Page 94 of Hacking His Code

Fuck Gabriel for not giving me a warning.

She’s deep in conversation with Sadie, her hands animated and a smile on her face.

Her makeup is perfectly done, which means that Neon or someone else had to have helped her get ready. Her outfit is bolder than I would have thought, a black corset over a flowing blouse, topped off by booty shorts and thigh-highs. An absolute delight to behold, and I’m not the only one who notices.

Sven whistles loudly. “Hello, sexy lady.” He saunters up to Ari and Sadie, taking Ari by surprise.

“Oh, hi…” she replies.

I’ve never wanted to punch a guy so badly in my life.

“Name’s Sven.” He smiles obnoxiously. “And who might you be?”

If he were being honest, he would have introduced himself as Douche Bag, Extraordinaire.

“Uh, my name is Arinessa, but you can call me Ari.”

He steps forward, invading her space, and I nearly jump to my feet to intercede. Thankfully, no one seems to notice how riled I am.

It’s easy to see that Arinessa is taken aback by the domineering Sven, shrinking away until Sadie pulls her to safety.

My blood pressure continues to spike, however, as the hulking idiot doesn’t seem to take the hint.

Luckily, Cassius is on top of the matter, and he damn near throws Sven across the room, onto a couch.

“I believe introductions are in order,” Gabriel says, looking at each of us.

My eyes go back to Ari, begging her to see me, although I’m not quite sure that when she finally does, it will go as I hope. Will she show anger? Or perhaps joy?

The wait is excruciating.

Fuck, having real and true feelings for a woman is worse than I had ever imagined, and yet, it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.

Gabriel begins his introductions, but his words are lost on me. All I see is her. Everything else has fallen away.

When I’m announced, her gaze finds mine, and I have my answer. Her eyes grow round, her jaw falling open. She looks frantic, like she just remembered that she left the stove on.

My heart sinks.

I take another shot, a form of self-medication I’m not prone to, but I’m hoping it will do the trick.

“I just remembered that I’m tired. I mean, I just realized,” Ari says to Remi. “I think I need to leave.”

I want to tell her that she can stay and I’ll gladly go, but there’s no way to do that without it sounding terribly awkward.

“You have to stay!” Remi enthuses. “If only for a minute. There’s something you have to be here for.”

“Andwhatwouldthatbe?” Fiona says with a smirk.

“Get yourself a drink and give it a minute,” Remi says to her redheaded friend.

It’s hard to force my gaze from Ari as she talks to Sadie. Her backside makes such a tantalizing visual in her booty shorts.

Zev plops down beside me. “You’re like a real stick in the mud.”

I realize what a dick I’m being, so I decide to soften my image a bit. “You and your friends are lucky to have each other, and I’m lucky to be here, hanging out with you all.”

“Agreed, and if you play your cards right, you’ll be invited back again.”