The door stops getting rammed, even as the alarms continue to wail.
“This is really fucked up, man. And that’s coming from me,” Sledge says from the other side.
“I know it’s fucked up. I just don’t know why I’m the only one who can’t do something fucked up. Stop being a judgmental bitch,” Rush replies with zero emotion.
“Stop being a raving mad lunatic, and I’ll stop being judgmental.”
“Since when have I ever been anything else?” Rush volleys.
There’s a beat of silence, and I nod like I even understand that. He’s certainly never pretended to be less than crazy. Just not quite this crazy.
When Sledge releases a breath of frustration, Rush drags me to be in front of him, slipping his free hand around my bare middle.
“I’ll bring her back out when we have shit settled. Until then, everyone needs to back the fuck off. You’re just making it worse,” he goes on.
I’d smile, but this really is an inappropriate sort of thing to smile about. I just had no idea how much he actually wanted me here.
“You could have just asked me out on a date,” I murmur against his chest, since he has me pressed really tightly against him and there’s not much wiggle room.
“I told you to work for reward. You’re the one who kept working for punishment,” he drawls.
“You told me to suck your dick to earn information. I’d hardly call that reward,” I counter.
Sledge curses very loudly as the alarms finally stop busting eardrums all over the warehouse.
“You really don’t need to encourage his antics right now, Kara. Be the rational girl you left Halo to become,” Sledge cuts in.
“Don’t make me shoot you. You’re the only family, besides her, that I have. But I’ll shoot you if you try to turn her against me when I’m finally making real progress,” Rush warns. “You already forced me to hurry along my plans.”
He had plans? I’m almost afraid to ask what those plans detail.
I shouldn’t kiss his chest, but I do, and his hold tightens in response.
“I don’t know what to say right now. If you hurt him, I’m out of here. I’ve served this club long enough to be owed that much,” Sledge is saying to someone, likely Drex.
“If you hurt him, I’ll take his gun and shoot you myself,” I call out.
“Don’t do that. I’m in control of the situation. I don’t need you to handle it,” Rush tells me a little harshly.
Oye. This is a mess.
His hand slides down my back to my bare ass, and I pretend to have no reaction to its presence.
The vast majority of his attention is trained on the door, and his cold composure is that of a survivor in survivor mode.
I’d accuse PTSD, but it’s more like…I’m-so-fucked-up-that-my-brain-doesn’t-work-like-everyone-else’s-anymore disorder.
I get it. My brain works a lot like his. It’s why we got together in the first place.
Until this moment, I had no idea just how much me disappearing the first time actually affected him.
“I promise I won’t run again, if you promise not to tie me up to punish me. I’ll cede control without contest, but we have to bring the level of crazy back down a notch,” I tell him.
He narrows his eyes down at me, the wheels in his head turning.
“You’ll stay with me, or in my room if you need space. No interaction with anyone outside of my presence,” he says like he’s laying down the new rules that are essentially the same rules.
“For now. We’ll revisit this topic at a later date when your crazy is lidded,” I decide.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” Drex snaps from the other side of the door.
“Dead serious. Go away. We’ve got this,” I answer, seconds before Rush’s hand shoves into my hair.
I’m startled when he somewhat roughly tugs my head back, using my hair as leverage, but in the next second, his lips are on mine, hard and demanding. My hands slip up his bare chest, and he deepens the kiss as a deep groan vibrates from his lips to mine.
It’s like it sets off a live wire in me, and I heave myself up, wrapping both of my legs around his waist. His hands immediately go to my bare ass, and he turns to press me against the wall so he can more thoroughly devour me, while also surrounding me with complete control.
“Is she fucking kissing him right now?” I hear Drex asking.
“I’m sure she’d like a little privacy,” Maya chirps.
“I’m about to start shooting motherfuckers,” Rush says against my lips just loud enough to be heard by all of them, before resuming the thorough devouring.
My fingers tangle in the soft, wispy strands of his hair, remembering exactly why he was always like a drug to me.
Rush was always selective about who got close to him.
I forgot to remember how much he hates losing people he’s risked attachment to, because I was too young to see the big picture back then.