Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger

the set of Sons of Anarchy, and understand on a cellular level
that the man sitting across from me is someone for whom the
normal rules of society don’t apply.
I also understand that he’s dangerous.
And that he wants me but doesn’t want to.
And that I want him, too, but shouldn’t.
Because people who stick a hand too close to a lion’s
mouth will come away with a bloody stump where that hand
used to be.
The waiter arrives. Kage sends him away with a royally
dismissive flick of his fingers, never taking his gaze off me.
When he’s gone, Kage says, “So your fiancé disappeared.
And for the next five years, on every anniversary of what
would’ve been your wedding day, you get drunk.”
“It sounds worse when you say it out loud. Do I need to be
afraid of you?”
We stare at each other across the table. The silence is
electric. If he’s surprised by my question, it doesn’t show.
He says softly, “What if I said yes?”
“Then I’d take you at your word and drive straight to the
nearest police station. Are you saying yes?”
He hesitates. “Most people who know me are.”
My heart pounds so hard, I’m surprised he can’t hear it. “I
want a yes or a no.”
“Would you believe me if I said no?”
I reply instantly, without thinking. “Yes. You’re not the
kind of man who hides behind lies.”
He considers me in blistering, unblinking silence, slowly
turning the cigar round and round between his thumb and
forefinger. Finally, he says gruffly, “You’re so fucking
beautiful.”
The breath I’ve been holding comes out in a rush. “That’s
not an answer.”