“They started off with things we didn’t realise came from them. Break-ins, assault, theft, shit like that. They targeted Dustin, causing him to lose his job and the place where he lived. He’d been in share accommodation for ages and they got to the woman he rented the room from. Bribed her to report false rape charges to the police against Dustin. That all got sorted out by a cop friend, but he was left homeless and still hasn’t found a permanent place to live.”
“That’s why he lives with you now,” she said as she worked it out.
“Yeah. It was a low fucking act what they did to him, but what they did to Marilyn was worse.”
Her lips flattened. “I hate them, and you haven’t even told me what it was yet.”
“Four of them held up the bank where she works. That in itself was bad enough, because her nerves are shot and that would have been a lot for her to cope with on its own. But while three of them robbed the bank, one of them dragged her out the back and raped her. He then randomly showed up every now and then when she did her groceries, taunting her and threatening to rape her again. After he did it three times, she stopped going out in public. She’d already stopped going to work, but after that, she completely shut down and stopped living her life.”
Tears tracked Tatum’s cheeks and her hand covered her mouth. And then the heaving sobs came. I pulled her into my arms and we held each other for a long time.
When she let me go, I said, “So you see why I protect the fuck out of her? Why I have trouble letting people like Billy off the hook for their careless actions?”
She nodded as she took hold of my face. “I do. And I’m so sorry for everything you’ve both been through.”
“Yeah. Marilyn’s had more shit happen to her than any person deserves in their lifetime.”
“I’m sorry I organised that job for Dustin without running it by you first.”
I wrapped my hand around her forearm. “No, I was a prick about that. I shouldn’t have come over here throwing my weight around. There was nothing for you to run by me. I appreciate you looking out for him.”
She pulled a pained face. “Yeah, but now he’s working for the guy you hate.”
“And I’ll just have to suck that up. If Dustin wants that job, it’s his decision.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Is this Nitro backing down?” Her playful tone cut through the tension and was a welcome break from the conversation we’d been having.
I pulled her onto my lap and held her tightly. “You fucking cause me to back down all over the damn place, Vegas.”
She brushed a kiss across my lips. “I like that. I’ve never had that before.”
“Trust me, it’s a first for me, too,” I growled, feeling every bit of the heat between us. How she managed to calm the anger out of me, I wasn’t sure. All that lingered was the kind of passion that made me want to fuck her all night long.
I ran my hands down her back, to the bottom of her T-shirt so I could slip my hands under it and feel skin. I gripped her waist as her hands moved to my neck and our mouths found each other. The sexual energy between us had spiked from the anger that sat between us when I first arrived, and I growled deeply as she kissed me with a wild urgency. We might have still had moments of confusion with each other, but there was never any confusion as far as sex was concerned—we both desperately wanted each other.
She clawed at my hair as she crushed her body to mine and moaned. Tearing her mouth away as she ended the kiss, she begged, “Fuck, Nitro, I need you inside me right fucking now.” Fumbling madly at the button on my jeans, she showed me just how desperate for me she was.
Hell, she was hot.
I let her fiddle with my pants; I needed that mouth of hers again. Catching her in another kiss, I forced my tongue inside as I moved my hands to the back of her head so I could hold her in place. I didn’t want to be interrupted from what I was doing.
Kissing Tatum turned me on so damn much. Foreplay should always begin with her mouth as far as I was concerned. For a long fucking time.
She struggled against my hold, trying to end the kiss.
I chuckled as I let her go. Moving my hands to her back, I said, “You want my cock in that beautiful pussy of yours, Vegas? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so eager.”
She had her hands in my pants and my cock sprung free. Biting her lip, she wrapped her hand around it and gave me a tug. I lifted my hips and thrust into her hand, suddenly on board with what she wanted.
Meeting my eyes, she said, “Now who’s eager?”
Leaning forward so I could get close to her mouth again, I said, “I’m always eager. Fuck, I could live inside you and never leave again.”
Her breathing hitched. “You wanna start that now?”
“As soon as I do this,” I said before finally pressing my lips to hers again.
She didn’t fight me on that kiss, and when I was done, I lifted her shirt over her head. Dropping it on the floor, I then flicked her bra undone and removed it. She slid off my lap and made fast work of taking her shorts and panties off, and I sucked in a breath at her naked body.