Chapter
6
Chloe
Adam McPhee’s bar was packed to the brim with shifters from his pack, plus the usual suspects that Chloe had gotten used to hanging around her family: Gage; his brother, Alec; their triplet sister, Lulu; and even their crazy-ass grandmother. The crazy lot were celebrating their successful trip to the Ninth Circle Council’s chambers with Kent.
They had told Chloe how Councilman Holden was pissed, but after Kent had taken his family’s seat on the council, half of the members had been more than willing to look at the evidence Gage had brought to cast doubt on his sister’s involvement with the murder of Andrew Holden.
Incensed, Councilman Holden shouted at the top of his lungs how Kent joining the council now was just a farce to help protect a murderer. However, it seemed his words were lost on the other council members since they all sided with Kent and gave him two months to produce Andrew Holden’s killer.
Two months wasn’t a lot of time, which made Chloe worry. Lulu Ivanov might not be her biological sister, but she was now family by extension of mating, and that meant something to her. Chloe had grown to adore the big, not so cuddly Gage, and she would hate to see him devastated at the loss of his sister, should they lose the case. That was why Chloe was sitting at this table, in the middle of a celebration, trying to decide her next move. That was hard to do when there was a particular someone who was distracting her.
And that person, who had all of Chloe’s attention whether she liked it or not, was Kent.
The demon was glaring at her from across the room. And from the look he was giving her, Chloe wasn’t sure if the man wanted to kiss her or kill her. After what had taken place at the Ninth Circle Council today, Kent probably wanted to do the latter. The strange thing was, Chloe would much rather the man kiss her.
What was it about him that called to her? She couldn’t figure it out. What she did know was that he was a player, and she couldn’t get herself tangled up in his mess. She had a feeling he would only hurt her, and she had sworn to herself years and years ago that she would never let another man hurt her.
Moving her attention to the bar, Chloe watched as Lulu and Babushka Ivanov took shots of what looked like vodka. It brought a smile to her face as she watched her own sister, Elena, stand next to the drunk women, joking and laughing as Gage stood beside her with a hand around her waist.
The sight of the tiger’s affection for her sister was what made Chloe ache in that moment. They were so happy together, even if they fought like cats and dogs. Truly, that was exactly what Chloe wanted. She just never let anyone know it.
When people knew you wanted love, they considered you vulnerable. Chloe refused to be vulnerable to anybody. Being vulnerable was what had gotten her hurt in the first place with Jimmy Butowski all those years ago.
Jimmy had treated her like a queen, until Chloe realized she was nothing but the prom queen on his arm, like some sort of trophy. Then, when Chloe had confronted Jimmy about rumors of him cheating on her, Jimmy had hit her.
Back then, Chloe had no idea what to do in a situation like that. Her mortification had led her not to call the cops. Instead, she had gone home like some sort of weak victim. Of course Elena had taken one look at her black eye and set out to give Jimmy one of his own.
It was seeing her sister’s rage over Chloe being hurt that had changed something inside of Chloe. It made her harder, more determined to never be used or abused by a man again. Some might say it made her a tad cold-hearted, too.
Truth was, Chloe wasn’t cold-hearted. She was just jaded. On the other hand, she wasn’t waiting for a Prince Charming. That metaphorical dude could kiss her designer covered ass. But, as Chloe continued to watch Gage and Elena talk and snuggle into each other, she had to admit that it would be awfully nice to have someone who loved her that much.
The chair next to her scraped across the floor as it was dragged backward. Then a large body sat down next to her. “What is it with you watching people? Are you some sort of voyeur?”
Kent’s voice was deep, edgy, and filled her mind with so many thoughts of what he would sound like as he told her to do naughty things.
The thought made her both curious and afraid.
While Chloe was far from a prude or a virgin, she wasn’t big on the idea of a man commanding her, controlling her, or having any power over her. Yet, through the thought of time in the dark with the demon beside her, she couldn’t help wondering what he could do to her, for her, and with her.
Damn demon.
“Body language gives more information than the spoken word, demon.” Chloe gave back, relishing this verbal game they seemed to play with one another.
The two were a disaster waiting to happen, but the pull between them was stronger the more time they were together. Such as now, as Chloe took in his three-piece suit and blood-red tie.
Who knew the man could clean up so well? It wasn’t often that a man could make her yearn for more, but in that moment, Chloe was beyond curious to see what he would look like wearing nothing but that gorgeous tie around his neck. She just couldn’t let Kent see that she wanted him.
“Tell me, demon, if you think I’m a voyeur, does that mean I can call you a stalker? Because you sure do like to follow me around.”
He leaned forward, his breath puffing across the shell of her earlobe as he whispered, “You and I both know that I don’t stalk you. But, if you want me to, just say the word. I’ll follow you until I’m all you can think of. You can lead me on a merry little chase. Just remember, I will catch you eventually, and when I do, I’m going to do every delicious little thing I’ve been dreaming about doing to you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”
Chloe pulled back so she could look Kent in the eyes. She couldn’t seem to figure this man out. Was sex all he really wanted from her? Sometimes, such as now, the look in his eyes made it seem like he wanted more from her. But what? Not that he would get anything from her, except maybe one of her man-teaching lessons. That made her wonder: what lesson did he need? She didn’t have the time to figure it out now. However, she would make sure to do so in the near future.
“If you think I’m just going to jump into your open arms, you’re delusional. Give me a reason you would be worth it, and I might consider letting you do some of those things you dream of.”
Kent leaned back in his chair, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Oh, Amazon, you shouldn’t so readily agree. You have no idea the things I want to do to you. What I can say is that I might shock you with how well I could please that gorgeous body of yours.”
There was a hidden message in his words that Chloe couldn’t decipher. All she could figure out was that it had to do with the word shock. Did he think he was that good in bed?
Kent brought his big hand up to fiddle with his tie, and Chloe tracked the movement. Visions of him with that tie in his hands as he blindfolded her with it sprang to mind, causing her panties to dampen.
“I would pay good money to know what thought put that look on your face, Amazon.”
Freakin’ peachy.
As she snapped her eyes up from the tie to lock on to his, Chloe realized she had given herself away. No matter. The demon wasn’t the first man she had wanted, and he probably wouldn’t be the last. That didn’t mean she had to give in to temptation.
Now it was her turn to lean forward. Only, she didn’t bother whispering sweet words. No. Instead, she told the demon the truth of her problem with him.
“It’s sad that you think you can buy anything and everything you want. Some things, or people, just aren’t for sale. But that’s only part of your problem, really. You can’t have everything you want, Kent. It’s not good for you. Plus, some of us refuse to give in to the one hit wonder you truly are.
“Of course, that’s why you, as a whole, are a bit of a disappointment. Looking at you, not just your looks, but you—who you are, the man who chose to be a cop instead of a spoiled politician—that man could be one hell of man. One I would very much like to get to know. Except, I think I’ll never get that chance, because that would require you to grow the fuck up and think of women in terms of more than what they can do for your dick. And, I’m just not willing to wait to see how long it takes you to do that.”
A feral light lit his eyes, making them appear determined. Then he leaned in until their faces were only an inch apart. “And if I said I would be willing to change for the right woman?”
“I’m not sure I would believe you.”
“Then you don’t know me at all, because for the right woman, I would be willing to change my ways.”
Chloe felt her lips fall into a sad frown. “Then I must not be the right woman for you, because I’ve yet to see you as anything other than the man who thinks he can have anything he desires.”
Anger flashed over Kent’s face. “How can you say that after what I did to help Lulu Ivanov?”
Holding her pointer finger up, Chloe stopped him in his tracks. “Ah, ah, ah, now. Let’s not get the facts twisted, demon. You did that because you owed me one. And why did you owe me one? Because you lost a bet with me. A bet where your prize was a night with me. So, in fact, you didn’t help Lulu because you wanted to change.”
Kent braced his hands on the table between them, as if curbing the urge to grab her, then gritted out through his teeth, “What is it about you that makes me want you so?”
She shrugged. “I have no clue. Could be because I’m not falling all over you like most women do. Or maybe it’s the same reason I find you attractive when I know damn well you’re nothing but trouble. The good news is, unlike my sisters, I know how to navigate away from trouble. Goodbye, demon.”
Chloe got up and walked away, leaving Kent behind her.
If she was smart, it would be for good.
~~~
Kent
Women—the Amazon, most specifically—were the most confounding creatures. With a sway of the hips, a pout of their lips, they could bring warriors to their knees.
Chloe Demos knew this, and used it.
She thought Kent was nothing but trouble? No. The Amazon was trouble, from the top of her golden-brown head to the tips of her expensive shoe covered toes.
Oh, those fucking shoes. Kent could only imagine wrapping her legs around his waist while driving into her, feeling the slightest pinch of those heels digging into his back. He would raise her up while he stood, lifting her ass up and resting her weight in her shoulders, gripping her thighs to hold her steady. Oh yes, Kent knew it was a matter of time before he would be showing the Amazon all the ways she turned him upside down and right side up.
And her little bet, this marker? While rather inconvenient, Kent found himself on a new case. The case of Lulu Ivanov, if for no other reason than to make sure the Amazon didn’t find herself in more trouble than her sexy as sin legs could get her out of.
Chloe didn’t know it, but she was damn lucky he wanted to help Lulu. Otherwise, he damn sure would have thought twice about giving in to the Amazon’s request to join the council.
Kent lived his life serving others in the community. He had been carefree, felt everyone was equal. It wasn’t so in the council. He hated them; hated the stature and rhetoric ways of the old-school men.
However, his name held power. The blood pumping through his body gave him a right to determine the fate of someone such as Lulu. Someone who might not be guilty after all.
Men, Others, it didn’t matter, when given too much authority, it was most certain to be abused. Kent knew this. He also knew this to be key in the council.
Did the Amazon know what she had done? Did she understand the depths of what it would take to clear the tigress from the charges? Kent highly doubted it. But he also would bet his beloved car that she had to believe in Lulu, or at least carried suspicions to her true guilt, to drag him into all this.
After all, the one thing Kent could read on Chloe Demos’s features from the very beginning was the strength of a warrior, the courage of an alpha, and the determination of a demon. This told Kent that, if Chloe believed in Lulu’s case enough to call in a marker from him, he would believe in the case, too.
In fact, he would solve it.
She might have been content on turning his world upside down, but he would make damn certain he solved the case and turned things on the Amazon.
Yes, Chloe Demos had met her match. And Kent, well, he was determined to find a way to make sure the Amazon remembered his name, his cock, and the way her body would fall apart for him. He would not be alone in things being twisted like a storm in his life. Nope, Chloe was about to find out the powers of a demon-driven in need.