Page 20 of Straight, No Chaser
God that I so fucking want to. If I can.
"But, I have to know it's love. I can't go through what I went through before."
If I tell her now, I'm not sure if she'll believe it. Even though it's as true as my love for Eli. Albeit in two very different ways. I have to prove it. Earn it. Accept it. Which is actually the hardest of all three.
"I won't ever hurt you like he did. Believe that."
She entwines her fingers with my hand resting on her stomach. "I do."
I drop back down to my shoulder and curl her against me. Breathing in her vanilla scent, which releases the remaining anxiety clenching my muscles. I can wait. But I refuse to let her think her hesitation has changed anything between us. That I don't want the little bit she offers if I can't have it all. I nuzzle her neck, licking across the delicate skin of her slender throat. Smiling from the shudder rolling through her. When I reach her ear, I shove my lips against the delicate lobe. "One taste isn't enough."
Her petite body rises, as I make my way down her chest to her taut nipples. She squirms underneath me. Sweet pussy grinding against my dick. For pleasure she's not ready for yet. I scrunch down and bury my dick against the mattress instead of inside her. Down boy, tonight's not your night.
It's all hers.
9
Chapter Nine
Iclickthrough the links in the email Tobias sent me. The guy's the best at what he does. Taking less than an hour, after I made the request this morning, to find out everything I need to know about this motherfucking bastard. Including that he's going to die.
Restraining orders. Assault charges. Jail time. None of it enough to stop him.
Until now.
I tap the screen, and the investigator picks up on the first ring.
"I guess you got the information."
Years of nicotine addiction thickens his voice to a gravelly baritone. Dude has got to give that shit up. "Quick as always."
A deep inhale ruffles through the speaker. "What a fucking bastard. I just don't understand how these women get mixed up with his psycho shit."
My head shakes from his sputtered tone. Can't even talk on the phone without a smoke. Get a patch or something. "I don't know. But even more surprising no one's popped his ass yet."
"I guess you'll be taking care of that."
With him locked up, he's an easy target for my guys. Nowhere to fucking hide. "Fuck yeah I am. No one's going to have to worry about Hunter Rowe's sorry ass again."
My head flies up at the gasp from the doorway. Molly clutches the door frame with a trembling hand. All the normal pinkness gone from her face. "Wh-what's going on?"
"I've got to call you back."
I toss the phone on the bed and stride toward her. My mind and my conscience battling over what to say. How to explain to her what I'm going to do without destroying everything I'm trying to build between us. Not that I have even an ounce of remorse for killing the bastard. But I never want her to know. That I have the desire or the ability to so easily end another man's life.
So I choose honesty. Kind of. "He hurt you, and I'm not going to let it happen again."
A shudder runs through her delicate body, that fuels my rage even more. That just talking about him scares her so much.
"What's that supposed to mean? What are you doing?"
"I had one of my staff members investigate him. To see where he lives now, what he's doing so I can keep an eye on him."
"And?"
"He's in prison." Good thing I haven't eaten breakfast yet as this shit makes my stomach turn. "For raping and beating a woman so bad she ended up in the ICU."
"Oh no." That's what finally breaks her. She collapses down into the chair, swiping at the droplets running down her cheeks. "Is she okay?"
