Page 14 of Scandalous Kingpin

Turning my back to him, I continued dancing with a handsome stranger whose smile was admittedly beautiful.

He leaned over. “What’s your name?”

His voice was rich and deep, the kind that made you feel like you were the only girl in the world as it caressed your skin.

I blushed. “Ivy. You?”

A hot sensation trailed down my spine before I heard another voice. “Do you value your limbs?”

I turned slightly and my heartbeat incinerated in my chest. Priest’s eyes flicked to my dance partner and narrowed.

To my surprise, he didn’t miss a beat. “I actually do like my limbs. Very much. And so do the ladies.”

“You’d be wise to stop touching her.”

The guy took my hand in his and kissed it like a gallant gentleman, ignoring Priest’s cold presence.

“I’m Tyran Callahan and, my dear Ivy… it’s been a pleasure.”

He turned around with the grace of a panther and strode away, and suddenly, I was fighting off the urge to kill the man next to me.

“What is your problem?” I hissed, my body still moving to the beat, careful not to attract attention—especially from my brothers. The last thing I needed was a brawl resulting in an attack on a member of the DiLustro gang. I had no interest in starting a war.

Priest slid his hand into his pocket, the heat of his gaze burning right through me. How was a girl supposed to forget him when all he did was demand attention?

“No problem. It’s a nice evening.” He was toying with me—he had to be—but I refused to play this game. “Happy birthday.”

I rolled my eyes, then did what any sane person would do: I turned my back on him and carried on like he didn’t exist. It must have worked because he disappeared, leaving me to dance alone.

It wasn’t long before I stumbled off the dance floor on shaky legs, disappointed that the stubborn mafia prince hadn’t plowed through the sea of dancers and insisted that I dance for him.None of these feelings made any sense, and all it left me was frustration.

I drifted upstairs in search of a restroom to quiet the thumping pulse of music in my head. Thanks to soundproof walls, it felt like a completely different world up here. Eerily quiet.

Five minutes later, I exited the restroom and paused, my hand still on the knob. A familiar blond stood with his back to me. He had a phone to his ear, although I couldn’t hear what he was saying.

I took a step back when his back tensed. He hung up and slowly turned, the stark blue of his eyes hitting me square in the chest. We stared at each other and a thick, almost suffocating tension filled the air. The scent of his cologne made me feel warmer and more intoxicated than any of the alcohol I’d consumed.

His hair was slightly longer on the top, just enough to run my fingers through it and hold on.

The thought reminded me of another hallway in another club, his mouth devouring my pussy like it was the most delicious fruit he’d ever tasted.

I shoved the memory aside.

“Happy birthday, angel.”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “Don’t call me that.”

Something dark moved through his eyes, but as soon as he leaned back against the wall, it disappeared. “Why?”

“Because I said so. Besides, if you wanted me to have a happy birthday, you’d make yourself scarce and stop scaring off my dance partners.”

His lips lifted. “I sincerely doubt Tyran was scared.”

I eyed him suspiciously. “You know him?”

“I know of him. Trust me, he’s not for you.” My mouth dropped open, and he let out a deep chuckle. “If you keep yourmouth open like that, angel, I’ll find something to fill it with,” he said softly.

His words set fire to my blood and my legs wobbled, threatening to give out under the desire to fall to my knees and taste him.