Page 215 of Outlaws of Tulsa

Guilt swarms in like a cloud of angry bees. I want to swat it away and blank out my mind, but the pain that’s now stabbing through my other nipple keeps me trapped in Dragon’s smoky haze.

Wex says something to me, explaining how I keep the piercings clean, and I attempt to pay attention, though it’s hard with Dragon practically setting the small room on fire with just one hot look.

“Uh, what?” I croak out, meeting Wex’s pervy stare.

“I said it’s natural to get aroused,” Wex drawls out, licking his cracked lips and then lowering his voice, “but if you need help taking care of this”—he boldly rubs his gloved palm over my erection in my jeans—“lose your guard dog and I’ll make sure it’s good for you.”

I go to shove his hand away, but it’s a fruitless effort because Dragon pounces like a lethal panther, lost to his own madness. He tackles Wex off the stool, sending them both crashing to the floor, instruments clattering all over the place. Dragon wails on him, punching him with the power of a god.

Oh, fuck.

He’s not punching.

Stabbing.

He’s fucking stabbing.

All I can do is stare in shock as Dragon drives deep holes into the struggling slob’s chest, stomach, and neck, blood spurting up in a vicious arc when he slices through an important artery.

Katana slides into the room, his sharp gaze quickly analyzing the situation. I expect him to haul Dragon off, but instead he crosses his arms and calls out to Nees in a bored tone, “Change of plans.”

Nees peeks into the room and groans. “Did I call it or did I call it, K?”

“You called it,” Katana replies before nodding at Dragon. “I think he’s dead now.”

Dragon snarls, his eyes dark with rage. “He deserved it.”

Katana tosses me my shirt and cut. “Put those back on. We need to bail.”

I scramble off the bench and throw my clothes back on, wincing at the sting of the fabric over my nipples. Dragon rises, staring at the corpse at his feet, a smirk transforming his stupidly gorgeous face from angry to amused.

Insane.

Completely fucking insane.

His head cocks to the side as he shifts his gaze to study me. I swallow down the unease, drowning out any lingering lust. With blood splattered all over his clothes, arms, and face, I should bolt away from this monster, not allow my stare to linger on the way his lips seem to pout out sometimes in an extremely tempting way. I’m still staring at his perfect mouth when Katana clears his throat.

I snap out of my daze, keeping my attention off the hole-riddled body on the floor and pushing past Katana to the reception area of the shop. The girl from earlier is gone, but I don’t waste time asking where she went. I follow Nees out, hopping into Copper’s truck with him. He doesn’t wait for Katana and Dragon, peeling out of the parking lot.

“Dude is fucking crazy,” Nees says, shaking his head, a manic grin on his face. “You never want to piss him off.”

His words settle in my gut, souring my stomach. Dragon stabbing Wex was just a reminder of his power and uncontrollably violent nature. Sure, we got off, but it was a one-time thing. Dangerous, but I lived. The next time, I might not be so lucky. I sure as hell won’t let my sister step in and save the day again. I’m an idiot for letting my guard down, even for a few seconds of bliss.

Dragon is a monster.

He eats guys like me for dinner.

The drive back to the motel is filled with Nees’s chatter. I nod and smile where appropriate, but my head is still in that room with Dragon. It bothers me that I can’t erase his lips from my mind. I should be disgusted, but nothing about his blood-splattered runway beautiful face turns me off.

I’m just like my mother.

Her choices left her with a brutal death. Mauled to death by the dogs of her drug dealing boyfriend. If it weren’t for Stormy, who was able to shepherd away two toddlers while just being a kid herself, we would’ve met the same fate. We would’ve been consequences of Mom’s terrible choices.

Stormy already paid for me once. I’ll be damned if I keep putting my family in harm’s way because I can’t think with anything except my stupid dick.

By the time we step inside the motel, I’m hardened with the resolve to do better. When I’m not in Dragon’s crosshairs, I can think properly. Like a sane man, not this dick-obsessed idiot I seem to become in his presence. While Nees calls Koyn to update him on the events that transpired, I close myself in the bathroom to take a look at my piercings. Once I shed my cut and shirt, I stare at the metal glinting under the harsh fluorescent lights.

They hurt pretty badly, but they look cool as hell.

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