“If this has something to do with her mother, talking to her might set Zoya back.”
Sledge raked a hand through his hair and looked at me like he wanted to say more but didn’t have any words. Worry clouded his eyes. “Fuck.”
I nodded in understanding. He was distraught, now worried about what traumatic event his daughter might’ve witnessed on top of everything else. “I feel like I’m the bearer of bad news and I’m sorry, but I debated all day whether or not to tell you.”
He pushed off the wall and closed the small space between us, his big body made the mattress sag when he sat down. “Don’t apologize. It was the right fucking call.”
“Yeah,” I sighed.
“I hate that you’re caught up in this shit.” The words sounded as if they were ripped reluctantly from his lips. One large hand rested just below my knee. He didn’t move it, just laid it there like he just needed to touch me.
“I’m fine,” I whispered.
He reached out, brushing his thumb along my cheek. His touch was rough but gentle. “You don’t always have to be fine, Eliana.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I do.” It was how I functioned. I didn’t let much rattle me, not since Carlito’s death. The break-in had left me shaken but only temporarily. “This is about Zoya.”
He nodded, leaning close as the hand on my leg crawled slowly upward. “It’s notjustabout Zoya,” he growled before his lips crashed against mine. It wasn’t a tentative kiss or a sweet kiss. It was hard and hungry. It was the kind of kiss that blotted out every thought, every breath, and every ounce of self-control I possessed.
My fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer without even thinking.
When he finally pulled back, both of us were breathing hard. “Shit,” he muttered, dragging a hand over his face. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“You didn’t want to kiss me?”
His gaze snapped to mine and he made a sound that was somewhere between a snort and a laugh. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? Iwantto kiss you Eliana, hell I want to do a fuck of a lot more than just kiss you.”
My body turned into a five-alarm fire at his words and the dark tone woven through every syllable. “Oh.”
His lips tugged into a crooked smile. “Yeah, but I shouldn’t have done it. I’m your boss.”
I nodded, understanding dawned because it was the same rationalization I gave myself whenever my thoughts wandered. “Agreed, you are my boss.”
Relief and disappointment mingled in his eyes.
I bit my lip and gave him a look. “Right now, I’m off the clock.”
Something in my words snapped his control and his gaze darkened, turning hungry as he ate me up. “What are you saying Eliana?”
I grinned. “It’s hot and disconcerting when you look at me like that,” I admitted but the truth was nobody had ever looked at me like that and that gave me a surge of confidence I needed. “I like it.” I grabbed the thin tank top and tugged over my head, tossing it to the floor.
His eyes were full of undeniable need as he did that sexy one-handed t-shirt removal thing, standing there while my gazeate up every inch of him. His sleeves of tattoos were on full display, the mechanical gears on his right arm, the magical dark forest on his left. His chest was a monument to his motorcycle club. Beneath the color were thick muscles that my fingers itched to touch.
I reached out to touch him, dragging my fingertips from his pecs down his impressive abs and down to the black waistband.
He stood still, watching me. Waiting to see what I would do. His gaze saidthis is your dance to lead.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, tugging on his waistband. I gasped when his sweats dropped to the floor to reveal a long, thick gorgeous cock almost fully erect. “Wow.” My mouth watered at the sight of him, which was something I’d never felt before. My pussy clenched at the sight of him.
He growled when I wrapped both hands around his thick cock. “Eli,” he started but my name was cut off by another moan.
“You’re so thick. So hard, but this skin,” I whispered as the silky flesh touched my skin. I leaned forward, wrapping my lips around the swollen head of his cock.
“Fuck,” he growled, putting his big hands to my shoulders and pushing me against the mattress. “You sure about this?”
I nodded, unable to look away from him. Even with the scar he was beautiful from head to toe. Inside and out. “I’m sure.”
“Good,” he muttered, grabbing the waistband of my shorts and yanking them—and my panties—down my legs until I was totally bared to him. “Look at how wet that pretty pussy is for me.”
