Page 11 of City of Salvation

The normally comforting environment felt stifling.

I was so lost in thought about what I’d need to do next that I forgot Dex was following me.

He pulled the fabric closed behind us. For a big fucker, he was silent when he moved. I folded the note, stuffing it intomy bra while trying to block out the memory of the last time he and I were in one of these rooms. He’d returned to the club the night after the meeting with Ryan and Sergio. Somehow, we’d drank an entire bottle of alcohol which led to getting to know each other more intimately than planned.

My mind was a bitch, flashing images of me spread out on the back bench. Dex’s head buried between my legs, his sinful tongue and fingers giving aperformance.

Dex’s fingertips dragged down my rib cage, leaving a trail of goosebumps. He kneeled between my thighs, caressing my lace-covered core. The rough pads of his fingers played with the edges of my underwear. A moan slipped out when he yanked them to the side, exposing all of me to his greedy gaze.

“Fuck. Look at this pretty pussy just waiting for me. Begging to be taken care of.” The intensity of his attention was unnerving. He teased me with his touch, knuckles brushing lightly everywhere but where I wanted. “I’m going to fucking devour you, Nikki. Coat my fucking face with your desire.” He ended the sentence with open mouth kisses on my inner thigh, shoving my legs farther apart with his broad shoulders.

“I’m going to have to sneak away to find you before every gun run.”

His words had been like ice water, but I was too fucking weak to push his head from between my thighs. Seeing a man after we fucked was hard no for me. That night, I’d let him give me the best orgasm of my life with his mouth. Then I’d run, like a total bitch, leaving him with blue balls in the very room we now stood. I’d thought about sending one of the other girls in to help him out that night, but fuck, something selfish in me couldn’t do it.

I gave my head a quick shake, trying to focus.

Of course, now my nipples were hard despite the fact I wasnotsupposed to be turned on. Not when I had another note from a psychopath singeing my skin where it lay hidden in my bra cup.

Dex’s deep voice cut through the silence, causing me to jump. “Wanna tell me why you looked like you’d seen a ghost?” His toned arms crossed over his chest, the white fabric straining against his muscles.Confusion washed over me at his question.

How had he noticed that?

I thought I’d hidden my reaction well.

Before I could answer, he swatted at my hand, catching me by surprise. “Quit chewing on them. Didn’t your mom teach you it’s a bad habit?”

My back stiffened, frozen like a deer in headlights.

This was why I didn’t get close to people. Even the most innocent of questions about myself required giving away secrets. How was I supposed to answer him?

Nope, my mom didn’t teach me shit. My dad took me away from her as soon as she pushed me out. Put me in the care of nannies and tutors whose sole purpose was teaching me to be the perfect Bratva wife. Oh, and the husband I ran from is sending me threatening notes, one of which is in my bra.

But I didn’t say any of that.

“Yeah, of course,” I lied, fisting my hands at my side to avoid chewing on my nail beds.

I’d forgotten what it felt like to fabricate a past for people. Ryan never demanded answers about who I used to be. She just accepted me for who I was and ignored all the inconsistencies and awkward subject changes. Not once did she demand my secrets…because I never demanded hers.

Then Mario had ruined that. Or, more likely, this fabricated bubble was always destined to pop.

I’d moved out of our shared apartment while she was hospitalized. Told her it was because I figured she’d want more privacy with Gunner. We both knew it was bullshit.

She knew too much about me, and I felt too much for her.

I’d made her swear on my life that she wouldn’t tell a soul about what I’d shared when we were in Mario’s custody. His lackeys had been killed, so Ryan was the only one who knew I was running from my criminal ex-husband. Current husband? Fuck, I didn’t even know if we counted as being married.

None of that mattered to Yuri. In his eyes, I was his property, and he was damned determined to get me back.

So, I’d started rebuilding those barrier walls, preparing myself for when I’d need to leave if my ghosts got too close. Tonight was a perfect example of why that’d been the right move, and why I couldn’t let Dex knowanythingabout me.

“Answer the question, Nikki,” Dex growled, his body much closer than before I’d spaced out.

My jaw ached as I clenched. “Holy fuck, Dex. I’m not allowed to be pissed and emotional?” I used my anger to steer the conversation into safer waters. To distract him from the fact that I was dancing around his questions. “That guy slapped my ass without permission. So sue me if I’m not acting happy. What are you going to say next? I should smile more?”

I knew I was laying it on real thick, but I was feeling frayed.

His hazel eyes narrowed. They were more like inky pools in the crimson light. The only sign of his anger was how his nostrils flared, bringing my attention to the hoop piercing. He was the only biker I knew who had one, and it somehow worked on a muscled, tatted dude. Dex wasn’t quite like any of his club brothers, with his shoulder-length hair that hewore up in a bun and trimmed facial hair. I’d never seen him in anything other than black Dickies, Air Force Ones, and some sort of graphic or white T-shirt. He was devastatingly good-looking, and it pissed me off that this bossy attitude only made him hotter.

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