I shivered. “He wanted to.”
He reached for the tender spot on my cheek. “That looks painful.”
“It’s fine,” I said, leaning away from his touch.
“No, it isn’t. I’m sorry, Tiny. I don’t know what the fuck he was thinking. I never have.”
“He said he heard you were in my room. That’s what set him off.”
“One of the men must have seen me.”
“Why would they tell him?”
He shrugged. “Everyone’s for sale.”
I closed my eyes, the weight of his words sinking deep. “Where is he now?”
“He was put in a car and driven to the hospital.” Amusement crept into his voice. “You knocked him out cold, and he needs stitches.”
I opened my eyes and stared hard at him. “He deserved it.”
“He deserved worse.” For a second I thought he might try to touch me again, but he didn’t.
It’s better this way. I sighed. “Enzo, I want to go home. I want an end to this—I’m tired of danger at every turn. I just want to be a regular girl.”
He was quiet a moment. “No, you don’t.”
My feet dropped to the floor. “What?”
“You don’t want to be a regular girl. You like danger. You wouldn’t be in the bootleg business otherwise.”
I jumped up from the bed, my hands shaking. “You don’t know anything about me,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Yes, I do.”
His ability to stay calm while getting under my skin made me itchy with rage. “Go to hell, Enzo! You’re nothing but a liar and a cheat and—”
He was on his feet with his mouth on mine in a heartbeat, hands wrapped around my head. Momentarily stunned, my body went slack. “I love when you get angry with me,” he whispered against my lips, hands running down my arms. “Your body is all heat.”
“Because I’m mad!” I pushed against his chest. “I was attacked tonight!”
“Let me make it up to you.” He caught my waist and pulled me near, touching his lips to my forehead. “I’ll make you forget everything, even your name.”
Swoosh. “No,” I said, my heart pounding with alternate beats of fury and desire. I pushed him away again and crossed my arms over my breasts, which were tingling. “You can’t have me.”
He whipped his stained t-shirt over his head in one smooth motion and let it drop. My belly warmed at the sight of his bare chest and golden skin. A slow smile crept onto his lips as he came toward me. “You want me to go?” he asked. “Because I will. I can’t let you leave tonight, but if you’d rather be alone…”
I backed away from him.
Tell him to go. Tell him to go. Tell him to go.
But I couldn’t say the words.
“Go on, Tiny,” he said, coming toward me as my back hit the door. “Tell me to leave.” He put his arms on either side of my head, bringing his face close to mine. “Say you don’t want me.”
A groan escaped me as he swept his lips across my forehead, bent his knees and pressed his hips against mine, letting me know he was hard and ready. He always wins. I hate him. “No.” Ducking down, I escaped the cage of his arms and ran for the bed, hopping up on it and standing above him for once.
He faced me. “No, what?”