Chapter 37
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
GRANITE
My fingers dug into Onyx’s throat. “You need to calm the fuck down.”
“And you need to man up. Let us go kill those fucking sons of bitches.”
I shook my head and gritted my teeth. “I told you, I’m never underestimating those assholes again. Look at what happened to Neon. What happened to Junkyard. Are you really so fucking selfish you would risk any more lives by rushing into this without a goddamn plan?”
Onyx grabbed at my hand around his throat. “At least I don’t want to hide like a fucking coward.”
I shoved him harder into the wall and let him go with a jerk, stepping back. “I don’t give a shit what you think of me, Onyx. You wanna go get yourself killed, then go. I ain’t no fucking babysitter. You do whatever the fuck you want, but you do it on your own.”
Lifting my hand, I etched my glare on Onyx’s face. “Everyone who thinks we should rush back to NYC now, raise your hands.” I was so confident my crew had my back, I didn’t even turn around. “Everyone who thinks we lay low until we have a solid plan, raise your hand.”
By the sound of leather cuts creaking, I knew my crew had my back. And judging by the way Onyx’s face fell, he could see that too.
I crossed my arms. “You have a choice, Onyx. Either you fall in line, or you fuck off.” I turned to face the rest of the guys. “And this is the last fucking time anyone lifts a hand to another crew member. The only person allowed to kick ass around here is me.”
Onyx straightened his cut with a jerk, those blue orbs of rage glowering at me like I was the fucking son of Satan.
He clenched his jaw, leaning forward. “You’re making a mistake.”
“Then it’s my mistake to make.”
Like a savage, Onyx spat on the ground, making a huge goddamn show of how much he disliked my decision—disliked me. But this was not a fucking popularity contest. This war was real life. And this was real fucking war.
Onyx stormed out, and I relaxed my shoulders, reaching for my pack of cigarettes.
“He’ll calm down.” Dutch rubbed his hand over his bald head. “If it’s worth fucking anything, I think you made the right decision.”
“Yeah, tell him that.”
“Onyx is young. An adrenaline junky. He still needs to learn control.”
I snorted. “I don’t think my brother will ever learn control.”
“We can only hope, man. Yo, Ink,” Dutch looked his way, “you okay over there?”
Ink leaned against the wall, chest rapidly rising and falling as he wiped his bloody nose with his shirt. “Yeah. I’m good. So, do we have any kind of plan on what the fuck we do next?”
Dutch crossed his arms. “Well, the police are all over it since they’re treating it like a hijacking gone wrong. Nothing we can do now.”
I took a long, slow drag from my cigarette before letting the smoke ease out of my mouth. “Okay. Let’s get some rest. Dutch and I will pay a visit to Junkyard’s wife tomorrow morning.”
Manic darted up the stairs to the main house. “I need a fucking beer first.”
Ink followed suit, and Dutch gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder before going the other way.
With everyone gone, it finally felt like I had space to breathe.
My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and the pit of my stomach felt hollow.
Tomorrow morning, I needed to look a widow and her kids in the eye while trying to explain to them why they’d be burying a husband.
A father. A man who only did what he was told, simply escorting two girls in need of protection.
Junkyard wasn’t even directly involved in this war, yet he was the one who took his last breath tonight.
“You okay?”
I turned and saw Tanit standing in the doorway to her room. Not even a bruised face could stop her from batting those thick eyelashes and pouting her thick fuck-me lips.
“I’m good.” It was a simple answer that really didn’t require any kind of response.
“You seem tense.”
“I’m fine. Get some rest.”
She crossed her arms and sashayed toward me. “You need a little comfort tonight, baby?”
“Jesus, Tanit. Stop.”
Her hands reached out, fingers slowly dragging down my chest. “I can help you get rid of some of that tension, you know.” Her chocolate brown eyes glanced down to my crotch then back up. “All you have to do is stand there and let me work my magic.”
“Tanit,” I pulled her hand away from my chest, “stop it. I told you, it’s over.”
“It doesn’t have to be.”
I stepped back. “Yeah. It does.”
She tilted her head to the side, eyes raking all over me. “You can fuck us both, you know.”
“Jesus Christ.” I let my head fall back, almost laughing at how fucking crazy everything was right now.
“I don’t mind sharing you with the PC’s daughter.”
I snapped my glare to her. “Stop. That’s enough. You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“I know who she is, Granite. Her face has been plastered on every goddamn television channel ever since she’s gone missing.”
“Don’t,” I warned, feeling that prickle of warning cross the skin of my neck.
Tanit reached behind her head and pulled the band from her hair, letting the thick brown locks fall over her shoulders.
“All I’m saying is there’s no reason for us to stop fucking simply because you carry a torch for the ballerina.
” She reached out and cupped my cock in the palm of her hand.
“Besides, it’ll be fun to sneak around again. ”
I let her move right up to me, her eyes hooded with lust. I could practically smell her needy pussy while she kept her hand on my dick.
I grabbed her jaw between my fingers, forcing her mouth up as I leaned down. Her warm breath smelled like cherries, her mouth forming the perfect fucking “o,” already panting with the need for me to fill her greedy cunt.
I gripped her chin harder, digging my fingers into her skin as I leaned down, gently easing my lips up her jaw. “Do you like touching my cock?”
She rubbed her palm over my crotch. “You know I do.”
Rolling my hips, I pushed my dick harder against her palm, and she let out a whimper, her body already primed and ready for me to fuck.
My lips brushed against her ear, and I forced her head to the side. “Then you better cop a feel, sweetheart, because this is the last time you’ll ever get to touch my cock.” I pressed my lips against her ear. “I am never. Fucking you. Again.”
I let go of her, and she stumbled back, the expression on her face a mix of disbelief and humiliation.
“Fuck you, Granite.”
“I tried to be nice about it, but it didn’t seem like you understood very well.”
Her lips pulled in a straight line, eyebrows knotted together. “You’re an asshole.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Ugh!” She stomped to her bedroom and slammed the door. Poor girl. She just didn’t fucking get the fact that we were done. That our little fuck arrangement was over. Playing dirty was the only way to get her to grasp the concept that I would never fuck her again.
Letting out a long breath, I rolled my shoulders to get some relief from the tension. God, it had been a long fucking a day.
Walking to the door of Alyx’s bedroom, I softly turned the knob, easing it open.
The bedside lamp was on, and when I saw her small silhouette under the sheets, the way her body slowly moved as she breathed, I took a moment to study her.
I loved watching her sleep. All those nights I sat in the corner of her bedroom, watching her without her knowing, was the only time I could sort through my thoughts.
It was like her presence calmed the chaos in my head, allowing me to think straight.
The delicate little moans she made while she slept mixed with the soft sound of her body moving underneath those silk sheets was like a sonnet to me.
It sang to my blood. It made me feel something other than this all-consuming anarchy that burned in my veins, never stopping. Only when I watched her.
Funny. For years, all I thought about was how fucking much I wanted her.
How I would commit every mortal sin known to man in order to have her.
And now, here she was, and I was suddenly wondering if I fucking deserved her, thinking about what her life would be without the madness of mine.
All this time, I was this selfish bastard who didn’t give a fuck who I had to ruin in order to get close to her.
My nights were filled with dreams and fantasies of her dancing for me every goddamn night, allowing me to watch her.
And my days consisted of thoughts and plans on how I’d make it happen.
Now, here she was. I made it happen. My fucking dream was right here, and she told me she was mine. Confessed it with her own words, her voice, and now I couldn’t stop thinking about how her life would be without me after years of thinking about how my life would be with her.
Somehow, I couldn’t stop feeling like this was only temporary, like it wouldn’t last for very long. But fuck it. While it lasted, I would bask in it and soak it all up.
I closed the door and slipped my cut off, dropping it on the floor, followed by my shirt and jeans.
Hovering over her, glancing down, it seemed like the light touched her beautiful face. Even the fucking light was drawn to her, just like my darkness.
The mattress dipped when I got in behind her, and she shifted, giving me more space next to her.
“You okay?” she asked, her voice soft and sleepy.
I placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder, inhaling deep, loving the way she smelled, the way she felt next to me. “I’m good.”
She lifted her head and scooted back, letting me put my arm beneath her head before she nestled back into the pillow. “Hmmm,” she purred. “This feels good.”
“You have no idea, ballerina girl.” I draped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer, as close as possible, the curve of her ass fitting perfectly against me. “Say it again,” I whispered into the back of her neck. “Tell me again that you’re mine.”
She weaved her fingers through mine, clutching my hand next to her face. “I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”
I closed my eyes, swept away by the most perfect moment I had ever experienced. It amazed me how one petite creature like her could tame the beast that ruled my black heart.
As I lay there beside her, I felt the need to shoot a silent prayer to whoever the fuck was up there listening, asking—hoping that something good would come from this selfishly inflicted chaos I had brought to her life.
That I wouldn’t end up destroying her, because I wasn’t letting her go.
No matter what. I’d keep being selfish, keeping her, holding tight to the best fucking thing in my life right now.
In such a short while, I had grown addicted to this beautiful change in my dark, hollow world.
All because of the pretty ballerina girl sleeping in my arms tonight.
I nuzzled my nose in her hair, and by God, I prayed I’d be strong enough to keep her, not to let anyone take her away from me.
This woman had somehow managed to break through every barrier I had ever built around me, and now I didn’t want to put those walls up again.
The deeper she penetrated my soul, the farther I wanted to let her in.
This thing we had between us started out as something dark and wicked.
But slowly, the blackness was being chipped away, little by little, revealing something that had the potential to be fucking beautiful.
And I’d be damned if I allowed anyone to take that away from us… away from me.