Page 2 of Vicious Hearts

“Whatever. Come in then, get dry.”

Roxy darts past me before I have a chance to change my mind. I shoot Kai a glare, and he shrugs.

“That girl is most persuasive. And Mr. Benedikt, I have to wonder—why wouldn’t you want a beautiful young woman staying the night with you?”

“Just don’t bring me any more. This one is plenty for me to handle, thank you.”

He nods. “Aloha ahiahi, Mr. Benedikt.”

“As you say, good evening.”

I close the door behind him and rest my forehead on it, drawing a deep breath before turning around.

Roxy isn’t there. She’s in the bathroom. Her suitcase is open on the floor by the couch, and I hear the shower running.

She’s naked behind that door. Naked and standing under the rainforest shower head, water running down over her—

I shake my head hard, trying to banish the memories I’ve visited so many times.

I first met her in the hospital. It was awkward—I shot her in the thigh while trying to kill my best friend. That was a shitty day at work, but we’re Bratva. People get killed over less, yet forgive far worse, so it’s not surprising that we all made up in the end.

When I first saw Roxy in the hospital, I intended to apologize and get out of there, but I kept returning. Again and again, I sat in her little room with her, playing cards and watching television. She didn’t ask why I was there, and I didn’t think about it. I just told myself it was guilt that brought me to her. She needed some company, and I had nothing better to do since I was suddenly unemployed.

Roxy doesn’t belong amongst criminals. She’s too breezy, too bright and sweet. Those qualities prevent me from putting her out of my mind.

I hate myself for it, but when I’m horny, it’s always Roxy I envisage. Her tan skin, her full curves, and the abundance of soft flesh that I go fucking wild for.

She’s so sweet, so sassy with her flirty little mouth. I have a deep urge to sully her, to drag her down to my level. It’s easy to imagine her bruised and ruined, begging for my come, and my mind plays the scenes like a filthy showreel whenever she’s near me.

She’s way,waytoo fucking near now.

My cock is hard and sticking out lewdly in my pajama pants. I reach into my waistband and grab it, working it a little to ease the pain, and it throbs against my palm.

The shower stops, steam billowing from the crack in the bathroom door. I hurl myself onto the couch, arranging my body and the cushions to hide my arousal. It occurs to me I should probably have put on a shirt, but it’s too late for that now.

Roxy emerges from the bathroom. She’s wearing shortie pajamas, her thick thighs and round ass filling them out perfectly. Her skin is flushed pink from the heat of the water, and she’s styled her hair in two neat dutch braids.

I suppress a growl.Fuck.She lookssohot like that.If I got a hold of those braids, I could just—

“Can I get a drink?” Roxy asks. She gestures at the bottle on the table.

I cough. “Yes,” I wave my glass, “but you can get one for me while you’re at it. The icebox is in the top of the refrigerator.”

I look out of the open patio doors at the rain, still falling in thick sheets. Roxy is about to bend over to get the ice, and given my frame of mind, I’m not sure I won’t be cock-first across the room before I can stop myself.

Roxy sits beside me and nudges my shoulder with the glass. The cold of it shocks me, and it’s only then I realize I’m covered with a thin sheen of sweat. Whether it’s proximity to her or the humidity, I don’t know.

I glance at her leg. The puckered scar on her thigh looks more prominent, picked out pale against her bronzed skin.

Roxy sees where I’m looking and sighs. “You know it wasn’t your fault,” she says. “You got mixed up in something and didn’t have the right information. That happens sometimes. I’m alright. You’re alright.”

I decide to change the subject.

“So, your villa flooded?”

“As Kai said, the water was coming in the roof,” she shrugs. “I got back from the restaurant, and the bed was soaked, the couch too. I was out for a while, so it had the chance to get really bad.”

She’s lying.

---