“Stay out of it, Green,” Xander whispers in my ear, eliciting goosebumps on my skin.
I glare at him. “No, I won’t stay –”
My words die in my throat when his other hand snakes between my legs. Even though I’m wearing jeans, all he has to do is touch my nub and I’ll moan.
Shit.
“Now,” Xan murmurs. “How about that alone time?”
“You’re not fair.” I clamp my thighs together so no one sees me. That only increases the pressure and my breathing.
“You know what’s not fair, Green?” he speaks against my ear, causing me to shiver. “Wanting you and not being able to do something about it. I’m done with that phase.”
He pulls me further against him and the bulge of his cock rests hard and thick at the small of my back.
I bite the corner of my lip so I don’t groan aloud. I don’t think I can keep my reaction bottled any longer.
Everyone else is busy with Ronan and I’m not hearing them, but anyone can look in our direction and notice Xan’s hand between my legs.
Like Cole.
I’ll die of embarrassment if he catches us again.
“Fine.” I jerk up to a standing position, interrupting the conversation.
Knox and Ronan give me a quizzical reaction, but Aiden and Cole exchange a sly glance.
Please don’t tell me it’s written all over my face.
“We’re leaving.” Xander wraps an arm around the small of my back, a victorious smile on his face. “Kim wants to sleep early.”
“Tuck her in safely,” Cole says.
Aiden lips twitch in a smirk. “After all, you just won your case against the court of human rights law.”
“Screw you, King.” Xander flips him off.
“Wait.” Elsa wiggles from Aiden’s lap, even though he doesn’t want to let her go.
She reaches me in a few steps. “I thought we’d spend time together tonight. I’ll watch K-dramas with you?”
“That’s the first time you haven’t called them soap operas.” I grin.
“You know what they say, it takes practice.” She pauses. “So? Are we going to spend girls’ night together?”
“I vote against that,” Aiden says.
“Me, too.” Xander pins me to his side. “Later.”
Elsa and I exchange an apologetic glance before Xander practically drags me with him out of Aiden’s house.
As soon as we’re outside, he removes his jacket and drapes it around my shoulders, nodding with satisfaction as it swallows me. “Now, you won’t be cold.”
I hit his shoulder.
“Ouch. What was that for, Green?”
“What was all that about? This is supposed to be a night with friends.”
“Friends are overrated.”
“Now, you’re being cynical.”
He hugs me by my waist and connects his forehead against mine. “I just want to be with you, Green. Not them. I hate anything that distracts me from you.”
Damn.
How can I stay mad after he says things like that? Besides, it was just an excuse. A huge part of me wants to spend alone time with him, too.
He grins. “You just forgave me, didn’t you?”
“Don’t be so full of yourself.”
“Only if I get to fill you.” He brushes his nose against mine. “Told you, I’m not hard to satisfy.”
“You’re just so persistent and annoying about it.”
“Annoying, yes. Why is that news? You always called me annoying when we were kids. But” — he lifts a finger — “you always came back to my side.”
“That I did.”
“Because you can’t resist me.”
“Stop being so arrogant or I’ll kick you.”
“Come on, Green. Arrogance is kind of my image.”
“Even with me?”
“Especially with you. What if you leave me after I shed the image?”
“Not going to happen. Besides, you were always an arrogant, proud arsehole.” And it’s probably why he’s refusing Lewis’s help about the addiction. He doesn’t want to appear weak in front of someone he believes ruined his life years ago.
“Proud arsehole, you say?”
“The worst,” I joke.
“Have you seen my friends? I’m sure I score low on the arsehole scale compared to them.”
“Ro does.”
“Ronan. His name is Ronan. And believe me, he’s not what he seems. He likes to think he’s Switzerland when he’s in fact an imperialist power.”
“Really?”
“He’s Death, after all.”
“And you’re War.”
“Easy to start and hard to end.” He grins. “Remember that, Green. Actually, make it impossible to end.”
For some reason, my heart thumps so loudly, I actually stop breathing for a second to come to terms with what he’s said.
Impossible to end.
He doesn’t want it to end.
“You weren’t easy to start, Xan.”
“Yes, I was. You always fantasised about me, remember?”
“And you about me.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“Wait, what did Aiden mean by you winning the case in the human rights court of law?”
He thins his lips but remains silent.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Tell me.”
“No.”
I poke his side. “Xander Edward Knight, since when do you hide things from me?”
His lips move in a sly smirk. “I love it when you call me by my third name. You sound hot.”
“You’re not changing the subject.”
“Bossy, too. Hmm. Now, I want to fuck it out of you.”
“Xan! Stop deflecting and tell me.”
“Fine. It’s Aiden being the usual fucker.”
“For what reason?”
“He knew I was a virgin and never let me live it down.”
I burst in laughter. “So he called the case a human rights one?”
“Stop laughing.” He scowls, pulling me closer into him.
“Sorry, I can’t. It’s so funny.” I try to hold it in but laugh anyway.
“Let’s see if you’ll be laughing when I fuck you until you can’t move tonight.”
My thighs tighten at the promise, but I say. “Back to being arrogant, aren’t we?”
“You still like me.”
“Maybe.” I pretend to look elsewhere.
He grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to stare at those eyes that are so deep, I feel like I’ll never find a way out of them sometimes.
“Say it, Green.” There’s a certain edge in his tone, as if he’ll take things to a different level if I don’t comply.
I wiggle free from his hold and sprint down the street to our houses, calling behind me, “Catch me and I might tell you.”
I might not be an athlete, but I always did decent at running, I mean decent enough to run ahead from him and reach the house before he catches me.
I’m panting after only a few seconds. Thank God the distance is short. My hair sticks to my temples and my clothes are glued to my back.
But I’m already near my front door. I’ll –
Strong arms wrap around me from behind and lift me off the ground. I squeal as his warmth and mint scent envelop me whole.
“Got you, Green.” He nibbles at my ear. “You really thought you could outrun me?”
“Ugh,” I try to squirm free.
“Don’t be a sore loser. Pay up.”
“Fine. Let me down.”
He does, but he keeps an arm around me as if he doesn’t trust me not to try to run again. While I pant, his chest barely rises and falls with the effort.
“Are you a robot?” I groan.
“We need to work on your stamina.” He ruffles my hair. “But first, payment.”
I grab him by the T-shirt, get on tiptoe and kiss him. Just a peck before I pull away.
“That was the appetiser, right?” He runs his forefinger over his lips and I’m transfixed by the sensual movement.
Definitely an appetiser, considering all I can think about right now is kissing his lips until the morning.