His teeth clenched when he said the last part. I came up behind him, and laid my hand softly on his shoulders. Thought it was just because there was a gaping hole between him and his sister, and he'd let me in on it, in his own little way.
“There's more, darlin'. We're not just hiding the fuck out 'til this all blows over. I gotta be honest. Can't lie to you.”
I looked at him, narrowing my eyes. For the millionth time since I'd been thrown into all of this, my heart raced, thumping along with a steady, revving tempo, ready to tear me in two.
“I can't take the mystery here. Tell me.”
“No. I'll show you. Come on.” He grabbed my hand, rough and insistent.
Before I knew what was happening, we were leaving the office. Firefly pulled me toward the curtain. I started dragging my feet – what the hell was he doing? Didn't he know they were right in the middle of Honey-Bee's late night act?
“Firefly, no!” There wasn't any stopping him.
He was too strong, too persistent, and the lights blinded me the second we stepped out on stage. Huge, glaring spotlights and neon red would've wrecked anyone's eyesight after spending eight hours in the gloomy blackness backstage.
The music came to a screeching halt. Honey-Bee swung from a giant sling above us, wearing nothing except tall white heels and those fake crystal angel wings she always slipped on before her act. She looked down on us, totally confused, a ball of feathers in her hand she'd been ready to blow to the horny men as part of her tease.
Then the catcalls started.#p#分页标题#e#
“Take it the fuck off, baby! All the waaaay!”
“What the hell's this big biker asswipe doin' on stage? Didn't know this place was licensed for hardcore fuck shows...”
“Honey-Beee!”
I pushed myself into him, desperately pushing my nails into his neck, holding his eyes. “Firefly – please! We can't be out here.”
“No, babe. Keep breathing. I've got something for you.”
He reached into his pocket. His hand took mine, held it up, and I watched the bright gold ring in the club's bright lights slide onto my finger as he shoved it in place.
“Everybody listen up!” Firefly boomed, roaring through the crowd. When he spoke, their chatter stopped, like a hurricane silencing the ocean. “Came out here tonight to let ya'll know I'm claiming this girl. Cora Chase is about to be the best goddamned old lady a man could ever ask for, and an even better wife. One round for everybody on me!”
The crowd erupted, hooting and hollering. The few lone women stuffed between the clammy, horny bastards screamed like they'd just won the lottery. Free booze meant the world to old bar flies so desperate for booze they came here with their husbands just to drink.
Hell, I wanted to join them. I could've used a tall, stiff drink right now. Maybe ten of them.
The entire club blurred. I couldn't follow what was happening. That ring around my finger felt like a leash, a noose, a choke point trying to smother my whole world for the second time in a month.
“Crank the fuckin' music up when I'm done,” Firefly growled, grinning to the crowd, still holding up the new ring on my hand triumphantly with his. “Play something sappy and loud about love, I don't give a shit, DJ. I just want this whole fuckin' town to know that Cora's Property of Firefly now. I'm gonna love her, keep her, and never, ever let her go.”
The crowd exploded. Firefly moved in, pulling me to his chest. His tight arms around my waist were just about the only thing stopping me from passing out.
“Kiss me, baby girl,” he whispered in my ear. “Meant every fuckin' word I just said here, Cora. This is about protecting you, yeah, but it's more than that. Don't expect you to understand. Don't care if you ever do. You're mine now, babe. Forever.”
Too much. Too soon. Too crazy.
No mistake. This was CRAZY!
I tried to claw him, to scream, but I couldn't do anything when the bass started blasting through the club. Honey-Bee chirped happily above us, shouting down congratulations, showering us in huge handfuls of cheap feathers like snow.
His lips moved up my neck. Rage, confusion, and desire wrestled like snakes inside me, making my skin crawl until I swooned.
He held me, kept me from collapsing. Our eyes locked, and those dark, blue seas in his face held a thousand wild promises.
I didn't know what to do. Didn't know if I'd step out of here without having a heart attack.
Then the gorgeous lunatic pulled me toward him, burying his lips against mine. I sank into his kiss and bit him. Hard.
Firefly never took his mouth off mine until he decided it was finally time to move. Not even when I tasted his blood.
Eventually, the delirium on stage swept me away. At first, I thought I'd passed out, and he'd carried me to the small, dingy church just outside Knoxville. But then, if I was unconscious, I couldn't have ridden with him on his bike, draped around him like a ragdoll, clinging tight to him through the sharp turns he took on those high mountain roads.