Tainted Heartbreak (Tainted Knights 3)

When I could open my eyes again, Cash was motionless over me, his eyes eating up every expression that crossed my face. I smiled almost shyly up at him. “Hi.”

“You’re so fucking beautiful, you know that?” He rolled onto his back, taking me with him. He was still hard, still deep inside me, but he seemed in no hurry to find the release I’d just experienced. It had been the same the night before, and when he’d finally come, it had been so powerful for him he’d shaken in my arms.

I liked that he was all about my pleasure, making sure I got there repeatedly before giving in to his own. But I wanted him to be a little selfish too. This wasn’t just about me. I wanted him to feel everything I was feeling—and more.

I propped my head up on my arms as he stroked his hands down my back. “Are you always such a considerate lover?” Damn it. Even to my own ears, I sounded jealous. I wasn’t the type of girl to get all territorial and catty. Especially this early in. Yet, the thought of Cash sharing this with others stung.

His chest shook with a laugh. “Is that what I’m being?”

“Isn’t it?”

He shrugged, making his chest lift for a moment. “Maybe I’m just really selfish. I love feeling how tight your pussy gets when you come around my cock. I want that as many times as I can get it. So I hold myself back until I can’t any longer.” He tangled his fingers in my hair and pulled me down to his lips. As he pulled back, he whispered, “And no, Amara. I’m not usually like this. What’s going on with us, it’s uncharted territory for me. Nothing about this is usual for me.” Rolling me onto my back, he pushed his hips down into mine roughly, pinning me to the mattress. “Nothing, baby.”

--

Hours later, it was my stomach’s angry growl that pulled me out of Cash’s arms. There was a fast-food place just down the block, so I pulled on my bra and his shirt along with my shorts, grabbed the key, and tiptoed out of the room while he slept deeply.

Unsure what he would like to eat, I ordered a little of everything. It was late, but there were people everywhere. No one seemed to notice me, though. Going unnoticed was something I had excelled at growing up in my mother’s house.

Arms loaded with the huge bag of greasy food and our drinks, I unlocked the door and stepped into the room. Cash was sitting up in bed, the covers over his bare waist and his phone to his ear. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Gigi. Yes, ma’am. I’ll be there for dinner.” His eyes lifted to mine, and he mouthed the word “Grandma.”

Grinning, I set our food on the rumpled bed and kicked off my shoes. Grabbing the fries from the bag, I crammed two in my mouth and settled back in with the TV on mute to find something to watch while he finished his conversation with his grandmother.

“Gigi, I told you it was all working out. She texted me. No, I didn’t answer because I’m busy with work… This is work. It’s my career… You don’t have to remind me… No, ma’am.” He was gritting his teeth so hard, I could actually hear them grinding together. Sympathy for him had me reaching for his hand, giving it a squeeze. He turned his hand over in mine, entwining our fingers. “Fine. Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow for dinner,” he said again and then ended the call.

“Family problems?” I asked with a lifted brow, not really trying to force him to talk about it, but I knew how families could be. Mine was the biggest pain in the ass in the history of the universe.

“Gigi just being Gigi,” he grunted. “She has this way of making me feel like I’m about ten years old. She’s got stage 4 lung cancer, and she’s using guilt to keep me in line.”

“Oh my gosh, Cash. I’m so sorry.”

His fingers tightened around mine for a moment, then he exhaled deeply and shrugged. “It is what it is. I just never expected her to succumb to something as mundane as cancer.”

“I get that. They seem like superheroes at times…or in my case, supervillains.” I offered him a fry, munching on a few more of my own. “But still, it’s like you expect them to live forever. Nothing can touch them, not even the threat of death.”

He was quiet for a long moment, eating his own fries now. I dug through the rest of the bag, offering him one of the burgers and a container of cookies. Halfway through our midnight meal, he caught my hand and kissed my palm. “Thanks, babe.”

“For feeding you?” I rolled my eyes. “You paid for breakfast earlier. It was totally my turn to treat you. Fifty-fifty, remember?”

He shook his head. “Not t

hat—but thanks for that too. I meant, thanks for not making me talk about it.”

I pulled my knees up to my chest. “I would never do that. But just know my ears listen really well if you ever need to talk. I kind of like you, Rockstar.”

He leaned in close, kissing my lips quick and hard. “I kind of like you too, Dreamer. A lot, actually. And I don’t like that you’re going to be the length of the country away from me for even a few hours.”

“But we’re going to see each other Monday, right?” I didn’t let him see how excited—and nervous—I was about our date.

“Depends…” My heart sank, but I didn’t let him see that either. “What time will you be home tomorrow night?”

I grimaced. “I don’t know. My stepdad has been an ass, so I need to go over there and see what’s going on before he blows a gasket. Depending on how big of a hissy fit he’s having, I might not even make it back to my apartment.”

“Fuck,” he groaned. “Okay then, what time will you be free Monday? Do you have to work or have you got class?”

I shook my head, my heart filling with warmth once again. “No. I’m out for the summer right now. My course load makes it impossible to have even a part-time job. So, that means I’m more reliant on my stepdad’s generosity than I would like to be.” Total understatement of the millennium.

Malcolm had me right where he wanted me, and he relished it. But lately, I’d been wondering what the fuck I was actually doing with my life. I had one more semester before I graduated, but in all honesty, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to complete my degree. I wasn’t happy being beholden to Malcolm or even my mother. I was top of my class in my field of study, but it was so damn boring. I had three different companies head-hunting me already, but I knew I wouldn’t take any of their offers. Mostly because they were all in Malcolm’s pocket in one way or another, and it would be something I was yet again obligated to him for.