I followed her into the bedroom and saw her pull down the sheets.
She ignored me, pretending I wasn’t there.
I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest. “Baby.”
“Just shut up, Bones. I’m going to sleep.” She turned off the bedside lamp.
I walked around the bed until I was standing over her. “I’m not going to lie…I’m really enjoying this.”
“Yeah, I can tell.” She turned over and faced the other way.
I leaned over her and pressed kisses to the shell of her ear. I breathed into her canal before I spoke. “I’m a very jealous man when it comes to you…and I’ve never been that way before.”
I could feel her relax underneath me, those words meaning something to her.
I waited for her to turn back to me, to give me her full gaze.
“They were before you.”
“And has there been anyone after me…?” She hated herself for asking the question. I could feel it.
I kissed her ear again. “You know the answer to that, baby.”
“I want to hear you say it.”
I kissed her neck and her jawline. “Only you.” I grabbed her chin and turned her gaze on me. “Alright?”
“Alright,” she whispered.
“I was staring at your tracker that night because I was worried you would go home with some other guy. And if you did…I was probably going to kill him.”
Her fingers wrapped around my wrist as I held on to her chin. “There’s no one I wanted to go home with…”
“I know. I know you only want me.”
Shame flooded her gaze.
“And I only want you,” I whispered. I’d never said that to a woman before. I’d never been monogamous my entire life. I hadn’t even been with one woman for more than a few days. But I’d been fucking Vanessa for a couple months, and I felt like we were just getting started.
“Then it’s just you and me?” she whispered. “Until this is over…?” Her hands moved underneath my shirt and felt the muscles of my body.
We didn’t have a lot of time together, and I didn’t want to spend that time in between another woman’s legs. I only wanted to be with her, and I certainly didn’t want to share her. “Yes. Until this is over.”
3
Vanessa
Sapphire texted me. Let’s have dinner tonight.
Does Conway know about this? When it came to living with Sapphire, he didn’t want me around much. When I stayed with him for a few weeks, he couldn’t wait until the day I left.
Yes. He hasn’t seen you since Christmas, and he misses you.
I laughed out loud because that was bullshit. Nice try, Sapphire.
Conway and I are in Milan working at the studio. It’s going to be a late night so we thought we would grab dinner afterward. Are you free?
My whole life revolved around painting and Bones, so I was free all the time. Yeah. When?
How about an hour?
Alright.
We’ll pick you up.
I was staying at Bones’s place, and by the time I got ready and headed over there, I might not make it in time. I’ll just meet you there.
You know how Conway is. He’d rather pick you up.
My brother’s protective bullshit wouldn’t work right now. I didn’t want him to be aggressive when this monster watched every little move I made. Conway would be caught off guard and be powerless. He had a little one on the way, and the last thing I wanted was for him to get hurt. Well, I’m not home, so I’ll just meet you there.
Where are you?
I really hated the nosiness of my family sometimes. I’m out with some friends. I’ll just meet you there, alright?
I did not need their suspicion right now. If Conway figured out Bones was involved in my life, the blood war would start, I’d be dead, and everything would go downhill from there.
I went to my closet in the bedroom and pulled out an outfit to wear. It was freezing outside, so I decided on jeans, boots, and a nice sweater, and my thick jacket and scarf.
Bones walked inside, dressed in his running shorts and t-shirt. There was a line of sweat around his neckline and his armpits because he’d just worked out on the third floor. His forehead was dotted with perspiration, and his arms were a little thicker than they usually were because the blood was pumping. “Where are you going?”
“To dinner with my family.”
He pulled off his clothes and tossed them into the hamper, stripping down until he was just in his hard and sweaty skin.
I tried not to stare, tried not to think about running my tongue over that hot body.
“Tonight?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Where?”
“This café a few blocks away.”
He stared at me, his soft dick still impressively big even though the rest of his blood had been supplied to his muscles. His displeasure was obvious in the hard lines of his face. “Why?”