Page 93 of Shadowed Sins: Nitro

"Too late, princess."The nickname should annoy me. Why the fuck does it make my clit throb?"Been insane since the moment you walked into my life with your tactical assessments and perfect legs."

The pier has emptied considerably. Mainly teenagers now, couples pressed against railings, groups passing joints behind the arcade. The family-friendly veneer stripped away as the hour grows later.

"We should put these in the car." I gesture to the pile of stuffed animals we're still carrying—the tiger, octopus, tiny tuxedo bear, and Jax's massive unicorn.

"Right. Yeah." But he's looking at my mouth, not the prizes.

He pops the front trunk of the R8, and we're faced with the reality of fitting four stuffed animals into a space designed for maybe a weekend bag.

"This is going to require strategy." He eyes the unicorn critically.

"Just fold it."

"You can't just fold a unicorn, Mira. There are rules." But he's bending it in half, something inside making an ominous cracking sound. "Shit. I think I broke its spine."

"It's synthetic. It doesn't have a spine."

"It had dreams." He shoves it in harder, then adds the octopus on top. The bear and tiger get wedged into the corners. "There. Ideal placement."

The trunk lid barely closes, polyester fur sticking out around the edges.

"Your definition of ideal remains questionable."

"Yeah, well." He turns to me with that dangerous grin. "My judgment's been questionable lately."

The air between us shifts, thickens. His eyes drop to my mouth.

"There's space under the pier." His voice has gone rough. "Just to... talk. Away from the crowds."

"Talk." I breathe the word.

"Maybe some kissing." He steps closer, backing me toward the car, his hands finding my waist. "Just kissing."

"That's how people get arrested."

"That's how people feel alive." He presses closer, and through his tuxedo pants I can feel exactly how much he wants this. "When's the last time you felt alive, Mira? Really alive. Before all this?"

Before you. Before I knew what it felt like to lose control completely.

"We can't keep doing this." Even as I say it, my hands are fisting his wrinkled dress shirt, pulling him closer.

"You're right." His mouth hovers inches from mine. "We should definitely stop."

"Immediately."

"Right after this."

He kisses me hard against the car, then pulls back with that boyish grin that makes him look like he's gotten away with something. Before I can rebuild any defenses, he grabs my hand and starts walking backward toward the pier, pulling me with him.

"Jax—"

"Just kissing," he says again, but his grin says he knows we're both lying. "Come on."

I let him lead me away from the safety of crowds and lights, toward the shadows under the pier. His thumb traces circles on my wrist as we duck beneath the boardwalk, and even that small touch makes my pulse race.

The space beneath is darker than the night above, wooden supports creating shadows within shadows. The ocean pounds the pillars in a rhythm that drowns out everything else.

"See?" He backs me toward a salt-roughened beam, his hands framing my face. "Private."