“And?”
“Nothing. There’s nothing on him. Like he never existed before he came to Whisper Springs. Just be careful. Okay? You have my number. Call if you need anything.”
Mind reeling, I stared at the handsome cop. His worried eyes, his unsure stance, the heavy weight on his shoulders. It unsettled him to share the information. He was loyal to Tango, making him loyal to Tito and Tucker. He risked that relationship because he was worried about me. Me.
“Thank you, Roger. I’ll be careful. And I promise I’ll call if I need you for anything.”
He let out a long breath. Nodded. Held my gaze.
“And I won’t say anything to Tito about our conversation.”
“Appreciate that.” He gave me a crooked smile and turned to leave.
I took a moment to absorb the weight of our conversation, recalling the way Tito had checked-out when he was hitting the heavy bag on our first date. Like a different soul had occupied his body. Yes, he was scary, and big, and dangerous, but I’d never feared for my safety. He’d never been anything but gentle with me. I shook off the nerves and busied myself with work.
With every hour that passed, every thought and memory unraveling from my complex tapestry, every roll, rise, and dip of my emotions, my future slowly lay itself at my feet. My path had always been dark, shrouded by the gnarled, tangled pieces of my life. That was no longer the case. I could see now, with newfound clarity, what lay ahead for me. I was done living under the thumb of Jeremy Carver. Tired of hiding in the shadows. So over being afraid.
Tito’s words came back to haunt me. I’m going to kill Jeremy Carver and burn that church to the ground. What a terrifying statement. I needed to know him better. I deserved to know the whole Tito Moretti. Every ugly detail.
An hour before my shift ended, I texted Tito and canceled our date, told him I needed to be alone. Then, I called one of the people I feared most in the world, one person who could give me the tools I needed to shed the pathetic skin I’d been living in. Much to my surprise, she agreed to help.
When my shift ended, I stepped outside, physically tired, emotionally numb, but clear-headed and one hundred percent committed to taking control of my life.
Until I heard, “Bunny.”
Oh, my. That voice.
Tito leaned against the hood of his car, legs crossed at the ankles, arms folded over his massive chest. He wore jeans and boots, and a brown V-neck sweater that enhanced his lean physique. The scowl he wore, although meant to be threatening, only complemented his outfit.
I stopped in my tracks and admired the brooding man, then mimicked his pose, crossing my arms. The pull between us was a force of nature, and my legs strained to stay in place.
I studied him, studying me. The man was not happy, which I assumed was because I’d broken our date. But it was not my job to make him happy. And what a great feeling to let that burden go.
Neither of us moved for what seemed an eternity. Just as I was ready to crack, Tito shook his head, scrubbed a hand over his face, and came my way, amped like a fighter about to take the ring. I stood my ground. My body trembled in fear or anticipation…I wasn’t sure.
Before he reached the halfway point between us, I dropped my arms and sprinted his way. A puppet to her master, at the mercy of invisible strings. A smile cracked his stoic face, and I launched myself against that warm, inviting chest, circled my arms around his thick neck, and before he could take control, I smashed my mouth to his, curled my legs around his waist, and let him know just how much I’d missed him.
Hell, I’d missed her. It’d only been eight hours. Eight goddamn, miserable hours.
The girl was lighter than shit, but when she threw herself at me with wrecking-ball force, my world righted itself. When she kissed me? Sweet Jesus. Hands, lips, tits, and moans. I forgot why I’d come.
I managed to get us back to my car and prop her ass on the hood.
She smelled like bleach and French fries. Tasted like minty lip balm. Damn, I wanted to ravage and dirty her, clean her up, then start all over again. I broke the lip-lock, then moved down to her ear, her neck, licking, biting, and marking that salty skin. Her fingers curled into my hair, pulling tight.
I grabbed her hips, yanking her harder against me, grinding my erection against that perfect spot between her legs. A ridiculous, sexy noise rose from her throat, setting me on fire.
“In the car, now. Or I’m taking you right here for the world to see.”
Tuuli leaned back on her arms, chest heaving, lips swollen, taking me in—my eyes, my scar, my chest. When she raised her gaze again to mine, she mumbled, “Yeah, hell, why not?” and pushed me away.
That damn little bunny opened my car door, crawled behind the passenger seat, kicked off her shoes, then shimmied out of her khakis.
Fuck. Yes. I wiped the moisture off my mouth with the back of my hand.
The back seat of my Mustang was cramped as hell, but I managed to sit and work my jeans down my hips. The second my cock sprang free, that feisty little bunny straddled me. She grabbed the back of the seat, lifted her ass, and slid that slick, tight pussy down the length of me.
“Tuuli. Shit. God, I missed you today.”
She bit my neck, rocking her hips.
“Ah. Fuck.”
Frenzied and furious, she rode me, like we were running out of time, like if we stopped, the world would end. And damn, right then, the world could’ve imploded, and I wouldn’t have noticed. She was Heaven and Hell, all rolled into one tempestuous little package. Writhing, moaning, fucking, taking what she wanted, mindless to the fact I was trying to keep up, clueless to the damage she was doing, breaking me from the inside out.
Her tits bounced beneath her shirt. I wanted them. But there was no time, no space to rid her of her clothes, and all I could do was curl my fingers into her bare ass and take her assault. I laid my head back and watched my girl chase her pleasure. Eyes closed, face pink, lips swollen and parted. We were as close as two people could be, but Tuuli was gone, lost in her head, in her self-indulgence. So consumed in her own pleasure, I may as well have not existed. She was using me, and fuck that hurt.
Despite my wounded ego, I was proud. My goddamn little bunny wasn’t a bunny at all. She was a beast.
She slammed her hands to the ceiling, pushing her body harder against me, rocking her hips, finding the friction she needed. Her head fell back, and she cried, “Oh, God. Shit, shit, shit.” The force of her orgasm hit hard, her body curling forward, her thighs slamming against my hips, her core squeezing my cock in tight pulses.
Her neck was exposed. I buried my face there, shouting profanities through my own release.
I clung to her, catching my breath until she pushed me back against the seat and rested her ass on my thighs.
Our eyes locked, neither of us speaking. We breathed, still connected, as close as two people could be, but I’d never felt such distance.
“You broke our date,” I growled.
“I had to.”
“Why?”
Stormy eyes met mine. A tear slipped free. “What did you do in New York? Who were you?”
A dull ache rose in my chest. “Tuuli. Not now. Please.”
“When, Tito?”
“I’m not ready. Please. I just…fuck. Not now.”
“How do you feel about me?”
“You know.”
She climbed off my lap, leaving my dick cold in the breeze. I didn’t care. A storm was raging in that perfect little head of hers. Those eyes hid nothing. “Tuuli.”
“Just shut up, Tito. Shut up and drive me home.” She tugged her panties up her legs and started on her pants.
What the hell?
I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I tucked my junk back where it belonged and climbed out of the car. How did things turn to shit so fast? Fuck. A simple answer was all she wanted, and I gave her nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
By the time I made my way to the driver’s s
eat, she was tying her shoes.
I drove up the hill, opened the door, and helped her out of the car.
She stormed to the door of my…her apartment, slipped the key in the lock, then turned, chin up, eyes down.
My guts twisted.
She was giving up. On me.
I caressed the soft skin on her cheek, cupped her face, and urged her to look up. “Let me come in.”
Her face crumpled and she dropped her forehead to my chest, shaking her head no.
“Why?”
Her chest rose and fell, she stepped back, tears flowing full stream. “Why?” She swiped her face with the back of her hand. “Because I love you, Tito. I love you so much.”
I love you.
Her words slammed into me, hard and swift. My insides recoiled, protesting.
“I’ve given you all of me. Everything. I can’t settle for anything less than all of you. I deserve to know who you are.” Throwing her arms out wide, she continued, “I can’t pretend we’re a happy couple when I don’t know you at all. I deserve one hundred percent of you. I won’t take anything less.”
I backed away, scrambling to find the proper response. Something. Anything to keep her from giving up, from ending us. “Please, baby. Just let me come in. Let me catch my breath. Let me hold you.”
Her head fell back on her shoulders and she screamed, “No. God!”
The world around me blurred.
“Did you hear what I just said to you?” Small fists pounded my chest. “I just told you I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you! Don’t you have anything to say?”
So much. So much.
“It isn’t fair to me. It isn’t fair that I can’t know you. Do you understand?”
“You know me, Tuuli.” I fell to my knees, the weight of her words, the force of her emotion too much for me to bear. “Better than anyone. Please, don’t do this right now.”
She backed against the door, her trembling fingers curling around the handle. “I love you, Tito. I always will. Nothing will change that. But I won’t share a bed with you. I can’t keep giving you my body and soul when I’m only getting tattered pieces in return.”
If I could just hold her. If she would just let me hold her, everything would be okay.
I reached for her. She swatted my hand away.
“I’m not giving up on you, or us. But I can’t give up on me, either. Go home to your castle. Figure out what’s important to you. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
The door opened. My girl disappeared. The click of the lock sliding into place rang like a church bell between my ears.
I stared at the motherfucking door for ages, willing her to open it back up, invite me inside.
I waited, unmoving until my legs fell asleep beneath me. The door never budged.
I’d been so wrong. That girl wasn’t a timid little bunny. She wasn’t a beast either. She was a Tempest. A fucking force of nature. Coming in slow and steady, surprising, refreshing, caressing me with her brisk wind, then striking hard with everything she had, tearing my world apart from the roots, and leaving me in total devastation.
“DON’T BE MAD, BUT I need you to come to the mansion,” Aida cooed into the phone.
I held back a chuckle. In the past, whenever she opened a convo with the words, don’t be mad, it was code for grab a mop and bucket because she’d riled another shitstorm and she needed me to mop up the mess.
I didn’t miss those days.
Through the computer screen, I watched her tuck a blanket tighter around her sleeping daughter.
“I’m already here. Been watching you girls for an hour now.” Half-truth. I’d been watching them for two weeks.
“Fucker,” she mumbled, then looked up to the camera and flipped me the bird. “Are you seeing this?” She pointed over her shoulder to the gym. “It’s amazing. Tits, I swear, I never would’ve guessed the little mouse was such a beast.”
Beast was right. She’d ripped me to shreds with words sharper than claws.
Through the other screen, I watched Tuuli attack a heavy bag like she wanted to shred the thing. Her form was off. Her breathing all wrong. But the little warrior was on a mission, releasing a shit ton of bottled rage.
Aida looked so animated through the screen. I hardly recognized my best friend anymore. She’d yet to shed all her baby weight, but damn, did she rock those curves. If she wore makeup at all, it was barely noticeable, and she looked fresh-faced, younger, and happier than I ever would’ve thought possible. One thing that hadn’t changed? That damn devilish glint in her big brown eyes.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m teaching the little mouse to fight.” Aida’s eyes widened. “I can’t wait to introduce her to my knives.”
Aida and her damn knives. I swallowed a profanity. While I was happier than hell to have Tuuli in my sights, the purpose for her visits to the mansion didn’t sit right. “No. No blades. Jesus, Princess. Are you trying to get her killed?”
“Hell, no. I’m empowering her. That girl has been made to feel inferior her whole damn life. It’s fucking pathetic.”
“And you think you can turn her into a miniature Ronda Rousey with a few training sessions? She’ll get herself killed. She doesn’t like violence. She doesn’t have the heart to hurt another human being.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before she stood helpless, watching three men rape and murder her brother. Before she was attacked by a fucking psycho twat five times her size.”
Goddamn, I hated when Aida was right. Tuuli needed to learn how to defend herself. But it should’ve been me teaching her those survival skills. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can.” She winked. “And because she asked for my help. How could I say no?”
“Bullshit.” I raked a hand through my hair. “You’re meddling. Fuck’s sake, Princess, stay out of my business, and leave my girl alone.”
Aida moved directly under the camera and showed me her angry face, one hand fisted on her hip. “Whatever you did to muck things up between the two of you, fix it. You’ve been a miserable fuck for weeks.”
Three weeks and four days to be exact.
“Not your goddamn business.” I ended the call, blowing steady breaths through my nose.
Aida walked back into the gym and cranked the volume. Eminem blasted through the speakers. I stared at the security feed and watched my two favorite women walk through basic self-defense moves.
Another hour passed before Aida jogged to the adjacent room, then came back carrying a screaming Lucia. The ladies exchanged words. Tuuli pulled a sweatshirt over her head, then headed outside.
Tuuli and I hadn’t spoken since the night I moved into my condo, leaving my heart and guts at her apartment door. I had, however, kept a close eye on her, from the shadows anyway. Erik was still off-radar, but I was doing everything in my power to flush him out. The guy was a ghost. And I wasn’t taking my eyes off Tuuli. Not while Erik Meyer was still breathing.
Every passing day had been more excruciating.
I needed to soothe my ache.
I needed my girl.
Watching from the shadows no longer sufficed.
I caught up with her halfway across the lawn.
“Hey, Bunny.”
She whipped around to face me, eyes bright, cheeks rosy. “Tito.”
Dear God, that blush.
Her gaze dropped to her Adidas. “Aida said you wouldn’t be here.”
I tapped a finger under her chin until those blue beauties lifted. “That a bad thing, me being here?”
After a long pause, she mumbled, “No. Not bad.” She took a step back, swallowed, straightened her shoulders. “You working?”
Damn, I wanted to calm the shake in her voice. Preferably with my lips. “Been here all morning.” I rubbed at that obnoxious ache in my chest.
“You look exhausted.”
Because I hadn’t slept
in weeks. “I’m good.”
“How was your trip with Tucker?”
“It was good. Very good.” God, I wished I could tell her that we’d pulled two girls off the streets.
She stared long and hard, thoughts spinning. I stared right back, absorbing the attention, hoping like hell she wasn’t searching for words to send me away, but bracing for them nonetheless.
She blinked. Cleared her throat. “Listen. Um. Aida drove. But…” She tapped her heel against the overgrown grass. “Would you give me a ride home?”
She may as well have handed me the world. “Let me grab my keys.”
Pride kept me from crumbling into an emotional mess at her feet and begging her to come home with me. Instead, I jogged back around the house, locked up, sent Aida a quick text, and met Tuuli at my car where she stood staring at the lake. When I approached, she sucked in a breath. “It’s beautiful here.”
I followed her gaze to the willow tree standing alone on the shoreline.
Over her shoulder, she gave me a sad smile. “That tree needs a swing, don’t you think?”
I nodded. Opened my mouth to speak. Nothing. Fucking desert in my throat.
“I used to love swinging. We had a huge maple in our backyard when I was a girl. I begged my dad to hang a swing from the tree. He never did. One day, Jonas climbed the tree and tied a rope around the branch, then tied an old tire to the end. I had so much fun that day. The next morning, I ran outside to play on my swing. It was gone. Jonas had a black eye, and he didn’t talk to me for over a month.
She turned to face me. Even lost in her sad memories, she took my breath away. So fucking beautiful.
I cleared my throat. “A swing would be perfect. The kids will love it. I’ll talk to the contractor.”
Her entire face lit up. Holy fucking shit. That smile. Dagger to the heart.
My chest cracked wide open. Swear to Christ, I winced from the pain.
The pain was unbearable. He was so close—an arm’s length at best—yet lightyears away. I wanted to touch him. Hold him. Kiss him. I needed him to tell me everything was okay. I needed him to need me, to be so desperate for me that he would break down, tell me everything, give me all of him. I needed him to trust that I could handle his burdens.
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