Page 27 of Creatures in the Night

Shea jerked her head out of my grip, but when she tried to yank her arm out of my grasp, I just held on tighter. “I’d like to get dressed,” she bit out.

“For what?” I shot back, letting her know exactly what I had planned for us next.

Glaring up at me, she asked, “Are you even using protection?”

“What da feck would I need protection fer, lass?” I asked, pissed that she’d even suggest that I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing. “If a bullet pierces my heart, then so be it.”

Shea’s eyes widened. “I’m talking about condoms, you asshole.”

Of course, she was.

“I’m only going to say this once, lass,” I warned her. “You’ll watch how you speak to me. If I mistreat you, then you’re free to express yourself however you want. However, by my count, I haven’t mistreated you once since we’ve said our vows.”

She looked ready to murder me. “So, you don’t think letting your buddies talk about me and how you’re still free to sleep with other women mistreating me?”

“That conversation wasn’t meant for your ears,” I reminded her.

She let out a dark laugh. “Well, I’ve got news for you, Mr. Murphy,” she practically snarled. “The way you treat women when they’re not in the room tells people exactly how you truly regard them. Anyone can put on a show for the cameras, but it’s how you act when you’re off stage that demonstrates integrity.”

“I’m not going to apologize for preferring blondes before I met you, Shea,” I snapped. “We enjoy what we enjoy, and me preferring blondes was no different than someone preferring horror movies to action movies. However, that doesn’t mean that they’ve never watched or enjoyed an action movie just because horror movies are their first choice.”

“You know what else that means?” she fired back. “It means that I’m entitled to my own preferences just like you’re entitled to yours.”

I had my hand wrapped around her neck before she could even finish her sentence. “I’m nothing if not a man of my word, Shea. So, when I tell you that I will kill you if you ever let another man touch you, then believe it. While I might not torture you like I will him, I’ll still kill you, lass.”

Instead of cowering, she said, “Well, that’s nice to know. So, while you’re out satisfying your wants and needs with all the blondes that are willing, I get to wait here and pray that you don’t bring me any diseases. I mean, God forbid that I should be allowed to find a little happiness with someone that might actually want me. How lovely.”

I was going to fucking strangle her.

“Oh, baby, if that’s the case, then I’m going to prove to you just how much I fucking want you,” I warned her. “I’m going to fuck you until you’re begging me to stop. I’m going to devour every fucking inch of your body until there’s nothing that I don’t know about you. And when I’m done? I’m going to do it all over again, and I’m going to keep doing it until I’ve convinced you that brunettes are my new favorite flavor, and one brunette in particular.” Shea’s eyes widened with apprehension. “Whether you believe it or not, I plan on honoring my vows, and since you’re the only woman that I’ll be touching for the rest of my life, I’m going to touch you every-fucking-where, baby.”

Chapter 18

Shea~

While I’d heard the phrase about poking the bear, it was clear that it was a lesson that I was finally going to learn the hard way. I’d been so determined to keep Noah in the role of the villain that it hadn’t ever occurred to me that he might actually be attracted to me. It also hadn’t ever occurred to me that he’d want to honor his vows after what I’d overheard. When he freely broke the gravest Commandments, why in the hell would he care about adultery? I mean, from the way that he’d treated his parents at our wedding ceremony, I had no doubt that he honored them, but that was probably the only sacred rule that he followed.

I also hated how I had sounded like a jealous fishwife when lecturing him about condoms. All I had in this marriage was my pride, and I needed to hold onto it fiercely if I planned on surviving this situation with as little battle scars as possible. No matter how my body responded to Noah’s touch, I couldn’t afford to forget that this wasn’t a real marriage.

Noah didn’t love me.

He never would.

I eyed him as he went to sit on the bed, and dressed in only a pair of grey sweatpants, that masculine physique of his was on display for all my lady bits to notice, and it surprised me that he was free of any tattoos. For some stupid reason, I’d always thought that all mobsters had tattoos, but what did I know outside movies?

“Drop the robe,” he ordered, making my chin go up.

I didn’t want to. Even if he did have plans to be faithful to me, it was hard not to be reminded of the conversation with his guards every time that he wanted to look at me. No matter his convictions, I was always going to be what he’d never wanted in a wife, and I didn’t know how to get that splinter out from under my skin. It was always going to be there; able to ignore some days, irritating as hell on others.

When I didn’t move fast enough for him, Noah’s arms reached out, then he yanked me towards him by my hips. As soon as I was standing in between his spread legs, he reached for the fluffy belt, then untied it, not caring how I felt once again. Nevertheless, I didn’t stop him because there was no point. I couldn’t have it both ways, so it was either be available to him when he wanted me or turn the other way when he was finally forced to seek pleasure elsewhere.

As the robe opened fluidly around me, Noah’s hands gripped my hips, his mouth planting a soft kiss on my stomach, which surprised me. With all of his earlier threats, I’d been certain that his plan had been to crawl behind me on the bed, then fuck me to prove a point. This…this tenderness was confusing me, and I didn’t like it. I wanted to stay cocoon in my familiar rage where I was safe from not ever falling for my husband. So, yeah, this wasn’t good.

“What are you doing?”

“I already told you my plans, lass,” he replied. “By the time that I’m finished with you, my lips and tongue will have tasted you everywhere.” His hands gripped my hips tighter as he added, “Granted, I’ll never be finished with you, but finished until you pass out tonight.”

The problem was that I knew exactly how well the man could make good on his promise. Even with only one night under our belts, Noah Murphy was sex on a stick, and what a stick it was. I’d never had sex with a man as hot as Noah, and it was doubly dangerous when the man knew what he was doing.

---