Page 16 of Cinder (MC Fables #2)

E lla

Murder.

It burns bright in his eyes.

He’s looking at me like he wants to annihilate the person responsible for the swelling on my cheekbone.

I have to think quick. But the rage in his eyes is wild and bright, and it catches me off guard. “My boss.”

“Your boss hit you in the middle of the night?”

“I board with him and his wife. He’s a mean drunk who doesn’t like to be woken up at midnight.” The lie falls awkwardly off my tongue.

His brow furrows. “Where did you say you lived? ”

“I didn’t.” I pull my face from his grasp.

“You say he’s your boss?”

“Yes.”

“Then you need a new job.”

“Not a lot of jobs going when you never went to college and don’t have much experience.”

“We need help in the kitchen. You’re hired.”

Wait, what?

He’s offering me a job?

I take a step back. “Two minutes ago, you were giving me an inquisition. Now you’re hiring me?”

“I’ve got good instincts. I also have a complete intolerance to men who like to hit women. Give me his name and I’ll happily rearrange his face. I’d like to show him what happens to men who hit.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

But oh, how I would love to see Lars slam his fist into Luca’s face. Repeatedly .

“Then come work for the club,” he says.

My mind races.

This is good.

Working at the clubhouse would grant me more opportunities to find the book .

Maybe this is the miracle I needed to keep Luca from turning me over to Viktor and facing whatever hell he has waiting for me because I came home empty-handed. Surely, they will see the opportunities of me working inside the hallowed walls of the clubhouse.

“You’re not kidding about the job?” I ask.

Lars looks at me through a furrowed brow. “Can I trust you’ll show up Monday and do a good job?”

Thank God he didn’t ask if he could trust me, because I’m not a good liar.

No, you can’t trust me. My brother is going to force me to betray you.

But this is the lifeline I need, and I won’t blow it.

“I’ll be there. And I’ll work hard.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

I bite my lip. “About kissing you tonight… is that going to be a problem if I’m working for you?”

“Forget it ever happened.”

Which is a lot easier said than done. I can still feel the warmth of his lips on mine and the length of his cock beneath his jeans as I ground against him.

A wave of lust rolls through me, and before I can stop myself, I close the space between us and slam my lips to his.

He resists at first but then pushes his big hands through my hair and kisses me back like he’s been lost in the desert and I’m a tall glass of water.

It’s fierce and delicious, and I want to do more than just kiss, but I break it off before we get too carried away.

I take a step away from him.

“What was that for?” he asks, his mouth wet with my kiss, his eyes heavy with lust.

“I wanted one last taste.”

He smiles, and it’s devastatingly gorgeous. Dimples. Perfect white teeth.

But his eyes sparkle with lust and mischief. “How about more than a taste?”

“Meaning?”

“Let me give you the whole damn night.”

Damn, why does he have to be so sexy?

“It would make things complicated if I’m going to work here,” I say.

He takes a step closer. “You don’t work here yet.”

I take a step closer. “But come Monday?"

“We’ll keep it all business.”

The air around us is sparks. I lick my lips, and his eyes track the movement, lust shimmering in his expression.

There are so many reasons why I shouldn’t do this. But so many reasons why I should . I don’t know what lies ahead for me. But if I’m forced to marry Viktor then I don’t want my first experience to be the night he claims me as his wife .

The thought fills me with revulsion.

I want something to remember.

A moment where I felt free.

This moment.

I look up into a pair of bright blue eyes and feel my resistance let go. I want this. I want him. Right now. Fuck Luca and fuck Viktor?—

The door flings open, and a biker with long hair and a girl in a denim skirt and halter top fall into the room kissing wildly and muttering all the things they’re about to do to each other.

She tugs at his zipper while he’s already got his hands down the front of her skirt.

They fall against the wall frantically kissing and desperate for each other.

Lars clears his throat loudly, and they finally look up to see us standing in the middle of the room.

“Ah, fuck, didn’t realize this room was already taken,” the biker says.

Now that he’s not attached to the lips of the girl, I can see his face. I met him earlier tonight when Cheezy introduced him as Balls.

“Your bedroom too far away?” Lars asks with an arched brow.

Balls grins. “Hell man, this room was too far away.” He looks at his date and winks at her. “When you’re with a honey like Shandi. ”

His date giggles, looking up at him adoringly. “My name’s Sandi, not Shandi.”

“Yeah, baby, that’s what I said.” He kisses her again and they seem to forget we’re in the room.

Until Lars clears his throat again. “What the fuck, Balls?”

Balls drags his lips away from Sandi and holds his arms up in surrender. “Yeah, sorry. We’re leaving.” But before they leave, Balls bounces his gaze between Lars and me, and a big grin spreads across his face. “Nice.”

“Get the fuck out,” Lars growls.

And the biker and girl leave without another word.

But the spell is broken. The heat of desire is gone, and my common sense has come back to me.

“Why do you call him Balls?” I ask.

“He’ll tell you it’s because he has a giant set of balls on him. But the truth is, he’s good at pool. I’ve seen his balls. They’re not that impressive.”

“You’ve seen his balls?”

“You live with twenty plus people, and you see things. Some things you wish you didn’t.”

I laugh.

“Now where were we?” he asks, putting his hands on my hips.

I push a palm into his chest to make space between us. “I think the interruption was the universe’s way of telling us not to go there.”

“Or it could just be because Balls was too horny to wait until he got to his bedroom.”

I chuckle. “That too.”

When I step away, Lars wipes his thumb across his lower lip and looks at me through his brow. Damn, he’s sexy . “You sure?”

Not. At. All.

“No. But I get the feeling it’s the safest thing for me to do.”

“Safe is boring.”

“Safe is smart.” I smile. “Thanks for the job offer.”

“You haven’t met Mrs. V., our housekeeper, yet. You might not be thanking me come Monday.”

“I’m sure she’s a lot better than my last employer.”

His smile fades. “You sure you don’t want to give me his address?”

“I’m sure. But thanks for the offer.”

“You need a ride?”

“No, I’ve got a friend waiting for me,” I lie.

He steps closer, and I’m caught in his heat as he reaches into his jeans pocket to retrieve my watch. Taking my hand, he wraps the watch around my wrist and secures the clasp. His fingers brush along the top of my hand, and I feel goosebumps trail all the way along my arm .

This man could derail me.

I can feel it in his touch. In the way he looks at me. In his kiss.

I look up at him. “About tonight and the kiss… for the sake of my employment can we forget it happened?”

He thinks for a moment then winks. “Already forgotten.”

“Good, then I’ll see you on Monday,” I say, walking away.

But something tells me forgetting I kissed him won’t be easy at all.