me to obey like a dog!” Elyse realizes she’s dangerously close to shouting and swallows hard, forcing herself to quieten down before Jen comes out and gives them some more choice words.
“Is that what you really think? That I’m some kind of Caveman?” Anger flares behind his eyes.
“You have a way of assuming that I’m just going to do as you say. It doesn’t sit well with me.” She shrugs, trying to keep her voice reasonable.
“I want to keep you safe, Elyse; that’s all. I didn’t realize that was so bad.” Dane looks so sincere that Elyse has to stop herself from reaching out to him.
“I want to help the Riders. I’m part of the reason why this has all happened, and I want to help fix it. It’s important to me. You’re all important to me.” Elyse stops short of saying what’s in her heart; it doesn’t feel like the right time. Chicken .
“Alright.” Dane huffs a sigh.
“What?” Elyse blinks at him.
“I said, alright. You can help.” Dane throws his hands up in surrender. “But anything to do with him getting what he wants out of you is off the table. I don’t even want to hear you talk about it again.”
Elyse considers this for a moment, wondering what other options they have, but she nods. Pimping herself out to Lance is the last thing she wants.
“And the minute I think you’re in any kind of danger, you back off. Got it?” He levels her with a serious look that makes her swallow hard, suddenly nervous about what she’s getting herself into.
Stand up straight, Powell. You can do this. “I can look after myself you know. I thought you’d have figured that out by now.” She lifts her chin.
“Don’t push me, Elyse. Lance may have a crush on you, but that doesn’t mean he won’t lash out if he’s backed into a corner. I’ve seen it happen time and time again, and I won’t allow you to get caught in the fallout. And it’s not just him we need to worry about; it’s the Riders, too. If any of them find out that you’re involved in the Gazette…” Dane doesn’t finish his sentence, but he doesn’t need to, they both know what he’s leaving out. His dark eyes are stormy, and there’s no hint of a smile on his luscious lips. “Now, do we understand each other?”
Sufficiently cowed, Elyse nods. This must be what the Riders see when they look at Dane. Despite the fact that he’s just a prospect, they show him a whole lot of respect. It’s not hard to see why. He has an intensity about him that makes his presence known as soon as he enters a room, and it makes it impossible to look anywhere else but directly at him.
“Good.” He nods, satisfied that she’s not going to make herself a target for Lance to lash out at or for the Riders to make an example of. He strokes Cat, who has taken up residence by his feet, behind her ears before he stands, moving towards the front door with those fluid steps of his.
“Where are you going?” She frowns at his back, as he stops just in front of the door he’d been hammering at so violently only a few minutes ago.
“Home.” He says the word simply, as if there were no other possible answer.
“Oh.” Elyse blinks at him, surprised. She just stops short of asking him if he’ll stay, needing to conserve at least a little of her self-respect.
He raises an eyebrow at her, reading her thoughts the way that he always does. “You said that we were either fighting or fucking.” Elyse shivers at how he says the word, imbuing it with a huge amount of sexiness. “So I’m proving you wrong.”
Elyse takes a step towards him, stopping just short of actually touching him. “What do you mean?” She’s pleased that the panic she’s feeling at least isn’t showing in her voice.
“I mean, that if you think we need to pull back on the physical side of
“Is that what you really think? That I’m some kind of Caveman?” Anger flares behind his eyes.
“You have a way of assuming that I’m just going to do as you say. It doesn’t sit well with me.” She shrugs, trying to keep her voice reasonable.
“I want to keep you safe, Elyse; that’s all. I didn’t realize that was so bad.” Dane looks so sincere that Elyse has to stop herself from reaching out to him.
“I want to help the Riders. I’m part of the reason why this has all happened, and I want to help fix it. It’s important to me. You’re all important to me.” Elyse stops short of saying what’s in her heart; it doesn’t feel like the right time. Chicken .
“Alright.” Dane huffs a sigh.
“What?” Elyse blinks at him.
“I said, alright. You can help.” Dane throws his hands up in surrender. “But anything to do with him getting what he wants out of you is off the table. I don’t even want to hear you talk about it again.”
Elyse considers this for a moment, wondering what other options they have, but she nods. Pimping herself out to Lance is the last thing she wants.
“And the minute I think you’re in any kind of danger, you back off. Got it?” He levels her with a serious look that makes her swallow hard, suddenly nervous about what she’s getting herself into.
Stand up straight, Powell. You can do this. “I can look after myself you know. I thought you’d have figured that out by now.” She lifts her chin.
“Don’t push me, Elyse. Lance may have a crush on you, but that doesn’t mean he won’t lash out if he’s backed into a corner. I’ve seen it happen time and time again, and I won’t allow you to get caught in the fallout. And it’s not just him we need to worry about; it’s the Riders, too. If any of them find out that you’re involved in the Gazette…” Dane doesn’t finish his sentence, but he doesn’t need to, they both know what he’s leaving out. His dark eyes are stormy, and there’s no hint of a smile on his luscious lips. “Now, do we understand each other?”
Sufficiently cowed, Elyse nods. This must be what the Riders see when they look at Dane. Despite the fact that he’s just a prospect, they show him a whole lot of respect. It’s not hard to see why. He has an intensity about him that makes his presence known as soon as he enters a room, and it makes it impossible to look anywhere else but directly at him.
“Good.” He nods, satisfied that she’s not going to make herself a target for Lance to lash out at or for the Riders to make an example of. He strokes Cat, who has taken up residence by his feet, behind her ears before he stands, moving towards the front door with those fluid steps of his.
“Where are you going?” She frowns at his back, as he stops just in front of the door he’d been hammering at so violently only a few minutes ago.
“Home.” He says the word simply, as if there were no other possible answer.
“Oh.” Elyse blinks at him, surprised. She just stops short of asking him if he’ll stay, needing to conserve at least a little of her self-respect.
He raises an eyebrow at her, reading her thoughts the way that he always does. “You said that we were either fighting or fucking.” Elyse shivers at how he says the word, imbuing it with a huge amount of sexiness. “So I’m proving you wrong.”
Elyse takes a step towards him, stopping just short of actually touching him. “What do you mean?” She’s pleased that the panic she’s feeling at least isn’t showing in her voice.
“I mean, that if you think we need to pull back on the physical side of
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