by Jo Raven
“He means a doctor,” she says darkly. “Can I just call—?”
“No doctors. I’m okay.” I really am. That bastard who jumped me was an amateur. Rafe and Zane trained us well in self-defense. I bet he limped home in a much worse state than me. “It’s just my ribs. Nothing they can do about it anyway.”
“Those painkillers any good?” Rafe asks.
Taking stock, I realize they are. “Yeah.” The pain is muted, and as I relax a little, the world seems to slow. I take a deep breath, surprised my ribs aren’t killing me, and some of the tension seeps out of me.
“Only the best for you.” Rafe grins wolfishly, winks at Ev and leaves.
Somehow I don’t think he’s talking about the painkillers anymore, and that’s fine with me. I drag Ev down for a kiss before the door even closes and she kisses me back, smiling against my lips.
“So you’re staying?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” She sighs. “You keep saying you’re fine, so maybe you don’t need me.”
I’m not prepared for the sudden panic that hits me. “Please, Ev.”
She shakes her head, then laughs. “Are you kidding me? Of course I’m staying. As if I’d move from your side after what happened. Besides.” She’s quiet for a few moments. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
I resist the urge to clutch her to me, bruised ribs and all, make sure she won’t go. She’s here and I have to finally believe she’ll stay around.
Only the best for me. The strongest drugs. The most loyal friends.
The sexiest, prettiest, bravest… The absolute best girl in the whole fucking world.
My girl.
***
“Someone here to see you,” Seth says, appearing at my bedroom door and leaning on the frame.
“Someone, huh? Where is she?” Strange how just thinking of Ev makes my heart race.
“How do you know it’s a she?”
“Screw you, man. I swear, if you left her out in the rain…”
I try to see past him but he blocks the whole opening. It’s been a week since the attack, and the bruises on his face have faded to blue-green. The stitches still mar his jaw, a line of dark cross-hatching. He moves stiffly, but all said and done, he got off easy.
Voices. A female and a male voice, coming from the living room. Ev and a guy. Who is he?
Seth turns and beckons, and a tall, muscled guy fills my door.
“So which one of you is Micah?” he demands, glancing from me to Seth and back.
“Joel…” Ev appears behind him and tugs on his sleeve. “Stop it.”
“I’m your big brother. Whoever touched my sister will pay for it.”
Ev rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”
I get up from the bed, trying to keep my face neutral. My ribs send blinding jabs of pain through me, but I ignore them. “I’m Micah. Got a problem with that?”
Joel looks me up and down, eyes narrowed. “Depends.”
Now I can see some similarity with Ev, but not much. The guy is big-boned and more muscled than me. Ev is slender and graceful and goddamn pretty.
“Depends on what?” I’m as tall as he, and we are at eye level. I don’t have to fake the glare I’m giving him. He may be the brother of my girl, but he’s standing between us right now and all I want is to grab Ev and crush her to me. It’s been a long day without her.
“On whether you’ll swear to look out for her and protect her.”
“Joey!” Ev sounds horrified.
I don’t see any problem with that. “I swear.”
“Will you respect her and belong only to her?”
“You can count on it.”
“Will you…” He sighs and rubs a hand over his mouth. “Will you make her happy?”
I nod. “I’ll do my best.”
For her. For Ev.
“Good.” He grabs my hand and shakes it once. “Then I’m pleased to meet you, Micah. I made a mistake with Ev’s ex-boyfriend. I misjudged him. I guess I should trust her judgment better, and she told me good things about you.”
She gives me a smile, and I grin. “She told me a few things about you, too.”
Now he looks worried. “Don’t believe a single word. It’s all lies.”
Ev sticks her tongue out at him, and he snorts.
“I’ll leave you to your own devices, then.” Joel nods at Seth on his way out. “Glad to see you both on your feet.”
Ev is looking at me, golden eyes soft with happiness. Her sweater is long but tight, hugging the slight curves of her body. I take the few steps that separate us and slip my arms around her. She fits perfectly against my body, and when she tilts up her face I think I can gaze at her forever.
The sound of a throat being cleared breaks through my trance.
“I’m off to work,” Seth says, hands in his pants’ pockets. He looks amused. “Be good.”
“We are good,” Ev says.
“Good to each other,” he intones and laughs as he leaves the room.
Now where were we? Oh yeah. I look down at Ev’s upturned face, her hooded eyes, her parted lips, and all I can think of is taking her right there, against the wall, sinking into her and fucking her hard and fast. Her breasts press against my chest and she’s soft, so soft. A jolt goes through me and a certain part of me appreciates her softness by hardening.
That certain part throbs when she shifts, rubbing against me, and I walk her backward until she hits the bed. Her mouth opens in a soundless cry as she falls, and then I’m on top of her, kissing her again. Can’t get enough of her taste. Can’t get enough of her.
“I love you, Ev,” I whisper, and she gives me a brilliant smile, her eyes glistening as if she’s about to cry.
“Love you, too, Micah Owens,” she says, and I have to kiss the lips that say those words.
Her hands slip under my clothes, tracing the knobs of my spine, then tug urgently on the hem to get it off me. She feels it, too. It’s been a few days since we had some time alone as she was busy moving into her new apartment, and memory fails when it comes to her.
She’s just so pretty. I uncover her bit by bit, taking off her sweater, her blouse, her bra, her pants, her panties—all that silky skin and delicious curves. I lick my way down to her breasts, tease her nipples, then lick lower to her cute belly button and lower still, parting her legs with my hand.
“Micah…” She pants, looking down at me as I lick slowly along her seam, and I stop to grin at her before I focus on making her come.
It doesn’t take long. A few flicks of my tongue on her swollen clit, two fingers pressing inside her, and she cries out, writhing on the bed, her head thrown back.
Goddamn. It’s so exciting I almost come right then and there, her taste on my mouth, her cry in my ears, her hot body arching up to mine.
Before I lose my last shred of control, I grab for the condoms and roll one on quickly. My hands are shaking. My dick is throbbing madly. I press into her.
She moans and wraps her arms around me, pulling me down. My ribs ache, but I ignore them in favor of kissing her. I enter her in one slow thrust—soft, tight, hot, perfect—and keep kissing her as I start to move.
It’s so good it’s like a drug. I attempt to take it slow, but she lifts a shapely leg around my hip, taking me deeper, and hell, who needs slow? I pound into her, and we’re still kissing, a desperate battle of tongues and lips and teeth as the pressure crests and breaks. I gasp and slam harder inside her, my whole body bucking with the pleasure. It’s like dying and coming back to life.
And she’s right there with me, like always.
Acknowledgments
Well, this has been an amazing journey so far. From the moment I published Asher to now, I have so much to be thankful for. So many people I want to thank – their names would fill pages and pages.
I want to thank my wonderful editor. Any remaining errors in the text are my fault as I tend to change things last minute.
Huge thanks to Nathalie Aynié f
or the constant help and support, and for the brainstorming sessions. She rocks bears in tutus!
Also huge thanks to Kia Zi Shiru for her support and help, and to 5 Times Formatting for the great formatting.
Many thanks my author friends who have beta read and/or helped me with their suggestions and advice throughout: J.A. Beard and Jean Davis.
I want to send out an enormous thank you to my amazing Street Team for their enthusiasm and support. In particular I want to thank Lucii Grubb, Beth M. Diaz, Louise Bailey, Raj Billa, Lisa Walker, Maria Poli, Myra Espino, Rhiannon Matthias, Nelly Guajardo, Amy Beth, Iam Lizzie, Maddoxx Moran, Brooke Hall, Malissa Richard, Lenalovesbooks, and Ellie Aspill.
Huge thanks to all the bloggers and reviewers who sent me messages asking to feature my books and spread the word. I owe you.
Finally I want to thank my readers. Your messages, emails and Facebook posts telling me how much you like my stories motivate me, keep me writing and put a smile on my face. You are all amazing and I love you all.
I hope you have enjoyed MICAH (Damage Control 1). Coming next in the Damage Control series:
JESSE (Damage Control 2)
Curious about who the owners and friends of Damage Control? If you haven’t met the Inked Brotherhood, (ASHER, TYLER, ZANE, DYLAN and RAFE), why not start at the very beginning, with ASHER:
Asher (Inked Brotherhood 1)
Where to find Jo Raven's books:
See New Releases by Jo Raven at Amazon!
About the Author
Jo Raven writes New Adult erotic romance. She loves sexy bad boys and strong-willed heroines, and divides her time between writing and reading. When not cooking up plots, she putters in her cluttered kitchen and dreams of traveling to India and Japan.
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Website: http://joraven.com/blog/
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
About the Author