by S. M. West
I’m in and out over the next day, and every time I wake, she’s by my side. Each time, I’m more alert, stronger, and I insist Maggie get some rest, go change, leave, but she won’t hear of it.
Kit and Caro come and go. My sister hides her elation at my recovery in her scolding, never one to pass up a chance to remind me about my bad life choices. I can’t argue with her. She’s told me countless times in the past few days how lucky I was.
I turned as the bullet fired and that saved my life. If not, the bullet would have hit my chest dead on. I have no major damage. My side aches like a son of a bitch, and I’ll have to take it easy for a while, but I’ll live.
Two Days Later
She removes the spoon from my mouth, and I frown. “I can take it from here.”
“I want to do it.” Her eyes shimmer with sincerity.
She’s still here. Maggie’s been by my side night and day since I was shot. It both fucking scares me and makes me feel like the luckiest man alive.
“You being here helps. But I’m not an invalid. I can feed myself.” I sound like a dick, but she does everything for me.
I like the sponge baths, but everything else makes me feel weak. And I can’t tell if her guilt drives her to be here or if it’s what she wants. I don’t know what it means, and like a damn pussy, I haven’t asked.
“What? You’re not liking the nurse routine?” She waggles her dark eyebrows playfully.
“If Maggie was my nurse, I’d never leave that bed.” Kit enters my sister’s guest bedroom.
“Fuck off.” I toss a pillow, and the big oaf ducks on a chuckle.
Maggie grins, bringing another spoon of soup to my mouth. I reluctantly open, feeling every bit the helpless jackass that I am.
I’m on the mend. I’ve been stuck in this bed for the past two days, and Caro promises I can get out of here tomorrow.
“Hey, Maggie.” Kit kisses the top of her head.
Warmth at seeing my friend so close with my girl—yeah, mine even if she doesn’t know it yet—wrestles with the green-eyed monster. If it was any other guy, I’d rip his lips off.
“Hey.” She lifts the spoon again. “Last one.”
I groan and swallow the hot, tasty liquid. She stands, placing a quick kiss on my cheek before walking away.
“Where you going?” Anxiety mounts at the thought of Maggie leaving, and I cringe inwardly.
“To give you guys time to talk.”
“Thanks.” Kit takes her seat beside the bed.
Our eyes lock, and she’s impossibly still, allowing my dark, heated gaze to caress every inch of her body.
Even in everyday clothes, faded ripped jeans and a simple white tee, she’s sexy as sin. My stomach tightens at what I’d like to do to her even in my current condition.
“I’ll be back,” she says, her promise strong in her tone.
Kit waits until she’s gone to crack a huge-ass grin. “What is going on between you two?”
“None of your business.” I try to harden my jaw, needing to shut this down. He may be friends with both of us, but Maggie is off limits. “You saw Chin? What’d he say?”
Once I was able to stay awake for more than a few minutes at a time, Kit filled me in on what I missed.
Turns out, Drago and Slaughter’s men came to blows at the motel Maggie told Grim about. There were casualties on both sides, and now things are hot for both organizations.
With the increased violence, they’ve got the cops breathing down their necks more than usual and rivals using their war as an opportunity to pounce.
My only concern is whether Maggie is a target. She gave Drago what he wanted, he failed to take out Slaughter. That’s his problem, not hers, and Drago better see things that way.
Besides, he has major problems right now; the Russian has them coming at him from all sides.
“Yeah, he’s retaliating for Drago breaking their agreement. He’ll be sure the asshole gets the message that Maggie is a no-go. Ever.”
“And my original agreement?” I wince at the pain in my side as I shift in the bed.
The month wasn’t quite up when I got hurt, and I intend to finish the deal. I don’t need the Triad on my ass.
He averts his gaze from mine. Whatever he has to say won’t sit well with me.
“Spill.” The muscles in my jaw tick, and I try to loosen my tensing abdomen.
“Hear me out before you lose your shit.”
That’s never a good start, but I nod.
“I’m going to finish out the remainder of your agreement. It’s barely a week,” Kit says.
“What?” I ask and see my sister standing in the doorway.
“Like hell, you will.” Caro’s steely eyes are aimed at Kit.
“Caro, stay out of this,” Kit says.
This isn’t an argument to be won. We’ve done this dance with my sister countless times.
“It’s either Nick or me. He’s in no shape.” Kit folds his arms over his chest.
“Why does it have to be either of you? That asshole got what he wanted from Nick, and he’s got hundreds of guys to do his dirty work.” If her reddening cheeks are any indication, she’s getting worked up.
“She’s right,” Maggie says from the doorway, coming to the other side of my bed. “Why can’t this be over?”
Kit and I share a look of exasperation. They don’t get it and never will. Their naiveté is cute but annoying. We can’t just walk away. It doesn’t work like that.
“Go on,” I press Kit.
“One more week and then we’re free and clear.”
“Can he wait a few days?” I ask. Maggie’s fingers dig into my arm. She knows what I’m thinking.
“Nah.” He’s dismissive, understanding my meaning too.
“You sure? I’ll be good in another day or two. It’s my mess.”
Maggie gasps, now clawing at my shoulder. She doesn’t mean to hurt me, but her nails cut into my flesh with the tightening of her grip.
“Nick, no. Please.” My stomach pitches at her plea.
Words clog my throat. What the fuck do I say to that? I want this woman in my life, and even though she hasn’t said it, I need to leave the life I used to lead. It’s a deal-breaker.
What happened because of her brother—her parents’ death—cost her a lot, and she wants nothing to do with that world. I get it, and working for Chin for a lousy month would hurt her.
Fuck me. I’m a schmuck for letting Kit pay my debt. I didn’t ask him, and that’s the thing. He knows if I settle unfinished business with Chin, I may lose Maggie. That’s why he’s stepping in.
“I’m doing it,” Kit says emphatically, his determined gaze shifting from Caro to Maggie to me. “Then we’ll be done.”
One Week Later
“I’d have to be dead to not get hard for you.”
I grab her by the waist as we walk down the hall toward the bedroom. My erection presses into her back and she gasps excitedly while my pants tighten further.
“Nick, we can’t,” she protests, but it’s as heartfelt as if I’d said it. I want her.
I’m staying with Maggie at the loft while I recuperate. Neither of us has broached any kind of conversation about the future.
This past week has been fucking amazing, and like me, my guess is she doesn’t want to ruin it.
“Yes, we can.” My tongue licks at her warm, silky flesh. Her sweet shudder causes my dick to pulse again.
Spinning her around, I pin her to the wall and duck my head, gritting my teeth and breathing deeply past the sharp pang in the side of my chest.
“You okay?” She slides her fingers under my chin, tipping it up to face her.
This woman doesn’t miss a thing. I’m fine. Sudden moves pull at my wound. I have to be slow and steady.
“Yeah. Where were we?” My lips skim the column of her throat.
“Nick.” Her fingers weave into my hair and I take her in a long, slow, deep kiss.
I pull away with a wicked
smile. “I’m going to fuck you, Maggie, until you can’t see straight.”
Her ocean-blue eyes widen. “You can’t—”
My stiff cock pushes into her stomach. “I can and will.”
With my hand around the base of her throat, my thumb pressing lightly against her jugular, her eyes flutter close.
All protests vanish and I rid her of her shirt, my lips latching onto her breast through her bra. Her breath catches at my quick flicks at her rigid nipple, and my cock hardens.
Together, we get her jeans off and I slip my hands into her panties, finding her aroused. Hot, wet, and ready for me.
My entire body vibrates with my need for her. I’ve wanted her for days, and with my injury, she’s been keeping her distance. Almost as if she, too, had to restrain herself from getting too close. I’m done waiting.
“Nick, you’re not fully healed yet. Caro said—”
“I’m fine.” With my pants gone, my dick is hard and ready against her hip.
My fingers stroke her clit and dip inside her. Her eyes blink rapidly and her mouth opens on a shameless moan.
With her hand around my cock, she strokes me, again and again until my knees weaken. All the blood rushes to my groin.
Despite the pleasure she emits, her body is tense. She’s holding back.
“Maggie, let go. Be with me. I’m fine.” My finger pushes all the way in, my thumb circling her clit. “All I need is you.”
Rising onto her toes, her fingers dig into my upper arms, and I sink my weight into her. Waiting, waiting for her body to give in and finally she does.
With her ass cupped in my hands, I slide her up the wall to line her entrance up with my dick. She takes me willingly and stills.
“Relax, baby. Breathe.”
Rocking into me, her mouth is eager, eyes fiery, and her heart races in time with mine.
“Nick, I want you.”
She releases a long, husky rasp, and my chest swells. My heart wants her words.
I take her up against the wall, raw and unrestrained, consumed with the savage lust her fierce words stir within me, pumping through my veins.
My pain battles with my pleasure, and I blink a few times, hoping to ease the burning in my chest.
I’m not stopping. I could bleed out right here and I wouldn’t stop. Nothing will make me stop.
“Nick, I need… I… I… Nick.”
She claws and bites at my neck, and I swallow her cries and drive hard into her, picking up the already intense pace.
Her shattering orgasm rips through her body and I also tense, following with my climax. My knees lock, and I brace us against the wall, her name spilling from my lips.
Clutching her to me, her scent, our sex, and sweat seeping into my pores, I pant, “Fuck, I love you.”
Maggie’s marshmallow-like state vanishes and she stiffens while she removes her tongue from my skin. The loss is like a cold shower.
She tilts her head back against the wall, and I raise my eyes to meet hers.
Unease creeps into her expression, and she pushes at my shoulders to release her. Without looking at me, she picks up her scattered clothes and begins to dress, quickly.
“Damn.” Her fingers thread through her hair and we both gaze at her slick, wet inner thighs. Our pleasure, my cum marks her.
“Maggie, talk to me.” I try to bury the emotion in my words.
I can’t get a handle on what I’m feeling, at what her reaction means. Did she reject me? I’ve never told a woman I love her because I’ve never felt like this before.
I didn’t expect her to say it back, but I also didn’t expect her to pull away. I didn’t think this through. If I had, I’d have kept my mouth shut.
I stride to the washroom and she steps in after me.
“Nick, wait.”
I’m not ready for her words of rejection and brush past her, heading to the living room. She’s on my trail.
The urge to flee burns my chest worse than any bullet ever could. Here I go again, running from my problems. But I haven’t run, not yet. And truth be told, I don’t want to.
When I first laid eyes on Maggie, I knew she meant trouble. I knew she’d turn my world upside down, and even still, I couldn’t walk away.
She’s blitzed my soul like a swath of bullets—chaotic and devastating—indelibly marked. Forever changed. If this is the end of us, I doubt I’ll make it out alive.
“Are you okay?” Her hand reaches for my side, but I step back, not sure if I can take her touch.
“Yeah.”
Not heeding the stay away vibe in my voice, she steps closer, resting her hands on my stubbled cheeks, waiting until I meet her gaze. Her seductive taste lingers on my tongue, and her arousing scent is all over me.
“I love you,” she whispers, conviction fierce and strong in her voice.
You’d think hearing those words would kill the churning in my gut, but it only intensifies the pain stabbing at my heart. It won’t go away.
“You got a fucked-up way of showing it.”
She swallows hard and her wide, expressive eyes darken.
“You’re right. You surprised me.” Her lips tip up in a dry smirk. “I’ve loved you for a while now. I’ve wanted to say something but didn’t know if I’d scare you away. I love you, Nick. I love you very much.”
Her brilliant blues shine like sapphires and our mouths seek each other, dueling our demons, vanquishing our insecurities and misgivings.
What starts as a fast and frenzied joining of our lips, tongue and teeth, shifts into slow, soft, wet kisses.
30
One month later
Thursday 2:15PM
Maggie
“If you move, I blow your balls off.” Nick’s deep, rumbling voice draws me from my slumber.
I search the blackness of our room for signs of trouble. Two tall, dark figures stand in the doorway to our bedroom.
Even with Nick at my side, clearly aware of the imminent threat, I gasp. I bolt upright, my heart rate kicking into high gear at the same time Nick turns on the light.
John saunters in like he has every right to be here, especially in the middle of the night. His smug smirk and dark gaze sour my stomach.
Jesse stands behind him, his expression grim and eyes glued to me. To think I loved him once and thought we might have a forever. The man I thought he was wouldn’t be okay with storming into my home in the middle of the night to scare the crap out of us.
“Get the he—” The words lodge in my throat when I glimpse Nick aiming a gun at them.
“You okay?” Nick asks, never taking his eyes off the intruders.
The concern and softness in his tone speaks volumes for how far we’ve come in such a short time, and I couldn’t bear losing what we have, especially because of John.
“Yes.” I force myself to sound confident.
John tsks while sliding his fingers into his belt loops on either side of the huge silver skull buckle. His wavy black hair is gelled back from his face, and dark scruff sprinkles his chin.
He looks a lot like our father, although Dad’s eyes were a deep, warm brown whereas John’s are cold and black.
“Maggie, honey, why have you got this asshole in your bed?” He sneers in Nick’s direction, and a growl emanates from beside me.
“Leave,” I say at the same time Nick says, “Get the fuck out before I put a bullet in you.”
John chuckles as if this is amusing, but it isn’t real; there’s no spark in his eyes. Lifeless. Jesse inches forward, now shoulder to shoulder with his boss.
“Not until I talk some sense into you, Maggie.” John nears me, and Nick moves to get up, his eyes and gun still trained on John.
“Nick.” My hand touches his shoulder, pressing to stay. “Please.”
“You have nothing to say that I want to hear. Get out,” I say to Slaughter.
“You need to ditch this wanker. Nicky’s a dead man.”
He hooks his thumb at Nick, and my chest heaves
. I fight to keep panic at bay. John is volatile, and this could get ugly fast.
“He doesn’t get to have my sister. And what hurts the most”—he places his hand on his heart in mock pain—“you say I’m dangerous and want nothing to do with me, but here you are with one of the most dangerous guys I know. What gives, sis?”
“Get out.” I feel like a skipping record.
John’s middle of the night visit has nothing to do with me. He hasn’t been in my life for years, keeping his distance since Gramps threatened him with the cops and a restraining order.
He’s here to assert power over Nick. He doesn’t care about me. He doesn’t care about family. This is all about being the man.
“What the fuck do you want, John?” I don’t recognize the serrated edge to Nick’s voice. He’s angrier than I’ve seen him before.
“You owe me,” John says.
“I don’t owe you anything. As far as I see it, you owe me,” Nick replies, now leaving the bed.
Hard planes of chest, sculpted arms—both deliciously inked—and toned thighs clad only in boxers adorn his gloriousness. My dark angel.
Even with the danger and an audience, I can’t tear my eyes from Nick. He’s raw energy, wild and explosive. John has no clue his little drop-in has unleashed Nick’s demons.
Nick and I may have been opponents at one point, but now, he’s my greatest protector. He’ll never let danger or trouble touch me.
John may think this is a game, a way to get his rocks off and pass the time, but to Nick, this is real, and he will sooner end John than let him think he can get away with this.
“So you thought you’d take my sister as payment?” Lunacy flickers in the murky depths of John’s eyes.
“Motherfucker.” Nick springs into action, pinning John to the wall.
“Nick, they aren’t worth the trouble.” I jump from bed, grabbing the sweatshirt hanging over the chair, unable to get it on fast enough with Jesse undressing me with his searing leer.
My stomach turns at the realization that the Jesse I knew as a girl is long gone. He’s ready to attack, and from the disgusting gaze at me and rage at Nick, he’s trying to decide where to strike.