I locked the door to my apartment, even though that seemed pointless now because two of my enemies had broken in without a struggle. I joined Bones at the car in the parking lot, and he already had my things in the trunk and the painting in the backseat. He leaned against the trunk, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a black hoodie over his dark jeans. The colors contrasted against the blue softness of his eyes. Some of the ink from his tattoos extended past the sleeves of his sweater. A few others reached above the neckline.
I stared at him for a second, at war with myself. A part of me would miss him, miss this psychopath for reasons I couldn’t explain. He was a paradox, threatening to kill me and my family, and then carrying my stuff to the car like a nice boyfriend.
He cocked his head slightly, examining me with the same intensity as I was examining him. “You think you can be around them without telling them what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
He didn’t flinch at my honest response.
“I’m close with my family. It’s hard to lie. I never lie.”
“Just don’t forget their lives are on the line. Your silence keeps this blood war at bay. It would be a terrible way to spoil their Christmas, especially when I know exactly where every single Barsetti will be…” The threat was unmistakable, in his words and his gaze. “All I have to do is rig the property with explosives and watch it crash to the ground while you all sleep.”
Now I wouldn’t miss him.
“Just something to keep in mind.” He rose to his full height and stopped leaning against the trunk of my car. He walked toward me then craned his neck down so he could kiss me.
I wasn’t kissing him after that statement. I walked around him and headed to the front seat.
He snatched me by the elbow then pushed me into the car door. His hands pressed against the window on either side of my body, and he pressed his face close to mine, his jaw hard because he was clenching it so tightly. “Kiss me, baby.”
I kept my arms against the car, my eyes showing my disdain for him. “No.”
“Then you aren’t going anywhere.”
“I could knee you right in your happy place.”
“You wouldn’t dare, not when it’s your happy place too.” He grabbed my hands and pinned them against the car, holding me in place even though I wasn’t trying to go anywhere. His strong fingers squeezed my wrists. “You’re going to be late.”
“Let me go.”
“No.” He pressed his face closer to mine. “I want something to think about when my hand is wrapped around my dick later. I’m sure you want something to think about when your hand is between your legs tonight.” He was the most arrogant man I’d ever met, but everything he said was true.
I would think about him.
I craned my neck to reach his mouth, and I pressed a kiss softly against his lips, feeling the warmth of his mouth the second we touched. Scruff had grown along his jaw because he hadn’t shaved since he came to my apartment. He didn’t kiss me back right away, letting me kiss him for a moment instead.
Then his mouth moved against mine, keeping the kiss slow and seductive. He gripped my hands with a tight squeeze before he moved his hands to my hips. He pressed me harder into the car, his hands shaking with his passion. His hands showed his aggression, but his kiss remained purposeful and slow.
My arms circled his neck, and I kissed him against my car, our mouths moving hard together and breaking part. His large body kept me warm, his dick hardening in his jeans as he kissed me goodbye. He pressed it harder into me, wanting me to know how I made him feel.
His hand cupped my cheek, and his thumb gently glided across my skin. He kissed me with a gentleness that didn’t match his appearance at all. He could surprise me sometimes and show a side of himself that I didn’t think existed.
He sucked my bottom lip one more time before he pulled away, keeping his mouth a few inches from mine. He stared at my mouth, like he was thinking of moving in once again. But he kept his distance.
I felt like prey as I stood in front of him, his hands on me and his eyes watching every breath I took.
“I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.” He kissed the corner of my mouth before he turned away. He walked off without looking back, walking across the parking lot and to the street. Even in a sweater, the muscles of his torso were obvious. He was broad like the wings of a plane and build like a brick house.