One male with dark glasses flanked the girl on the left and another with brilliant blue eyes stayed to her right. Dare looked at the leader finally. Her heart froze as nearly blood red eyes locked on hers. Ha. Contacts? Did the bastard really think such a cheap intimidation trick would work on her? Did she know him?
She frowned deeply to hide her distraction. "You must be lost, baby cakes."
He just continued to walk toward her. Again she had to raise a hand to her men to close in. How close did this dude plan on getting? Close enough for her to have to look up at him, apparently.
"I'm Francis." His voice was silky deep. Soothing. "We're here to clean up the neighborhood."
Dare found herself trapped in his pensive gaze. Clean up the neighborhood didn't fit with his sincere smile.
"What?"
What the fuck did that mean is what she'd meant to ask. But his presence resurrected her earlier confusion. Or was it his voice? Maybe those eyes that seemed too damn real up close.
"We're here to take over the neighborhood. Take your streets back. Clean them up."
Was he serious? It was almost laughable only there was too much sincerity in his eyes to be a joke. And too much mass in his build to consider him a non-threat. And far too much crazy in his aura to count him sane.
Instinct finally kicked in and she slipped into killer mode. "Sweetheart. You're really pretty, but I'm afraid that's not happening. And you've come at a really bad time when I have other business to attend. Which means you won't be leaving without getting your clothes dirty." God damn he was beautiful. Unnaturally so. Perfectly white skin normally didn't turn her on, but with those full nearly red lips in that sexy curve and those strange red eyes, she couldn't help but wish she had met him under different circumstances. And now she'd have to kick his ass. Fan-fucking-tastic.
He smiled at her and it made him drop dead gorgeous. Shit. She held his gaze more to keep steady than to intimidate. "I'm willing to negotiate." He held a hand out toward Dare's warriors. "If they can manage to dirty our clothes, we'll leave and never return. If they don't…" He lowered his gaze to her mouth before returning it to her eyes. "We get the boy."
The heat his gaze pressed to her lips made her heart thunder but his words threw her most. The boy? This time she laughed. "You are one strange man."
He smiled like she'd given him a fucking sincere compliment. That smile was nearly erotic. At least that's how her body interpreted it. Jesus, she needed to break down and get laid. She was pathetic. And he was dripping with tons of fuck-me-breathless.
Two could definitely play at that game, and she was certain she'd enjoy him as an opponent. Anytime. "I have a few conditions of my own." She gave him her own version of that same smile, hot enough to melt the buttons off his jeans.
"Name them, beautiful."
His words made her tingle in all the wrong, or right places. "If I can manage to get your pretty clothes dirty…" she lowered her gaze over his sculpted body then raised it back up, "…I get to fuck you."
His seventeen year-old shocked virgin reaction was one for the books. Ha! Imagine, a man that looked like him acting like a virgin. She wasn't sure if she should be worried or pleased. Again her body decided for her. Thrilled was the verdict. Because she would surely ride his fine ass before the night was done.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Father of the Nine Universes, help him! "It would be my pleasure." That was the right thing to say. That's what any guy would say. And it made the impression he wanted.
Her eyes widened slightly and her nostrils flared a little, but the biggest reaction was visible only to him and his siblings. Her temperature and pulse shot up and a fine sheen of sweat broke across her chest and between her breasts.
Saying those words to her seemed blasphemous. And yet not saying it to her seemed even more so. It was one of those supposed to be a lie things, only it was true. He would never do that with her. Oh God, yes he would. He had no clue what all was entailed but he knew he would. He'd learn in a heartbeat. And from what he'd observed of his father and Karly, it was one heavenly treat. He didn't need all the facts to know sex was a very good thing between a man and woman in love. The idea that he might experience that suddenly made him need to take a break, call a time out. Get a drink.
"Let's get it on then." She licked her lips. "Because I could sure use to fuck you tonight."
Turmoil struck Francis. Though she was using crass terms now for the intimidation he couldn't hide, she meant every amazing word. And that meant he wanted to give it to her. But how was he supposed to do that if he had to win?