Ruthless Creatures by J.T. Geissinger

“Tomorrow night, then. Tuesday night. You name it.”
I say softly, “Chris—”
Before I can finish that sentence, he steps forward and
kisses me.
Or tries to, anyway. I manage to turn my head at the last
second so his lips land on my cheek as I’m gasping in surprise.
I 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.”
“—for whatever you need. We have a connection, Nat, a
special connection—”
“Chris, stop it.”
“—and you need someone to take care of you—”
“I said, let me go!”
I shove against his chest, starting to panic, feeling bruises
forming on my flesh where he’s gripping me so tightly, but
freeze when I hear someone say, “Take your hands off her,
brother, or lose them.”
The voice is low, male, and deadly.
Chris looks over his shoulder to find a bristling Kage
standing a few feet away, staring at him with the flat, killer
look of an assassin.
Flustered, Chris jerks away from me. “Who’re you?”
Kage ignores him and looks at me. “You good?”
I wrap my arms around my waist and nod. “I’m fine.”
He looks me up and down silently, his eyes hard and
assessing, searching for proof that I haven’t been hurt. Then
his icy gaze slices back to Chris.