Page 51 of Twisted Little Game

The most powerful man in the most powerful Bratva operating in the entire country?

I don’t like the way I feel when Tate asks me that.

Seeing my future as a dark tunnel, stretching out in front of me, infinitely.

“I always do what is necessary,” I tell him softly. I push hard on his shoulder, then drop my hand, inhaling and sitting up straight. “Next rule. Don’t go out past dark without me there.”

He leans back and his eyes meet my gaze again. “Very funny.”

“Not a joke.”

“Roman, for fuck’s sake.”

“Swear at me more. It won’t change the rule.”

He’s pissed off at me again, but that won’t make me budge.

“I can’t go out to get a midnight snack without you tailing me?” he protests.

“Safety is more important.”

He puffs out a bitter laugh. “Well I’m going out tonight, so I guess you’re going to have to deal with it.”

“Where are you going?”

He cocks his head to one side. “A guy in my French class invited me to a party. Guess you weren’t sitting in on that one without my knowledge.”

I shake my head and grab the fire poker again, jamming it into the wood. “You don’t need to go to a party.”

“Trust me, I do.”

“Why?”

He tilts his head back, looking up at the sky before he looks back at me. “Because I need to get fucked, Roman, and this guy is gay, and he’s definitely interested in me. Not really my type, but he’ll do the job in a pinch.”

I frown at him. “No. You will not be hooking up with random people.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Not when they could be trying to kill you, Tate.”

He stands up quickly, shaking the bench chair beneath us. “Pretty sure the random nice junior in my French class isn’t one of my goddamn stalkers. Not sure you’d understand as a straight guy, but it’s been too long, and I need cock.”

I speak to him firmly. “You will not do this.”

“What the fuck am I supposed to do? Stop having sex? That’s really not going to work out for me.”

“Not telling you to stop having sex. But not tonight.”

A possessive forcefulness rises up in me as I say it.

He reaches for the branch he was holding earlier and swiftly snaps it into two pieces. He throws the broken branch into the fire and it ignites, disappearing into the flames.

“Just chain me to a fucking cage already. It’ll be easier for you, Roman.”

He steps off toward the house and I stand up slowly. “Tate.”

“Fuck off.”