"Fucking men," I muttered as I hiked my gym bag strap higher on my shoulder, shoving the phone in my gear bag. Who the crap did he think he was? You have something you need to tell me? His sexy, husky voice rolled through my mind again. Asshole. I'd been willing to get all hot and sweaty with him, hadn't I? What more could a man want?I pushed it all from my mind as I turned the final corner on my way to the gym. I started my deep breathing as my happy place came into view. Here, I was the master of my world. Here, I was able to pummel and pound my enemies into dust and tears. Here, I was strong and brave and kickass and awesome. Such a difference from my years growing up. Living out of a trash bag until I finally ran away the last time. Then it had been my choice to live out of a holey duffle. My choice to sleep in abandoned buildings instead of a warm bed with a foster dad who had wandering hands. Every single choice had been mine. I would do almost anything to keep from h
I knew I shouldn't be here. I did have other things to do. Important things. Family things. But just like a moth to the flame, I was helpless to stay away. And I had officially passed into creeper territory as I watched Nik walk down the street. In the heated warmth of my black car that I had hidden in the shadows, I stalked her. But the woman herself wouldn't talk to me. How the hell else was I supposed to get valuable information about her? So, really, it was her fault that I had stooped to being nothing more than a Peeping Tom. The only difference I could see was that I wasn't currently getting my jollies from watching her. Eyeing the movement of her tight ass in those leggings made a liar of me. Hell, everything about her made a liar of me. And for that reason alone, I hated her just a little. I was honest with myself. Always. One thing I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that I wanted to drown myself in her. But I also wanted to fuck with her head a little bit. Just l
Smiling like the Cheshire Cat, I heard him drive away from the curb. The man was scared of me. Like, quaking in his boots, scared of me. I laughed. Big mafia man himself was afraid of little ol' me. I started stripping as I made my way to my bedroom. He'd been watching me from the shadows. It should freak me out. Make me give him a piece of my mind. And I would. But it would be more fun to tweak his tail than to berate him. I was going on a manfast, but I wasn't above a good game of teasing. Make him desperate for me. Make him sorry he passed on my offer. Then, when he was ready to rock and roll, I'd break my fast...with a different partner. Shove his face in it. Yes, I might still be a little bitter about the whole thing. My body felt loose and heavy at the thought of Arturo Amatucci caught in my web. I was going to torture that man in the most delicious ways possible, and he'd have no one but himself to blame. Curls of heat licked through my core. By the time I got
I set the phone on my desk carefully because I wanted to throw it across the room and watch it smash into a million glittery pieces. But I was better than that. I had more control than that. My dick throbbed in my pants. A nagging ache that told me I'd been too long without anything more than just my hand for relief. I was going to paddle her ass. I groaned as a picture formed in my mind. Closing my eyes, I saw Nik spread wide in front of me, her ass up and rosy under the bright lights of my bedroom. Her gleaming pale skin a blank canvas for my hand prints. I felt my cock twitch, a bead of pre-cum leaking from the tip. Shit. I needed to fix this before my entire family showed up for a serious discussion. Easing up from my chair, I went to the bathroom attached to my office. Shut the door, locked it. I gritted my teeth. She was going to pay for this.Undoing my pants, I pulled my rigid dick from under the fabric. Getting a tight grip, I started pumping my hand up and down
I took my seat, thankful most of my portion for the night was over. Standing under the watchful gaze of Turo had just about killed me. I kind of regretted my outfit tonight, especially with his parents there. Ryker nodded. "Okay, so I talked to Daphne on the way over. My mom said that she's still waiting on results from Mas' DNA sample. Or rather, waiting on something to compare it to. His results are fine, but without Amara's to test against, it's essentially useless information." He looked at Mas. "Sorry."Mas shook his head. Didn't say anything. Of all the Amatucci family siblings, I found him the most complex. He treated Corrie, Ryker's sister, with care and love. But was able to flash to full violence in the blink of an eye. I wondered what he carried around with him that made that kind of vacillation necessary. "Where are we on finding any viable DNA of Amara's?" Rafe asked. No one answered. Turo looked at me. Raised a brow. I sighed. "From everything that I can
I hit the refresh button on my computer the next morning. Nope. Nothing had changed. It was still the same information from Nik that she'd given me last night. Nothing new. No little quip or comment about my bossy ways. Just a businesslike email that felt like the social equivalent of fuck off.'I gritted my teeth. Would have kicked my own ass if I hadn't been sitting. I really needed to stop antagonizing her. Especially if I was going to get her in my bed. I might be into some power exchange, but kidnapping Nik was just asking her to kill me slowly. A knock sounded. I glanced at the clock. Wondered why Edi was up this early. "Come."Nik came strolling in. Her long legs were accentuated by a pair of sky high stilettos, a short skirt, a tight top, and a pair of long pigtails that dangled just over her tits on either side. She shut the door behind herself, locked it. "I've been thinking." She leaned against it, her tits thrust out, her back arched in a curve that made my mo
I slapped the phone against my forehead a couple times. What the hell had I been thinking? You okay?' Blech. I wanted to vomit. Something in the man's voice changed, gotten softer, sexier, and I'd been all over it like white on rice. Get your shit together, woman. You don't fall at the feet of men. They fall at yours. I nodded. Darn straight they do. I stomped into my kitchen, snarled at the falling snow. I was not in the mood for more of the white stuff today. I got my French press out, grabbed the beans. Walking through my morning ritual, I pushed everything else from my brain. Focused on the daily affirmations Momma's call had distracted me from. Today is my bitch. I will make it call me Mistress Nik. Today, I will do my best. Nothing less than my best will be accepted. Today, I will rely only on myself. Others can't be trusted for too long. Today, I will not take advantage of the awesome life I've been given. I pushed down the plunger on the French press sl
Just as I was getting out of the shower, my phone rang again. I strode naked across the room, scooped up my phone. I smiled as Nik's name flashed on the screen. "Hey, Cricket, -""Excuse me, can you tell me who belongs to this phone?" a man asked. My back went ramrod straight. "A woman, about five-eleven, twenty-five, red hair, hazel eyes. Where are you that you have her phone?""I'm standing next to her body on the street. I used her fingerprint to unlock her phone and dialed the last number.""Why is she in the street?" I shook my head, that wasn't important right now. "Give me your address. Now.""It looks like she was run over, man. I don't know. The corner of High and Washington. I need to call 911."Fuck. I wanted him to stay on the line with me. "Do that. Then call me right back. I'm on my way to you."I tossed the phone down and scrambled into a set of clothes. I stuffed my naked feet into a pair of shoes, grabbed my phone back up and ran from the room. As I w