Page 43 of Bad Men

“Since I thought we needed a quiet place with her,” he responded a bit too quickly, making me think he’d already rationalized the decision on the drive back.

“Then you take her to a motel,” I bit out, careful to keep my voice down.

Dav’s eyes darkened. “Pay by the hour then drop her off where I found her?”

My jaw clenched at the insinuation. “That isn’t what I meant.”

“That’s what it sounded like,” he retorted, pushing forward in his seat, bracing his weight on the elbows he rested on his knees. “I’m not going to disrespect her like that.”

“Why is she here?” I said again, fingers curling around the armrests.

“I wanted her here,” he replied simply, dropping back.

“Those are not the rules—”

“Don’t talk to me about rules,” he snarled out before I could finish. “You owe me one.”

I snapped my mouth shut around the protest building up in my throat. I knew he had me there. I had no right to come down on him when I was the one who had betrayed those rules in the first place.

“Did she say anything?” I murmured, fire gone, replaced with dread.

Dav was silent for too many heartbeats before dropping his gaze and giving a barely imperceptible shake of his head. “She was surprisingly tight-lipped about everything, except what a gentleman you were.”

“Gentleman?” I muttered, brain fumbling to recall what I’d done to deserve that title.

Dav snorted. “You picked her up and drove her home. That, according to her, was basically all that happened.”

“I don’t know how I feel about that,” I mumbled, ego taking a small hit.

“Grateful,” Dav replied sharply. “You should feel damn grateful.”

He was right. That whole thing could have gone sideways real quick if Mia had been any other woman. It was no secret most of them couldn’t keep a secret to save their lives, but she’d been asked by Davien. There would have been no reason for her to keep anything we did the night before a secret, not from him. She may not have even thought twice about it, yet, she hadn’t. She hadn’t said a word. It made no sense.

“I don’t understand,” I said. “Why didn’t she tell you?”

Dav’s mouth opened, but it was Mia’s soft voice that answered from the doorway, “Because I’m not an idiot.” She glowered from me to Dav, then back. “I grew up on the same streets you did. I know what happens to people who don’t keep their mouth shut.” Her gaze moved to Dav and narrowed further. “I knew you weren’t just asking me those questions. You could have just asked Nero if it was that important, so, why come to me? I’m not a snitch.”

“It wasn’t because we thought you were a snitch,” Dav said, finding his voice before I could. “And you’re right, you did grow up on the same streets we did, but it’s not the same streets, Mia. You’re not in our world, not entirely, and you never will be, not if we have anything to say about it. But we needed to be sure we could trust you. Men in our position, the roles we play are dangerous. Not only for us, but for you, and we don’t want anything happening to you.”

She exhaled slowly and pursed her lips. “You don’t need to tell me that. I already know.”

I rose to my feet and went to her. I don’t know why, but an overwhelming wave of relief washed over me when I cupped her jaw and she didn’t pull away. She peered up at me with those big eyes, eyes full of unwarranted trust, trust we didn’t deserve. But it didn’t stop me from claiming her mouth in a kiss crackling with things I knew I had no right to feel, sensations I should have known better than to share. It was all worth it when she melted against me, thin arms going around my shoulders.

“How are you feeling?” I murmured against the soft folds of her mouth.

“Wet,” she whispered without pause.

I felt the grin pull across my face. “Of course you are.”

Without another word, I hoisted her up with one arm around her waist. Her legs immediately twisted around my hips and locked into place at the ankles as I carted her to where Dav sat waiting.

She didn’t ask, didn’t even hesitate when I set her down and released her. She turned and climbed straight into the other man’s lap. Her knees hugged his hips and she closed her mouth over his in a hungry clamp that matched the tight fists of her fingers in his hair. Dav groaned and clasped her closer. His hands raked up the curved arch of her spine to flatten between her shoulder blades, urging her closer.

I left them there, lost in the assault of teeth and nails, and made my way to the armchair. It wasn’t positioned in a way that gave me much of a view, but I made myself comfortable, or as comfortable as one could get with a raging hard on scraping against the metal teeth of their zipper.

I fished him out and eased the hurt with slow strokes. The heavy weight throbbed in my palm, begging me to join the pair four feet away.

But it wasn’t my turn. I could join in and Dav wouldn’t say a word, nor would Mia, but I’d already had her. I’d already been buried inside her wet little slit. It was Dav’s turn. Plus, I enjoyed watching as much as I did participating, especially when Dav pulled up the hem of her uniform over the smooth globes of her ass and I was gifted with the sight of her exposed mound.

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