Free Blood Diamond by R. J. Blain

me.
    “Surely you’ve had at least one defenseless little bunny escape you before,” I teased.
    “Bite your tongue!”
    Pointing at the television, I said, “Listen! The show even agrees with me. Rabbits escape predators thanks to those powerful hind legs. Evolution at its finest.”
    Even in my less-than-sober state, I was pretty certain her sniffle was faked. “I do not let my prey escape.”
    Eyeing the bottle of wine, which was dangerously close to empty, I wondered if I classified as predator, prey, or both. “Is that so?” I murmured.
    With a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, she leaned over me, narrowing her eyes. “That is so.”
    The huskiness of her voice and her rumbling tone warned me of trouble. The deliberate way she lowered her gaze to my mouth confirmed my suspicions. Every desire I had tempted me to accept her invitation. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her watch me.
    When she ran her tongue over her lower lip, I wanted nothing more than to reach up, run my fingers through her tousled hair, and pull her down to me.
    My cell rang, the shrill noise startling me into rolling over and reaching for it so I could grab it and fling it at the wall. I reached the edge of the bed, groping for the nightstand and the accursed device, and rolled right off the bed. I hit the carpet with an undignified squawk. The room chose that moment to spin in lazy circles around me as all of the wine worked its way to my head.
    I groaned and draped my arm over my eyes, thinking of all of the curses I couldn’t bring myself to say while Evelyn could hear me.
    “This better be good,” Evelyn growled, and with a sinking feeling, I realized she had answered the call. “What is it, Zachary?” Her tone was so sharp I wondered if she was about to break my phone. I shifted my arm to my forehead to watch her hover over the nightstand, pouting.
    If she did break my phone, I wouldn’t blame her. I wanted to destroy the damned thing—preferably by sending it on a collision course with my friend’s thick head.
    “Yes, yes you did interrupt something interesting, thank you absolutely not at all,” she snapped.
    I sighed, mourning the lost opportunity while also relieved that Zachary’s timing had spared me from doing something I’d regret later. It was probably for the best, as I had no doubts I wouldn’t want to stop if I did give in to my desire for the gorgeous woman hanging off the side of the bed while talking to my friend on the phone.
    “No, he fell out of bed trying to answer your call. Jackson? He wants to talk to you.” Evelyn leaned over, dangling the phone within easy reach.
    I groaned again and lifted my hand. Once I had a good grip on the cell, I flopped it down somewhere in the general vicinity of my ear. “I hate you. What do you need? If it involves driving, you’re fu—out of luck.” I coughed at my lack of discretion and loose tongue. “Did I mention I hate you?”
    “Damn, Boss. I’ll make it up to you later, but you need to go take a very cold shower and get your ass checked out of that hotel in twenty minutes or less. There are sixteen Inquisitors booked on the Wave Dream , and I’m pretty sure they’re tracking your phone. Smash it, sober up, and get ready to hit the road. No, you don’t have time for arguing—or treating your lady properly. Give the nice and angry woman a kiss on the cheek and tell her to get dressed. I’ll be there with a pickup soon.”
    I bit back the hundred and one curses I wanted to spit out. Without waiting for my acknowledgment, Zach hung up.
    “I hate my life,” I lamented, holding my cell up to Evelyn. “I don’t suppose you’re strong enough to break this, are you?”
    She leaned over the edge of the bed, her hair spilling over her shoulder. “Why do you need to smash your poor phone?”
    “GPS tracking,” I grumbled, waving it at her. When she reached down to grab my cell, I captured her hand, pulling it down to kiss the back of it.