He backed up, nostrils flared, as his gaze flicked between us.
“I guess we’ll have this private conversation another time when we’re alone.”
“Over my dead body,” Nitro growled.
“That can be arranged,” Chett replied flatly.
Then he turned on his heel and stalked off. For the first time since he showed up, I finally managed to get a decent breath into my lungs. Nitro cupped my elbow and ushered me indoors, rubbing my arms to generate heat.
“Did he hurt you? Touch you?”
I shook my head, trembling from head to toe. But I couldn’t tell if that was from cold or shock.
“No. Nothing. He just…wanted to convince me to give him another chance.”
“Fuck that noise,” Nitro muttered under his breath.
I reached out and gripped his tattooed arm, to steady myself, to seek some reassurance in the solidity of him. He was so unshakeable while I felt utterly shaken to my core. Nitro glanced down at me and settled his large, warm palm at the nape of my neck.
The weight and pressure of his touch grounded me.
“You’re a badass, you know that?” he said.
I sputtered in disbelief.
“Me? No way. I…I feel so sick right now. I’m surprised I’m not barfing all over your shoes to be honest.”
“You stood up to him,” Nitro pointed out. “You told him to shut up. So he got upset because his little shriveled dick couldn’t handle it when you put him in his place.”
A wobbly laugh escaped me with delighted surprise. Then I clamped my hand over my mouth and shot him a look.
“That’s a terrible thing to say, Nitro,” I replied, attempting to sound stern.
He arched an eyebrow with an amused expression.
“Terrible, but true, isn’t it?”
I bit the inside of my cheek and turned away. Taking my hand from his arm, he swept his thumb over my wrist as he pulled me closer. Brushing his lips to my ear when he spoke.
“You’re cute, twinkletoes. You deserve better. Get a proper dick to satisfy your needs next time.”
I gulped around the knot in my throat. My skin felt tight, prickly, and hot all over.
When it came to sex, my experience was limited to only two guys. Bullying in high school had been a nightmare, so I was a shy, awkward teenager who was invisible to boys. In college, things improved somewhat when I finally got my first boyfriend, lukewarm and short-lived though he was.
After that, I ended up in a long-term relationship with Chett. He made sure to tell me how I didn’t measure up in the bedroom compared to the other women he’d slept with. It didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
I could only imagine the level of experience that Nitro would have under his belt. Even though it was a completely unprofessional remark on his part, I still felt a little electric zing shoot up my spine at the compliment.
“I…I should get back to work,” I said.
Nitro nodded and released me, stepping aside as he gestured for me to go first.
I bit my lip with a smile and hurried off, replaying his comment in my mind endlessly for the rest of the day.
Chapter four
Nitro
