by Bex Dane
"Hold it right there. Hands up." She's aiming a gun at me, her legs spread wide, arms forward, while wearing a towel and nothing else. Steam from the shower dissipates over the second towel that's twisted up on her head. "Put the gun down."
"Relax. I'm prepping it in case whoever tried to kill you tonight comes back." My gaze scans her towel, which is bursting at the edges, trying to stay gripped to her curves, but I can tell it really wants to fall to the floor.
She frowns and looks down at herself. A slight blush tinges her cheeks, but she shakes it off. "No one tried to kill me."
"Semantics." I shrug and take one last look at her spread thighs before I finally pull my eyes away to finish loading the cartridge.
"Put the weapon on the bed."
I chuckle at the hard edge in her voice. She's wary of me but not the people who might be out to get her? "I like your bad cop in a towel routine. It's sexy."
"It's not a routine. I am a bad cop, and you don't want to see what I do to perps who don't cooperate so put the gun down."
The gun sinks into the plush fabric of her bedspread as I turn to face her with my hands up. "Are you gonna arrest me, officer?" I swipe my tongue over my lower lip and her eyes trace it.
Her hands shake as she lowers the gun. "No."
"Aww, c'mon. This was getting fun."
She sets her gun down and stares at me with her mouth open. She grips her towel and looks around for something to wear. She hastily throws on a white silk robe and works the towel out from underneath without giving me a peek at any skin. "Get out, Mace."
Uh, no. Not leaving. "We'll take shifts guarding the front door."
"Really not necessary."
"Abundance of caution."
"I—" A knock at the door cuts her off, and she tilts her head toward the sound.
We both grab our guns and pace to the front of the house. She checks the peephole and relaxes her shoulders. "It's Griffin."
"So?" I keep my gun pointed at the door.
"He's harmless. Really."
"Fine." As I'm lowering my gun, she hands me hers before unlocking the door.
"You seriously have a peephole? Who does that anymore?"
"I do."
"It's old fashioned and useless. Get a camera."
She growls and points down the hall. "Go put the guns away, and I'll get rid of him." She bends over to release her hair from the towel and tightens up her robe.
I back up and perch behind the door. No matter what she says, I'm not leaving her alone with him.
"Griffin." She fakes a smile. "What're you doing here?"
"Who's that guy you were with?"
All my muscles tighten as the douchebag brings me up right away.
"That's really none—"
"Is he your bodyguard?" His voice is high-pitched and amped up like he's high.
"What? No."
"Are you dating him? Because really, Loralei, not at all your type."
"I'm not dating him." She grits her teeth and glances at me. I'm too busy holding back my impulse to pulverize him, so I can't tell her anything with my eyes. But she sees something in mine, and her brows draw together.
"What the hell is going on with you? You disappear for weeks and come back with that guy? He looks like one of the guys you lock up, not someone you hang out with."
"Hey!" Her head snaps back to him and her spine stiffens.
"Greasy long hair. Probably a druggie. That guy'll give you an STD. Let me in."
I take a step forward, but Loralei stops me with her palm flat. She forces Griffin deeper out on the porch. "No. Let me tell you something. That guy has more empathy and compassion in his pinky finger than you'll ever dream of having. That guy buries you when it comes to being faithful to his family out of love and honor, not money or fame." She's spitting the words out now, her voice scratching. "And that guy could school you on female anatomy and how to rock my world in bed to the point I'm screaming his name. So get gone and don't come around here anymore talking your crap you know nothing about, or I'll have him show you exactly what he can do."
Her words stun me. I had no idea she saw me that way. I knew we had amazing sex once a long time ago, but I didn't realize she thinks I'm compassionate or faithful. Once again, Loralei has blown my mind.
"Jeez, Loralei. Relax. He's just some loser you're boning. Another one will be along soon."
That's it. Time for me to face this bozo and send him packing. With the two guns in my waistband fully visible, I step out next to Loralei and stare Griffin-the-douchebag down.
I wrap an arm around her and pull her close till my lips hit her temple. Griffin looks on like he's just seen Bigfoot kiss his ex-girlfriend. "Problem, babe?"
"Nope. Bye, Griffin." She wiggles her fingers at him.
Griffin looks me up and down, and I can almost see his dick shrivel up as he steps back. "Uh, yeah. Bye."
We watch him walk to his car before I pull her in the door and close and lock it behind us. I keep my arm around her neck and smile.
"Wow. That was…"
I interrupt her with a spontaneous kiss. She stiffens, but her lips are soft and warm from her shower. She smells like flowers. My tongue swipes her lower lip. This knocks her out of her daze, and she opens for me. Her hands come up and squeeze my shoulders.
She grunts as I push her back up against the door and press my hard dick into the soft fabric of her robe.
I'm expecting her to stop me, but she doesn't. Her hands run down my back and land on my ass, shoving my hips deeper into her.
I growl and dive into the kiss, grinding into her and smashing her harder against the door. I grab one luscious tit and squeeze it in my palm. It's heavy and round and feels incredible. "You're fascinating, you know? Quite the contradiction. Tame to wild. Innocent to wicked."
She moans then stiffens and slowly pushes me off. "I, uh, lost control there. I'm not wicked. I'm really not. We should uh…" She's breathing heavy and her eyes have darkened. "Stop."
"All right. Up to you." I back away with my hands up. Her gaze travels to my pants where she can see the two guns and my hard dick. Yeah, that's what you're missing out on, Lola.
Pulling back nearly kills me, but I'm honoring her verbal request to stop. Her body clearly wants to keep going. I can see her hard nipples through her robe. "You can arrest me now, ya know, officer. If you want to."
She shakes her head and laughs. Her hand runs through her hair. "No. Not doing that. Goodnight, Mace."
She scrambles away to her wicked red bedroom.
I'm chuckling as I take a seat on the couch.
Yep, a walking contradiction, that girl. She makes my balls blue, and confuses the hell outta me. I kinda love it.
Chapter 7 Butt Dimples
Loralei
Mace is kissing me in the dark. It's the most rebellious thing I've ever done in my eighteen years on this planet. I'm Daddy's girl. I do what I'm told. I guess he never explicitly told me I couldn't sneak a boy into my room, but I'm sure it's implied in the rules.
But if my dad gets mad at me, it'll be worth whatever consequences I earn. Mace is gorgeous, he kisses like a movie star, and I want him to be my first. I'm leaving for college anyway. I'm going to be reckless for once in my life and take this chance.
"It's your turn, Lola."
God, his gravelly voice is so sexy, it vibrates in all my lady parts.
"Yes." I arch my back and tilt my head so his mouth can ravage my neck. I spread my legs and when his fingers dip under the waistband of my panties, I think I might explode.
"Mace." His name comes out in a scratchy growl. "Shh." I shush myself. "My dad will hear us."
"Your dad?" Mace's mouth pulls away slowly. I try to grab his neck and drag him back, but my fingers slip over his skin. "Are you awake?"
Oh shoot. That's not Mace's younger voice. It's his present day deep and raspy voice.
I open my eyes, and he's shirtless on top of me. His brows are drawn, and his mouth is turned
down in a scowl. "I swear to God I thought you were awake."
"It looks like I wasn't." I shrug my shoulders. Oh man, this is bad.
"Shit. I'm sorry." He pulls his hand from inside my panties, which makes me sad because in my dream I loved it there. He rolls off me and lays on his side. He plants his elbow in the bed, his head resting on his palm. "Still wanna fuck?" A naughty grin turns up the side of his mouth.
"No. Is that what I said I wanted?"
"Yep. You begged me."
"Well, I didn't mean it."
"Sure."
I'm wet between my legs, and my heart is beating fast. If I were crazy like I used to be, I'd grab him and finish what we started. But that got me in a lot of trouble last time. I'm a responsible adult now. I've mastered self-control. I've also mastered self-stimulation to take the edge off, but Mace doesn't need to know about that.
"Mace. You took my virginity, got out of bed, and went and arrested my father before the sheets were cold. You think I'd ever repeat my mistake with you?"
"I won't arrest your father this time. Promise." He folds his hands together in prayer.
"No. Just no. Even if I'm begging you. No."
He flops down on his back, revealing a huge bulge in his boxer briefs that makes me gasp. "Your turn to watch the door." He rubs his eyes, and I can't help but stare at the taut skin that wraps around his bowling-ball like biceps.
I pull my gaze from his arms to check the clock. Four in the morning!
"Did anything happen?"
"No."
"Then I'm not getting out of bed."
"Fine." He rolls to his side next to me and pushes a wave of heat at me like I've just walked out of the air conditioning into the desert. Yet, it's humid too like he just took a shower. I catch a whiff of my own soap. Oh Lord. Mace was naked in my shower. How am I going to sleep next to him?
"Get out of my bed."
"Protecting you," he mumbles.
"Protect me from the couch."
But he's already asleep, and there's no way I can move him out without a gun, so I drop my head on my pillow and attempt to sleep with Mace Twist's massive body next to me in the bed.
***
In the morning, Mace is snoring on his back with his mouth slightly open, face relaxed. He didn't bother to climb under the sheets, so every inch of his toned, tan, and tattooed body is exposed for me to ogle. Coarse, dark hair covers his chest, arms, and legs along with a mess of tribal tattoos, waves, and Hawaiian flowers. The names of his family members are written in script all over his torso. A red Mom takes the spot over his heart. The others I need to get closer to examine.
Nothing on him is soft. He's like a giant superhero asleep next to me in my bed. I wish he wasn't such an asshole because sex with him would be phenomenal. My body still tingles from my half-dream half-reality makeout session I had last night where I was eighteen again and sneaking him into my room. I can't get over the idea that dream-man Mace was actually real-world Mace thinking he had permission to tuck his hand into my panties.
Kissing him as an adult is much more intense than I remember, and it was the experience of my lifetime up until yesterday. Now Mace is older, he's even more confident and skilled. I wonder what new tricks he's learned since we were together that one night. He has this magical way of making me act out desires I've buried deep inside. Unfortunately, nothing we've done has triggered my memory, and I haven't forgotten how he hurt me.
My phone pings on the dresser. It's a text from Helix saying I have a meeting with Diablo this afternoon. A tinge of anxiety runs through me, but I have to be brave. He could hold the answers to everything. Why was I on the island? Did Arthur kidnap me? Who forced me to take drugs? I know I'd never do it voluntarily.
I scramble out of bed and rush to my laptop, leaving Mace snoozing behind me. I only have a few hours to find out all I can about this Diablo person.
At two p.m., I'm researching an idea to hack into his phone when Mace finally emerges from my bedroom. He stands in the hallway, rubbing his face and scratching his balls. My eyes bug out seeing him standing in his briefs and nothing else. Having Mace walking around my house half-naked is messing with my focus.
Seeing him at the hospital shook me. His dancing at the club gave me tremors, but his gargantuan body kissing me in my bed exploded my world. I'm off my game. This isn't good.
I tear my eyes from his ripped abs and focus on my work.
"Got any booze?" His voice sounds like sandpaper.
"No."
"Beer?"
"No. Coffee." I point to the kitchen.
He grunts and slides his feet on the floor as he walks in there. His briefs hang low on his hips showing off two massive dimples above the curves of his butt. I bite my lip and look away again. No. No, Loralei. No Mace. He's bad. Yes, his ass is a work of art created by God, but he's the bad guy.
Right? Gah!
Mace trods back in with a mug and plops down on my couch, throwing his feet up on the coffee table again like he did last night. The man has no manners. "Any word from Helix?" he asks me, finally tuning into the situation.
"Nothing you need to know." I dismiss him and keep my eyes on my work.
"Did you hear from him?" His voice perks up.
I reply with a resting bitch face to let him know I'm not answering him.
"What're you working on?"
When I don't respond, he looks at his own phone. "Three o'clock? It's two now. When were you gonna wake me up?" He must've received a message from Helix too.
"I wasn't. You're not invited. It's a meeting for me."
"Do you know who this guy is?"
"Spent the day researching it. Looks like he's very wealthy and runs a boxing gym. Probably as a front for his drug and money laundering op, but no one has nailed him for it yet."
"It's much more serious than that. I'm going with you." He stands and walks to the front door.
"Not necessary, Mace. Thank you. Really. I'm done with you. You didn't follow me to the meeting last time. You're not coming this time."
He doesn't listen and marches out the front door in his underwear and bare feet. A few minutes later, he returns with a bunch of clothes over his arm and starts dressing right in my living room. Watching him dress is almost as fun as watching him undress. His long limbs sliding into his pants and shirt. The masculine way he buttons his jeans. His beautiful hair swinging in his face and over his shoulder as he adjusts.
"You ready to meet with the Devil?"
I stand and prop my fingers on the desk. "I don't want you to come with me."
He stares at me with his jaw tight, hands on his hips, one knee cocked. "Okay. I'm gonna tell you what you need to hear. The dude is a heavy player in a Venezuelan cartel. He's a mobster. He has connections everywhere, and there's a long list of hit men waiting in line to make him happy. If that involves taking you out, he could have it done with a wink in your direction."
"I know this. You mentioned it, and I've been researching him. I have a plan. If I can get access to his phone…"
"No. Your plan is bringing me with you. You know why? Because he knows who I am. He may be El Diablo but I'm the Volcano. Not a hit man, but a bounty hunter you don't want to see coming after you. The Volcano catches you, throws you in the lava, and tortures you all the way to the police station. He will not mess with me. Not if he wants to live."
There's a lot of information to unpack there. Mace is known for torturing his skips, and the head of a drug cartel knows who he is. He's the Volcano, which seems fitting as he's Hawaiian, tall and dark, and looks like he could blow without warning. I've underestimated Mace all these years. I should've known he'd be larger than life in his career too. I have to admit, it's sexy. Totally illegal, but definitely changes the way I see him. It would also be unwise of me to go see Diablo without the Volcano at my back.
"All right. You can come with me."
He throws his hands up. "Hallelujah. She sees the light."
"Let me get re
ady, and I'll tell you my plan in the car." I close my laptop and head to my room to dress. I know exactly what I'm going to wear. A tailored suit with an inner pocket to disguise my gun.
"No plans," he calls out behind me. "Plans always get fucked."
Chapter 8 One-Way Street
"You sure you don't want to hear my plan?" Mace and I are parked in the alley behind Rios Fitness and Boxing center in Oakland.
Mace has his eyes on the entrance. "No. Wing it. Always."
"Just let me lead. All right?" I let him drive my Maserati again, but now that we're here, I need to be in charge.
His gaze slices to mine. "Sure."
Mace doesn't seem like the type to let anyone else lead, so I take his promise with a grain of salt. My skin itches, and my heart's pumping pure adrenaline. Maybe he's right. We should wing it. We don't know what's going to happen and having a plan doesn't guarantee anything, just makes your expectations too high.
"Let's do this."
We enter through the back door and catch the attention of some guys working out with weights. "You lost?"
I'm about to answer when Mace starts talking. "Where's Diablo?"
The guys chuckle and point down a hallway to our left. They are pretty brave to laugh at nearly seven-foot-tall Mace. I walk in front of Mace to an office at the end of the long hallway. Mace peeks into a room with the door half open. A fan runs in the corner, and there's another door out the back that I'd guess leads to the alley. We've walked around in a big U from our car.
I didn't see him at first, but a tall man with salt and pepper hair steps into my field of vision. He's wearing a white suit with a black shirt and a nice watch. He checks out Mace and I for a long moment before offering us seats. "Loralei, you brought a friend?"
"Volcano," Mace answers curtly. "Nice to meet ya."
Diablo's neck stiffens, and he slows his movements as he sits down, his eyes glued to Mace. "The Volcano?"
"That's me."
"Ahh. I haven't had the pleasure of working with you, but I hear you're the best."
Mace nods, and Diablo slowly turns his attention to me. His face is appropriately pale for someone who has just encountered the legendary Volcano.