That I’d get through this Silver Hell nightmare.
I needed to borrow someone’s strength to make it through the night. Because for the first time in a long time, I felt so alone in the world.
Swallowing down my desperate urge to beg Nitro to be that person for me for one night, I concentrated on dressing.
He stood close, watching, waiting. When I was done, I glanced up at him. “Sorry to wake you.”
He frowned and opened his mouth to say something but quickly snapped it shut. “You good now?” His voice was gruff.
No.
“Yeah.” My voice cracked and I tried to cough it away. When tears pricked my eyes, I quickly turned away from him and muttered, “Night.”
I took a step away, my body slicing through the heaviness that clung to the air around us.
A single tear slid down my cheek.
I took another step, holding my breath, willing the tears away.
God, what the hell is wrong with me?
Nitro’s hand clamped around my wrist. “You were crying in your sleep.” His voice was still gruff and it sounded like he was
uncertain about pursuing this conversation.
I stilled and slowly turned back to look at him. As I did that, an avalanche of tears fell. I didn’t even try to hide them. Instead, I stared up at him in all my vulnerability. The effort it took to hide myself was too great to keep up.
My hand turned as I did, and I curled my fingers around his wrist. Holding tight, I said, “Can I sleep next to you tonight?”
I wasn’t sure what I expected from him, but it wasn’t what he gave me. His eyes held mine, never wavering. His uncertainty vanished and he nodded. Letting me go, he stepped back to let me past.
Sometimes the person you least expected was the person there for you in the dark of night. In the middle of your nightmare.
Nitro gave me what I needed that night. He let me settle on my side next to him and when I reached for his arms, he spooned me, wrapping me in his embrace.
He lent me his strength.
And for the first time in longer than I could remember, I slept like a baby.
17
Nitro
“Knocking’ On Heaven’s Door” by Guns N’ Roses
Something shifted between Tatum and I during the night. Our bodies were tangled when I woke up, my dick hard as hell and the desire to fuck her stronger than I’d ever known with any other woman. Aware that her ribs still gave her hell, I attempted to untangle us slowly. One of her legs was draped over my body, as was an arm. Half her body was actually on me and her face was buried in my chest. As I moved, she stirred. A moment later, her eyes met mine.
The way her body moved when she woke meant she pretty much ended up completely on top of me, her tits pressing into my chest and her pussy sliding over my morning wood. Which meant my dick screamed its need loud and clear for both of us to notice.
She’d worn only panties and a T-shirt to bed and the shirt had ridden up. My hand landed on the bare skin of her waist when she shifted. The control it took not to slide it down into her panties was immense.
“Morning,” she said with a sleepy smile as she planted her hands on the mattress either side of my body and pushed herself up so she straddled me.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “You trying to kill me here, Vegas?” Glancing down the length of my body, I took in her pussy and legs either side of me. My dick was fucking straining in his effort to get inside her. And to be hit with that smile first thing in the morning—if a man wasn’t already awake, that smile would wake him up.
“I’m pretty sure you’re invincible, Nitro.”
I raked my fingers through my hair and took a deep breath. “And I’m pretty fucking sure any man who had you sitting on top of him when he woke up couldn’t withstand you.” Jesus, Tatum was the only woman I’d ever known who’d managed to make me want to flirt with her. I could have spent hours in that bed trying to get in her pants.