Page 42 of Skin Deep

“You were achild,” I growled, putting my arms around him and squeezing. “And this motherfucker sounds like a monster. He needs to die.”

“Something’s wrong with this job,” War said, shaking his head. “The vory don’t hand hits like this to outsiders. That kind of thing should be taken care of inside the organization.”

I took a deep breath. “If that’s the price, I’ll do it, and I won’t lose a minute of sleep over it. Whatever it takes.”

He hesitated before saying quietly, “I’m not letting you do this alone.”

“I can handle myself, War.”

“I know you can,” he said, sitting back. “But these guys, they’re not just any assholes on the street, Pax. You’re fucking around with mobsters now.” He flattened his palm against my chest, spreading his fingers out and staring at them. “I don’t want you or the girls to get hurt. Not for me. I’m not worth it.”

I curled my fingers in his hair and pulled his head back, making him look up at me. “It’s my life. I decide who I risk it for.”

His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Why me?”

I smirked. “Ain’t it obvious? I got a thing for pretty, sad white boys with murderous tendencies and big cocks.”

A pleasant pink blush spread over his cheeks. “I’m not pretty,” he muttered and looked away.

“I disagree. I’ll be thinking about how gorgeous you were riding my cock earlier tonight for a long damn time.” I silenced him with a kiss when he opened his mouth in protest. “I know you don’t think so, but it’s not up to you what I think. I’ve got my own mind, and you’ll never change it, no matter how much you try.”

He turned his head and bit my thumb, giving me a heated look. “Stubborn ass.”

Never mind that he was every bit as stubborn as I was.

“Careful giving me that look,” I said with a smirk. “I might have to get you dirty again.”

He sat up on his knees, letting the blanket fall away. “Will you take care of me after?”

“Always,” I promised and pushed him onto his back. “As long as you’ll let me.”

I kissed him hard, sliding my tongue between those soft lips of his. He groaned and put his arms around me, pulling me closer. Fucking him with his arms bound had been hot as hell, but there was something wonderful about how freely he touched me. It’d been a long time since I’d been touched by someone else like that. Maybe I was as addicted to it as he was.

He ran his hands over my chest, circling his thumbs over my nipples. “I have lube in the office. Top desk drawer. Through there.” He jerked his head toward a closed door nearby.

“Condoms?” I asked, since I’d only brought the one with me.

He chewed on his bottom lip a minute before saying, “My wallet’s on the table.”

I wasn’t going to say no to that invitation. I kissed him once more before getting up to go into the room he’d indicated, which looked much more well-used than the rest of the house. There were papers and folders piled everywhere on the desk along with a well-worn paperback ofThe Return of the King. I smiled when I saw it and had a quick glance at all the other books on his shelves. Most of them were medical textbooks or magazines, but scattered among them were books about dragons, knights, and wizards.

My man was a fantasy nerd. God, that was hot.

I filed that information away for later, found the lube in the top drawer along with a package of baby wipes, and then ducked into the kitchen to grab War’s wallet. I brought it all back to him, apparently interrupting his attempts to fix the way I’d taped up the bandage. He flashed me a mischievous smile that made my dick even harder. I dropped onto the couch next to him.

War immediately quit fiddling with the bandage and laid back, digging through his wallet to bring out two condoms. He eyed them, chewing on his bottom lip.

“What is it?” I asked, running my fingers over his arms. I could tell he was unsure about something.

“It’s just that…” He sighed. “As hot as things were upstairs, I can’t always handle that. The mess, I mean. It’s…distracting, and I want to be fully present with you. Is it…weird if I wear one too? I don’t want to get it all over the furniture.”

I chuckled and took both packages from him. “Nah, it ain’t weird at all. I told you, whatever you need me to do to be comfortable, I’m down.”

He let out a relieved breath and snatched one of the packages back, quickly rolling it on. I felt a little angry at how hesitant he seemed to talk about this stuff with me. When I had dinner at his mom’s house, his brothers had filled me in on his ex, Ken, who sounded like a real piece of work. War deserved someone who could accept him for who he was, quirks, murder, and all. He needed someone who could give him both the pain he craved and the love he didn’t think he deserved. I wanted to be that for him, to show him that he was worthy, even if he didn’t believe he was.

War reclined lazily on the sofa with one arm folded behind his head, the familiar spark of hunger back in his eyes. He smirked and pulled his knees up. I coated my fingers liberally with the lube before yanking his mouth to mine.

He whimpered the way only he could when I slid a finger inside him. He was still open for me after the last time, so I didn’t have to do much prep, which was a relief, because I didn’t think I could take waiting with the sounds he made.

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