Page 58 of Ruthless Creatures

His eyes search my face so closely, I feel like he sees right down into all the hidden corners of my soul.

I whisper, “It’s over. You know how I know?”

“How?”

“Because if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t feel any of the things I feel for you.”

His gaze searches my face. He’s tense and silent, unmoving, until finally he releases his breath and presses a rough kiss to my lips.

“Good,” he says gruffly. “Because I don’t fucking share. Now let’s go get dinner before I tear you out of that dress.”

He takes my hand, I grab my coat from the kitchen chair, and we drive to the restaurant.

We check our coats at the door. A hostess tells us the other members of our party have already arrived and leads us to our table.

The moment we walk into the main dining room and Kage spots the three men sitting with Sloane, I know it’s going to be an interesting night.

I’ve seen his eyes go black before, but this is something else altogether.

FOURTEEN

NAT

In true Sloane form, she looks fantastic. She’s wearing a short, tight white dress that exposes acres of cleavage and a pair of red fuck-me stiletto heels that show off her legs.

The men with her all wear identical black suits with white dress shirts and black ties.

They’re all young and well-built. They all have dark, slicked-back hair. I can’t tell whose gold watch is bigger.

If it weren’t for the matching tattoos on their knuckles and the backs of their hands, I’d think they were stockbrokers.

Or morticians.

“You okay?” I ask Kage, standing stiffly beside me in the entrance to the dining room.

He stares so hard at the three men, I’m surprised they don’t explode.

He says, “You know them?”

“No. I’ve never met any of them before. Why?”

“Because they’re trouble.”

But not too much trouble for him to handle, apparently, because he’s already pulling me toward their table.

When Sloane spots me, she grins and waves. The men surrounding her look over at us.

Then something strange happens.

Upon laying eyes on Kage, every one of them falls perfectly still. Their eyes sharpen. Though none move a single muscle, they gain an edge to their posture, as if poised to fight.

“Um … Kage?”

“No matter what happens, let me handle it. You’ll be fine.”

“Why do I feel like we’re walking into a lion’s den?”

His chuckle is dark and humorless. “We’re not. They are.”