“Ambrosia, I don’t want anyone else ever. You’re it for me. I don’t share, and I don’t expect you to, either.”
He only ever called her Ambrosia when they were having sex. It was an intimate thing to him because her name was so exotic. She’d said no one ever called her by her full name, and he was glad. It was for him. No one else.
His answer seemed to satisfy Rose. She nodded her head crisply then straightened her shoulders and put her head back. Surprising him, Rose stood on her toes and brushed a kiss over his lips. He was about to snag her close, but she twisted away from him and walked back to where the group was watching them. Torpedo followed her, not about to let her out of reach.
“I’m sorry, Torpedo,” Angel said softly. “I nearly had her away. Once she saw what was going on…”
“I know. It’s not your fault. Thanks for trying to help.”
“She seems like a sweet girl. You sure you’re up to handling her?”
Torpedo gave her the side-eye, but Angel just giggled, completely unintimidated. “If I say yes will you believe me?”
“No.” She threaded her arm through his, looking up at him with a smile. “But I know you’ll do your best.”
Torpedo kissed the top of her head before squeezing her hand as he extracted himself. He had to hurry to catch up with Rose. When he did, she approached Mercedes, sticking out her hand in greeting.
“I’m Rose. Are you part of the club? Bones?”
Mercedes didn’t miss a beat. “Of course I am,” she snapped. “I’m Torpedo’s woman so stay away from him, bitch.”
Rose didn’t say a word. She just turned and slid her arms around Torpedo’s neck, standing on her tiptoes so she could nuzzle his neck. “Gavin,” she said, using his real name the way he’d used hers. It sounded like the sweetest invitation in her impossibly innocent voice. “Do you want me to stay away from you? Because I will if you want me to.” She kissed his chin before settling back into the crook of his neck.
“You know I don’t want you to stay away, Ambrosia. Ain’t nobody got a claim on me but you.”
“Then will you please have someone take out the trash? It’s starting to smell bad, putting me out of the mood.”
Oh, yeah. This woman was perfect for him.
“You know…” Vicious said from beside Shadow. The man had stood there with his arms crossed the whole fucking time. Torpedo was certain he’d have laughed his ass off if Mercedes had fallen. He damned sure wouldn’t have helped her. “…if you feel the need to cap a bitch, we all know how to get rid of a body.”
Mercedes turned to scoff at Vicious, then saw the expression on his face. The woman paled, then backed up two steps straight into Shadow. She whipped around to be faced with the massive African American man, who had an equal look of death in his eyes.
Shadow held her gaze for several seconds before speaking. “If you’d been a man, I’d have killed you on that fuckin’ mountain instead of letting the mountain almost kill me and Vicious. Had your daddy not thought enough of you to hire us to protect you, or had we not taken our job seriously, we’d’ve left your ass.” He sniffed at her. “Lady, you ain’t worth it.”
Cain cleared his throat. “You should probably move along. Mr. Collins isn’t paying for our services any longer. This is private property, and you’re clearly not welcome here.”
Mercedes looked like she’d been slapped. She looked scared and hurt and angry. At any other time in his life, Torpedo would have felt bad. Now, he just wanted to flip her off. Shadow was right, though. She wasn’t worth even that bit of attention.
Scooping up his woman, Torpedo took her inside and up to his rooms. After the long ride and the showdown just now, he needed to be inside her. She was his, and he was going to convince her to stay with him for a very, very long time indeed.
* * *
When they reached Torpedo’s room, he tossed her on the bed and Rose knew he would have followed her, but the second she landed on the mattress, Rose rolled off the other side. “Oh, no you don’t.”
Torpedo got an adorably confused and hurt look on his face. Kind of like she’d just taken away his ice cream cone. “What the hell, baby?”
“Don’t you ‘baby’ me, you jackass!” Rose wasn’t really mad, but she knew if she was doing this, she was doing it right. Better he figured out now just how serious she was about him rather than accuse her of clinging to him when he didn’t want her to. “If I wanted to smell another woman, I’d fuck her myself.” She crossed her arms under her breasts. “You want me? You need to wash her off first!” She pointed to the bathroom, giving him her sternest look.
Torpedo hung his head, grumbling like a little kid. “It wasn’t my fault. It’s not like I made her jump on me. And I couldn’t just let her fall and hurt herself.”
“You know, you almost had me. Right up until that last statement. Tell me exactly why you couldn’t let her fall on her ass when she jumped at you? She’s a grown-ass woman. She launched herself at you. Why did you catch her? You could have stepped away from her. If she’d hurt herself, it would’ve been her own damned fault! Vicious didn’t offer to help her. Neither did Shadow.”
He opened his mouth, then shut it. “You’re right,” he conceded. Then he got a wicked look in his eye. “You’re absolutely right. It all happened so fast, though, I can’t even remember where she got me.” He hiked a thumb over his shoulder, indicating the bathroom. “I’ll just head to the shower. You won’t leave, will you?”
“I suppose that depends on if you come out of that shower still smelling like another woman.”
“Good point. Great point! You know I really want you to be here when I get out. Maybe it would be in both our best interests if you, you know, helped me. Make sure I get her all off.”
Rose nearly laughed out loud. He even looked contrite and like he really needed the help in order to do a good job. Instead she managed a scowl long enough to reply. “You’re so full of shit.”
With a sigh, she led the way to the bathroom, undressing along the way. She didn’t bother to see if he followed, just stepped inside the shower and turned on the water. Of course, he was hot on her heels, pulling her back against him as he adjusted the water.
Torpedo reached for the shower gel and handed it to her, raising an eyebrow. Rose tried to hide the way her hands shook and her body trembled as she took the soap from him, squirting a generous amount into her hand. She rubbed her hands together, lathering the gel slightly before putting her hands on his chest and running them lightly over his skin.
“Wash me good, Ambrosia,” he said, his voice husky. “I don’t want another woman’s scent on me to offend you.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t nail your balls to the wall,” she muttered, still trying to act put out when she was thrilled to get to run her hands all over him. Even though she had no desire to make him feel guilty -- it truly hadn’t been his fault, and he’d rectified the situation as soon as he could -- Rose needed him to know how it had hurt her to see another woman in his arms. “It nearly tore my heart out when she kissed you.” Her voice was soft. Try as she might, once she’d uttered the words, there was no way to keep the tears from her voice.
Torpedo pulled her into his hard body, every muscle imprinting itself on her. He was so big and strong. In his arms, she felt safe and protected beyond anything she’d ever known. What she felt for Torpedo wasn’t like anything else in her life. No one had ever mattered so much to her. He’d proven himself loyal and caring. He’d slain her demons with the help of his brothers. He gave her pleasure beyond her wildest dreams every day he was with her.
He was her man. Hers.
“I hope you know you’re the only woman I’ll ever want in my life. I’d never be unfaithful to you. I’m yours. And you’re all mine.”
“I know.” It was true. She did know. “It still hurt, but once I took a couple deep breaths, I knew you didn’t want or welcome her advances.”
“Damned straight,” he muttered befor
e taking her mouth with his.
Rose loved the way he kissed her. Torpedo was capable of such tenderness, but it was always edged with a fierceness that took her breath. Now, as he held her tightly against him, Rose let him sweep her away into their own private world of sensation and lust.
And love.
She knew she loved him. It was there in her chest. The way she felt when she looked at him. When she touched him. When they lay together into the night just talking, right before they made love. He was never impatient with her, even when she didn’t seem to know what to do to please him. Torpedo always showed her or told her what he wanted her to do. He guided her, giving her the desire and courage to take over. He praised her with both words and actions. When he came, he always got this surprised look on his face, like he hadn’t expected for it to happen when it did. Rose knew she’d get him to answer every single question she had because Torpedo went out of his way to please her. If she wanted a piece of his past, of his feelings, she knew he’d give it to her.
Sliding down his body, Rose knelt on the floor of the shower and glided her fingers over his cock. His sharp, indrawn breath made her smile, as did the way his abdominal muscles rippled with each jerk of his cock in her hand. Taking him between her lips seemed like the most natural thing in the world, his taste like an elixir of life. She slid up and down, moving with him as he thrust helplessly into her mouth.
Rose gripped the front of his thighs, rubbing her hands up and down, letting the coarse hair abrade her palms. She loved the feel of him all over. His body was rough and strong, just like the man.
“Ah, God! That’s good, Ambrosia. So fuckin’ good!”
His fingers fisted in her hair, and Rose reveled in the slight bite of pain. She let him lead, paying attention to what he liked. What made his shaft pulse in her mouth. Rose was going into this with her whole heart. This was her man. She’d do everything in her power to please him. Anything he wanted, Rose wanted to give him.
After one particularly sharp yell form Torpedo, he pulled her to her feet. She loved the little bite of pain, knowing he had to be nearly at his limit. As she let his cock slide out of her mouth, she caught a little bead of pre-cum from the head and moaned.
“Stand up, baby. I need to be inside you.” His voice was gruff, full of need and dark promises. She got a little thrill from his tone, the grip he had on her hair, then her hips when she stood. He spun her around and pulled her against him, wrapping an arm over her breasts and another around her waist. For several seconds, he just squeezed her to him hard. Rose could feel his body trembling around her, and she reveled in it. This was a man who wanted her. She’d driven him to this. Not anyone else. Her. Ambrosia Gataki.
A moment later, he used a hand to guide himself to her entrance and thrust forward in a slow, languorous slide. Rose let her head fall back against his chest as Torpedo’s arms came around her once again. He bent his head to kiss her temple, his breath hot at her ear. “You’re so fuckin’ sexy, Ambrosia. Sexy and brave. You’re my woman.”
“And you’re my man,” she said in a timid voice.
Torpedo immediately caught her chin and lifted her face to him, a hard expression on his face. “I am your man. Don’t be afraid to claim me. Not to me or anyone else. Something makes you uncomfortable, you tell me. We belong to each other. No one else. You get me?”
She smiled. “I do get you. I can see it in your eyes.” She reached over her shoulder and cupped his face. Torpedo closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek into her palm as if just her touch alone was bliss. “I can’t promise I won’t feel just a little bit inadequate or get worried around a beautiful woman who decides to crawl all over you,” she said that last in a wry tone, “but, given enough time, I’ll be fine.” She smiled at him. “I love you, Gavin. I know it in my heart.”
“You can’t imagine how happy that makes me, baby.” He caught her lips in a lingering kiss, his tongue slipping easily into her mouth. “I love you, too.”
“Now, show me what it means to be your woman. Make love to me. Make love to me until we both collapse onto the shower floor.”
“Now, how can I resist such a command?”
Torpedo buried his face in her neck and gripped her hips as he surged through her slick folds. Rose tunneled her fingers through his hair, thrusting her breasts up.
“So beautiful,” he rasped against her skin, his beard tickling her with every word and enhancing her pleasure. “I love the way you look when I fuck you.” Her breath came in ragged gasps, punctuated by every thrust of his cock and his body slamming into hers. “You’re my little virgin wanton. So fuckin’ sensual it fuckin’ hurts.”
Rose loved the little hitch in his voice. He fucked her at his leisure, but his fingers bit into her hips, betraying the fact he wanted to go faster. Harder.
“Give it to me, Gavin,” she whispered. “Fuck me hard. Like you’ve never done before.”
“Fuck, Ambrosia. Do you know what you’re askin’?”
“No. I want you to show me.”
He shuddered around her, one arm going around her body to clamp her to him. “You’re temptin’ the beast, baby. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“If you do, I’ll tell you. Then you can kiss it better.” Rose knew she was playing with fire, but Goddamnit, she wanted this. She wanted Torpedo at his most raw. “Do it!” She hissed the command as forcefully as she could, meaning it.
“Fuck!” Torpedo picked her up, his cock never leaving her body. He set her on the floor in front of the long bench at the back of the shower and pushed her forward. “Put your hands down. Use them to balance.” She did. The second she braced herself, he adjusted his grip on her waist and pounded into her.
Rose gasped, the new sensations overwhelming her in an instant. She cried out but spread her legs wider to hold herself up better. She had to go up on her toes to accommodate his height, but she loved the helpless feeling. She was in his hands to do with as he pleased, and Rose wasn’t ashamed to admit it was exhilarating.
“Oh, God, yes! Fuck me,” she gasped. “Oh, God!”
“So good,” he bit out. “Hot and tight. Sweet little cunt! Gonna make me come!”
“Do it, Gavin. Do it! Come inside me. Do that for me.”
“Fuck,” he bit out. “Just… fuck!”
He pounded into her, their skin slapping out a staccato rhythm echoing in the room. Her grunts and cries, his snarls and growls accompanied the beat like the sweetest music Rose had ever heard. Seconds later, she felt him swelling inside her. His cock pulsed, splashing her pussy with his seed. His orgasm triggered her own, and she threw her head back, screaming her ecstasy.
Torpedo collapsed on top of her, as he’d done several times before. Rose had found she loved his weight on her, loved the feel of his sweat-slickened body weighing her down.
“You good, baby?”
“Better than good,” she said, glancing back at him with a smile.
He rolled over, gently extracting himself from her and pulling her limp body against his. “I love you, Ambrosia. So fuckin’ much.”
“I love you, too, Gavin.”
“Stay with me. I’ll keep you safe and happy as long as I live.”
“I know you will. ‘Cause if you don’t, I’ll tell Suzie. I have a feeling she has some pull around this place.”
Torpedo laughed, the sound the best thing Rose had ever heard. “Point taken, honey.”
This wasn’t her happy ever after yet, but Rose was certain she was on her way. Torpedo was the man. Bones was the family. She wasn’t at home yet, but she’d get there. For now, she’d accept the gift she’d been given and treasure it. Keep it close.
For now. For always.
Marteeka Karland
Erotic romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throug
hout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of.
Marteeka at Changeling: changelingpress.com/marteeka-karland-a-39
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