The Skull Ruler: Skull #3 Read online

  He moved his lips to the other side of my neck before he migrated to my chin. He pressed light kisses there before he moved to the corner of my mouth.

  If I didn’t get the truth out of him now, I might not get another chance for a long time. “Answer me.” I positioned his face above mine so I could look him in the eye, see the beautiful man who looked so dangerous at the same time.

  “What does it matter?”

  “It matters to me. Why did you change your mind?”

  While keeping his eyes glued to mine, he guided his dick to my entrance. His thick crown pushed through my lips with a slight thrust, but the rest of the way was all smooth. He sank deep inside me, taking a deep breath as he felt me.

  My toes curled so hard, I got a cramp in both feet.

  He held himself on top of me, buried to the hilt with a dark look in his eyes. He didn’t kiss me, but he stared me down like I was his enemy more than his lover. “I turned around because you deserve better. I turned around because I want to fight for you. I turned around because this pussy is mine—and only mine. I turned around because you’re my woman—and I’m your man.”

  “Balto…” My hand cupped his cheek, and I kissed him, full of his enormous dick.

  He kissed me the way I liked, slow and full of purposeful embraces. His lips felt mine with passion, moving with mine in an erotic dance that made my toes curl all over again. His strong arms kept me in place as his mouth made love to mine. With some tongue here and a gentle bite there, he kissed me better than anyone else ever had. This was a man’s kiss, a real man’s kiss.

  He started to thrust inside me, his enormous length moving all the way in before gliding out. When just his thick crown was inside me, he shoved himself in again, hitting me deep and at the perfect spot.

  I’d missed this.

  He moved a little harder without breaking our kiss, his hips thrusting perfectly to hit me where I wanted it most.

  I was going to come already. My wetness smeared across his length all the way to his base. I felt it drip down my crack and stain the bed. My hands moved to his shoulders, and I dug my nails deep as I came. “Fuck…Balto.”

  He ended our kiss so he could watch me, watch me come around his dick. “Baby, you make me wanna come when you look like that.”

  I moaned in his face then grabbed his ass with both hands. “Give it to me…please.”

  We started to move hard together, fucking each other mindlessly as we both reached ecstasy.

  He made the sexiest expression when he released, a grunt erupting from deep in his throat. His cock thickened inside me, and he shuddered as he finished, exploding inside my pussy. “There you go, baby.”

  I finished as I felt the warmth inside me, as I felt his dick thicken then soften once he was done. “Yes…”

  He pressed his face into the crook of my neck as he caught his breath, his cock slowly softening inside me. Instead of pulling out and rolling over like usual, he stayed inside me and moved his mouth to my nipples. He sucked each one hard before he kissed the valley between my breasts.

  In no time, he was hard again. “My woman want more of my come?” His arms remained planted behind my knees, and he held his lips over mine.

  “Yes.” My fingers moved into his short hair, and I cradled him close to me. “Please.”

  We spent the entire day in bed, making love and napping in between. When the late evening arrived, we realized neither one of us had eaten all day. That wasn’t a big deal for me, but for a large man like him, it was a much bigger problem.

  “How about we order a pizza?”

  “You can order a pizza.” He lay on his back with his arm wrapped around me, holding me against his side as my head rested on his shoulder. “I’ll make something.”

  “Come on, you can’t cheat once in a while?”

  “No.” His fingers played with my hair as he looked at me. “A man like me has to have the discipline of a monk.”

  “Only because you set unrealistic expectations for yourself.”

  “They aren’t unrealistic. They’re necessary.”

  I rolled onto my stomach then held myself up on my elbows. I stared at the man who had taken me so many times that my body couldn’t hold his load anymore. Instead of taking me in different positions, he was always on top, his eyes always connected to mine. Like I’d said before, he never fucked me like I was a just whore with tits and an ass. He fucked me like I was a real woman, a person he had a connection with. “I knew there was something here…even if you wouldn’t admit it.”

  His gaze stern, he stared at me with his impenetrable gaze.

  “Dying wasn’t the only reason I didn’t want to go back to Lucian. I didn’t want to leave you either. Since that moment we met in the bar, you’ve given my life new meaning. You’ve given me things I never thought a man could give to a woman.”

  “Like?” he asked, his voice quiet.

  “Honesty. Loyalty. Gentleness. They are rare qualities to find in a man.”

  “I don’t know about the gentleness part.”

  “Well, you were pretty gentle just now.”

  He looked away, as if the accusation offended him. “I don’t want to talk about what we are anymore. Let’s just be what we are.”

  It was a weird thing to say, and I didn’t even know what he meant. “Sorry?”

  “You heard what I said.” He slipped back into his sour mood once more.

  I watched him closely, seeing the annoyance move back into his gaze. “You’re an honest man. Why don’t you just say exactly what you mean? Because I have no idea why you become so cold every time this conversation is broached.”

  He stared at the ceiling for a moment before his gaze turned back to me. “Alright.” He moved his hand under his head, the muscles of his torso tightening at his movements. “I saved you because I couldn’t let you be tortured and killed. It would haunt me every single day for the rest of my life. When you told me you’d given up in the car, that there was no point in fighting because there was no situation where you would ever win, I realized you were right. You’ve never had a chance. You’ve been betrayed by men your entire adult life. If I didn’t save you, no one would. That felt wrong to me, that you were shackled into slavery just because you were loyal. You’re a good person, but nothing but terrible things happen to you.”

  I’d never heard him express such empathy, and those emotions were touching coming from him. “Well, I wouldn’t say only terrible things have happened to me…because you certainly aren’t terrible.”

  “That’s debatable.” He looked at the ceiling again. “But I don’t want you to think this means anything…that I want something serious. Don’t give your heart to me because I’ll never give it back. I belong to the Skull Kings, and my future is set in stone. This has an expiration date. I don’t know what that date is…but it exists.”

  His bluntness was off-putting, and I did my best not to be hurt by what he said. Just hours ago, he said I was his woman and he would fight for me. He said he couldn’t abandon me to a horrible death. But his feelings were still superficial, not deep and complex like I expected.

  “I don’t say this to be an asshole. I say this so we’re on the same page.”

  I knew he cared about me, but perhaps those feelings couldn’t deepen into something more. “Then why sacrifice so much for me? What’s the point of it all? What do you intend to do with me?”

  “I’ll kill Lucian. Then you’ll be free. You’ll have the life you never got to have.”

  “So…you’re saving me?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “And you would do that?” I asked in surprise. “You get nothing out of it. You lost that diamond so I could walk away?”

  He turned back to me, his gaze still emotionless. “As the Skull King, it’s my job to issue justice. I’m not just some criminal mastermind who steals from some people and tortures others. I live by a code of ethics. And sending you back to Lucian wouldn’t have been justice. You
deserve to be free…and I want to make that happen.”

  I stared at him, grateful I’d met him in that secluded bar. If it weren’t for him, my life never would have changed. He broke my chains and gave me the freedom I never would have reclaimed on my own. A part of me hoped that we would have something more, that this wasn’t just a fling. But when I imagined a future with him, the picture was murky. He didn’t want to have a family, and he didn’t want to leave his throne as the ruler of the Skull Kings. He would always be gone in the evenings, always be mixed up with criminals. He would never really belong to me. I would always be second priority.

  That was something I couldn’t live with.

  So he ended that possibility before we could even consider it.

  Balto watched me, his blue eyes studying my expression. “Do you understand me?” There was very limited room for romance with his man. He was an authoritarian most of the time, a man who cared about goals, not emotions.

  “I understand.”

  His hostility dipped slightly.

  “And thank you…for everything.” I owed this man my life. I owed this man everything. My heart ached when I accepted the fact that this would end sooner than I wanted, but it was for the best—for both of us. I should be nothing but grateful to this man. Anyone else would have taken the diamond…but he chose me. Evan abandoned me to Lucian after I sacrificed myself, then moved on three months later. He was never a man…not like Balto. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to compensate you for what you did…but if there’s anything I can do for you, I will.”

  “You already have.” His hand moved to my hair, and he tucked it behind my shoulder. “You’ve given yourself to me…and that’s all I wanted.”

  3

  Cassini

  I walked into the dining room and found Balto eating his breakfast at the dining table. Shirtless and dressed in sweatpants, he cut into his salmon and placed it into his mouth. After he swallowed it, he grabbed his coffee and took a drink, his eyes flicking up to look at me. He greeted me in silence, preferring the sound of nothing to conversation.

  By the time I woke up in the morning, he’d already finished his workout and showered. Sometimes he made me feel lazy because he never faltered in his regimen. It didn’t matter how late he was out the night before; he was always up early the next morning. The man didn’t even take naps, unless it was in between sex sessions. “I just got off the phone with Case.”

  He set down his mug and stared at me, his blue eyes expectant of what I would say next. His elbows rested on the table, and he watched me with a face so beautiful, it didn’t seem like he could belong to an underground organization like the Skull Kings, let alone sit on the throne.

  “He invited me over for dinner tonight at his place.” I couldn’t bring myself to ask for permission because it went against my beliefs. But this man was committed to saving me, so I should abandon my pride. “Would that be okay?”

  “If you’re asking to go alone, no.”

  “What if you come with me?”

  He leaned back against the chair and sighed. “I have more important things to do than sit in the truck for two hours while you spend time with your brother.”

  “Then send your men with me.”

  “I don’t trust anyone to protect you besides myself.”

  “Alright…then have dinner with us.”

  He gave me a blank look, as if that wasn’t appealing at all. “I know you want some alone time with your family. My presence unnerves Case, as it should.”

  “Well, you unnerve everyone.”

  His eyes narrowed.

  “No offense.”

  “None taken.” He drank his coffee again.

  “Then can he come here?”

  He sipped his coffee again as he considered it. “I don’t let anyone into the compound besides Heath and my men.”

  “Case isn’t your enemy. When I tell him what you did, he’ll bend over backward for you.”

  “Even so, I don’t trust anyone.”

  “Alright…then that leaves one option.”

  His eyes slowly narrowed into a glare. “You want me to sit in the truck for two hours?”

  “Please…”

  He shook his head slightly and looked down at his plate. “After everything I’m doing for you, you have the balls to ask me that?”

  “I miss my family. You see your brother every day.”

  “And I wish I didn’t.” He rose to his feet and left his dishes on the table.

  “You don’t mean that. Having a brother is the greatest gift in the world. When your parents are gone, they’re all you have left.”

  He stood on the other side of the table, over six feet of pure masculinity. He looked like a warrior without armor, the highest-ranking general in the military. He didn’t need clothes to exude the utmost level of confidence.

  “Have dinner with us. My brother is an amazing cook.”

  “You know I don’t eat that shit.”

  “Well, live a little,” I countered. “He’ll have scotch, so you can eat that.”

  He grabbed his plates and carried them into the kitchen.

  I followed behind. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

  He set everything in the sink and turned back to me. “A dinner party isn’t my idea of fun.”

  “Then what is?”

  His eyes narrowed on my lips, and a small smile spread across his face.

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re a pig.”

  “No. I’m just a man. Trust me, we’re all the same.”

  “I’ve never met another man like you…and I mean that as a compliment.”

  He loomed over me with his height, and slowly that teasing smile faded into a straight line. The playfulness in his eyes disappeared, and he stepped closer to me. “I know you do, baby. And I’ve never met a woman like you.”

  “What kind of woman is that?”

  “The kind that calls me a pig.” His smile returned.

  “I’ve called you worse things than that.”

  “I know. And I like it every time.”

  “So…will you do this for me? Please?” I brought my hands together like I was begging him.

  “You can see him all you want after I kill Lucian.”

  “But who knows when that will be. That could be weeks or months. Come on, you and my brother are a lot alike. You’d get along well if you gave it a chance.”

  “Maybe that’s why we don’t like each other—we’re too alike.”

  “Please…” I moved into his chest and rose onto my tiptoes so our eyes would be closer to level with each other.

  He sighed quietly. “I’ll do this for you if you do something for me.”

  “Alright. What do you want?” I already knew it had something to do with sex. He either wanted something particularly kinky, or he wanted me to wear a piece of lingerie that barely covered anything.

  He tilted his head slightly, a knowing look in his eyes. “You can figure it out.”

  “You already have me. So you need to be more specific.”

  “I want you to fuck me in the truck when we’re done.”

  “Like, right in front of his house?” I asked incredulously.

  “No. I’ll pull over somewhere. The countryside is pretty much dark at nighttime.”

  “It’s freezing.”

  He grinned. “I’ll keep you warm. Now, take it or leave it.”

  “Why don’t we just screw when we get home?”

  “Because I don’t want to. Do we have an understanding or not?” His fingers moved under my chin, and he forced my gaze up to meet his.

  “Alright. But I feel like my end of the deal is better than yours.”

  “Because it is.”

  Balto left the city then headed into the countryside. My brother lived in our childhood home just a few miles outside of the city. The home was too big for a single person, so sometimes, I wondered if he intended to have a family eventually.

  “This is it.” I pointe
d to the driveway.

  Balto drove up the concrete driveway, through the iron gate, and to the roundabout near the entryway. “He has a nice place.”

  “Well…he is a drug dealer.” I rolled my eyes.

  “He had this place before that.”

  “Whatever.”

  We left the truck then walked through the front door.

  “You don’t knock?” Balto asked as he followed me inside.

  “No.” I called into the house, “Case, we’re here.” I could smell the scent of food, a new culinary masterpiece I would get to enjoy. There was no good cooking that happened at Balto’s place, not unless I wanted to eat his boring-ass food. I hung my coat on the rack.

  Balto didn’t have one since the winter chill didn’t bother him.

  “We?” Case called back.

  Balto followed me. “You should have told him I was coming.”

  “He’ll get over it.” I stepped into the kitchen and found him sprinkling parsley on top of the lasagna. “Ooh…that looks freaking delicious. Look at all that sauce and cheese.” I moved to the counter and stared at the delicacy. “You have no idea how happy I am to be here.”

  Case would normally tease me for my enthusiasm, but his eyes were locked on Balto. “You didn’t tell me he was going to be here.”

  “Who cares?” I asked. “The more, the merrier.”

  “Not in this case.” He kept looking at Balto while he spoke to me. “He can barge into my office but not my home. That crosses a line.”

  “Case, drop it. Please?” I gripped his arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. “I want him here.”

  “I don’t care what you want, Cassini.” He sliced the lasagna then scooped out the squares and placed them on the white dishes.

  Balto approached the counter, not the least bit offended by Case’s words. “I’ll wait in the truck. But you better give me a bottle of scotch for my trouble.”

  Case grabbed a bottle and handed it to him. “There. Bye.”

  “Case…” I watched Balto turn toward the door. “I’ll come get you in a few minutes.”