The Skull Ruler Read online

  She buried her face in my neck as she finished, moaning into my body as her hips bucked against me. She ground her clit right against my muscles, her nails dragging down my arms at the same time.

  I gripped her hips and kept her firmly seated on my dick as I exploded. I moaned as I filled her, my entire length shoved deep inside her so I could give her my come at the deepest angle. Killing a man used to give me the greatest high in the world, but it didn’t compare with coming inside this woman. This feeling really made me feel like a man, not all my money and power. It was the closest to heaven I would ever get.

  She pulled away so she could look me in the eye, satisfaction in her gaze. “Is this what you do with your other girls?”

  I’d fucked women in an alleyway, in a bathroom stall, and at the Underground. There was nothing special about those screws. They were just about getting off. But I’d never wanted someone so much that I had to pull over on the side of the road just to give a deposit. “No. You’re the only girl I’ve ever had.”

  5

  Cassini

  The sheets rested around our waists, and I slept against his side, my arm draped over his hard stomach and my head on his chest. My leg was tucked between his knees and my fingers felt the grooves of his abs as I felt my eyes grow heavy. He’d just been between my legs, his lips caressing mine like a man in love with a woman. He’d filled me with his seed, his eyes locked on mine as he entered me in such a deep way.

  Now we lay together in silence, the evening deepening.

  I slept beside this man every single night. I could go to my bedroom for space, but now all my clothes were in his closet and that room was abandoned. It had returned to its former glory as a guest bedroom…not that he had many guests.

  I was excited to be free again, to live a life without Lucian oppressing me. I could get a coffee at my favorite café like I used to. I could walk the streets without looking over my shoulder. But I would also sleep in an empty bed, Balto not there to keep the sheets warm. My life would return to normal, but it would always feel like I was missing something.

  I wished this man could be in my bed forever.

  Maybe I was only attached to him because the sex was so good. Maybe I only liked him because he was the first man who was honest and loyal. All of his other traits were characteristics I wouldn’t want in a man.

  Like the fact that he was a criminal.

  He moved my hand off his body then slid out of bed. When he grabbed his jeans off the floor and pulled a t-shirt out of the closet, I knew he wasn’t just going to the bathroom before bed. He pulled on his clothes.

  I sat up in bed, just as disappointed by his departure as I was any other time he left. It wasn’t only about feeling safe. It was about the comfort of having him beside me. I’d become used to the sound of his deep breathing while he slept, the occasional snore that annoyed me at the time but also reminded me he was there. In the midst of winter, he kept the sheets so warm, acting as my personal heater. And he was built like a brick house, so he was my own bear. “Please don’t go…” I was a proud woman who didn’t like to admit weakness. But for whatever reason, I wore my heart on my sleeve for this man. My emotions were as plain as written text. And I didn’t care if he thought I was being clingy. Maybe I was clingy. It made no difference to me.

  He approached the edge of the bed and stared at me with those brilliant blue eyes. He wore a cold expression, annoyed just like he was every time I asked him to stay. He held my gaze for a long time, letting the silence rise like smoke to the ceiling. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the sexiest thing in the world.” He pulled the sheets back then snatched me by the ankle. With no effort at all, he pulled me across the bed until I was close to him. “Don’t beg me to stay when you know I can’t.”

  “You can do anything.”

  “Yes, I can do anything. But I honor my commitments.” His hand moved up my leg to my knee, his fingertips grazing my soft skin. “Would you want a man between your legs who abandons his responsibilities?”

  I couldn’t answer that clearly. I was selfish and wanted him all to myself. “All I know is I want you here with me every night.”

  “You’re perfectly safe here, baby. Just because I’m not here doesn’t mean I’m not protecting you.”

  “That’s not why…”

  His hand moved to my inner thigh, his large hand gripping me tightly. He watched me with those eyes that were so pretty but so masculine at the same time. He had such a hard face, sharp cheekbones, and a constant look of threat, that the prettiness of his eyes balanced him out.

  “I like listening to you breathe. I’m so used to it at this point that it’s hard to sleep without that sound. You heat the sheets to a perfect temperature, and when you aren’t here, I can never get comfortable again. I prefer your body over the pillow. I like feeling your chest rise with every breath you take. I like knowing that nothing could ever happen to me with you by my side. Men have only betrayed me…and you’re the first man who’s actually loyal to me. You’re my safe place.”

  His hand slid down to my ankle and gripped me gently, like he might yank on me again. He stared at my long legs and then looked at the area between my thighs, turning into a wolf that examined its prey before it struck. His eyes lifted back to mine, just as aggressive as before. “Baby, you’re torturing me…”

  “I don’t have to torture you. You could just stay.” I opened my legs slightly, inviting him back to bed.

  He stared at my pussy once more before he grabbed the insides of my thighs and spread me wide apart. His large body bent down, and he moved his face right between my legs, kissing the pussy that he’d filled multiple times that night.

  My head rolled back, and I moaned when I felt his tongue lick my clit. “Oh…” I felt my legs shake at the touch of his kiss, felt my heart flicker in arousal. My fingers dug into his short hair, and I ground against his face.

  He gave my clit a hard suck before he righted himself. “I’ll be home in the morning.”

  I shut my legs and pouted. “That was mean.”

  “You tortured me. I tortured you.” He grabbed his phone off the nightstand and shoved it into the pocket of his jeans. “Bye, baby.”

  I stared at him in disappointment, missing him before he even left. “Can I come with you?”

  He stopped and turned back to me. “I’ll drink with the guys at the Underground. Then I’ll make some of my rounds around the city, collecting taxes from the men under my domain. It’s no place for you.”

  “But I’m always safe by your side.”

  He stared at me hard.

  “You’re going to have to accept that your man won’t always be here with you at night. I’m the star of nightmares. And nightmares only happen in the dark.”

  “Do you ever think about walking away from it all?” I whispered. “Do you ever wonder what life would be like if you were just a man, not the Skull King?”

  He looked at me in profound silence, his gaze becoming more heated with every passing second. “No.”

  I held his gaze, not showing my disappointment.

  “I will always be the Skull King—never a man.”

  6

  Balto

  “Any ideas?” Heath sat with me at the bar, his fingers wrapped around his scotch.

  “No.”

  “I figured killing Lucian would be the only thing you cared about.”

  I thought about getting my revenge all the time. I was prepared to end the feud permanently—and hoped I’d find the diamond afterward. Once he was dead, I would claim all of his possessions and burn down his house. “It’ll happen when it’s meant to happen.”

  “Yeah?” He drank from his glass and watched Denise wait on a table. “Or you’re dragging your feet because you aren’t ready to let Cassini go?”

  I stared at my brother, my hand resting against my glass. He wore a slight grin, like he’d said the perfect thing to get to me
. Truth be told, he did burrow under my skin.

  “You can keep seeing her after Lucian is dead, you know.”

  “No, I can’t.” When Lucian was dead and she didn’t need my protection anymore, it was officially over. If she stayed with me, our arrangement would turn into a relationship. I wasn’t the kind of man that could commit to a woman for longer than a few months. There was no point. I had to ditch Cassini before it became too complicated. The longer she stayed, the more difficult it would be to let her go.

  “Why not?”

  “You know why.” I drank from my glass.

  “You could also step down, and I could take your place.”

  I turned to him, my eyes narrowed. “Is that why you’re pushing Cassini on me so hard? Because you think you could take my throne? That would never happen.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the men don’t want you. That’s why.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve been doing good work here. Building a lot of trust.”

  “Being the Skull King is about more than good work. It’s about controlling hundreds of crime lords without lifting a finger. It’s about crushing skulls without hesitating. It’s about outsmarting your enemies before they even realize they’re your enemy. You don’t have enough experience, Heath. At least, not at this moment.”

  “That’s inspiring,” he said sarcastically.

  “What do you expect me to say? You want my job.”

  “It’s not like I want your woman or anything.”

  I gave him a look full of warning.

  “Because I don’t,” he said quickly. “And you really have no plans for Lucian? Hit him first, or let him hit us first? No trick up your sleeve?”

  “Hitting him first is tricky because he can wire explosives at his location, lure us in, and then detonate.”

  “With him inside?” he asked. “That’s a suicide mission.”

  “No. He could pick a meeting spot and then wait for us to get there first. If we hit his home without warning, he could have that place rigged too. Explosives are for cowards. It’s impersonal. It’s like hunting with a gun—it’s from a distance. Lucian is weak and has no physical strength. It’s in his best interest to avoid me at all costs.” I sipped my scotch.

  “Good point.”

  “And I can’t wait too long because he may try to infiltrate the Underground or the compound with explosives. Then we’ll really be screwed.”

  “Maybe we should tighten security.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Or maybe we should use Cassini to draw him out.”

  The thought had crossed my mind too. “I’m not going to use her as bait.”

  “It’d probably be easier if you did.”

  I stared at my glass. “No.”

  “Well…then you could use me as bait.”

  I pulled my gaze away from my glass to look at him.

  “He doesn’t know there’re two of us. We could make him believe I’m really out somewhere alone. When he makes his move and takes me, there’s no need for explosives. That’s when you jump in.”

  It wasn’t a terrible idea. “One problem with that. He might kill you on the spot.”

  “Or he might ask me to hand Cassini over. I can stall until you get there.”

  I shook my head. “With me out of the picture, he could get Cassini himself. There’s a good chance he’d kill you then and there.”

  “Not if you’re nearby and covering me.”

  I couldn’t bait Cassini, but I couldn’t bait my brother either. “This is my war. I’d lure him out myself. You would cover me.”

  “You’re better in a fight.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m not risking you.”

  He grinned. “You care about your baby brother?”

  I faced forward and ignored him.

  “You love me, asshole,” he said with a chuckle. “That’s sweet.”

  “You flatter yourself. I just don’t want any of my men to die for my cause.”

  “Whatever you say, man.” He finished his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his forearm. He turned to see a beautiful blond woman, the kind of person that was never spotted in the Underground. She wore a black dress cut low in the front, and a thick mink coat that covered most of her frame was on top. With curled blond hair, bright-red lipstick, and eyes blue like mine, she reminded me distinctly of Marilyn Monroe. “Here she is.” Heath pointed to the seat across from us. “Miss Lightning, take a seat.”

  I glared at my brother because I’d told him I wasn’t interested in providing protection to this woman’s prostitutes. But Heath went over my head and made it happen anyway. If we didn’t share the same blood, his eyes would be so black, they would be swollen shut.

  The blonde sat across from me and swept her hair off her shoulder, displaying a confident charm every prostitute possessed. They were fantasies, dreams that men had every night. It was their job to be real, to seduce all the men around them with subtle looks and elegant poise. “The Skull King…I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “Nothing good, I hope.”

  “Actually, to the contrary.” She leaned forward, a seductive smile on her lips.

  Denise came over and refilled our drinks. “What can I get you?”

  Miss Lightning wasn’t distracted by the waitress’s tits on display. “I’ll have what they’re having, honey.”

  Denise poured the scotch then walked away.

  Miss Lightning never pulled her gaze off my face. “A few of my girls tell me you’re their favorite client.”

  “I always pay in full—plus tip.” I wasn’t one of those assholes who fucked a woman then roughed them up when they demanded to be paid. Taking advantage of a woman just because she was small and powerless was pathetic. Only pussies did shit like that.

  “That’s not the only reason,” she said. “Most of them say they would provide their services for free…because you make them feel like the client rather than the other way around.”

  I didn’t react to her statement, even though my brother listened to every word. I didn’t talk about my sex life to anyone. It was obvious I screwed whores and picked up women at bars, but I didn’t share details. “Heath tells me you’re interested in getting protection, that you want me to be your scarecrow. I’m sorry to waste your time, but I’m not interested. I’m already overbooked as it is. I can’t give you the time and attention you need.”

  She continued to stare at me with that same sexy look. “I manage hundreds of women throughout this city, and you know better than anyone these women aren’t walking the streets late at night. My women are beautiful, sexy, perfect tens.”

  “Yes…I know from personal experience.”

  “And you also know what their fee is.”

  They were the most expensive whores in the world.

  “I’m willing to give you thirty percent of everything we make—plus perks.”

  It wasn’t an issue of money. I just didn’t have time.

  When I didn’t ask about the perks, she elaborated. “The girls would be happy to service you for free—whenever you want.”

  That wasn’t appealing to me either. Right now, I had a woman I couldn’t get enough of. “I can put some of my guys on it.”

  “No.” She took a drink of her scotch then licked her lips. “I want you. You’re the only man in this town who has the kind of power that I need.”

  “I’m flattered,” I said. “But I’m not a pimp.”

  “You wouldn’t be a pimp,” she said. “You would be security.”

  “Again, I don’t have the time. My loyalty is to the Skull Kings, and I can’t take any time away from them. I’m sure your offer is very generous, but you’re asking me for time I can’t give.” If I agreed to this, I would never be home in the evenings. I would be out every single night—and Cassini wouldn’t like that. She wouldn’t be around much longer so I shouldn’t make my decisions based on that, but I didn’t want to waste the time we had left. />
  Miss Lightning sighed in disappointment. “I don’t think you understand how much cash is on the table—”

  “I don’t think you understand how rich I am.”

  She opened her clutch and wrote down a number. “This is my number. And this is your monthly income if you decide to take my offer.” She pushed it toward me then rose to her feet.

  I glanced at the card, and while I was impressed by the number, I didn’t show it.

  She moved to my side then placed her hand on my shoulder. “Call me if you change your mind.” She leaned down and pressed a kiss to my neck.

  I grabbed her wrist and pushed her off. “Kiss me like that again, and I’ll break your hand.” I released her then glared up at her.

  Instead of being angry, she smiled. “The king has a queen…”

  I came home at five in the morning.

  The night had passed in a blur because I had so much to do. I paid a visit to my drug dealers to the west and collected their monthly tax. A territory dispute was forming between two rivals, and I had to end the argument before heads started rolling. By the time I walked in the door, I was tired.

  Cassini wasn’t on the couch like I expected her to be. She must have stayed in bed.

  I whipped up something to eat in the kitchen before I headed to my room. The door was open, so I stepped inside and found her sleeping alone in the large bed. Still naked, she had the sheets pulled to her soft shoulder. Her hair was all over the place, and her arm reached for my side of the bed like she hoped I was there.

  I kicked off my shoes then stripped off my clothes.

  She must have heard the clothes hit the ground because she opened her eyes and sat up. “You’re home…” She ran her fingers through her messy hair and pulled it out of her face as she blinked her eyes, slowly coming to reality. It was still dark outside because sunrise was hours away. “What time is it?”

  “Five.” I pulled back the covers and got into bed.