Page 6 of Confession (Constantine Brothers #2)

I grab Vitali’s arm, intending to yank him behind me, but he’s a fucking immovable object, so instead I pull myself past him to intercept one of Pedano’s men.

“Goddamn it, Quinn, I fucking had—” Vitali shouts behind me, but I lose the rest of it when my new opponent hits me so hard in the face that I fall back into Vitali. In the seconds it takes my head to stop spinning, Vitali has the guy on the ground.

The club’s patrons are getting involved. It’s no surprise. Assholes like these are always thirsty for a fight. It works to our advantage, however, because they hold off some of the others while Vitali and I bolt for the main door.

I pick up a chair and hurl it at someone who charges our way.

The guy goes down, and it buys us time to get out on the dark sidewalk.

We start in the direction of the car, but there isn’t going to be time to reach it, so I grab Vitali’s jacket sleeve and tug him with me down an unlit alley.

We race around several corners until we find a defensible position—then Vitali slams me into a wall.

I’m not expecting it and have to clamp down on the surge of my temper. Vitali snarls in my face, but I’m pissed at him too. I shove him. It rocks him on his feet, but he’s right back at me. His hand clamps on my throat.

“Don’t you ever fucking pull something like that again.

” His words are gritted out, his face inches from mine.

There’s enough ambient light for me to see that his teeth are bared, but that’s about it.

But I don’t need to see. I can feel his heat, his anger, his desire to punish me—and my dick turns rock hard.

“Back off ,” I choke against the constriction at my throat. I shove him again, harder this time, forcing him to release me. He makes an angry gesture in my face like he wants to choke me again then stalks off to take position at the corner, gun in hand.

“Vitali, get the fuck back,” I snarl. That’s where I need to be. He’s blocking me from doing my job.

He ignores me, listening for our pursuers.

I’m so damn tempted to walk around the corner and put myself in front of him, but I stop myself from being that stupid.

It would cost us our position. But that means I have to stand back here like he’s my fucking bodyguard instead of the other way around.

I hover just behind his shoulder, ready to yank him back.

When he’s decided we’re in the clear—because apparently decisions like that are his to make tonight—he wheels on me and shoves me in the chest.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he snaps as I go stumbling back. “You think you can fucking double back like that instead of staying with me? You did that on purpose. You knew I thought you were behind me.”

“It was gonna give you more time, and what the fuck is wrong with you , coming back in there when I cleared your exit?”

“ You were in there, asshole! Did you think I was gonna fucking leave you?” Apparently, even in the dark alley, he can see my surprise. “Jesus Christ, you fucking did. For fuck’s sake, Quinn.”

Shaking his head, Vitali pulls out his phone and calls Sasha, briefly explaining the situation and arranging pickup because going back to the car is too risky. While he’s talking, I settle my back against the brick wall. He’s robbed me of my anger and left me shaky and unsure.

I heard his words, but I don’t understand.

My brain can’t compute his meaning. Him coming back for me doesn’t make sense, but for some reason my body is having a strong reaction to it.

I cross my arms because I’m shaking. I wince when I hit the cut on my stomach, but then I dig against it, letting the slight pain ground me.

That, at least, I understand. I know how to deal with pain.

Vitali watches me the whole time he talks to Sasha. It’s too dark for details, but I can see that his face is turned my way. I can feel his attention, just like I’ve been feeling it for days. Weeks.

I really, really wish my dick wasn’t hard right now. It’s flipping the wrong switches in my brain.

Vitali ends the call, stows his phone, and thrusts a finger in my direction. “Don’t ever fucking do that again.”

“My priority is to protect you,” I remind him, hating how weak my voice sounds. “That’s my job.” Vitali is too angry to notice.

“Your job and your priority are for me to decide.”

“I wasn’t in danger.”

“Bullshit. There were at least four of them, maybe five, I didn’t get a clear count. And you got cut, didn’t you?”

“It’s fine—”

“Let me see it.” He strides my way, pulling out his phone again. My heartrate spikes.

“Don’t turn on the light.” I uncross my arms, grabbing at his wrist. “They’ll see.” The truth is that he’ll see. That I’m hard. That he’s completely fucking up my head right now because I’m in love with him and I fucking want …

He crowds into me. I still have hold of his right wrist, preventing him from turning on his light, but his other hand reaches for my shirt, tugging it up.

“Don’t,” I gasp when his fingers brush my skin. God, it’s torture when he touches me, when he fixates me. I hate it. I love it.

His body is inches from mine. I can’t think when he’s this close. I can’t think with his fingers on my stomach. My heart is pounding. My dick is throbbing.

“ Quinn .” I feel the puff of his breath as he speaks my name.

He’s too close. I can’t think. His breath feathers over my lips.

I don’t feel like I move, but somehow I drift closer, toward his breath, toward his lips—until mine meet his.

For one second, it’s euphoria. Vitali’s sensual lips against mine. Everything I want, right there.

But I can’t go further. I freeze.

Then panic explodes inside me.

I shove him so hard that he goes stumbling back, barely keeping his feet.

I freeze again. In horror. In terror. He’s frozen too. Then I hear his breathing start, harsh and short.

He doesn’t say anything. Neither do I. I should. I have to. It’s on me to speak. But I can’t—because I can’t give voice to what I’ve done, and I can’t bear to hear his response.

When Vitali starts walking, part of me wants to just stay where I am, maybe forever, but I won’t let him go to the pick-up location alone.

So I follow, hating myself, hating this night, because I know, I fucking know , that after two years of being so goddamn careful, in one stupid, thoughtless moment, I’ve destroyed everything.

There’s no going back from kissing a straight man.