Page 51 of Russian Roulette

There’s no point in denying it. He knows me too well. “I got a little carried away,” I say. “That’s all. The alcohol went to our heads. Nothing happened, I swear.”

“This is bad.” He shakes his head at me. “It’s already starting. She’s going to tear us apart. I was afraid this was going to happen and now it is.”

My mouth drops open in surprise. “What are you saying? She’s not doing anything wrong!”

“I didn’t say she was,” he explains. “It’s us. We’re the ones who will screw up. One thing leads to another and the next thing we know, we’ll be at each other’s throat over her. We’ve been through too much together to let that happen. We can’t let her fuck us up.”

“That won’t happen,” I say. “You’re freaking out over nothing.”

“And why not? Can you deny you want her? That you’ll fuck her the first opportunity you get? Maybe tonight if you get the chance? What about him?”

He points toward the balcony where Vulcan is leaning closer to Jade. His arm is on the back of her chair and their faces are almost touching. While we watch, he leans closer, pulls her hair back and whispers in her ear.

“Do you think you’re the only one that wants her? Check out Vulcan. He’s completely taken by her.”

“No way! She isn’t his type at all.”

“You obviously haven’t been paying attention,” Kit says.

“You’re right, I hadn’t noticed until now,” I reply. “What’s going on?”

“Something happened between them at the RV,” Kit says. “There were weird vibes coming off both of them when he brought her to my house. She told me he made her spend the night in his sleeping bag with him after she tried to run off.”

“What?” My mouth drops open in disbelief. “There’s no way she let him fuck her out there in the desert. That did not happen. It better not have happened.”

White hot jealously flares up in me. I love Vulcan like a brother, but right now I’d also enjoy throwing him headfirst off the balcony. The thought of them being snuggled up together in a sleeping bag makes my blood boil.

“I don’t think things went that far yet,” Kit says, trying to calm me. “Being in denial about the danger of this situation isn’t helping things. And that’s not the only issue here either. We both are well aware Vulcan has some problems. Just because he believes he can’t die, doesn’t mean she can’t. He brought her all the way from his RV to my place, in the dark, on a motorcycle without either of them wearing helmets.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”

“I didn’t have a chance. We were too busy chasing her. There’s no telling how fast he drove with her on the back of the bike. How many times has he wiped out a motorcycle or totaled a car? Not to mention all the other crazy shit he’s done. She’s not safe with him. He takes crazy risks. She’s going to get hurt, or even killed. We can’t leave them alone together. We both care for Vulcan, but she needs to be protected from him.”

Kit is right. Vulcan never thinks twice before putting himself in any kind of danger because he, honest to God, believes he can’t die. After surviving numerous accidents in his life, he’s convinced that he’s invincible. Unfortunately, many others around him haven’t been so lucky. He’s fucked up in the head. It wasn’t my place to tell Jade, but I need to protect her from him just the same.

“I’m one hundred percent in agreement with you on that,” I say. “Jade should either stay here at the penthouse or at your ranch. I’ll ask Leroy to keep an eye on her when I’m working. Vulcan doesn’t like anyone except us out at his RV. I doubt he’ll want to take her back there, anyway. This shouldn’t be a problem. He wanted rid of her yesterday.”

“Don’t be too sure,” Kit says. “Jade has thrown a wrench into everything. Vulcan wants her now, and he’s unstoppable when he puts his mind to something.”

“What about you?” I study his face carefully, waiting for his answer. “We’ve always been honest with each other. Where do you stand? And don’t say you’re neutral because I can tell you’re attracted to Jade, the same as we are.”

He reaches up into a cabinet and pulls out a champagne flute. “I’m fucked too,” he replies, letting out a long breath. “I admit it. We all are.”

I hear Jade’s voice rising, and I turn back toward the balcony. “Oh, shit! We’d better get back out there fast. Vulcan is stripping off his clothes.”

28

JADE

“Want to take a dip in the hot tub?” Vulcan leans over to whisper in my ear. “Life is too short to waste sitting around chit-chatting.”

He stands up and pulls his shirt over his head. I can’t help staring at the many tattoos and scars lining his chest, arms, and back. The raw masculine sexuality oozes off him in waves. Vulcan is all male energy. He quickly unzips his pants and steps out of them, followed by his black leather boots.

“Whoa Vulcan! Stop right there.” I hold up a hand to stop him. His black briefs are tight, but the bulge is unmistakable. “You’ve gone far enough. Stop!”

“What’s wrong with a little skinny-dipping?” He chuckles at my discomfort. “I’m sure you’ve seen a naked man before. We do it all the time here. Come on in and join the fun.”

“Yes, I have but…” I mumble, at a loss for words. I can’t think straight and can only stare at him. The tattoos on his back go all the way under his briefs. I wonder where they end or if they do. I can’t stop thinking about spending hours tracing his tattoos with my fingers or tongue. Whenever I’m around Vulcan, any coherent thought disappears.