Tainted Bastard (Tainted Knights 4)

“I love you too.”

All the oxygen seemed to rush out of him out once. “Really?”

“Yes. I’ve loved you for so long, but I was afraid of saying it out loud. When I’m with you, the past doesn’t have a hold on me anymore. You make everything better, no matter what’s going on in my life. And for someone who tends to be a complete bastard at times, you make me feel like I’m the only person in the world who matters.” I pressed my hand to the center of his chest. “I want your whole heart, because you already own mine.”

His heart began to pound harder under my fingers, his hand covering mine. “Please come home with me. I’ve been aching to hear you say you love me for months, baby. Now that you have, it’s taking every ounce of willpower I have not to press you up against this damn car and slide into you.”

“I-I need to grab my things,” I told him, anticipation making my legs turn to jelly. “I have to get my meds and a change of clothes.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Laughing happily, I let him take my hand and hurry me inside.

Upstairs, the others were up and eating Mexican takeout when we walked in. “Where did you go?” Aubree demanded as she looked up from her burrito covered in queso.

“Just had to take care of something for Sin,” I evaded, not wanting to pull them into the whole thing with Judge Blaylock. “I’m going to spend a few days at his place.”

“Yo, Sin,” London said with a grin. “You have really good taste in flowers.”

“What do you mean?” I demanded, pausing on my way to my room.

“Take a look in the kitchen.”

Curious, I walked into our tiny kitchen and stopped at the sight of the huge bouquet of white and red flowers in a vase with a logo on it from the florist a few blocks over. Sin walked in behind me, a smirk on his handsome face as I grabbed the white card from the middle of beautiful flowers.

I’m sorry, sweet girl.

“Do you like them?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind and touching his lips to my temple.

I nodded. “They’re gorgeous. Thank you.”

“You’re the first chick I ever sent flowers to. I didn’t know what to put on the card, so I’m hoping it’s enough to show you just how sorry I really am, babe.”

I leaned back into him. “If you ever keep anything else from me again, I’m going to let Aubree kick your ass.”

I felt his lips turn up in a grin as he kissed my neck. “Noted, sweet girl. Now, hurry. I need you.”

Sin

Hours later, I sat in bed with Roanna’s head in my lap. Her hair was spread over my legs as I rubbed my fingertips up and down her bare back. Her eyes were closed, but from her breathing, I could tell she wasn’t asleep.

I was enjoying the feel of her under my fingers and the peaceful silence of the apartment as I replayed the moment she confessed she loved me over and over, savoring her presence.

I was a lucky bastard to have her love me.

“I’m hungry,” she said with a yawn as she turned her head on my lap.

I grabbed my phone. “What do you want?”

“Don’t care as long as we don’t have to move from this spot,” she said with a contented smile, her back arching like a cat as she pressed against my stroking fingers. “I love your touch. Can we just do this the rest of the week until I have to go to work?”

“Whatever you want, sweet

girl,” I promised, drawing circles on her shoulder as I flipped through the list of her favorite takeout menus saved to my phone. “You want that vegan Thai burger you like so much?”

“That sounds really good. With sweet potato tots?”

“Yeah, babe.” Distractedly, I made an Uber Eats order before tossing my phone on the nightstand and bending to kiss the shoulder I was still rubbing. “We have an hour before the food gets here,” I murmured as I trailed my fingertips down her bare back and over her ass. She was completely naked, but I’d put on a pair of sweats after my shower earlier to wash away the stickiness of my flight.