Power (Romantic Suspense) (35 page)

He shook his head and corrected himself, “No. I used to love having power over this city.”

He let out a long breath. “But now, this city and all my power could go down in flames and I’d be alright, as long as you were alive and by my side.”

I tried to ignore the panic creeping into my heart. I had strong feelings for him. That couldn’t be denied. I was also pretty fucking scared of him. If I wanted to walk away, could I? If there was a moment where I didn’t love him anymore or we’d somehow grown apart, what would happen to me?

He’d taken down an entire room of men and women. I wasn’t even ready to address the murder and crime in his life. That was a whole other bag of crazy.

Am I doing the right thing? Can I even love him without getting killed by someone else?

“Baby,” he whispered.

There was something in his voice that shut away my thoughts. Need ran through it. Sadness laced it. Love flowed along the tone.

“I. . .we have to take this slow,” I said.

“No. I love your quirky little ass too much to take my time.”

Although shocked, I couldn’t let that comment go by. “I’m not quirky and there’s nothing little about my ass.”

I pushed his coat away, chains dangling around me. My body exposed to him. “I’m sorry that I disobeyed your order and left the loft.”

He drank my image in and licked his lips. “Mary Jane. Mary Jane.”

“And Fuji—”

He frowned. “Don’t hurt him?”

Stunned, I nodded.

“I’m a fast learner too, my queen.”

The door opened and he hurried to shield my nakedness and me. Noah roared, “What the fuck, Crusher?”

“Sorry, boss, but I didn’t know where to put her.” He’d slung the singer over his shoulder like a barbarian. When he placed her in front of the limo, she rushed into the back. Her silky rainbow gown dragged along the floor. Blood drops dotted the bottom. Silent, she widened her eyes while taking everything in all around her. I’d thought I was shaking earlier, but she was a fucking spasm of tremors.

“And she won’t say shit.” Crusher tried to hand her his dwarf. But she stared at the other hand that he’d crushed the guy with. Blood soaked his huge fingers.

“Why is she in here? And stop trying to give her your dwarf.” Noah ran his fingers through my hair.

“She won’t talk.” Crusher gave up on trying to give her his dwarf. “But I know she can sing just like a Disney princess. Even better than Bell or Jasmine.”

I couldn’t let that comment go by. “Frankly, Tiana sings better than all of them. Even as a frog, she could blow them away.”

“No.” Crusher appeared very much pissed at that comment. I was glad Noah sat on my side. Crusher hissed, “Tiana has soul, but—”

“Crusher, get this girl and you the fuck out of here!” Noah began caressing my thighs.

Crusher continued, “But, boss, I don’t want to leave her with any of the guys.”

“Me either. She’s already been through enough.” I nodded. “Put her in the seat over there.” I pointed across from us. “She’s all bruised up. We’ll need a doctor. I don’t know what happened, but she’s been abused. She probably won’t be happy to talk to anyone until she feels safe.”

Crusher didn’t move. Noah looked at me and raised his eyebrows.

Oh, that’s right. I’m not the boss. What am I doing?

“Um. . .I’m sorry.” I cleared my throat.

“No.” Noah smirked. “Go ahead and listen to Queen Mary, Crusher. Let her stay in the limo until we get home. I’ll figure out what to do with her, later.”

The whole time, the singer glanced at each of our faces trying to figure us out. I couldn’t believe that she’d said nothing, when earlier the most beautiful notes flowed out of her mouth.

I whispered in a half-joking way, “Oh, daddy, can we keep her?”

The smirk left Noah’s face. “You’re joking, right?”

“No.”

“Keep her?” He squinted.

“She’s so hurt and if she goes to the hospital or somewhere else, who’s to say Butterfly won’t hurt her. She’ll need to heal and something happened to her. Her voice was so pretty and so sad that I know she’s a good person that’s just been really abused so—”

“Dear God.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Apparently, I’m going to have another house guest this week.” He began rubbing his temples as Crusher left the dwarf on the limo floor, waved goodbye at her, and closed the door.

She still didn’t say anything.

Noah stared at the dwarf and shook his head. “We can keep her right now, but if she shits on the carpet, you’re cleaning it up.”

I saluted and almost hit my mouth with a link from one of the chains. “What’s up with Crusher and the dwarf?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“I’ve seen enough stuff to give me nightmares forever. You might as well tell me about the dwarf.”

“Trust me. You don’t want to know.”

So instead of kissing and making out, I laid in his arms and tried to get our guest to speak. After about fifteen minutes, I gave up. All she did was shake and bite at her nails as we headed home.

Chapter 24

Mary Jane

A man with bad breath

decided to take his own life.

So he wrapped his head

and asphyxiated himself.

–Philogelos (The Laughter Lover)

F
uji
surprised us when we came back. The big guy had created a romantic ambience. Candle light flickered around Noah’s bedroom and delivered an ocean-rich fragrance. Silk petals decorated the carpet. Shadows danced as jazz played. Moonlight spilled into the open windows. A tray of yummy smelling food sat on his dresser—steak, loaded potatoes, grilled asparagus, and two large slices of chocolate glazed cheesecake. Champagne and two glasses stood on the other.

My baby mumbled a thank you to the big guy, closed the door, tore off his clothes and had me on his bed, before I could blink my eyes and say another word.

God I love him.

So hungry, Noah licked and lapped at the center of my sex, my ankles digging into his back, my moans echoing along our naked bodies.

Holy! Something. . .bible!

He gorged on my pussy.

. . .can’t get enough!

Gripping the sheets, my teeth rattled. The bed rocked. My breasts bounced. Heat and fire blazed through me. His tongue worked my body, branding his name on my pussy.

Jesus! He has a long name.

I almost told him to make sure he didn’t wolf it all down, just leave a little something between my thighs.

But,

I had no words

or no sense of time.

I had only his body and mine,

slipping warm flesh

against a hard chest.

A skilled tongue

with a slow grind.

Oh god. I’ll never leave him!

And then he fucked me like it was my first time.

His deep moans carried throughout the room and vibrated against the walls. “This is my pussy.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Goddamn you, Mary Jane.” He pumped, but slow and gentle.

A perfect tempo.

That thick cock stretching me wide.

So wet.

A slick glide.

My climax threatened to drown him and me.

He’d just maimed, killed, and sprayed blood on these cold streets.

And now it was just heart beats and wet sheets and I couldn’t get enough!

“Oh, Noah!” I panted. “You fucking. . .”

“What?” He thrust into me so slowly that I lost my train of thought. “What baby?”

“You fucking animal!”

He nibbled at my bottom lip. “Tell me you love me.”

“I love you.” I met his rocking and kept my gaze on him.

Those cold blue eyes bore into my fucking soul as he whispered, “Say it again.”

“I love you,” I groaned in ecstasy.

And then we came together. It was raw and wild, hot and ripping into me. I was sure we merged together. Bodies blending into one. I was sure a wound opened or something broke inside of him and me. I didn’t care. There was nothing but us. Blind with passion, I rocked into that dick and mumbled stupid shit.

After I came, I fell asleep. Exhausted. Covered in sweat, sex, and his scent, hoping that every night could be exactly this way. But knowing deep within my heart that it wouldn’t be true. He was a gangster, feared by many. He had enemies on every block—people lurking in the shadows hoping to take him down.

And I was just a college girl who told a few good jokes among many bad ones.

What’s going to happen to us?

Chapter 25

Noah

A moron hears that fair judgments are made in Hades.

Since he has a case in court, he hangs himself.

–Philogelos (The Laughter Lover)

T
he
next day, I took off from being the Beast of Din City and didn’t touch a notebook. I didn’t need to make a list. I knew who had to die. Butterfly’s face dwelled in my head more than I would ever admit. In these visions, I choked until mucous and blood squirted out of her eyes.

In the bathtub, Mary Jane kissed me. “This is so relaxing.”

Warm water caressed my skin. “Yes. It is.”

In the background, music played.

In that moment, a female reggae singer bragged over a rugged beat,
“Me wine the waist pon him like so. Yeah, mon. Me tell you, he don’t ever go. Yeah, mon. Even when the night glow. Yeah, mon. Me tell you, he don’t ever go. Yeah, mon.”

Rays of sun streamed into my spacious bathroom. It was a symphony of simplicity—no clutter or color, just empty space and white walls with spotless wood flooring instead of carpet. My massive tub was in the floor. It could fit a three-hundred-pound man and even more. Crusher had tested that out when he oversaw installing it. No shelves or pictures cluttered the wall. There was one sink and an oval mirror that hung above it.

“Me wine the waist pon him like so. Yeah, mon.”

In front of the tub, a floor-to-ceiling window served as the wall and presented a view of Din City’s downtown. Remarkably elevated, no one could see me, but the sparkle of the lights and movement below kept me connected.