“Jonah, stop. You’ll kill him.” My burning throat makes my voice a little more than a whisper, not enough to penetrate Jonah’s rage.
I crawl to him with trepidation and place myself by Vince’s bloody face.
“Jonah, stop. I’m okay. I’m right here. You have to stop now.” My voice is gentle, and it’s then that his arms slow their gory punishment.
Jonah’s body stills, but his chest swells and deflates with deep breaths. Reaching forward, I place my hand on his forearm. His head jerks, and his eyes connect with mine, wild and distant. He blinks a couple times and I see my Jonah return.
“God, baby, are you okay?” His words falter with the power of each breath.
Jumping off Vince, he pulls me to my feet. His eyes move over my body along with his hands.
“I was out front. I saw Eve run from behind the club. I ran as fast as I could. He had you . . . Shit, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a little scared. Where’s Eve?”
“I told her to go to the truck and sit tight.” He looks back at an unconscious Vince. “Who the f**k is that piece of shit?”
I drop my eyes to the ground, wanting to slap myself. I never told Jonah about Vince. “That’s Vince, Eve’s boyfriend,” I take a deep breath, “and Dominick’s right hand.”
His eyes grow narrow and his muscles tense. “That motherfucker!”
An echo of Jonah’s curse rings off the walls of the alley. The H2 I saw at Eve’s the other night is parked there, hidden in a service entrance of the warehouse next to the club. Without a soul around, I’m thankful no one was a witness to what Jonah did to Vince. But I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Jonah hadn’t shown up when he did.
“We need to get out of here.” I rub my neck and wince as my shoulder protests the movement.
Jonah looks undecided as to whether he should finish the job he started on Vince or get us to the truck. Moaning drifts from the bloodied piece of meat beside us, and that seems to force Jonah into a snap decision. He wraps one arm around my shoulders and the other around my stomach, supporting my weight, and we hurry to the truck.
It’s a silent ride to Eve’s house except for her occasional apologies for Vince’s behavior. I see hurt in her eyes, but not hurt that she just found out her boyfriend is abusive. The pain in her eyes is that of a girl with a broken heart. Will she always be attracted to men who hurt her like her father did? God, I hope not.
We drop her off at her insistence. She wants to be alone, and I don’t blame her. She has a lot to think about. Jonah walks through her house, turning on all the lights and making sure she feels safe before she locks herself inside.
Safe in the cab of the truck, I allow myself to feel the weight of what happened. I turn my head to face out the window, not wanting to give Jonah any more to worry about. A silent sob rips through my body as tears of fear, guilt, and anxiety flow down my cheeks. The driver side door slams shut and a warm hand covers mine. I interlace our fingers, hold on tight, and vow to never let go.
Jonah
“That son of a bitch!” Blake’s response to my re-telling of the evening’s events mirrors my own.
I grip my phone tighter before loosening my hold, remembering what happened the last time I took out my anger on my phone. To avoid putting my fist through a wall, I force myself to my bed.
“You told him at Zeus’s Playground to pull his tails on Raven. I was there. I heard you!”
I don’t know if calling Blake was the smartest choice. Talking shit out with Blake usually helps me decompress. Right now, he’s just getting me worked up. I sit back and stare at the ceiling, hoping I can calm my ass down before Raven gets out of the shower. The poor girl has had a round trip ticket to hell and back. The last thing she needs is her raging boyfriend climbing the f**king walls like a caged animal.
“I almost killed him. I swear if I hadn’t heard Raven’s voice begging me to stop, I would have. Seeing that motherfucker with his arms wrapped around her . . .” My sentence trails off as my jaw clenches so tight I’m spitting words through my teeth.
“Sounds like it’s time for another meeting with dear ol’ dad,” Blake says, his voice holding a hint of excitement.
“Yeah, I have to talk to my girl first, get the story on this Vince guy.” My head falls to the backboard and I rub my eyes with my free hand. “You should see her arm. All dressed up, lookin’ hot as hell, with a f**king bruise in the shape of a man’s hand on her arm.” The calm that had been slowly moving through my body dissolves into anger. “He had her f**king neck!”
“At least you taught that f**ker a lesson. Don’t think he’ll be messin’ with Raven again after you flipped the switch on his ass."
He’s got a point. I had to trash one of my favorite shirts because it was splattered with his blood.
“Look, the fight’s this week. You and Raven lie low until then. You don’t need any more publicity than you…”
My attention is drawn from Blake to the sound of the shower being turned off.
“What the f**k is Eve thinking?” His angry question jerks me back to the conversation.
“Don’t know, don’t f**king care. This douchebag’s been on Raven’s ass from the get-go. I’m putting this shit to an end.”
“Fuckin’ A, brother,” Blake says under his breath.
The bathroom door opens and Raven walks out in nothing but a towel. My mind clears of everything that happened tonight at the sight of her wet skin. I imagine drying her with my mouth as my eyes devour her legs and move over her towel to her arms. Her arm. The angry bruise brings me back in a violent rush.
I glare at the color on her arm. “Gotta run. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Right. Tell your girl to stay strong.”
“Will do. Later.”
Tossing my phone on the bedside table, I watch Raven put on a short pair of drawstring sleeping shorts, no panties, and a thin tank top. Blinking, I tell myself that my body can wait but the conversation we need to have cannot.
“Baby, come here.”
I make room for her on the bed, and she quickly takes her place at my side. Her cheek is pressed to my chest and her finger traces lazy circles on my abdomen. My dick responds immediately. I place my hand over hers to stop the stimulation before I forget my own name and bury myself inside her.
“Um, you’re going to have to stop that so we can talk. Shit happens to my body that short-circuits my brain.”
I feel her smile against my chest. She pushes her hand out from under mine, down past my belly button. I groan as her delicate fingers slip beneath my shorts.
“I, ah . . .” My mind goes fuzzy and my heart pounds in my chest.
Her soft hand grasps me in a firm hold and my h*ps jerk in response. Fuuuck.
“I know you want to talk, Jonah, and we will. But right now, I need you.”
I can’t remember what we were going to talk about, and I don’t care.
Her hand picks up its pace and pressure. My eyes fix on her forearm as her lean muscles flex with each stroke. The fruity smell from her clean hair makes my mouth water. My lips burn with the need to kiss her.
“Baby, I want your mouth,” I say, panting.
She kisses my neck, a tease with her full wet lips that has me achingly frustrated. I wrap my hand behind her neck, sifting my fingers through her hair, then grip tight. She moans.
I bring her luscious lips to mine, taking what I want. Our tongues crash together as I convert my anger from earlier into passion. The feel of her teeth as she nips impatiently at my lips makes me think she’s doing the same. My mouth is flooded with her pure, clean taste. I flex my hands in her hair as her sweet mouth moves against mine in a sensual rhythm.
She presses her br**sts into my chest and her stroke quickens. I’m fighting not to roll my eyes at the perfection of her touch. Reaching down, I release my button and zipper, freeing myself for her. She smiles against my lips then sucks on my lower lip. I can’t help but imagine she’s sucking on something else, and I groan.
She breaks the kiss and locks her blue-green eyes on mine. Her eyebrows raise a fraction as if she’s asking a question. Then her hand releases me just enough to slide her hand lower.
“Mmm . . .” My head falls back and my eyes slam shut. She’s never done this before, and I marvel at her growing confidence. Her gentle play and tender touch are both teasingly sweet and erotic as hell. My stomach muscles contract as I let her explore.
Desperate to feel her, I slide a hand beneath her tank top. Her soft skin is pliable against my rough hands. I cup her firm breast then knead, rolling the tip between my thumb and forefinger. Her sexy curves push and rub against me, enticing my body.
“I want you nak*d,” I growl.
Pushing myself up, I straddle her knees, and pull her tank top off. She sucks in a pained breath and falls back to the bed.
“What’s wrong?”
“My shoulder,” she says with a grimace.
“Shit, baby. I don’t want to do this if it’s going to hurt you.” The thought alone is like dumping ice cold water on my crotch. “I already feel like an a**hole not giving you more time to heal after last night.” I sit back on my heels and pray she doesn’t want to stop.
“I can’t explain it,” she says and pushes herself up on one elbow. “All I know is that, after everything I went through tonight, I want to feel safe and cherished. Protected.”
I look into her eyes and watch them brim with tears.
“I want you . . . I need you to love me. Please.” She’s beautiful all the time, but the vulnerability in her eyes as she pleads robs me of speech.
I lean forward and she lies back. My tongue licks at the crease of her mouth, requesting entrance. We have plenty of time for rough passion. Tonight, I want to love her at a deliberate pace.
I slip my hand beneath the drawstring of her shorts and she breaks the kiss, gasping at my contact. Her h*ps move in rhythm with my fingers. I brace myself above her on one elbow, mesmerized by her response: her lip sucked into her mouth, moaning. White knuckles grip the sheets as her h*ps push and roll against my hand.
Perfect.
Her hands move to her shorts, and, with a lift of her hips, she pulls them down. I do the same, ridding myself of the stifling confinement. She’s nak*d before me, chest rising and falling erratically, and knees wide in invitation. I caress her thighs, taking in all that is mine. Only mine. She stares openly at my hard-on, making it twitch, and I watch her eyes widen.
From my kneeling position between her legs, I grab her h*ps and pull her up so her ass is resting on my thighs. I spread my knees, bringing myself lower and pulling her higher until we meet. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I slip my hands below her ass and tilt.
“Jonah.” There’s an edge of concern in her voice.
This is a new position for her, and I’m sure she’s nervous. My chest swells with the knowledge that every position will be new to her and I’m the one who gets to teach her.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’ll take care of you.”