. You don’t even know me and it’s not your stupid drama. I know this is more than you bargained for.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is it? I gave Stone an alpha’s promise to protect you. That means my life for yours. So yeah. I already signed up for this.” He continued to pace, his hands on his hips, nostrils flaring in anger.
She stood up and blocked his path. “What are you so pissed off about, then?”
He cursed and jabbed his fingers through his hair, sending it off in different directions. Holding up a finger, he said, “One, I can’t figure out why you were with this douche in the first place.”
She recoiled, bitterness filling her mouth. “Yeah, well, neither can I, okay?” Her voice had risen in pitch. “I have terrible taste in men, a problem which I soon plan to remedy.” She threw a dark look his way, but flinched when he seemed to read her mind—that he was one of the men she planned to avoid.
He stepped up to her, toe to toe, glaring down. “What is that supposed to mean?”
She flushed but didn’t back down. “It just means I’m done with losers. I’m going to find someone honorable. And stable. And normal.”
And boring.
The muscle in Cody’s jaw jumped again.
She folded her arms across her chest defiantly. “You saidone.Was there more?” She didn’t know why she was goading him, why she needed to have this fight, but she did.
“Yeah, there’s more.” He stopped pacing and lifted his hand to gesticulate, but then seemed to stop himself. “Never mind,” he growled.
“What the hell?” She was totally game for dragging everything out onto the table. “If you don’t want me here, you shouldn’t have told Mark I should stay with you. And by the way, one of you should have asked me whatIprefer, don’t you think?”
“What do you prefer, princess?” His words came out icy this time, instead of red hot and she registered the change with a bit of shock. Where was all this venom coming from? He pointed to the door. “You prefer Mark to be your protector? Is that it? It’s okay for Ben to drag him into it, but not me? I guess he’s got more of the knight in shining armor thing going with that suit and badge, doesn’t he?”
She jerked as if he’d struck her, and understanding finally dawned. She’d offended his pride. Going soft and swearing he misunderstood wasn’t going to put out this fire. She strode over to him and jabbed his chest with a finger.
“Fuck, no.”
He glowered down at her, waiting.
It was hard to say more. They were always at odds with each other. She didn’t like to give him an inch. But she didn’t like him pissed off either. “You’re the only knight in shining armor around here that I see.”
He looked wary, like he thought she was blowing smoke up his ass.
“Mark’s just doing his job. You’re the one who offered me pack protection. If you weren’t always such a smug, cocky bastard, I might have shown a little more gratitude.”
The corners of his mouth twitched.
Her heart jumped around in her chest while she watched his gaze turn from scalding to smoldering—with a different kind of heat. “I don’t need your thanks,” he muttered and reached for her nape, yanking her in to claim her mouth, just as he’d done in the middle of the mall. She closed her eyes and melted into the kiss, which was no less violent or consuming than the last one.
One of his hands slid down her back and gripped her ass, squeezing and pulling her hips against him. He wedged one leg between her thighs, and her hips rocked down to rub her clit against it.