Page 65 of Kiss of Seduction

Natalya untangled herself from Evie, quickly standing and moving away.

“Don’t touch me.”

“I didn’t mean—” Evie didn’t get to finish the sentence before Natalya had gathered up the discarded clothes and was handing them to her. The movement was fast and precise. It was easy when she was this satiated.

The thought filled her with painful guilt. It made it impossible to look at Evie.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” she said as Evie accepted the clothes.

“What do you mean? It was—”

“I didn’t think,” Natalya snapped. “I shouldn’t have done that to you. I shouldn’t have made you do that.”

“Made me?” Evie started putting on her clothes. Her movements were slow, and she winced when she put on her shorts.

Natalya had hurt her. Evie hadn’t wanted this.

“Natalya, what’s going on? If I did something—”

“You didn’t. I did.” She couldn’t keep the guilt out of her voice. She couldn’t stop the words from sounding sorrowful. “I shouldn’t have come here. I shouldn’t even be near you. I’m sorry.”

Without further explanation, Natalya rushed from the studio, leaving Evie alone on the floor.

Chapter 19

Evie looked at the condensation droplets running down the side of her drink. She hadn’t touched it, but it gave her an excuse to stay in the booth, and that’s what she was really after.

The Five-Leaf was a quaint little bar and grill not far from the Court of Chains. When she’d asked if there was a safe place she could go that wasn’t the high-rise, the bar was the only option. It beat staying at Natalya’s apartment. Evie had been coming to the bar almost every afternoon since the day in the dance studio.

“People tend to order drinks with ice to keep them cool. Not to let it water down the alcohol.” Lily had shown up next to Evie’s booth, gesturing at her glass.

Despite Lily’s standing at Court, she insisted on having a job outside its walls. Evie admired that, even if it was obvious Lily was never without protection. Plenty of scary-looking people were hanging around the bar.

“You also tend to order drinks to drink them,” Evie said. “So I’m doubly weird.”

“Or maybe you just have a lot on your mind?”

“Not a lot. Just something.”

Lily looked around. Other than the non-inconspicuous bodyguards there for Lily’s benefit, the place was nearly empty.

“I have some time if you need to talk.”

“I don’t want to talk.”

“But do you need to?” Lily gave her a kind smile. Even though Lily was younger than Evie, she often felt like an older sister.

Evie shrugged, and Lily sat down.

“Did something happen?”

Evie scoffed. Where would she even begin with that question? Would she start at the night of the attack? The night with Natalya in the high-rise apartment? Or the time Natalya fucked her in the dance studio, ran off, and then refused to talk to her in the days following?

“You could say that.”

“Something with Natalya?”

“Good guess.”