Page 136 of Caught in the Crossfire

“I think not letting you disappear is a good idea. Dancing at the club is just a bonus.”

This idea was half-baked at best, born from the shitshow of what just happened, but I couldn’t keep letting him avoid us. His outburst at Wynn just proved he was not over what happened with the kidnapping, even if I was. Whenever he’d gotten angry recently, he’d stomp away or disappear, and that was not happening again. So, my plan was to get us both to relax, and then give him the floor to say what he needed to say.

“Dancing…you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Oh, I’m fucking furious at you.”

The elevator dinged, and we both stepped out. He grabbed my hand, interlacing our fingers and jerking me closer to his side. He looked around like he expected a boogeyman to jump out of the wall and steal me away.

Which is kind of what happened.

But it would never happen again.

“You can’t tell me that Wynn didn’t fuck up with you.” His lips brushed against my ear while we walked past the two bouncers monitoring the entrance to Club Dragon.

“I can tell you that, and I will.”

A few people in the long line shouted their frustration, but Ryu ignored them, instead waving to the men. They gave him a stern nod, but then raised their eyebrows at me and gaped, especially at how Ryu tucked me underneath his arm.

I winked and blew them a kiss, which caused Ryu to glare down at me. The men smiled, exchanging glances at one another, until my dragon whispered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously likekeep your fucking eyes where they belong or I’ll take them from you.Both men blanched, immediatelylooking past us and back to the long line of patrons waiting to get ushered inside.

“I’ll say what I said back at the penthouse again. If you have anything else bad to say about Wynn, say it to my face.” I pulled him toward the dance floor. “Or get over it and move on.”

I couldn’t keep my box from rattling when my men brought it up every single chance they got. It was better for all of us if we just left it in the past.

The music thumped through my body, immediately reminding me of the last time I’d been here—the same night I’d met Ryu. I’d followed one of Max’s men into the club, then planted a tracker on him so we could find out where Max had taken Cas. It had put me on a collision course with Ryu, and just when I thought we’d figured out how to stop butting heads, he persisted in being an asshole.

His arms curled around me from behind while he pressed his chest against my back. We swung our hips in time with the beat while his hands wandered all around my ribs.

His hand trailed up the back of my neck to tangle in my hair. He tilted my neck to the side. “If you would have died, I would have killed Wynn.”

The words were chilling, despite the heat of the club, but he needed to say it. He needed to get it out.

“Wynn saved my life.”

“Wynn let you get taken.”

“I survived.” They were all stuck, held captive by the events of that night. Why was I the only one trying to forget about them?

He growled into my ear. “Barely.”

I spun in his grasp before winding my arms around his neck. “Careful, Ryu, or I might think you have actual feelings for me.”

“Not possible,” he lied against my lips.

I knew he did. I knew I felt for him, too.

I kissed him the same way I did the night we first met. We were magnets, drawn together by an unstoppable force. The kissseared through my body, and everything else around us faded away.

We’d had sex in the car on the ride home from New Jersey. He’d given me the safety I needed to find my power again. To know that I wanted to—needed to—take control of my body again. But now it was my turn to do the same for him.

“Your office.” It wasn’t a question. It was a demand.

Our hands and lips barely left each other as we stumbled up the stairs and through the door to his office overlooking the club. I pulled him toward the couch, where everything between us had begun, but he redirected me toward the desk.

He swept his hand across the wood, pushing everything onto the floor in a giant clatter. Multiple piles of papers scattered on the floor while Ryu chuckled.

“What?”