Desperate Desires (Mergers & Acquisitions #3)

Chapter 2-Ono

A thousand knives stabbed at my shoulder.

I fought with the darkness gripping me, trying to shake it off so I could remember where I was and how I got there.

Fuck.

My entire body felt like it was stuck in a fiery blaze of agony, a searing current that ignited where the pain first struck and spread like molten lava pooling in my shoulder.

It wasn’t just pain—it was a relentless inferno, burning away every coherent thought until all that was left was raw, unfiltered torment.

The sheer force of it ripped a hiss from between my teeth as I clenched my jaw so hard it felt like my molars might shatter.

Every nerve screamed in protest as I forced my trembling arms to push me upright, my muscles taut with resistance, like steel cords stretched to the breaking point.

Each movement felt like dragging my body through shards of glass, but I refused to surrender to the pain’s demand to stay down.

I struggled against a pretty powerful force, trying to sit up.

“Don’t move,” a husky voice instructed, and even though my mind raced to identify the speaker, my body obeyed like it was made to do just that.

What the hell?

“I got all the fragments out, but you’ll tear the stitches if you keep struggling,” the woman said.

“Stitches?” I rasped, not recognizing the sound of my own voice.

“Yes. Seventeen in the front. Thirteen in the back. The bullets went straight through, but they left some bits behind. You’re a lucky man, Ono,” she said.

I didn’t recognize her voice, but when she said my name, something slithered down my spine. Something that even in my current state I recognized as desire.

Who was this angel? I needed to know. Had to see her with my own eyes.

I blinked a couple of times, hoping to clear my vision. When I did, it was like getting hit by a Mack truck.

Holy. Fuck.

She was so beautiful. Her dark brown hair was plaited in what were probably hundreds of tiny braids, and those were pulled back in a low ponytail away from her sweet face.

It started coming back to me then—like fragments of a dream slowly knitting themselves into reality.

The haze began to lift, and the pieces fell into place.

Where I was.

How I’d gotten there.

The weight of it all settled over me, grounding me in the present. I drew in a deep, deliberate breath, letting the air fill my lungs, rich and intoxicating.

The scent hit me like a whispered confession—soft, yet undeniable. Sweet and warm, with a trace of something rich and unmistakably her.

It wrapped around me, silken and heady, awakening something deep in my bones.

Hunger.

Desire.

A low, involuntary sound escaped my throat—a moan of recognition, of need—because that scent wasn’t just air.

It was memory, comfort, and temptation all at once, a quiet reminder of who she was, and what she meant.

Fuck.

I recognized her now.

Michelle Davis.

Doctor.

Best friend of Michaela Volkov, the Dark Wolf’s oldest daughter, and Sammy Ramirez’s cousin.

Fine as fuck female who was off limits.

I’d seen this woman before. Met her casually, though I doubted she would remember.

She was like family to one of my pals. Sammy Ramirez.

He’d become one of my best friends after a bar brawl half a dozen years ago. Since then, I’d met some of his cousins, their friends, and yeah, I had seen Michelle plenty of times at clubs, bars, and the occasional dinner party.

She was gorgeous. Not the kind of woman you would forget. All dark eyes and satiny skin, a killer smile, and a body that went on for days.

Yeah, I’d been interested.

But no, I’d never approached her.

Out of respect for Sammy and his family, I backed off. Figured the good doctor here deserved something better than me.

I kept tabs, though. And I was always aware of my surroundings and the people who came in and out of my territory.

At least, I thought I did, but I hadn’t been ready for tonight.

“You might want to close your eyes for this part,” she warned me, but nothing could make me look away.

“Suit yourself, Tough Guy,” she murmured, but I noted the hint of admiration in her gaze.

I gritted my teeth as she grabbed a wad of gauze and poured something over it then pressed it to my wound. Afterwards, she wiped up the mess and dressed it with a clean bandage.

“Fuuuuckk,” I growled.

“One more time for the back,” she murmured, and repeated the process after turning me slightly so she could reach the exit wound.

“I don’t have anything stronger, but these should be enough to let you sleep peacefully through the night,” she apologized, handing me a couple of pills.

I swallowed them down, hissing and grunting in a decidedly unmanly show of pain.

But she was a doctor, and I was only human.

“You must be very strong, Ono,” she said, nodding at me with something akin to approval shining in her eyes.

“Can’t have you think bad of me, Doc.”

“Ha. Alright, come on, Tough Guy. Let’s get you to bed.”

I knew she didn’t mean it like I wanted her to mean it, but my body stirred at her huskily whispered words.

She cleared her throat, those dark eyes traveling down my body, and I realized she’d gotten most of my clothes off and I was half naked, sprawled out on her floor.

“I, um, had to assess the damage,” she whispered, and looked embarrassed.

“It’s alright, Doc. You do what you have to,” I said, grunting as she helped me to stand.

She was wearing panties and a tank top covered in my blood, and I was standing there in nothing but my boxer briefs, half dead, but I swear to fucking God, I’d never been harder in my life.

“Here, just lean on me and we’ll walk together to the bedroom,” she said, in her best clinical voice.

I nodded, laying my arm on her shoulder and leaning heavily on her much smaller body. I wished we were going to her bedroom for a different reason.

Dizziness washed over me, a punishment for my dirty thoughts, maybe. The woman had just saved my life. I shouldn’t be thinking about her perky tits or lush ass.

At least, not until I could do something about them. I was in no shape for the kind of physical activities thinking about Michelle’s body would lead to.

I needed to heal, to recover, then I’d revisit my prior plans to stay away from the good doctor. Every step was carefully measured, but I stumbled and wondered what the hell she’d given me for the pain.

It was a blow to my ego, having her see me like that. But luckily, I didn’t have far to go. The bedroom was only a few feet away.

Her apartment was too fucking small, I thought with a frown.

“Thanks, Doc,” I murmured as she helped me to lie down.

“No problem. Look, I know this is a stupid question since I already operated on you on my floor, but should I call someone? The police? An ambulance?”

She looked worried but not scared, and I figured she was somewhat acquainted with lifestyles such as mine.

“No calls. No cops. No ambos. You did good, Doc.”

“Okay, and, um, thanks, I guess?” she said, but it sounded like a question.

“I’ll take care of it all in the morning. Believe me?”

“Um, yeah. I mean, yes. I do.”

“Good,” I growled.

Unable to help myself, I pulled her arm until she bent down, her pretty face hovering just over mine.

“Is something wrong?” she whispered.

“Yeah. I haven’t kissed you yet,” I said, noting her surprise before I pulled her the rest of the way and pressed my mouth to hers.

Impossibly soft lips brushed mine and the rightness of it filled my blood, making me want more than a man like me had any right to.

Unfortunately, whatever drugs she gave me started to kick in and sooner than I would have liked, I slipped into unconsciousness with the taste of Michelle on my lips.

But there were worse ways to go , I mused as the blackness took me.