Chapter 25 Kreed #2
I hauled her against me, careful of my stitches but unwilling to let the moment slip.
Her soft gasp hit my lips right before I kissed her.
Her fingers tangled in my hair, nails grazing my scalp, sending a shiver straight down my spine.
Every inch of her pressed against me with a hunger that matched my own.
She shifted onto my lap, straddling me and reading my damn mind. My hands slid beneath the hem of her shirt, fingertips skimming up her waist. Her skin was warm and impossibly soft. I deepened the kiss, her lips parting for me as my tongue brushed hers, making my pulse spike hard.
Hunger licked inside me, fanning the flame of desire that burned only for her. I couldn’t believe she was mine. Her hips rolled softly against me, and I moaned. “You’re going to kill me,” I murmured into her mouth.
“Not today.” She kissed the corner of my jaw, then the sensitive spot below my ear. “Today…I’m keeping you alive.” Her lips trailed lower, grazing down my throat.
I inhaled, my fingers secure on her waist. She was being gentle…
too damn gentle, and it terrified me how much it undid me.
My fingers went under her shirt, pushing up as I sought out a breast. I watched her eyes darken as I rolled the tip of a nipple between my fingers, feeling it harden under my touch.
“You should be resting,” she whispered, running her teeth over my bottom lip before nipping at it with enough pressure to border the lines of pleasure and pain.
“This is resting,” I said, dragging my lips down the column of her neck, feeling her arch into my touch. “You in my arms…that’s the only thing that’s ever calmed me.”
She leaned back enough to look at me, her chest rising and falling fast, cheeks flushed, and hair tousled. She never looked sexier. “I’ve never had anyone look at me the way you do. You make me feel like I’m the only thing in your world.”
“You are. You always were,” I admitted, relieving her of her shirt. It was in the way of what I wanted. My head dipped, catching one nipple with my mouth.
Her breath stuttered, a deep moan escaping her. My tongue swirled, and her fingers dove into my hair, pressing my mouth harder against her breast. She moved against me, rubbing over the strain in my boxers. I was rock-hard and throbbing for her.
Her hands slid beneath the fabric of my shirt to drag her palms across my stomach, my ribs, and the bruises still pulsing faintly with pain.
I didn’t care.
Not when she touched me like that.
Not when she kissed me like she wanted to memorize the shape of my mouth.
“Kreed…” she whimpered, grinding against me.
It took more effort than I liked to shed my boxers, my wound protesting, but it got considerably better when Kaylor took over, tossing her underwear alongside mine.
Free of barriers, I lay back on the bed as she straddled me, positioning herself right where I needed her to be.
My dick strained to be nestled in her, and she didn’t make me wait, sinking down on me until she took me fully inside.
Her eyes fluttered closed as she rode me, our bodies instinctively moving in rhythm, her legs pressing snugly against mine.
I became blind with pleasure, the need for her only intensifying.
She went slow at first, gradually increasing her pace, torturing us both.
My hands went to her hips, guiding her faster and faster until we went over the edge together.
I felt her release, her muscles convulsing around me.
She dropped on my chest, and I fused our lips in a kiss.
“Say it,” I whispered.
“I love you,” she said breathily. “I love you so much it terrifies me.”
“Good.” I kissed her again, slower, reverent this time.
With our bodies still joined, she pressed her forehead to mine. “You’re mine now, Kreed.”
“Always,” I said. And I meant it. I was hers as much as she was mine. Our hearts, souls, and bodies were intertwined.
She wiggled back on the T-shirt I had only recently removed and sauntered out of my room, my eyes drawn to the sway of her hips and her bare legs.
She threw me a brazen grin before trotting to the room across the hall.
I sat motionless for a heartbeat, one hand pressed firmly to my injured side, the dull throb a constant reminder that the world didn’t stop turning just because we’d made love for an hour.
All my fucking problems were still waiting for me.
I carefully probed the skin beneath the bandage, checking for swelling. The last thing I needed was a damn infection. She’d been so delicate, too delicate, while we’d been tangled up in each other, but the wound was still pissed at being aggravated even slightly.
When I remembered the quick soft pants and the breathy moans…the pain was so worth it.
I swung both legs carefully over the side of the bed, moving slowly to minimize the pull on my stitches.
The pain flared hot and immediate when I shifted my torso, one of the bruised ribs voicing its loud complaint.
I ignored the sensation like I’d learned to ignore most physical discomfort, a necessary skill for this life. I needed to check in with Jesse.
I stood with a groan, heading into the bathroom to crank the shower and take a piss while waiting for the water to heat up. Once the toilet finished flushing, I pulled out my phone and dialed Jesse’s number.
He answered on the fifth ring as if he debated whether to take my call. “If you threaten me again, I’m hanging up.”
My lips twitched. “Tempting, but I am surprised you answered.”
“I didn’t want to see your face.” His voice was dry as dust. “If I hadn’t answered, there’s a good chance you’d show up at the shop. I’d rather not risk it.”
I huffed a quiet laugh. “Smart, but now I kind of want to pop in.”
He made a low sound of annoyance. “I assume you want something?”
Straight to business. Good. “Heard from Daddy Dearest?”
A rustling noise came through the speaker, as if he was shifting tools or closing a drawer. “He came tearing home last night in a full-blown rage. Like breaking-shit levels. Grabbed some stuff and left just as fast. Told me he’d be gone for a few days and to watch the shop.”
The muscles in my jaw ticked. “And you didn’t bother to call? That’s not what we agreed on, Jesse.”
“There wasn’t enough time, okay?” His frustration snapped through the line. “You never would’ve caught him. He was in and out within a few minutes.”
I pressed my palm to the cold edge of the sink, staring at the condensation gathering on the mirror. “Where did he go?”
“I don’t know. But…if he had half a brain, he’d be in another state by now.”
Rusty wasn’t the type to cut and run. He was the type to circle back, patch holes, and eliminate threats. And Kaylor…she was the biggest threat he had. “He’s not done,” I said flatly. “He wouldn’t leave loose ends.”
Jesse huffed, raggedly. “Yeah. That would be my guess as well.”
“You might want to think about following in his footsteps.”
“I’m not a runner.”
“Neither am I,” I said. “But we both know this ends bloody.”
He didn’t argue. That alone told me exactly how scared he was…or how resigned.
I straightened slowly, ignoring the flare of pain. “If he calls, find out where he went. I want an address by the end of the day.” I couldn’t allow Kaylor to be indebted to him. Absolutely. Fucking. Not.
“Kreed—”
“I’m not asking.” My voice dropped, steel sliding beneath the words.
A quiet swallow carried through the line. Before Jesse could respond, I hung up, my message clear. There were no other alternatives for him.
The water finally turned scalding behind me, steam rolling out like smoke.
Perfect.
I needed the burn.
I needed the clarity.
I needed the pain to remind me what I was fighting for.
Kaylor.
Always fucking Kaylor.
It was one thing for me to make a deal with the devil. Quite another thing entirely for the girl I loved to strike a bargain that could haunt her for the rest of her life.
I planned to win this game. My father might have started it, but I would end it.