I tried to keep things lighter, our usual banter and sex, even though my dreams were turbulent.

A week later when she handed me the key to her condo, I froze. A key meant a lot. A key implied a relationship of sorts. And a key also was almost too much for me to handle.

Still, I took it, and gave her one to my place.

Turned out having her key came in handy for more than just going over for a fuck. It also made me feel better knowing her door wasn’t unlocked.

I was used to seeing Lila in mainly two forms of clothing—work attire and loungewear—so when she stepped out onto my balcony in a knee-length dress with a sweater looking every bit innocent and corruptible, it was hard to keep on schedule.

Come here, little girl, and sit on my lap, the beast purred.

She stepped closer, almost close enough to reach out and run my hand around her exposed thigh.

“I didn’t know you smoked.”

“Sometimes,” I said as I blew out.

She stared at me with those eyes, digging into me. Lila was smart, observant, much more so than she let on.

“It bothers you that much…my feelings?”

Did it? The easy answer was yes, but it amazed me that she’d picked up on it just by seeing me with a cigarette. Smoking was a habit I’d almost given up until she opened up to me.

“Yes. I don’t want you to feel that way.”

She took a deep breath and moved to sit next to me. Her fingers landing on the scar on the inside of my forearm, a few soft caresses on the white lines before she pulled my arm to her for a drag. It was a move I wasn’t prepared for. She always seemed so innocent, but when she expertly took a drag, I remembered there was a lot I didn’t know and didn’t want to know about her.

Like ex-boyfriends that suddenly show up.

The anger that lit in my veins…two of the holes in my entryway were because of that fucker. Andrew was too familiar with her, too casual, too intent.

Andrew wanted her.

“What?” she asked, making me wonder what kind of look I was sporting.

“I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

“And?”

I scrunched my face, hating the emotions, the admissions. But a grin spread as I realized how I could get my point across. I reached over and slipped my hand between her thighs and cupped her pussy.

“For me only.”

She stared at me before shaking her head. “You are such a fucking contradiction.”

“What?” Maybe she had caught on to just how screwed up she made me.

“I wish I knew what was going on in that head of yours sometimes.”

I leaned over and snuffed the cigarette out on the ground. “No, you don’t.” I tapped my skull. “It’s dark in here.”

And dangerous. And so fucked up I didn’t think she’d be able to handle the load.

Just knowing about the beast would send her running.

I stood and held my hand out to help her up. “Ready?”

She nodded and slipped her hand in mine. I wanted to keep it there, but once she was upright, I let go and we headed out.

“Are we starting with shots?” I asked as we walked to the bar. Nipps had become a regular part of my weekly routine.

“Sounds perfect.”

Two hours and two shots later, I was working on my second beer and munching on chips from the nacho plate we’d ordered.

I pulled out another cigarette, amazed how fast I fell back into them, though I hadn’t fully stopped. They were just a crutch, something that gave me a feeling other than pain.

“So with all the sleeping you’re doing lately, why still drink?” I asked.

It shouldn’t have amazed me that my dick had the power to cure insomnia. I’d just never tested it out before.

She reached for my hand and took a drag from my newly lit cigarette. I watched intently as her lips wrapped around the end, her cheeks hollowing out as she drew in, and my dick stirred. It’d been half hard from the moment I saw her in her dress, and the ideas of what I could do with her began to form.

“I need to unwind after dealing with you and your fanclub all week.”

I chuckled. “They are fucking something. I just don’t understand how they think that’s attractive. I mean, yeah, breasts are great, love them, but showing me your rack isn’t going to get you a ride on my dick.”

We both laughed, but were soon interrupted.

“Delilah Anne Palmer!”

We turned, and a growl left me as the image of her fucking Mr. Perfect ex-boyfriend appeared.

“Smoking? You worked so hard to quit, and now you’re at it again?”

Scratch that, Mr. Fucking Perfect Boy Scout.

She let out a sigh. “It was just a drag, Andrew.”

“A gateway drag.”

Is this douche serious? I almost laughed.

The sound of his voice irked me, but not as much as his goody-goody disapproval. She was a fucking adult and could do whatever the fuck she wanted. And I was right that she had smoked in her life.

She didn’t seem to like his chastising either. “What are you doing here?”

He pulled the bar stool out from beside her and sat down like he was invited to our fucking party before signaling to John.

“Well, I was thinking we could have a celebratory drink.”

Three days prior, Jack had announced a new employee, and it infuriated me when Andrew walked through the door. He hadn’t been around the office much in his first few days, but his appearance at the bar, knowing full well she’d be there, was a taste of things to come.

“Whatever.”

What a fucking joke.

That was the moment the fucker noticed me. He had been so fixated on her, he was oblivious to everything else.

His expression soured, and I resisted flipping him off.

I was here first, asshole.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

The guy was just asking for a fucking beat down. I didn’t like him to begin with. His whole savior complex made me want to puke. Add in that he stuck his dick in Lila at one point, and I was ready to shove my fist in his face to get him the fuck away from us.

“It’s Friday night, this is the closest bar to my house, and I needed a drink.” Not that I owed him any fucking explanation.

“Cool. Just stay away from Lila.”

The beast growled while I practiced my counting-to-ten skills. The last thing I needed was to call my parents to bail me out of jail.