Leyton didn’t move, kept his fingers firmly twined with Ashlynn’s. He already knew how this would go down. If Jase needed him, Leyton knew he’d ask for his help. But Leyton doubted it would come to that.

Before Marco had a chance to beg and plead for his life, Jase was standing before him, his shoes causing the thick plastic sheeting that’d been rolled out beneath Marco to rustle while the barrel of his gun rested dead center in the middle of Marco’s forehead.

“Kill me,” Marco grumbled.

“It’ll be my pleasure,” Jase said, his voice as even as his hand. “A woman once asked me whether or not I’d kill a man if I had to. The answer to that was easy. That woman was the one you put a hit out on. The woman you planned to take from me.

“You killed my brother, took the life of a man I respected, and almost killed someone else close to me. You deserve to die, but more importantly, you deserve to suffer.” Jase pressed the gun closer, denting the skin on Marco’s forehead. “The woman you ordered the hit on … she wasn’t simply Max’s sister. She’s the woman I love, the woman I intend to spend the rest of my life with. You’re just damn lucky you didn’t get the chance to take her from me, because not only would I put a bullet in your skull, I would force you to watch me gut your entire family and leave them for dead.”

Marco’s eyes slid up to Jase’s face, but he didn’t get a chance to say anything before the chain pulled taut once more, lifting Marco off the ground. He thrashed around for a moment, gasping for the air that wasn’t filling his lungs. And then he was back on his feet once again, hacking as his lungs filled once again. Jase didn’t move from his position as Snarly did this several more times, dragging out Marco’s torture. After Snarly put him on his toes one last time, he moved out from behind Marco.

“While you’re in hell,” Jase spat, “I want you to think about me. The last fucking person you ever got to see.”

Jase pulled the trigger.

Chapter Fifty-Five

It’s not over yet.

Jase was still numb.

Although he hadn’t flinched from killing Moroso, hadn’t felt an ounce of remorse for taking the bastard’s life, he hadn’t felt the relief he’d hoped he would. Killing him hadn’t brought Derrick or Sal back, and nothing he did ever would, either.

Thankfully, Leyton and Ashlynn had been there afterward. They’d gotten him back in the Escalade, held his hands while Rock had brought them back to Leyton’s and had even gotten him inside.

But now, as he looked around Leyton’s house, some of the fog was disappearing, leaving him with an empty feeling.

“Mind if I take a shower?” Jase asked when they were inside. He had Moroso’s blood on him.

Leyton nodded toward the bathroom.

Jase didn’t hesitate, making his way through the master bedroom and directly toward the shower.

Leyton’s bathroom had the same masculine décor as the bedroom. Dark wood, rubbed bronze fixtures, and brown slate tile on the floors. The walls were tiled in the same slate, and a single wall with openings on either end split the room. Jase walked around it and found the shower. Turning on the faucet, he then proceeded to strip.

The water hadn’t warmed completely by the time he stood beneath the spray, but the numbness that consumed him alleviated the sting of the cold water. Resting his forearms on the wall, Jase placed his head against his arms and stood stone still, trying to clear his mind as he stared at the ground, watching the water as it circled the drain, then disappeared.

Bare feet appeared in his line of sight.

Not red-tipped, dainty feet. Big feet. Feet that didn’t belong to Ashlynn.

Jase didn’t move.

Leyton took a step closer, his hand resting on Jase’s back.

“What’re you doing?” Jase asked, keeping his voice low.

“I don’t know.”

Jase knew Leyton meant those words. Everything as they knew it was so fucked up, so convoluted. Even though Moroso was dead, his world hadn’t righted itself. Not yet. That would take time.

“I don’t need your sympathy,” Jase admitted, closing his eyes and blocking out Leyton’s bare legs.

“I know,” Leyton agreed, stepping closer, his chest sliding against Jase’s back, his thick arms wrapping around Jase’s chest. “But I can’t seem to leave you alone right now.”

Telling Leyton he didn’t need to be there would’ve been harder than simply giving in to the comfort he found in Leyton’s touch, so Jase kept his mouth shut. The water heated as they stood there, neither of them moving. Jase felt Leyton’s heart beating against his back.

After several minutes passed, Jase stood straight and Leyton released him. Turning, he came face-to-face with the man who’d infiltrated every one of his fantasies for the past year, fulfilled something inside him he’d been longing for, latched on to his heart and wasn’t letting go. “I need something to take my mind off this,” Jase admitted.

Leyton nodded. “Use me.”

Jase swallowed hard. And when Leyton’s rough hand gripped his cock, Jase hissed. “Are you sure you want this?”

Another nod from Leyton.

“I asked you a question. I want an answer.” Jase wasn’t sure where the dominant streak came from, but he couldn’t hold it back. If he had to guess, it was the anger pushing him, or remnants of the adrenaline that had fueled him for the past hour.

“It’s what I want,” Leyton admitted, his tone hard, his green eyes darkening.

“I’ve wanted this for a long damn time,” Jase told him.

“I know.”

“I won’t be gentle with you.”

Leyton’s gaze dropped to Jase’s mouth. “I don’t need you to be gentle with me.”

Jase spotted a bottle of lubricant on the shelf, but before he reached for it, Leyton surprised him by going to his knees. Staring down the length of his body, Jase watched as Leyton took his semi-hard dick in his mouth.

Spreading his legs wider in order to steady himself, Jase slid both hands into Leyton’s hair, darkened by the water. He gripped him firmly but not too roughly as he guided Leyton forward, forcing his cock into the hot cavern of Leyton’s mouth. The overwhelming sensation allowed Jase to temporarily push everything else aside, focusing only on Leyton.

“Suck me,” he commanded, his tone harsh.

Leyton allowed Jase to stuff his cock into his mouth, his cheeks hollowing as he sucked him in. Jase retreated, using Leyton’s mouth, pressing forward, pulling back. He rhythmically fucked Leyton’s mouth, enjoying the sensation of Leyton’s touch. Where Ashlynn’s hands were smooth and gentle, Leyton’s were rough and strong as they gripped the backs of his thighs. Where her mouth was soft and hesitant, Leyton’s was firm and confident. Leyton didn’t hold back, obviously not afraid to hurt Jase, and that was just what he needed.

“Fuck, you’re good at that,” Jase growled, yanking Leyton’s head forward and slamming his cock deep into his mouth. “But I’m not gonna come. I want your ass for that.”

Leyton’s eyes met Jase’s, backlit by that same steely determination Jase admired.

“Get up,” Jase ordered, freeing his cock from Leyton’s mouth.

Once on his feet, Leyton took a step closer, his mouth hovering over Jase’s briefly. When Leyton’s warm lips pressed to his, he was suddenly lost again. He hadn’t expected the gentleness of the kiss, not with all the violence brimming just beneath the surface, but he welcomed it. Sliding his arms around Leyton’s smooth back, Jase grabbed hold, pulling him forward until they both stumbled, Jase’s back colliding with the tiled wall. The kiss was fueled with fury and need, both of them releasing the pent-up emotions that had been keeping them going for the past few hours.

“I need to fuck you,” Jase groaned. “I want to feel your ass grip my dick.”

The tension in the shower jumped a couple of notches when Leyton pulled back.