Shattered

Chapter 20: Close

Kaden's POV:

"You are the perfect mix of everything I have ever craved."- J. Iron Wood

Violet's hand locked around mine, pulling me away from the girls and towards the bar where they were setting up for body shots.

"Are we partners?" I teased.

"Yes," she said, turning me and pushing me down into the barstool. "Don't be a creep about it."

My heart pounded so intensely it almost hurt. Then she brought her eyes to mine and it was a whole other level. Goddess, would looking in her eyes always be so intense?

"Never," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "Just surprised you picked me."

"Would you rather go for someone else?" She asked. She kept her tone light but I felt the uncertainty in our bond, the way she seemed so completely lacking confidence that I wanted her.

"If I had the choice of every person in the entire world, you'd still be at the top," I said honestly.

She swallowed and a blush rose as she avoided my eyes, thanking the bartender when he left a lime wedge, salt, and a shot of tequila on the bar.

"You don't have to, you know," she said. "I was just trying to save you from apparently every person here that's attracted to men."

"Oh no, I want to," I said, grabbing the salt and offering it to her. "I definitely want to."

"You said no to everyone else," she said, taking the salt.

"Well, they weren't you."

She bit down on her lip, a smile trying to push forward that she tried to hold back. "That boldness of yours is disarming, you know that?"

"You could match it and then maybe it wouldn't be," I suggested.

"I don't know you could handle it," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You're used to me being shy."

"That feels like a challenge," I countered.

She narrowed her eyes at me, then grabbed my jaw and stared in my eyes a moment before tilting my head to the side and leaning forward, dragging her tongue along my neck. I had to hold in the moan, surprised at how forward she was as her hand tightened on my jaw.

"Bearable?" She asked, pulling back and bringing the salt up, putting it over my neck.

"Addictive," I corrected. "Take as many shots as you want."

There was almost a smile there as she grabbed the lime and brought it up to my lips. I opened my mouth and she placed the rind of the lime between my teeth before grabbing the shot and glancing to the bartender who was asking if everyone was ready.

The moment he called out 'shot', she met my gaze and held it before leaning down and moving slower this time as she licked the salt off my neck. It wasn't a quick thing, it was slow, dragging enticingly over my skin until she got all of it before she pulled back and took the shot, then leaned in and took the lime from my mouth, our lips brushing against each other briefly. I swore she paused, hesitating where our lips made contact, but then she pulled back, biting down and sucking on the lime before pulling it out and setting it on the bar.

I stared at her and she stared back, her eyes a mixture of things I couldn't read. Her emotions were all over the place but for the first time, I felt desire pushing forward.

"Round two," the bartender called out as he started setting out more limes and shots.

Violet looked to the lime and looked at me questioningly.