Disengaged: A Dangerously Forbidden Love Affair by Jamie A Magee Read Free Book Online

reasonable ones that told me I needed to run, and fast, from all of this.
    Angels walk with you —it was the whispered memory of my grandmother’s voice, her promise; I clung to it like the life raft that it was and begged whoever was watching over me to go to Slayton, my dark addiction. He was a new lifeline that I wasn’t ready to let go of.
    I knew it was my fault he was in this ring. I may not have known why he had defended me, or where we were going from here, but I knew I was not prepared to live the rest of my life knowing my existence had caused his death.
    The guy in the center of the ring spoke into a microphone calling for last bets as everyone watched a clock that was counting down on the wall under where the Godfather gangsters were sitting. As soon as it hit zero, Channing pulled me tighter into his vice grip, something that would have pissed me off if I hadn’t quickly figured out he was shielding me from the manic crowd who was barely being held back by the ring of armed bodyguards.
    Slayton didn’t bounce in place. He didn’t shout threats, or fake dodge to the right or left like the other guy. With lightning speed, he charged forward, threw one right hit to his opponent’s chin, ducked from a missed swing, then delivered two quick hits with his left; he leaned back then hit the guy dead center. The nasty guy went down. It was a slow fall. At least, it seemed that way to me.
    Half the crowd roared in victory, the other half cursed. They kept yelling, “Finish him! Finish him,” but Slayton did nothing but stare down at the fighter who was knocked out cold.
    “And I’m never wrong,” Channing said with a bit of humor in a crackly tone.
    My wide stare was riveted on Slayton. He wasn’t looking at his opponent on the floor anymore. He was staring at the man above, the one who had made him fight, who was sporting a smug grin as his teeth clenched around a fat cigar.
    A beat later Slayton turned and charged through the crowd. I thought he forgot me and was ready to ditch Channing and find some air and a second to think, but Channing never let me go. When he started to pull me through the crowd in the opposite direction than where Slayton had gone, every nightmarish fear I imagined exploded within me.
    When we reached the hallway, Channing loosened up his hold on me but not by much. The guys in the hall were no longer giving me a wide berth and keeping their hands to themselves. I was groped ten times in as many steps, the things they were saying were twice as sick.
    Every word, every touch halted when Slayton stepped out of a side door. His shirt was on, and most of the tape was ripped from his fingers. He reached his hand out for me as he tossed a menacing glare down the hall. Channing let me go, and I all but ran to Slayton. When I took his hand, I couldn’t figure out if he was trembling with rage or if I was with fear.
    Seconds later, we were outside and on his bike. When I wrapped by body around him tighter than I ever had before and closed my eyes, I was sure I was unconsciously trying to calm us both down. We were only on the bike for ten minutes, but I knew we could be anywhere when we stopped because his speed had well surpassed a hundred.
    I was shell-shocked to see that it was my building we were parked in front of. Slayton didn’t give me a chance to hesitate or ask why or even offer a warning that I didn’t know where my father was. After dismounting he all but carried me to the door. It took me three tries, but I managed to put in my code to open the door. Once we were in the lobby, I drew in a tight breath and grinned at the guard, and all the cameras in the lobby.
    The elevator ride was brutal. We were alone. The climb was slow. I felt rage, adrenaline...and something sinful rippling off him. My chest was heaving; my flesh was burning hot. Ten times over I stopped myself from looking right at him, even from reaching for him.
    I knew if I did I’d forget myself and every primal need