Foxy in Lingerie Page 8

  His hand moved to the back of my head, digging into my hair. He gently tugged on it and brushed his lips past mine. He didn’t kiss me, purposely teasing me. “Good answer, baby.” He positioned himself on top of me then closed his mouth around mine.

  He needed to rest his shoulder, so I should have pushed him to his back and straddled his hips, but when I felt his weight sink me into the mattress along with his big dick, the thought left my mind. Now all I wanted was him inside me, to feel him conquer me the way he promised.

  He locked my knees back with his arms then slid inside me, moaning as he felt me. “Mine.” He rocked into me hard, hitting me at a punishing pace right from the beginning. “And you will always be mine.”

  He fucked me first thing in the morning. Didn’t even wait for me to wake up first.

  He moved me to my back, separated my thighs, and pounded into me. He pinned me down so I wouldn’t move and coated my body with his sweat. He ground hard and fast, pushing me to a climax so he could quickly follow. Then he got off me and walked into the shower like nothing happened.

  Like I wasn’t just stuffed with all of his come.

  I went back to his sleep with his seed inside me, and when I woke up hours later, Bones wasn’t in the bedroom.

  I pulled on his t-shirt and walked into the living room, expecting to see him sitting on the couch with a scotch on the table.

  My prediction was right, but he wasn’t alone. Max was there too.

  Max sat on the couch beside him and examined his shoulder. His scotch was on the table, and he was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt. He didn’t have ink the way Bones did. His tanned skin was untouched. “I sent Shane into the field. He’ll be alright. You should be good as new in a month, so you’ll start your rotation then.” Max released his arm and stopped staring at the white bandage that covered Bones’s shoulder.

  “Max.” Bones’s deep voice vibrated with tension, like whatever he was going to say next wouldn’t be pleasant. “You know I can’t be involved anymore. I didn’t think we even needed to have this conversation.”

  I stopped before the kitchen table, unsure if I should be listening to this.

  Max’s nostrils flared in fury, just the way Bones’s did when he was really ticked about something. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  Bones turned his way, his entire body rigid with aggression. “Do I ever kid?”

  “The only reason you quit the first time was because her father made you. News flash, you don’t owe that asshole anything anymore.” He rested his forearms on his knees, so absorbed in his conversation with Bones that he didn’t notice me in the background.

  “First of all, no one makes me do anything.” Bones grabbed his glass and downed the entire contents with one gulp. “And secondly, don’t call him that.”

  Max’s eyes widened to the size of baseballs. “You’re defending him?”

  “No. Just don’t call him that.” He grabbed the second glass of scotch and drank that too. “He’s still Vanessa’s father, so out of her respect for her, keep your comments to yourself.”

  Max rolled his eyes. “I put my ass on the line to save those guys. We all did.”

  “No, we did it for Vanessa.”

  “Whatever,” he snapped. “I risked my neck for those assholes that called you trash. And now you’re going to bail on me?” He pressed his hands against his chest, expressing his disappointment. Then he dropped his arms, his shoulders sagging with defeat. “You can’t do that. We’re a foursome. We need four.”

  “You can replace me. Any guy would want the job.”

  “But I don’t trust any guy. You can’t turn your back on us.”

  Bones massaged his knuckles, his breathing increasing along with his anger. “I’m not turning my back on you. If you ever need something, I’m there. I’d risk my life to save someone you love—in a heartbeat. But that’s not what you’re asking me to do. You’re asking me to keep killing people for cash.”

  “You like killing people, and you like cash.” Max stared at his friend in disbelief, looking at Bones in a way I’d never seen him. “Come on, man. Don’t let her tell you what to do.”

  “She didn’t ask me.” He brought his voice down, probably worried about waking me up. “She’s never asked me. And Crow wouldn’t ask me either, not after what I did for him. This is voluntary. This is what I want.”

  “To do what?” he asked incredulously. “What are you going to do? Sit on your ass and get fat?”

  Bones didn’t rise to the insult. Max seemed to be the only person who could speak his mind around him. “Look what happened to Conway. He got mixed up with the wrong people. They didn’t just come after him, but his pregnant wife too. I have no problem risking my life every day, no matter the odds. But I can’t risk Vanessa.” He shifted his gaze to the ground. “I just can’t…” His voice trailed away, filled with the emotion he didn’t express.

  Max turned away, his shoulders still slumped with disappointment.

  “Every time I leave, it kills her.” Bones continued on, his voice quieter than before. “I can’t keep doing that to her, especially when I don’t need the money. I’ve lived my life without her…and we both know how that turned out.”

  Max turned his gaze back to Bones, and there was a look of sympathy.

  I wondered what he was referring to.

  “Think about it for a little while,” Max said. “Even if you decide to leave, I need you for a few more things. You can’t bail before then.”

  After a long pause, Bones finally nodded in agreement. “That’s fine.”

  Max patted him on the back. “How’s the pain?”

  “There is no pain.”

  He nodded to Bones’s shoulder. “I meant the gunshot wound.”

  “Like I said, no pain.”

  Max gave him an incredulous look, like he couldn’t believe a word he said. “It’s okay to feel pain, man. I know you’ve been shot a lot, but it’s normal for it to hurt like a bitch.”

  He shook his head slightly. “Vanessa is my painkiller. And she’s potent.”

  After Max left, I returned to the living room, pretending I just woke up.

  Bones was on the couch, a bottle of scotch sitting next to his glass. His knees were wide apart, and his chiseled torso still looked tight even when he was relaxed. He turned his head slightly my way, barely greeting me. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Fine. Until you fucked me until I woke up.”

  He turned back to the TV. “Are you complaining?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and regarded him, just wearing one of his big t-shirts. “No. And I slept well when I went back to sleep the second time.”

  “Are you disappointed I didn’t wake you up the same way?” He turned to me, the corner of his mouth raised in a smile. His arrogance was the same as it’d always been. He loved to be a smartass, to get a rise out of me whenever possible.

  I looked at the bottle of scotch on the table. “You’re drinking too much.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “It’s eleven in the morning.”

  “And I usually start drinking at nine. So there’s been an improvement.”

  I walked to the coffee table and grabbed the half-empty bottle. “I don’t care about your drinking. But you’re still on medication, so you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol at all.”

  “I’ve been shot at thirteen times before this.” He turned his gaze back to the TV. “And I was never on medication any other time. So, trust me, the scotch is fine.”

  “No, it’s not.” I confiscated the bottle and the glass and carried it back to the kitchen.

  He didn’t turn around to look at me.

  “No more drinking for a few weeks.”

  He still didn’t make a protest.

  I walked back to the couch, suspicious of his silence. I stopped at his knee and stared down at him, his t-shirt as big as a blanket around my slender body.

  After a minute of silence, he grabbed my wris
t and tugged me into his lap. He pulled my leg over his waist and forced me to straddle him. When he pressed his hips upward, I could feel the definition of his big cock against me.

  “I thought you were mad at me, not turned on.”

  “Who says I’m not?” His hand moved into the back of my hair, and he fisted it, getting the perfect grip so I couldn’t get away. “When I’ve been most furious with you is when I’ve wanted you the most.” He pressed his face close to mine, his other hand pressing on my lower back so he could force my clit against his shaft. “I’m sure you can think of when…”

  When I shot him in the snow.

  “I’ll drink when I feel like drinking. You can put my booze away, but that won’t stop me. I’ll fuck you exactly when I feel like it, even if you’re asleep. I will do as I damn well please—so don’t waste your time.”

  I cocked my head to the side, challenging him with my narrowed eyes. “Really?”

  He rubbed his nose against mine. “Really.”

  “I’m supposed to be the one to take care of you. He said no booze—so no booze.”

  “Trust me, I can handle it.”

  “You only think you can handle it.”

  He tugged on my hair, gaining dominance. “I know exactly what I can handle, baby. A few glasses a day is nothing compared to how much I used to drink when you were gone. I know my limits because I’ve broken my limits. I learned the consequences of my actions the hard way…so let it go.”

  My hands glided down his chest as my eyes remained focused on his. I thought about his conversation with Max and the subtle words they shared. Something told me they were related. “What happened?”

  He stared at me, his eyes stubborn. “Doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me.”

  He pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth then along my jawline. Slowly, he moved, brushing past my ear and then down my neck. His kisses turned more aggressive once he reached the hollow of my throat. He swiped his tongue across my skin as he fisted my hair harder. He distracted me with his embrace—and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it worked. “I think your pussy needs more come.”

  “You’re right,” I said as I let the passion sweep me off my feet. “I think she does.”

  We ended up in bed again, lying together with the sheets bunched around our waists. Bones would slide his fingers through my hair and kiss me for no reason at all. His embraces were slow and passionate, full of lust and love. Then he’d pull away to watch me, to observe me with his perpetually intense expression.

  My fingers gently rubbed over the gauze on his shoulder. “Promise me you won’t drink until this is gone.” It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t phrase it like one. I just wanted him to get better, to make sure nothing got in the way of the healing process. He was still as strong as he was before, but if he didn’t slow down, his body would struggle to get better. I never asked Bones for anything because I knew he wasn’t the kind of man to be bossed around, even if he was pussy-whipped.

  His eyes shifted slightly back and forth as he stared into my eyes.

  “You said I was a potent painkiller. So why do you need to drink anyway?” My fingers explored his collarbone and the muscles of his chest. I loved his size and strength, the way he could crush anything with his bare hands.

  His eyes narrowed. “You were listening.”

  I didn’t realize the way I’d incriminated myself, not until after the words were out of my mouth and into the world. But it was such a sweet thing for him to say that I didn’t care if he knew I overheard it all. “Yes.”

  “Then you heard everything Max said about work.”

  “Yes.” I continued to massage him, to feel his tight muscles with my fingertips.

  “What is your opinion about it?”

  “You already know what it is.” My palm cupped his cheek. “I just got you back. I can’t lose you again…not ever.” I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this man, every single morning and every single night. “I always knew I wanted to get married and spend my life with one person. When I was younger, I dated different guys who were wrong for me, and that made me realize how much I wanted to fall in love with one man. I’m not ashamed to say I want to go to sleep with the same man every single night for the rest of my life. And I’m not ashamed to say that man is you. I never want to feel you slip through my fingers again. I never want to sleep alone ever again. I never want anything to come between us…especially not death. I want us to have a boring, quiet life, the kind of life that my father loves.”

  He listened to every word I said, his expression just as stern as it usually was. “I can’t leave Max high and dry. I have to finish a few things first.”

  I wanted him never to go back into the field. I wanted it to be over for good, but after what his friends did for my family, I wouldn’t be selfish and ask something like that. “I understand.”

  “But once that’s over…I’ll leave.”

  The chains around my chest finally came free, and relief washed over my body. Soon enough, I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone trying to hurt him ever again. We would both make an honest living in Florence, blending in with the rest of the crowd like nobodies. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll have to find something else to do. Not sure what that is yet.”

  “You can help me with the gallery.”

  He shook his head. “That’s your thing, baby. I need something of my own.”

  “Something safe, I hope.”

  The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Not that safe. Don’t want it to be boring.”

  I knew he was kidding, so I let the comment go unchallenged. “So, what do we do now?”

  He turned on his back and faced the ceiling, his hard body slowly rising and falling with his breaths. “I was planning on selling this place.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  He stared at the ceiling and gave a slight nod. “I have no use for it anymore. If we’re in Florence, we’ll almost never be here. And all of your family lives in Florence now, except for Carter.”

  “Yeah…but we should keep the house in Lake Garda.”

  He turned his head toward me. “You like that place?”

  “Yeah. We could spend some of the winter there.” We could lie by the fire, watch the snow fall outside, and stay bundled up against the cold outside the large mansion in the middle of the mountains. Being that isolated wasn’t my preference, but I knew this relationship would come with compromises.

  “I’d like that.”

  “My apartment in Florence is fine. I’m not sure if we need more space.”

  “No, we’ll need a bigger place. I need more space.”

  “For what?” I asked playfully. “We’re always tangled up together.”

  “Gym. Guns. Gin.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, we’ll definitely need a bigger place then. But for now, it’s nice.” I moved against him and tucked my leg in between his with my torso across his waist.

  He turned toward me and brushed his lips against my hairline, his scruff rough against my soft skin.

  “You think you can make the trip tomorrow?”

  “Baby, I’ve been fine since the day I left the hospital. I didn’t tell you otherwise because I wanted to lock you up in my prison once again.”

  “The front door is unlocked.”

  “I never locked the door when you were my prisoner before. Never needed to.” He brushed his lips against my forehead. “My hands on your body were the chains that kept you bound to me—and they still keep you bound to me.”

  Max stepped out of the elevator with his sleeves rolled up. “I fit most of it into the truck. Anything else?”

  “He’s just packing a few more guns.” I rolled my eyes. “It’s like he’s preparing for war.”

  “For men like us, we never know when the next war is gonna happen until it’s at our doorstep. Better to be prepared.” Max had come over to help us load everything into the new truck. Bones claimed he could do e
verything on his own, but I wouldn’t allow him. His shoulder was healing, and I didn’t want him to tear the ripped flesh even more.

  Max crossed his arms over his chest then peered down the hallway. “His woman packs lighter than him. Pathetic, if you ask me.”

  “Yeah, but I only pack sundresses and art supplies. He packs bullets.”

  He grinned. “True.”

  I’d never thanked Max for what he did for my family, so now was the perfect opportunity. “Thanks for helping Conway. It really means a lot to me.”

  He quickly dropped his gaze, the intimacy of the conversation unappealing to him. “You mean the world to him…so you mean the world to us.”

  “That’s nice of you to say. If there’s ever anything I can do for you—”

  He raised his palm to silence me. “You don’t owe me anything, sweetheart.” He lowered his hand and placed it in the pocket of his jeans. He glanced down the hallway again. “Hurry the hell up, asshole. You think I don’t have other things to do?”

  Bones yelled back down the hallway, his voice shaking the walls. “Shut the hell up, asshole. And no, I don’t.”

  Max turned to me and rolled his eyes. “I’ve saved his life twice, and this is what I get?”

  “He’s a bit stubborn,” I said with a smile.

  He arched an eyebrow.

  “Alright, he’s really stubborn.”

  “That’s more like it.” He glanced at the shiny watch on his wrist before he looked at me again. “Florence, huh?”

  “Yeah. I think we’re going to be spending most of our time there.” I was certain Max wasn’t happy about that, having his closest friend five hours away.

  “I’m relieved that Bones is back to normal. I didn’t like the way he was before…he didn’t either.” The melancholy in Max’s voice reached my ears. He spoke quietly, so Bones couldn’t overhear our conversation. “He’s happy, and I prefer him when he’s happy.”

  It would be wrong for me to pry into Bones’s life through his friend, but Bones was purposely keeping me in the dark about what happened in the last three months. “Bones said he broke his limit when it came to booze and he learned his lesson the hard way… What happened?”