Page 69 of One Love

Pushing off the wall, I take the four steps I need to bring me face to face with this asshole. One hand at the back of his head and the other pummeling his temple until my knuckles start aching.

“You show her some fucking respect, you putrid shit stain.” Turning, I give J a wink and a smirk then walk right back to my spot and watch.

“It’s just so fucking ridiculous. My mother was raped trying to save me. Fucking raped, Ronan. Then she was shot. All that because I wasn’t worthy of their son? It’s pathetic.” J shakes her head in disgust then stops as though another thought came to her. “Why did you go back to Florida? Cook said you were holed up in a bunker in Georgia. We only got to you because you showed your face in Florida.”

At this point, Ronan’s attention goes straight to Petey before he nods his chin in his direction. Kid’s been quietly weeping up there. “Let him go and I’ll tell you.”

“How about this? You tell me and I’ll make sure he eats and drinks.” Tab brings J a chair and she sits, crossing her legs and watching Ronan weigh his choices.

“Give him water and I’ll tell you.” J nods to Shoo, her eyes fixed on Ronan. “Jonathan got greedy. Petey and Hallie—“ J is up on her feet, her face so close to Ronan’s I’m afraid he’ll bite her nose off.

“Don’t fucking say her name. Ever.” Pointing her blade to Petey, I watch as Tab puts a gun to his forehead, making Ronan stiffen with fear.

“Their marriage would have been a strong message, an alliance of money and power. But Jonathan thought I was losing my edge and started demanding more.” He pauses, leaning in and snarling. “I don’t do renegotiations so I had to show them I wasn’t cowering from you.”

His confession brings silence to the room, except for Petey drinking his weight in water. Or trying to, but since he’s upside down, it’s proving a difficult feat.

“You’re all fucking sick.” With those words, J turns and heads to the entrance of the warehouse. “I’ll be back tomorrow. Make sure they drink enough water to make their bodily fluids do their jobs.”

Hmm, I think I’ll run a bath for my girl then fuck that sadness right out of her.

Chapter Twenty-Two

J

Five days.

For five days, I’ve been waiting for shit to hit the fan while juggling torture time with Ronan and quality time with my girl. Waiting for something to go wrong…for Hallie to realize I’m a shit mom and for Dmitry to figure out he doesn’t want to deal with my crap.

Being a mom is something I thought was lost to me, and now that I have it, I’m actually afraid that I’ll do it wrong. There’s only ever been myself to take care of, to keep safe, and being this kind of responsible for another human life is humbling in a way I never imagined.

My apartment isn’t equipped for the kind of life I want to give my girl, so we’ve temporarily moved back into one of the wings in Marco’s house by Central Park. The first night back in New York, Dmitry spent with Hallie and me. I stitched him up then spent the night on his lap in the corner of the guest room watching Hallie sleep—after soaking for about an hour in the bath he ran for me. It was everything, but I don’t know if I can expect him to take on the both of us. With just me, it wasa bit of fun, but now that I have my girl back there are more responsibilities. More than just myself to think about.

Dmitry has respected my request and stayed away since that first night, letting Hallie and me have some time to bond and grieve. Time we weren’t given when her father was killed. I suspect it’s only because of what Hallie’s been through and the security at Marco’s keeping him away. However, his regular texts have brought a smile to my face. Our little name change game has kept us both on our toes too, and I can’t help laughing at them—with the added bonus that my laughing scares Shoo.

It’s not that I don’t want to be around him, because every ounce of my soul misses him when he’s not around, force-feeding me kolache or challenging everything I do, but it’s that very ache that makes this whole thing difficult for me. Guilt over the whole thing plagues me. Am I disrespecting Murphy by having these feelings for someone else? Is it too soon?

Fuck, I’m not this person. Love makes everything so much more complicated.

I pause outside the warehouse door, my palm on the handle…fuck.Love? Really? No…

“Hey, Little Demon, has my surprise been useful?” Dmitry’s voice comes from behind me, followed by purposeful footsteps, and I close my eyes, trying not to smile.

“What’re you doing here?” I turn to face him, hands on my hips, noting his new motorcycle parked on the curb further down the road.I did that.I turned him into a biker, well, as much as he’s ever going to be.

He chuckles, narrowing his eyes and stalking toward me with that dangerous grin on his face. When he reaches me, he crowds my space, backing me into the metal door of the warehouse.

“Little Demon, don’t mistake me staying away for a lack of feelings. Every second of every day, you are on my mind, sometimes you’re running around naked and I’m powerless tostop you.” He gives me that damn wink again and I put my palms against his chest to push him back—half-heartedly. He doesn’t move an inch, continuing his little speech before I can speak. “The space you asked for…yeah, I’m done with that. So I’m here, to help, to watch, to be a pillar I know you don’t need, but I’m staying anyway, and then I’m going to make my girls dinner.” His lips press firmly against mine, his tongue quickly demanding entrance, and despite my reservations, my body gives in to him.

I meet his tongue stroke for stroke, our lips fused together and causing a fire to burn in my core, and even though it’s only been a few days, I allow myself to remember how just being with Dmitry makes me feel. Fucking confused mainly, but relaxed and safe—two things I’m not particularly familiar with—are high on the list.

A low growl escapes from my throat as I claw at his biceps, the T-shirt he’s wearing giving me perfect access to the bare, tattooed skin on his arms. Dmitry squeezes both my ass cheeks, lifting me, pressing my back against the door as I wrap my legs around his waist. His hard cock presses against my pussy, sending a buzz to the burning inferno already inside me before he pulls away, resting his forehead against mine.

“As much as I want to fuck you into oblivion, I believe we have someone waiting for us inside?” He pulls his head back and wags his brows, an excitement for torture hidden within the pale-green depths that I can totally get on board with.

Again and again, Dmitry surprises me. Not only is he not afraid of the life I lead, he encourages it.

With a deep breath, I snap my teeth at Dmitry and slap his arm to let me down. He responds with a chuckle as I slide down his body.

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