The Dark Side by M. J. Scott Read Free Book Online Page B

I’d do whatever he wanted.
    And I wanted to give that to him. Loved the dizzying mix of lust and anxiety and safety that being pinioned against the door while he did whatever he wanted sent boiling through my veins. I tilted my head slightly, just the slightest baring of my throat. Let him win this round.
    His mouth met mine again, sweeping me away, pleasure screaming through me as his fingers played me and I swayed against him with another groan. This time it was met with another growling rumble and suddenly my hands were free. Dan sank to his knees and my legs started to tremble. I put my hands on his head for balance. His hair was soft under my palms. Dan.
    His tongue flicked against me just as I heard the rumble of a car engine. Then lights swept down the road, briefly illuminating us and making me feel like a rabbit in headlights. I squealed, pushed Dan away and dropped to the tiles.
    Dan fell back, chest heaving. “What?”
    “Car,” I managed.
    He blinked, looking as lust-fogged as I’d felt until the headlights. “It’s gone now.”
    “So am I.” I hauled myself to my feet, pressed my hand to Dan’s whiz-bang palm reader front door lock and ducked inside as soon as it opened. I’d barely gotten six feet down the hall when Dan strode through the door, his hair sticking up every which way.
    I tried to draw some of the tattered shreds of leather around me. “Someone could’ve seen us.”
    “You started it,” he said, his voice dangerously low.
    “Yes, I did. I changed my mind.” The headlights seemed to have acted like a bucket of cold water to my libido. My headache had returned with a vengeance and suddenly all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for a week or two.
    He moved closer. There was enough light for me to see he was still ready for action. I shook my head. “I think we’ve lost the moment.”
    “Christ, Ash, I’m not some toy you can switch on and off when you’re in the mood.” He moved closer and I backed against the wall. “You started it,” he repeated. “You liked it.”
    “Yes,” I admitted. “That doesn’t change—”
    “Did you even know it was me?” he snarled.
    “What?”
    “Admit it, you were riding whatever wave Esteban set off. I was just handy.” His eyes burned. “Whose face did you see?”
    “Whose face did you see?” I shot back. “You were in that room too. I know he got to you.”
    “Not like he did you. I’ve been a wolf longer. My control is better.” He lifted my chin. “So who was it, Ash? Who got you all hot back there?”
    Did he really think I was thinking of Esteban? I stared at him, not knowing what to say as guilt suddenly twisted at the back of my mind.
    He stepped back with a snort. “You don’t even know, do you? Jesus, you’re a mess.”
    The scorn in his tone made my temper snap. “How do I know you weren’t thinking of Leah?” I shot back.
    His face twisted. “Because it’s never been anyone but you. No matter what they do to me, all I see is you.”
    Shame boiled in my stomach. He loved me. I loved him. So why was it so goddamn hard right now? “I didn’t mean to—”
    “Admit it. You’re out of your depth. You need to turn down this job. You’re not ready for something like this.”
    I squared my shoulders. “I know that. But I don’t have any choice.”
    “There’s always a choice.”
    Not if I wanted us to have a chance, there wasn’t. “You can’t have it both ways,” I snapped. “You can’t hate me owing Marco and then hate me trying to stop owing Marco.”
    He shook his head. “Yes, I can.”
    Every muscle in my body tightened with frustration. “You want to explain why that’s okay?”
    “Because I can’t protect you,” he roared. “Don’t you get it? You go somewhere like that and I can’t protect you.”
    “I’m not made of glass, Dan. I don’t need to be wrapped in cotton wool,” I yelled back. I’d kind of proven I could take care of myself. Hell, I’d beaten Tate and