Page 90
I exhaled through my nose, the constant noise between my ears quieting at the sight of her. One look, and I immediately forgot about Axell and Vince and my duty as heir to the Crimson Crowes.
When I’d woken this morning without her plastered to my body, I’d experienced what I assumed was my first panic attack. At least, that was what I’d called it as my pulse raced unnervingly fast, my chest tight with that pressure I hated so much.
Yet as soon as I rose and found her in the kitchen, everything in my life had dulled in comparison to the sight of her simply drinking coffee, humming and cleaning, like any other day.
Like she belonged here—with me.
In that one, fleeting moment, I’d seen a future with her.
All I could hear was my own heartbeat as my worries faded, bringing nothing but a flood of anger because of it. I shouldn’t want her, but I did. In fact, I wanted every piece of her—every worry and sigh—even if that meant ruining her life just to have it all.
And now that I’d experienced the sweet taste of her mouth and the tight squeeze of her cunt, I knew I would be chasing that high until my last dying breath.
I stopped in the entryway and leaned against the doorframe with a shoulder, holding up the day-after pill she’d likely want.
“What is that?” she asked, her eyes flicking to my hand.
“Insurance,” I said smugly, her brows jumping in question. “Day-after. If you want it.”
“You… bought me a day-after pill?”
“I could flush it if you’d rather bare my children.”
Her face heated as she reached for it.
I pulled my hand back, a smile teasing my mouth, and her eyes narrowed into cute little slits. She quietly studied me and then huffed, sharp and annoyed, before dropping her hand.
“So eager,” I teased. “Just so you know, I plan on fucking you again.”
“Not happening,” she clipped, though her voice cracked. “We aren’t doing that again.”
I smirked, because I knew she was lying. I saw it in the frantic rise and fall of her shoulders, and the deepening flush to her face as though she were reliving what we did earlier.
“What did Axell want?” she asked, changing the subject once I set her items on the counter—a simple shirt and loose sweats. Her preferred clothes as she lounged in the penthouse.
“Our first shipment at the casino is happening tonight. We’re supposed to go and make sure it doesn’t get interrupted by the Irish like the last few times.”
She blinked, expression blanking, as if she were shocked I’d shared that. The truth was, if she asked more questions, I would tell her everything. No point in lying when she was a part of the mafia now.
“I want to go with you,” she said.
“No.”
“I want to go with you,” she repeated and gripped her towel tighter. “Please don’t leave me here by myself again. I’m sick of being alone. I’ll stay in the car or something. Just… let me leave for a bit.”
Well, fuck me.
She’d told me just last night she hated being alone, and I’d be damned if it didn’t warm something in my cold ass heart. Regardless, she didn’t need to be anywhere near the docks, not when the cartel was already frightened of another shipment being stolen. We were middle men, and if the cartel believed we were intentionally fucking with their product, it wouldn’t end well for the Crimson Crowes.
“It’s too dangerous,” I reiterated.
She sighed heavily, shaking her head. “Well, it’s no different than being stuck with your sketchy ass security. Who knows, maybe if I’m lucky, it’ll go south and a stray bullet will find me.”
“You don’t mean that.”
She snorted, averting her eyes. “If I could pry a window open, I would’ve already jumped.”
“Bold of you to assume I’d ever let you leave—jumping or not.” My nostrils flared at the thought of her attempting to do that. Had she attempted it? “Do you think the devil would be nicer than me?”
