He blinked in the darkness. “Katrina… Don’t thank me. I was selfish, and it never should’ve happened.”
“Because you’re my boss? I’m a grown woman and you didn’t take advantage of me,” she pointed out. “Quite the opposite, in fact, so you don’t need to be concerned that I’ll cry foul.”
“That’s not the only reason.” Taking her arm, he gently steered her in the direction they’d come.
“Dietz?”
He sighed. “What the hell was I thinking? If he believes I care about you, it could put you in danger. Christ, I’m an idiot.”
“And do you care about me?” she asked softly.
His voice was quiet. “Yes, I do. More than I should.” He didn’t elaborate, but she hadn’t expected him to. Letting the matter go, she allowed him to escort her into the club again to find their friends. She told herself he was right, that this had been a onetime thing and it was best that way. It wasn’t until they arrived at their table once more that she realized there was another consequence of her interlude with Michael, one she’d pushed to the back of her mind as they’d left earlier.
She recalled it as she saw the pain brimming in Bastian’s green eyes.
“Don’t you think you ought to slow down on those?” Blaze questioned, brow furrowed in apparent worry.
Bastian gazed down at his third — or was it fourth? — drink and shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”
He tried to come up with one good reason to slack off on the booze, but nothing came to mind. What else did he have to do? His best friend and a beautiful woman had disappeared outside, and from the heat sizzling in the air, he knew why.
Michael and Katrina. Two people he wanted more than anyone. They’d deserted him without a thought.
No, he wasn’t nearly drunk enough. Maybe there wasn’t that much alcohol in the city to deaden the pain. But he could try.
Blaze and Emma shared a look, and she gave a slight nod. Bastian wondered what that was about and then decided he didn’t give a shit. Suddenly, he needed to be invisible. To get the fuck out of here and find a place to be alone. He had an empty condo waiting that he hadn’t seen since Michael’s shooting, and this seemed like the perfect time to return there, despite Michael’s having asked him to stay at the estate.
A hand on his arm brought him out of his dark thoughts, and he looked at Emma. Her expressive eyes set in a striking, angular face regarded him with something very unlike pity. The heat in them got his attention, bringing him, however briefly, out of his morose mood. Reaching out, she traced his lips with one finger, the invitation clear even before she spoke.
“Come home with us tonight?”
The words were like an oasis in hell and he savored them, his plans to be alone turning to dust. He should decline, but he felt a little too desperate. A lot too raw. He needed someone to care, to take his mind and body someplace wonderful, if only for the next few hours. However, the ounce of pride he had left urged him to put up a token resistance.
“I’m not certain that’s a good idea,” he said, glancing at Blaze. Had his friend ever told Emma that he’d fucked Bastian senseless while she’d been held hostage by Dietz? The dark-haired man gave no indication, but Emma put his concern to rest.
“I know you guys played once,” she said with a little smile. “It’s totally fine as long as I’m the only
Her blunt honesty startled a laugh out of him. “Really? Well, I don’t know. Your man was almost more than I could handle. The two of you together? I might not survive.”
“Oh, we’re very sure you’ll do better than survive.” Leaning over, she nibbled the outside of his ear, kissed the sensitive skin behind it. “Trust us and we’ll take you on a nice trip, no luggage required.”
Crap, he’d have to be dead not to respond, and from his dick’s prompt reaction, he was far from his eternal sleep. This evening might be salvaged after all — if he could just get Michael out of his heart and keep Katrina from stealing a bigger piece of it than she already had.
At that moment, his best friend and the woman in question appeared at their table. Hair mussed, faces flushed, clothing not quite put to rights. Agony lanced Bastian’s chest, and he thought the punch of a bullet probably hurt less than knowing what they’d been doing.
Tearing his eyes from them, he forced a smile for Emma. “Make that a definite yes. I’d love to.”
Michael’s voice was tight. “Love to what?”
The coldness of his own tone shocked him as he rose from his seat and leaned in to Michael, speaking for his ears only. “Get my ass reamed again by Blaze’s magnificent cock while I eat his woman’s pussy, that’s what. And I can’t wait.”
Oh, right there. A direct hit. Michael’s jaw went slack, his expression priceless. A big crack in the bastard’s unflappable calm. Bastian turned back to his companions.
“Ready when you are.”
With that, he made his way through the crowd, trusting the couple to follow. And he didn’t look back.
Six
His cell phone trilled a greeting, and Dietz glanced at the display. His contact knew better than to phone with anything less than spectacular news, and his gut tightened. He picked up on the second ring.
“What do you have?”
“Got something on Ross. Looks like he’s snared himself a new woman.”
His eyebrow arched in surprise. This was one piece of news he hadn’t been expecting. “Who is she?”
“Some gorgeous redhead he called Katrina.”
His pulse quickened, his mind already working this to his advantage. “Brandt?”
“Don’t know, but I’ll find out. Ross and Chevalier showed up at Shakers tonight to party with the woman, an armed watch in tow, of course.”
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Did Michael believe him to be that stupid, to make a move at the most obvious time? “And then?”
“They went inside, and Ross came out with the woman a while later, took her into the alley, and fucked her brains out.” He chuckled nastily. “I beat off like a house afire, and my dick will still be hard for a week.”
“That was more information than I needed.”
“Hey, sorry.” He didn’t sound contrite at all.
“This is an interesting development. Keep me informed so I can decide how to best use this against him.”
“Will do.”
Dietz snapped his phone shut and sat thinking for a very long time.
Yes, he would use this to his advantage, if necessary.
Right after Chevalier was dead and buried.
On the sidewalk, Bastian waited for Blaze and Emma to catch up, using the few moments to get a handle on his runaway emotions. Trouble was, he wasn’t an expert at compartmentalizing, as Michael was. He couldn’t tuck those pesky, inconvenient feelings into labeled boxes and shove them deep in a closet. Like when Bastian confessed his love to Michael, and the man married Maggie almost in a blind panic.
