Page 41 of Ruled By Wizard

“Cool.”

Shit, Wizard wasn’t going to miss a date with Natalia. If he were on death’s door, he would drag his ass out of bed. Even losing a fucking limb wouldn’t stop him. He would place it on ice and have the hospital reattach it after their date.

Some things in life were worth risking life and limb for.

Natalia was one of them.

“Anything else?” she asked snidely.

“No, that’s it. Unless you have conditions of your own?”

“No, but I have a question.”

“Shoot.” He spoke amiably, feeling exceptionally proud of the deal he had negotiated. He was a master negotiator—

“Will you be bringing two other Last Riders on our dates, or is sex the only thing you feel incapable of handling on your own?”

Ouch. Natalia wasn’t shy about hitting below the belt. That was good to know. He didn’t mind hitting there, either.

“I only invite the other brothers when I expect to get bored. They can liven things up. Where you are concerned,”—Wizard gave her a smoldering glance—“I don’t expect that to be a problem.”

If he had been made of wood, he would have burst into flames at the way her eyes flashed.

“You know I hate you, right?”

“Welcome to the club. Everyone hates me.”

Seeing that the insult hadn’t fazed him, she started to rise.

“Are you going to let me leave this time?”

Wizard gestured toward the door. “Help yourself. Don’t forget to send me those dates after you sober up.”

Her hands clenched at her sides as if she wanted to scratch him to shreds.

“Go for it,” he urged seductively. “I can take anything you want to dish out.”

“Idiota.”

“Careful. That insult sounds a lot like its American equivalent. You wouldn’t want me to back out of our little deal before you can reunite Lucia with …”

“Marco. And you didn’t mention that I had to watch my language when you listed your conditions.”

“You don’t. Name-calling has never bothered me. Just don’t put me in a bad mood before I break the news to Jesus that his little Italian cream puff is no longer available on the dessert menu. I might decide a few dates with you aren’t worth the trouble of breaking one of my friends’ hearts.”

“I’m sure you’ll find someone to put you in a better mood one minute after I walk out of the club.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. It’ll take at least two.”

The door slammed against the wall as she stormed out of his office. Doom strolled in a second later.

“What did you do to piss her off this time?” he asked casually, taking the chair Natalia had vacated.

Wizard gave him a satisfied smile. “I’m still breathing.”

CHAPTER 17

FIRST DATE EFFORT