By the time Bianca came back from the restroom, Erik was eager to get back to Tanya, and Reb wanted to take Alix somewhere to get some harder alcohol. Since I wasn't about to get stuck at the table with just Bianca, I told the guys I was going to the bathroom before heading out, then said a quick goodbye to her as I passed. Maybe it was the coward's way out, but I wasn't feeling particularly brave or chivalrous at the moment.

"Where the fuck do you get off, you self-centered bastard?!"

I blinked down at the petite Japanese-American girl glaring up at me. She poked me in the chest to make sure I had no misconceptions about who she was talking to. It still didn't tell me who she was though...and then it hit me. She was one of the women who'd been sitting with Savannah.

Shit.

"How dare you use my friend like that? You sleep with her, so she'll give you a good review, and then when some old piece of ass shows up, you can't even walk away like a decent person? You had to humiliate her and get her demoted?"

I shook my head and held up a hand, confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

The woman's eyes narrowed to a scary degree. "That tramp you had hanging all over you told Savannah everything."

My stomach twisted painfully. "I'm going to need you to slow down and explain exactly what it is you think I did."

The girl crossed her arms, the expression on her face almost making me take a step back. "Why? You didn't give Savannah a chance to explain anything before you jumped to conclusions and tried to ruin her life. So why shouldn't I believe what your friend said?"

"Bianca's not my friend." I wasn't sure why that was important for me to make that clear before I addressed anything else. "What exactly did she say? And to who?"

She seemed to be considering whether or not to slap me and walk away, or actually answer my question. "Savannah. Your Bianca bitch told Savannah that you only slept with her to get a good review for your show."

What the total fuck?

"That's not...shit." I closed my eyes for a moment as the events of the last few days replayed in my mind rapid-fire, each and every mistake I'd made showing up in glaring technicolor. "Savannah really didn't know who I was the first time we were together, did she?"

"No."

A sharp nail dug into my chest again, and I opened my eyes to see a look of pure disgust on the young woman's face.

"And she'd never tell anyone the sordid little details of what you did either. She didn't even tell us. Just that the two of you met at a club and hooked up. We're not idiots. We know when she's lying or hiding something. But we also know that she would only do that for a good reason." Even as the guilt dug in its claws, Savannah's friend put her hands on her hips. "I have no clue why she'd keep things from us for you. You don't look like you're worth it."

The sad thing was, as she walked away, I wasn't entirely sure I disagreed with her.

I needed to find Savannah.

I turned and rushed toward the entrance, fully expecting to have to find a taxi. Except, as soon as I stepped outside, I remembered that I didn't know where she lived. I turned, now at a loss of what to do next, but then I saw someone familiar. The tall, good-looking blond man who'd had his hands on Savannah.

I took two steps toward him, then realized that he and the other woman from Savannah's table were both holding on to someone.

Savannah.

Knowing that I could quite possibly get a broken nose for what I was about to do didn't stop me from doing it. I owed her the risk at the very least.

"Savannah?" Three pairs of eyes looked at me, and I wasn't sure which set was more pissed. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Arrogant little–" The man took a step in my direction, but Savannah put her hand on his chest, a gesture of familiarity that made my stomach twist.

"Everett." Her voice was quiet. "It's okay. Let me talk to him." She looked up at him. "I'll meet you at home."

Home? Jealousy was a bright, hot lance through me. Why had I come out here to apologize to her for the misunderstanding between us if she'd been living with some guy this whole time? And there was no way in hell he was her brother. Brothers didn't touch their sisters like he'd been touching her.

Still, I'd made a mess of things before because I made an assumption rather than talking things out. I'd say what I came here to say, then I'd listen to her. After I heard her out, I'd decide what I should do from that point.

Everett and the unnamed woman walked away, shooting me angry looks as they went back inside. Before I could say anything else, Savannah gestured for me to follow her. We moved around the side of the building to a small and surprisingly clean alley. Half a dozen bicycles were locked up near a door that I suspected led into the kitchen or back room of the restaurant, but I doubted we'd be interrupted. The place had been packed.

When we were sufficiently hidden in the shadows, she turned back toward me.

I'd fucked things up with her – badly – and I didn't know if it was too late to fix it, but I had to at least try, and part of that meant I wasn't going to attempt to justify my previous behavior.

"I'm sorry."

She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow as if she were waiting for more.

Fair enough.

"When I realized who you were...I didn't...dammit." I cursed as I ran my hand through my hair. Where was I supposed to begin to explain so she could see the difference between what I was apologizing for and what I hadn't done at all?

"Start at the beginning," she suggested.

I nodded. "I didn't know it was you, that first night at the club. Or the second night. Not until you took off your mask. I didn't use you." I took a step toward her, needing her to be able to look into my eyes and see the truth of each word. "I swear, Savannah, I know I acted like a total ass, but those things Bianca said to you weren't true."

Some of the tension on her face eased, and I saw a flare of hope in her eyes for a brief moment before she extinguished it. I hadn't let myself admit just how much she meant to me until I realized I was the one in the wrong. Every single thing I thought she'd done had been a reason for me to ignore the attraction I felt, and now that those were out of the way, I could finally accept just how much I wanted her.

"I am so sorry." I started to reach for her, then dropped my hand, not knowing if she wanted me to touch her. "For what I said, and for what I did. I promise that I'll go straight to your boss first thing tomorrow and fix it. I'll tell him it was entirely on me. Temperamental artist shit. None of it was your fault and that I'll only agree to having an interview published if you're the one to do it."

Her eyes had an almost unnatural glow in the dim lighting. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you as soon as I realized what happened. I shouldn't have let it go as far as it did while you were in the dark."

"I appreciate that," I said sincerely. "But I know it still doesn't excuse what I said or did." A moment of silence fell between us, and then I had to ask, "If you need to get back to your boyfriend–"

"Roommate," she said with a smile. "And before you ask, he's gay."

Relief flooded me, but I tried not to let it show. "He certainly wasn't acting like he was gay."

She laughed. "He was trying to help me by making you think that I'd moved on."

I wanted to ask her if she had moved on, but I chose another question instead. "Do you remember what happened the first time we met?" I dared to close the distance between us, my heart thudding against my ribs when she didn't move away. "How we had that misunderstanding?"

The corners of her mouth twitched upward in a partial smile. "I remember. I thought you were insinuating I was a prostitute, and you seemed to think I was an incompetent food delivery person."

I laughed. God, it felt good to laugh, even if it was a small burst of sound. "We moved past it. I know what I did the other day was so much worse, but I'm hoping you can forgive me."

"Why?" she asked. "Why do you want me to forgive you?"

I didn't stop myself from reaching out this time, letting my thumb slide along her jaw before burying my hand in those silky curls. "Because I've wanted you from the moment I saw you across the club, and even when I was furious at you, I wanted you."

Even in the imperfect light of the alley, her pale eyes darkened. "I wanted you too."

I cupped the back of her head as I lowered my mouth to hers, stopping just short of kissing her. "I still want you...but I understand if you don't–"

"I want you too." Even as she breathed the last word, she closed the distance between us.

I couldn't stop myself from moaning the moment our lips touched. I'd almost forgotten how soft her skin was, the taste of her mouth. It was the first time we'd kissed without masks, the first time I'd known exactly who it was I was kissing. And I wanted more.

She bit my bottom lip, then sucked it into her mouth, sending the blood rushing from my brain straight to my cock. Her boldness didn't surprise me. With the mask and without it, she was the same woman. Confident. Willing and able to claim what she wanted. I suspected the only reason the mask had appealed to her was because the Gilded Cage was a new experience.

I pressed her back against the wall, running my hands down her sides to her hips, feeling the strength in her slight body. She looked so delicate, so easy to break, but I remembered all too well how it had felt to be inside her, to take her hard and fast. I knew that she craved what I had to offer, the things I had promised her.

"Fuck, Savannah," I groaned as I tore my lips from hers. "I can't control myself with you."

She reached down between us, fingers quickly working my pants open. I cursed again as her hand wrapped around my cock, gritting my teeth as I grabbed her wrist.

"Like I said," I locked eyes with her, "control seems to be an issue when I'm around you."

The smile that curved her lips could only be called wicked. "Why don't you do something about it then?"

My surprise lasted only a few seconds as I read the challenge in her eyes. I glanced up the alley, but none of the people passing by sent even a glance in our direction.

"Do you want me to take you right here?" I asked, my voice rough as I pulled her hand from my pants. I stretched her arms above her head, pinning them to the wall. "Think about your answer, because if you say yes, I'm not going to be gentle."

She rocked her hips against me. "I don't want you to be."

I didn't give her a chance to second-guess herself. I'd stop if she told me to, but if she didn't...

I pulled back far enough to turn her around. She made a breathless sound as her hands went out automatically to brace herself against the wall. I yanked her pants down, exposing her pale, translucent skin. I knew we had to be quick, but I couldn't stop myself from stopping for a moment and sinking my teeth into the firm flesh of her ass.

She let out a yelp, glaring over her shoulder at me. I kissed the mark I'd left, then straightened.

"I'm clean," I said as I slipped my hand between her legs. She gasped as I found her slick and hot. "Are you safe?"

She nodded. "Please, Jace."

I put my mouth against her ear even as I slid the head of my cock against her entrance. "I'll have you begging me for real soon enough."

She cried out as I drove into her, burying myself in a single thrust. I clamped my hand over her mouth and felt a shiver pass through her. Fuck. The position made her even tighter, and I knew I wouldn't last long, but I'd be damned if I couldn't get her off before I did.

Fortunately, she wasn't the sort of woman who needed soft and gentle to climax.

I stroked her clit in tight circles as I made short, deep thrusts, each one driving me closer to the edge.

"I'm going to need you to come for me," I said between harsh breaths. "I need to feel you come apart on my cock."

Her tongue flicked out against my palm, and I groaned, pressing my face against the place where her neck met her shoulder. I worried her skin between my teeth, marking her in a place where others could see and know that she was taken. For as long as this fire burned between us, she was mine.

The thought tipped me over, and as I emptied inside her, I pressed my fingers harder against her clit. "Come, Savannah." I made it an order. "Come for me now, and I'll spend the rest of the night making you scream my name."

As she shattered in my arms, I promised myself that I would make good on my word, and I'd make sure she didn't regret forgiving me.