Page 133 of Dance of Defiance

My eyes snap to his. “Excuse me?”

He grins. “I think Dasha’s got a little crush on me.”

I roll my eyes. “Is that supposed to make me jealous of her?”

Val cocks a brow, his head tilting to the side. “One wouldthink—you being so straight and her being your fiancée—that it would make you jealous ofme,no?”

Shit.

He grins a shit-eating grin. “Little Freudian slip there, Romance?”

“I don’t even know what we’re talking about,” I grunt. “But I’m not jealous.”

“Of course not.”

I glare at him. “I’mnot.”

He winks. “Yes. That’s what I just said.”

My brow wrinkles. “Are you always this annoying?”

“Only with people I really like.”

My cheeks tingle, and I bite my lip to stop from grinning like an idiot as I turn away. “Well…bye.”

His hand closes around my bicep, squeezing just enough to send a tingle through me.

“Hey—you still offering rides home?”

“Well, thanks for…walking me up?”

I’ve been utterly silent the entire drive to Val’s place.Hehasn’t, but I have.

He gives me a half-perplexed, half-amused glance as he unlocks the loft door.

“Super chivalrous, wreckage, but I think I’m good now—Roman?”

I shoulder past him, storming into his apartment like wrath incarnate.

I don’t even know why I’m so angry. Why I’ve been livid since I walked into the Mercury and saw him all cozy with Dasha, with his fuckingarmaround her.

The thirsty comments on his Instagram earlier were the dry wood and straw. But seeingthat, and the way he grinned at her like pure sex, was the spark that ignited the whole thing.

Val follows me inside and shuts the door.

“Look, as fun as it is to hang out with a silent person, I think I’ve hit my limit on one-sided conversation for the day?—”

He grunts when I whirl and slam into him, shoving him against the door.

“What thefuckis your pr?—”

“You,” I snarl, grabbing him by the collar. “You’remy fucking problem!”

He barks a cold laugh. “Oh,I’mthe problem.” He smirks. “Me.”

“Let’s get one thing fucking straight,” I hiss.

Val laughs. “Perfectchoice of word.”