He places his now wet hands very gently on either side of my face as his dark blue eyes search mine. “She is beautiful.” He agrees with me, and it makes my already sore chest tighten. “But she has nothing on you.”

I smile shyly but roll my eyes. “You don’t have to sweet talk me to get into my pants. You’ve already gotten that far with me.”

“You still think this is about sex?” he questions confused.

“I don’t know what it’s about.” I let out a long breath. “One minute, I was so mad at you I couldn’t see straight. And then the next, I was praying you would come and save me.” I mumble the last part as I lower my eyes to his defined chest and stomach. “You killed a man for me.”

“Taylor.” I look up at him. “I could tell you I’m sorry till I’m blue in the face, but it won’t change what happened to you. But I can promise you that they paid for what they did. I wish I could have killed that one guy slower than just shooting him, but at that very second, all I was thinking about was to get him away from you.” His left thumb softly rubs my cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do if they would have taken you from me.” Taken? Is that what they wanted to do to me?

“How did you know to come after me?” I ask softly.

“I wanted to apologize. The night had just been going bad, and I didn’t want to fight with you anymore. I was coming over to apologize to you when we were closing when you brought up Rachel. I wasn’t mad at you, but at her for even saying anything. When you ran out, my cell phone rang. I answered it, planning to give you a few minutes to calm down. But there was no one there. So I hung up and then went out the back. You were already gone. As I started to walk back inside the door, I heard you scream. I yelled for Brecken, and he came running out the back with me. The one guy heard us and came for us. He had a gun, but we managed to stop him before he got a shot off. Brecken took him to the club while I continued on to find you.” His eyes look deeply into mine. “I thought I had lost you,” he whispers. “Then when I saw you standing there …” He swallows thickly. “When I saw that a man had his hands on you. The way your body shook with fear. It was then I realized what I had to lose.” I take a deep breath. “I knew right then and there I would do whatever it took to keep you.” He lowers his forehead to mine. “I couldn’t breathe,” he says softly. “Watching you stand there, exposed to the world. When you closed your eyes, I thought you were dying. I just remember thinking I had to kill him. I had to save you. I couldn’t fail.” I place my hands on his chest and his heart pounds beneath them.

“I thought I was gonna die,” I admit softly.

“I wouldn’t have let you,” he replies just as softly.

I lift my head where my lips brush his. His hands slide into my hair, and he opens his mouth for me. I slide my tongue between his lips, and I moan when his tongue reaches mine. Opening my mouth wider, he deepens the kiss and it takes my breath away. The memory of last night momentarily gone. The fear I felt washed away. The concern of falling for him and getting my heart broken no longer mattered. Because I’m afraid I’m already there.

CASE

She moans into my mouth and my cock hardens knowing I can make her feel this way. Even after everything she went through last night and the pain her body must still feel, she still wants me. My hands tighten in her hair, and she gasps into my mouth. I can’t help but demand more from her.

I’m sick! This I know. I want her to fall for me. I need her to want me as much as she needs her next breath—that’s how I feel about her. This woman has quickly become my addiction. Forget the drugs. The money. Hell, forget the fucking club that is my livelihood. She is all I need. She makes me want to leave it all behind for a better life. For a better future. She brings me to my knees in the worse possible way. And I can’t help but like it. I can’t help but crave it.

Just remembering her last night with another man's hands on her body while tears ran down her face has me kissing her roughly. Not only reminding her that she belongs to me, but also reminding myself. She’s yours! Her gasps and moans only fuel my body that is already on fire for her.

She pulls away quickly sucking in a few deep breaths. “Sorry.” My voice is rough with need, and she places her hand on my chest as if to keep me back like a dog in heat. She does that to me.

“It’s okay.” She breathes heavily.

I shake my head. “It’s not. You’re still sore.” She was just attacked, you bastard. She still has the white bandage on her neck to prove it. I look down at it, and my chest tightens for her. The memory of me holding my shirt to her neck while I looked down at her limp body takes my breath away. You could have lost her! But you saved her. Only because I had to. I know she would be much better off without me. But I can’t make myself let her go.

I shoot to my feet. “I’ll let you finish,” I announce as I step out of the tub. I grab a thick white towel off the towel rack and quickly wrap it around my hips to hide my hard cock from her. Now is not the time for this. She already thinks that’s all I want for her. A fuck! I wish that were all I wanted from her. I’ve wanted plenty of women that way in the past, and once I had them, I left. So why haven’t I done that with her? Because she makes me feel alive. Plain and simple. She has the power to kill me, but I need to cross that line in order to feel alive. I walk out of the bathroom and close the door behind me to give her privacy.

***

I stand in our bedroom drinking a bottle of scotch from the mini bar and looking out over the lights of the city when I hear the bathroom door open. She’s been in there for over thirty minutes now.

I don’t dare turn and face her. My cock is still hard, and my mind is still in the gutter. I need to give her space. When she said she needed to get away from the club, I was quick to offer to take her anywhere she needed to go. Then after I looked at her and could see how lost she felt, I refused to leave her side. A hotel was the first thing that came to mind. Now, I’m not so sure staying here with her was such a good idea.

I lift the little bottle and drink what’s left. After placing it on the dresser, I turn to face her. She stands by the side of the bed, her hands gripping the towel as she holds it around herself. “I’ll sleep on the couch. Let me know if you need anything.” I watch as her face falls in disappointment that I’m not going to be sleeping in the same bed with her. It’s for the best!

I walk over to the door, and she darts from the bed, standing in front of me, blocking my exit. “I can’t stay in here with you,” I say honestly. Just the fact only a towel separates me from seeing her beautiful body has my hands twitching.

“Why not?” she asks softly.

“Because you need rest.” And you won’t get any if I stay in here. I don’t have that much willpower. Her body is to me like a hit is to an addict. Put it in front of said addict and they will take it. They will beg and bargain with themselves until they convince themselves that one little hit will be the last. Just one more. Then I’ll stop. The only thing I know is I’ll need her more than one more time.

She places her hands on my bare chest, and my heart speeds up as I watch the towel slowly unravel around her chest and fall to her feet. My breathing picks up from the bruises on her side and the bandage on her thigh. But that doesn’t stop my cock from begging to be inside of her. She is still just as beautiful as she was before last night. She’s possibly more beautiful because she survived. Because she is still standing in front of me and willing to give me what we both want. “I need you, Case,” she whispers.

I go to place my hands on her hips but pull them back. “I can’t … I’ll hurt you.” Hurting her is the last thing I want to do, but it’s also inevitable. It’s like the flu; you know you’re going to get it, you just don’t know when. And that’s because I have set her up. I know what our future holds, and it’s nothing good.