Page 87 of Outcast

"You could have died. Really died. Esteban could have died. I swear, if one more person I care about leaves me, inanyway, I will paint this town as red as the bottoms of my shoes."

A smile threatened to break free. She loved me. Still.

"I'm here,” I assured her. “You can tend to it, but then we won't worry about this anymore, yes?"

"No," she griped. This time when she reached for the hem of my shirt, I leaned forward and let her strip me. The graze twinged from the movement, but it wasn't anything to worry about.

Rita froze, staring at the bullet wound that had long since healed. Then she reached forward, her fingers whispering over my skin as she closed her eyes. Then she took in a shuddering breath and dropped her hand.

My heart stuck in my throat.Ah, Rita, I’m so sorry for all the pain I didn’t know I caused you.

Kneeling beside me, Rita used the supplies and efficiently cleaned and bandaged it up.

"You've been around death before. Why are you so upset?" The Dirty Dogs was a gang. A prolific one that hadn't shied away from violence. Not that I was complaining, it felt good to be cared about, but this was something different.

I glanced at Esteban to gauge his reaction. He stood about five feet away, staring at us with a thunderous expression and his arms crossed.

She busied herself putting the leftover supplies back in the kit and closing it up. I didn't think she was going to answer me. Instead, she kept motioning her head and mouthing words like she was arguing with herself.

Then, she stopped. Kneeling, head bowed. The only movement was her chest rising and falling.

I was mesmerized. I always had been by Rita, but this reaction on my behalf, it was intoxicating.

Her breathing became quicker, the gasps became audible. Fuck, she was having a panic attack.

"Rit–" I reached out a hand to touch her but she dove toward me, her hands clutching my shoulders and her mouth fusing to mine.

She swallowed her name up as she deepened the kiss. Shoving her tongue artfully around mine. A forceful, yet sensual, kiss made to drive me wild. She'd never kissed me like this.

I was her air. Her reason to breathe. That was how I felt.

Groaning, I pulled her against me. The bandage stretched as my arms flexed. I ignored it. If it peeled off in places, we'd fix it. That was one thing I had plenty of. Bandages.

I only had one Rita.

"Please," she gasped as she shot up for air before kissing me again. "Don't." A lip bite. "Leave me." This time she sucked on the side of my neck as her hand worked my pants. "Ever again."

"Never," I vowed. I meant it. Hell would have to pull me away.

She gripped my cock and gave me one strong stroke. My eyes briefly rolled back in my head. "What are you doing?" I panted.

When I opened my eyes, Esteban was no longer standing across from me. He'd taken a seat next to me. His brows were still low and his mouth was still set, but he wasn't trying to rip Rita away from me. He seemed content to watch her.

"Rewarding you," she breathed. "You could have let Esteban die. Hell, maybe you should have."

Esteban grunted and she continued to stroke the fuck out of me. Then she leaned over and spit on the tip, using her hand to spread it over my cock.

For the first time in over a year, maybe even two, she was really mine again. She wasn't just touching me out of grief or guilt.

Fuck, was she? No, this was gratitude. I'd take grateful all day long.

Not wanting to take her out of the moment, I tightened my hands into fists, pressing them into my sides. I would do nothing to risk breaking the spell of how perfect she was with my dick in her mouth.

"But you saved him. He could have died because of thatcabrón," she spat, then licked me from base to tip. "Why?" Rita demanded before kissing the head of my cock in a nasty tease. She locked eyes with me as she laved the tipwith her tongue, a line of spit hung from her mouth to my dick as she raised her head up.

"What?" I had trouble concentrating on what she was saying because the pleasure felt too good. Years of only my hand and then a quick and dirty fuck in a backroom killed my stamina.

"Why did you save him?" she asked again with just as much authority.

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