Arabella

Heat flooded my cheeks, burning like wildfire as my hands flew instinctively to cover my chest. Shame and something else; something I refused to name, coiled in my stomach.

Six stared at me, his eyes dancing with undisguised amusement, lips curled into that infuriating smirk that made my pulse quicken against my will.

“You are a crass man, Six,” I said, trying to inject venom into my voice, but hearing the breathless quality instead.

He shrugged with an easy confidence that both infuriated and captivated me. “You did seem to like my crassness that night...” His voice dropped lower, the words wrapping around me like velvet.

I bit down...