Page 58 of Deranged (American Street Kings 3)

“Ugh,” I sighed. “Fuck this.” I shot up and grabbed my boots, slipping them on before grabbing my jacket, revealing the knife beneath it. His knife. The knife I stole from him, replacing it with mine. I bit my lip as I eased a fingertip over the steel. Just this once, I wanted to do something I wanted to do, something my heart begged me to do.

Just. This. Once.

* * *

Onyx

I glancedat the clock on the wall. It was just past noon, a good enough time for me to grab an ice-cold beer from the fridge, cracking the lid and taking a large gulp.

Ink was pissed at me, and rightfully so. I understood why he felt the way he did, but my decisions no longer affected me alone, which was why I had to think with my head—make the best decision based on facts and not personal opinions.

Leaning against the wall, my mind wandered to the woman whose perfume still lingered on my pillowcases. Wraith. I had to admit, even though I was disappointed at her disappearance, I wasn’t surprised. She didn’t seem like the type who stuck around for pillow talk and romantic morning-afters. But, damn, there was a very big part of me that wished I had either cuffed her to my bed, or locked her in my goddamn room because I really fucking wanted to see her right now. And like Granite said, I didn’t have her number or know where she stayed. All I had was the memories of how her body felt against mine, how she surrendered, letting go of her demons only for a little while as I showed her what it was like to be taken by a man determined to give her pleasure rather than take it.

“Fuck,” I muttered, pushing myself off the wall on my way to the stairs. That was when I heard it, the sound of a Harley out front. Immediately, my heart started to pound like a jackhammer, hoping like fuck it was her. I knew it wasn’t trouble heading our way since trouble didn’t come with a single engine.

Rushing to the door, I flung it open and stared right at her. I exhaled as I took her in. With dark circles under her eyes and splotchy complexion, she looked exhausted. Troubled. “You had me worried. I didn’t know whether you’d come back.”

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure whether I would.”

Unable to stop myself, I reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside the bar and slamming the door shut as I pressed her back against it. I didn’t know what it was, but whenever I was near her, I turned into this possessive fucker who would do anything to keep her, to make sure no one else touched her.

I slipped my finger down her chin, settling it in the hollow below her throat. “Why do you keep running from me?”

“I’m trying to save you.”

“From what?”

Her plump lips parted. “Me.”

I smirked. “You know, for a man like me, that’s not a warning. It’s a fucking challenge.” I gripped her chin between my fingers, puckering those sweet lips of hers right before I kissed her so fucking hard we both groaned like hungry beasts. I didn’t care about her forewarning. As a matter of fact, she could have told me she was the daughter of Satan, and I’d still want her like I’d never wanted any other woman before. Our lips devoured, our moans collided, and our kiss fucking shattered every ounce of resistance. My mind, my body, my fucking soul were all invested in that one goddamn kiss. A kiss powerful enough to bring even a mean motherfucker like me to my knees.

Reluctantly, I peeled my lips from hers but kept them a mere breath apart. “Stop running from me, Dahlia.”

Her lips were red and swollen, her eyes desperate and hooded. “It’s not that simple, Onyx.”

“Yes, it is,” I breathed out. “It is that simple. Everything in life is fucking simple. It’s us who choose to complicate shit. And right now, you’re complicating it by overthinking what’s happening between us.”

“It’s not—”

I placed my thumb over her red lips, smothering her words. “I know it feels insane, and it’s crazy, but by God, it feels so fucking right.” I pulled back an inch, looking her square in the eye. “Tell me you don’t feel it too? Tell me you don’t feel how fucking right this is?”

The way she bit her lip, her eyes gleaming as she stared back at me, I knew she couldn’t. There was no way in hell she could have been able to deny that there was this wild, powerful pull between us. A chemistry that was too damn powerful to ignore.

“Dahlia, I know you have demons chasing you. We all do.” I placed my hand on her chest, slowly tracing a fingertip between her breasts, pulling her shirt down the middle to reveal the lotus flower inked on her skin. “But like the lotus flower, you can submerge yourself into the dirtiest, darkest corners of this world and stay there for however long. But when you’re with me, you turn into this beautiful creature—unblemished, unscarred, and just fucking perfect. Last night proved that.”

“Onyx,” she reached out, placing a palm on my cheek, “God knows, I want to be with you. I really do.”

“Then be. Don’t run from me.”

Licking her lips, she pulled her hand away from my face, diverting her eyes. Whatever it was that kept her from staying with me was slowly starting to infect our time together, and there was no way in hell I would let her run from me. Not now. I needed her to open up and tell me who or what these demons were that refused to let her be with me.

“Come on.” I grabbed her wrist.

“Where are we going?”

“Just come with me.” I walked outside to my hog. “Get on.”

“What?”

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