Ruthless Creatures (Queens & Monsters, #1)

by J.T. Geissinger

Love is poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same. —GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

“Okay. I get it. I guess I’ll see you around, then.” In the short pause that follows, he goes from sorry to annoyed. “That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna say? We’ve been dating for two months and all I get is ‘see you around’?” He wants me to be upset, but I’m actually relieved. Though of course I can’t say that out loud.

“That came out wrong. I didn’t mean—” “Yes, you did. It’s fine. Listen, if it’s all right with you, let’s just say goodbye now. I meant it when I said I’d like to stay friends. You’re a good guy. No hard feelings, okay?” After a moment, he says flatly, “Sure. No hard feelings. No feelings either way, I know that’s your specialty. You take care, Nat.” He disconnects, leaving me listening to dead air.

“Speaking of which, let’s go to Downrigger’s tonight.” “Can’t, sorry. I have plans.” “Tch. I know what your plans are. It’s time to change things up. Make a new tradition.” “Go out to get drunk instead of staying in?” “Exactly.” “I’ll pass. Puking in public isn’t a good look for me.” She scoffs. “I know for a fact you’ve never puked in your life. You have zero gag reflex.”

“Yes, if your frontal lobe was damaged in a terrible car accident, it’s funny. For the rest of us with functioning brains, it’s not.”

“I’m not getting pirate as much as rock star. Or head of a motorcycle gang. He looks like he stepped right off the Sons of Anarchy set. Ten bucks says he’s a drug dealer.” “Who cares?” whispers Sloane, staring at him. “He could be Jack the Ripper and I’d still let him come all over my tits.” I say with affection, “Floozy.” She waves that off. “So I like dangerous alpha males with big-dick energy. Don’t judge.”

And immediately crash into a huge, immovable object. I jerk back, stumble, lose my balance. Before I can fall, a big hand reaches out and grips my upper arm to steady me. “Careful.”

“If you don’t get a dick up in that hot pocket soon, it’s gonna grow over. You’ll never be able to have sex again.” That’s fine with me. My libido vanished along with my fiancé. But I need to distract her before this conversation turns into a therapy session. “It never would’ve worked out anyway. He thinks cats are as smart as humans.”

My voice quiet, I say, “It took two years before I could drive a car without thinking, ‘What if I didn’t brake for this curve? What if I ran straight into that brick wall?’ Another year after that before I stopped googling ‘painless ways to commit suicide.’ Then another before I stopped randomly bursting into tears. It’s only been the last few months that I can walk into a room without automatically scanning it for his face.

“You know what we need?” “Electroshock therapy?”

“Why am I gonna be the one with dementia? You’re the one who refuses to eat a vegetable!” “I’m about to have some smashed avocadoes. Doesn’t that count?” “An avocado is a fruit, genius.” “It’s green, isn’t it?” “Yes.” “Then it’s a veggie.”

“There’s not a man on earth who could crush your ego. It’s made out of the same material NASA uses on spaceships so they don’t burn up on reentry through the atmosphere.”

In a hushed voice, she says, “His name is Kage. Isn’t that strange? Like a dog cage, but with a K. I don’t know, I just think it’s a very odd name. Unless you’re in a band, of course. Or you’re some kind of underground fighter. Whatever the case, in my day, a man had a respectable name like Robert or William or Eugene or such—”

Her shellacked gray curls quiver. “Aquaman,” she says in a stage whisper.

“Wait, what? Living next door?”

“When did they move out? I didn’t even know they were gone!” Diane purses her lips as she looks at me. “Don’t take this the wrong way, dear, but you do live in a bit of a bubble. One can’t blame you for being distracted, of course, with what you’ve been through.”

“Are you just having drinks and appetizers tonight, or would you like me to bring you dinner menus?” “I’ll be drinking my dinner, thank you.”

“Nat’s got a big dog and an even bigger gun. She’ll be fine.” Scandalized, Diane turns back to me. “You keep a gun in the house? My goodness, what if you accidentally shoot yourself?” Looking at her, I deadpan, “I should be so lucky.”

With a straight face, Sloane says, “Anal. Yes or no?” There’s a frozen pause, then Diane chirps, “Oh, look, there’s Margie Howland. I haven’t seen her in ages. I should say hello.” She rises and hurries off with a breathless, “Bye now!”

“Sorry, princess. If you’re looking for a knight in shining armor, you’re looking in the wrong fucking place.”

Sloane gapes at me in disbelief. “What just happened?” “I asked him if he’d take me home.” She blinks once, slowly. When she recovers from her astonishment, she says, “And?” “And he made it clear that he’d rather have his dick slammed in a car door. Are we ready to go?” She rises, gathering her purse

Or maybe he’ll turn out to be a serial killer and put me out of my misery. Probably not, though. I don’t have that kind of luck.

Gasping, I whirl around and stare in horror at Kage.

Feeling like I’ve been caught masturbating spread-eagle on the kitchen floor, I cover my chest with my arms and cry, “What the hell are you doing in here?” “You told me to come in.” God, that voice. That rich, husky baritone. If I weren’t so horrified, I might think it was hot. “I thought you were someone else!”

After a moment of blistering awkwardness, Kage flicks a dismissive hand at my dress. “It doesn’t suit you.” I feel my eyes bulging but don’t care. “Excuse me?” “Too fussy.”

“For future reference, if you see a woman wearing a wedding gown, the only acceptable thing to tell her is that she looks beautiful.” “You are beautiful,” comes the hard reply. “But it has nothing to do with that fussy fucking dress.”

but he promises to be on his best behavior.” His best behavior? What would that look like?

“Stay.” It comes out as a barked command. When I blink, startled, he softens it with a murmured, “Please.” “Okay, but only if you take your meds.”

Please don’t let him notice that my nipples are hard. Please, please, don’t let him notice. Why the hell didn’t I wear a bra?

I could also be an escapee from a mental institution. I’ll let you know in a minute, right after the throbbing between my legs settles down and the blood returns to my head. What is wrong with me? I don’t even like this guy!

“You’re so fucking beautiful.”

“There’s miles between that and what I asked.”

“Interrupt me again and I’ll take you over my knee right here and spank that perfect ass of yours until you’re screaming.”

“No, Nat. I’m not interested. I came here to tell you I still have feelings for you, and that I made a mistake in breaking it off.” Well, shit. “I’m so sorry. Um. I don’t know what to say.” “You can say you’ll let me take you out to dinner tonight.” We stare at each other in uncomfortable silence, until I say, “I think I’m going to have to pass.”

recoil, but he grips my shoulders in his hands and doesn’t let me pull away. Instead, he yanks me against his chest and keeps me there. Into my ear, he says roughly, “Just give me another chance. I’ll take it as slow as you want. I know you’ve been through a lot, and I want to be there for you—” “Let me go, please.”

Chris lifts his chin and sticks out his chest. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but I’m a—” “Dead man, if you don’t fuck off. Right. Now.” Chris glances at me for help, but he’s on my shit list at the moment. When I stare at him, shaking my head, he looks back at Kage. He takes a nice, long look, taking in the powerful shoulders, the clenched fists, the murderous scowl. Then he does the sensible thing.

no.” “He’s harmless.” “Every man’s dangerous. Even the harmless ones.” “Do you have such a low opinion of your own gender?” He lifts a shoulder. “It’s the testosterone. Nature never made a more deadly drug.” Or a sexier one. All the male pheromones he’s exuding are making me dizzy. We gaze at each other for a moment until I look away, flustered.

“I’m flattered. You’re probably the most attractive man I’ve ever met. But I haven’t been with anyone since my fiancé, and I’m in a weird headspace right now, and I don’t think a fling with a hot stranger would be good for me. Fun and amazing, but ultimately not good for me.”

Just when I’m afraid I’ll burst into hysterical laughter from sheer stress, he murmurs, “Okay. I respect that. Thank you for being honest with me.”

He pauses for a beat, then says, “Hold on.” He pulls a pen from an inside pocket of his leather jacket, a business card from another pocket. Flipping over the card, he writes something on the back, then hands it to me. “My number. Just in case.” “In case of what?” “In case of anything. In case your roof leaks. In case your car breaks down. In case Deputy Dipshit tries to kiss you again and needs his ass beat.”

“Thank you.” After a beat, he says gruffly, “For what?” “For making me feel something. It’s been a long time since someone did. I wasn’t sure I could anymore.”

Five seconds later I hear the steady whump whump whump of his fists hitting the punching bag coming from inside.

“For a guy who claims to be such a bad scary criminal, you’re a big softie.” “Only for you.”

“So either don’t tell me your secrets or don’t make me fall in love with you. Because once I fall in, even death can’t make me fall out.”

A sob escapes my throat. Long and rock hard, his erection digs into my thigh. I might be losing my mind from pleasure. Then a gunshot rings out, ruining the mood altogether.

“What was that?” “Gunfire.” “What? Oh god—Sloane!”

“Stay here until I come back. Don’t leave this room. Understood?” “But—” “Understood?”

“Okay. Thank you for being honest. You should take me into the bedroom now.” Without another word, Kage picks me up in his arms.

“Ditto.” He pauses. “Ditto? That’s my post-coital compliment?” “Post-coital? We’re breaking out all the big words, I see.”

Another pause, this one longer. I say, “You’re thinking the term ‘ravishing beauty’ doesn’t gel with your blistering machismo, am I right?” “I mean, I guess it’s flattering.” He sounds disturbed. I stifle a laugh, trying to play serious. “Except?” “Except it makes me sound like a debutante in a regency romance novel.”