The Salvation of Vengeance (Wanted Men #2) (34 page)

“Mikey’s a great guy. I’d recommend him if you felt the need.”

She nodded. “That’s good to know.” She drew a random pattern across his chest and down his stomach. She depressed the small latch to open his harness and he shifted to allow her to slip the harness off him before settling back as she dropped it to the floor. “I knew it would be like that with you.”

His eyes slid closed, and he felt her lips pressing to his chest as he tripped over himself to catch up.

“And how was ‘that’?”

It felt like she shrugged. “Intense. Incredible. Beautiful. Just like you.”

Vincente kept his eyes closed—instead of rolling them like he wanted to—even though he knew she was looking at him. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? To something he didn’t get.

The quiet stretched, and the longer Nika stayed silent, the faster a soothing comfort spread through him. She wasn’t pressing him to “look at her,” wasn’t whining for him to “talk to her.” No. She remained unobtrusive, tracing the tips of her fingers over his every feature, giving him the time she instinctively knew he needed to recoup.

“You’re so fierce looking. I remember thinking that the first time I saw you. So fierce, and so beautiful. You took my breath away.”

His lids flipped up. Did she really see him like that? She just smiled at him and kept going. “I was so stunned. That’s why I almost fell. And then when you kissed me . . .” Her sigh traveled across his jaw. “You made me feel something. Turned on, yes, but something more than that. I was warm for the first time in forever. And I knew . . .”

He held his breath. “Knew what?”

She let out a soft sigh. “That Kevin hadn’t completely destroyed me.”

Her head came back down, and he blinked in wonder because she’d shared and expected nothing in return. This woman was the stuff of dreams.

Her lips brushed over his nipple, her teeth catching it in a gentle hold, awakening his calmed system. “This ‘one time’ is an all-night thing, right?” Openmouthed now, tongue laving. “Or are we done?” The teasing light in her eyes when she glanced up let him know she was playing with him. She shifted suddenly, coming over him, and all he felt was fire and flames, singeing everywhere her skin touched his. She continued her distracting kisses, making her way across his chest, her midriff brushing fleetingly over his cock. “Because I want to do one more thing before we return to real time,” she said as she left a wet trail down his stomach.

His heart crashed against his ribs when her tongue dipped into his navel and just about blew the fuck apart when she softly kissed the tip of his cock. “I’d like to do a lot of things, but this one especially.”

“Red.”

She smiled up at him, her expression pleased. Her lips parted, jamming his breath in his throat. “He speaks,” she whispered as she gripped the base with one hand and ever so slowly drew the length of him into her mouth. His hips came off the bed as she took him deep, and he groaned, more of a whimper, really, but being the man he was, he’d call it a groan. His hands found their way down to her hair just as she pulled back, the head of his shaft slipping free of the torture with a soft pop. When she spoke, her breath flowing over him did as much to his control as a clenched fist around the entire length of him would have.

“I’ve never done this,” she admitted. “But I’ve thought of doing it to you. Dreamed of it twice.” She did a swirling thing over the head that made his bones rattle and then mimicked what he’d done to her by flattening her tongue and dragging it down from tip to base, using her lips and teeth to nibble down the path as well. “I’ve read enough romance novels to know the basics. But if this isn’t okay, I’m open to suggestions.”

His fascination with this amazing creature knew no bounds and all he could do was lie there and enjoy her. When she smiled slowly, eyes crinkling at the corners, Vincente’s throat actually thickened with emotion. “Perfect. You’re so fucking perfect, Red.”

She rewarded him instantly by opening and taking him all the way in until he was prodding the back of her throat. She hummed softly.

“Fuuuck,
Nika
.” What the fuck kinds of books
were
those that she’d read?

She drew back slowly and popped her lips off again and blew a moist stream of air. “I hope so,” she said with a playful wink.

Saucy girl.
He grabbed her upper arms and dragged her up, turning over to pin her beneath him. “No need to hope when I’m right here, babe.” His voice was shot, nothing but broken glass.

She kissed him around a soft giggle. He heard the drawer open, and she held up the packet of condoms. There were three left.

“Can I do the honors this time?” she whispered against his mouth as she tore one open. Unable to deny her, he broke the kiss and rolled to his back. She took her time.

When he could stand it no longer, he pinned her. Pushing her thighs apart with his knees, he slowly entered her, so pleased when pleasure flooded her features, her eyes sliding closed, her head tilting back when he began to move. He homed in on her bared throat, kissing and tasting his way up past her jaw so he could claim her mouth again. Her tongue came out to play immediately, tangling with his, and Vincente knew then, having Nika like this had just changed him forever.

“Babe?”

The quiet endearment woke Nika from the light doze she’d slipped into, the knuckles brushing across her cheek the sweetest feeling ever. She lifted lazy lids and felt her mouth follow, tipping up in a happy smile. Until she noticed Vincente was sitting beside her on the bed, fully dressed. She pushed herself up as dread fell like a lead balloon in the pit of her stomach.

“What is it? Is everything okay?”

“Shh. Everything’s fine.” A puff of minty breath flowing over her mouth was followed by his warm lips. She let go of the sheet clutched to her chest and cupped Vincente’s now-smooth cheeks. He’d showered and shaved and brushed his teeth?

She drew back and glanced outside. Still dark. “Where are you going?” She bit her lip the minute the words left her. Was she allowed to ask that?

Whether she was or wasn’t didn’t seem to matter. Because she was pretty sure he hadn’t heard the question. He was too busy staring hungrily at her bared upper body.

Her breath caught, and a shiver traveled through her when he grazed the tips of his fingers down the side of her left breast, skimming the underside light as a breeze. “Gorgeous.” With a shake of his head and a deep sigh that sounded irritated, he pulled the sheet up to cover her. “Can’t make my mouth work,” he explained with a wry grin. “You asked where I was going.”

There was no censure in his tone. He seemed to reiterate more to remind himself than to question the fact that she was asking him to explain why he was leaving her.

“Gabriel came by, and I have to go out for a while. We’ve been cleaning house, and a couple of our boys just nailed a dealer who’s been using the family’s name to sell his shit. I’m not sure of the ODMC’s take on them, but drugs aren’t a part of our business plan. This one might be a rough takedown, and G thinks we should be there to handle it personally.” His gave her a hot once-over, causing her skin to tingle as though he’d touched her. “If it wasn’t an unusual situation, I wouldn’t be allowing even Gabriel to take me away from you tonight.”

Nika’s heart swelled in her chest with something other than worry for him. She leaned in and kissed him softly on both corners of his mouth. “I know you always are, but please be careful. I’ll see you when you get back.”

A strange light flared in his dark eyes. Appreciation, maybe? “Yes, you will.” He kissed her once more, and then he was gone, leaving her to swallow past the lump that had risen in her throat.

She sank down into the pillows after the door closed and hugged the sheet to her chest as she tried to identify the feeling invading her. As it settled, sifting down like a falling feather, the absolute certainty of it became undeniable.

She was in love. For the first time in her life, Nika was madly and passionately in love with a man. She hadn’t spent the night with Vincente, giving him her body and soul, because of some blinding attraction that had no name.

She loved him.

Damn.
She chewed on the inside of her cheek. She was officially in the midst of an affair with the underboss to the Moretti crime family—a man who threatened people for a living, broke them, even killed them when the need arose.

Why did none of what he did in a given day sway her, turn her off . . . scare her? As Vincente himself thought it should? Because he wasn’t unaffected when he did those things. She could see it in his eyes, the darkness left behind.

She turned over and snuggled into his pillow. She supposed that was what unconditional love was about. How Eva must love Gabriel, considering who he was. How one lucky girl would eventually love Caleb. No matter what their men had done in the past, and would no doubt do again in the future, they were loved.

Surprisingly, Nika wasn’t as panicked by her realization as she thought she should be. She actually felt relief now that she knew what she was dealing with. How would she cope when this thing between her and Vincente ended next week, maybe next month? She wouldn’t think about that now. Instead, she was going to take Eva’s advice and live in the moment. She would enjoy this time, enjoy it right down to the last bone-melting kiss.

And then she’d do what any woman did when a relationship ended. She’d move on.

Closing her eyes, she replayed the night back in her mind. She was just dozing off when she remembered promising Eva another round of interview prep tomorrow morning.

Saddened, she knew too soon her career was going to be all she had.

CHAPTER 21

A bright swath of sunlight woke Nika next. She stretched languidly, freezing midway through it when her nakedness registered. Her eyes popped open as the night’s events came rushing back. She grinned and flexed, feeling an unfamiliar stiffness . . . pretty much everywhere. Not surprising. Vincente had put her in a position or two that she’d never known had a purpose outside of the game Twister.

Sitting up, she looked around, already knowing by the evenness of the mattress that he hadn’t come back to bed. She checked her phone. Seven thirty. That gave her some time. She got up and took a leisurely shower. Maybe he was home and just hanging out downstairs. They could have breakfast together, she thought, feeling a childish excitement at sharing a real meal with him.

Going back out to the bedroom in nothing but a towel, she opened the suitcase that had materialized yesterday morning and slipped on a pair of white lace panties. She then dressed in a white loose-fitting, spaghetti-strapped chiffon blouse, a pair of capri jeans that rolled at the cuff, and new wedges she hadn’t had a chance to wear yet. After grabbing her brush, she got rid of the tangles in her hair before anchoring it loosely on the top of her head so it would dry with a wave. She added a big pair of boho earrings and a few bangles, grabbed her phone, and then headed downstairs.

She couldn’t say she wasn’t disappointed when she found only Eva in the kitchen, but that was second best to finding Vincente, so she’d take it. Her best friend was sitting on the floor with Charlie between her legs, cooing and smooching the little thing to death.

“What are you doing? Practicing your smother?”

Eva looked up and flopped back against the cupboards, drooping in an overly dramatically fashion. “Finally! I thought for sure you were doing this to me on purpose,” she complained.

“Doing what?” Nika went down for a cuddle with her puppy.

“Making me wait for details! What
happened
last night? Holy crap, I just about died when Gabriel came back to our room, smiling! Smiling, Nika!” She deepened her voice. “ ‘V wouldn’t let me into his room because he said Nika wasn’t decent.’ ” She reverted to her normal voice and jumped to her feet, clapping her hands like a seal. “Why weren’t you decent? Was I right? He lied about not wanting you, didn’t he?”

“You’re nuts,” Nika muttered around a grin. “And, yes, as usual, you were right.”

She received an excited hug and then Eva was skipping over to grab two plates from a stack on the stove top. “Sit.” She opened the oven and scooped some scrambled eggs out of a deep pan. “I knew it. Didn’t I tell you?” She added bowls of fresh fruit from a tray at her elbow and slid one of the plates over along with a knife and fork.

Nika sat on one of the tall stools in front of the granite-topped island and rolled her eyes when it looked like her hormonal friend was getting misty. She placed her phone off to the side, screen facing up in case Vincente called. “Oh, come on, Eva. Don’t look at me like that. It’s creepy. Like you’re proud I got my cherry popped or something.”

Fork tines pointed in her direction as Eva sniffled. “See? That right there proves how good he is for you. I haven’t heard you talk like that in a year.” She remained standing as she ate, stabbing a chunk of watermelon. “I’m so happy things worked out for—”

Nika held up a hand and swallowed the eggs she was chewing. “Hold your horses, woman. It was only sex.”
Liar
, her mind whispered. “I mean, it was great sex but still just sex. It didn’t mean anything. Vincente and I both made that clear before it started.”

Eva stopped chewing and just stared. “What? But
why
? I don’t understand.”

She didn’t really understand it either. “I really don’t want to go over it. Just, I don’t know, let me bask in my afterglow.” But her afterglow was gone, she realized as she ate some grapes, and she wanted it back.

Which meant she had to be with Vincente again in order to get it.

And so the vicious circle of addiction was born, she thought dejectedly as she accepted a cup of coffee from her crestfallen friend. “Thanks. I thought they’d be back by now. Do they do that often? Leave in the middle of the night?”

“You don’t want to talk about it at all?” Eva sounded troubled.

“Nope.”

“Okay. Just know I’m here.”

“I do.”

“Well, all right then, um, no.” Eva’s feet practically dragged as she went over and got the milk from the fridge. “This middle-of-the-night dash was a first for me, too. Gabriel called a little while ago and said they were waiting on Maksim to identify the head of some gang that was dealing drugs under the Moretti name. I didn’t ask for more information than that.”

“Were you scared when he woke you up and told you he was leaving?” She held her cup out for a splash of milk, thankful they had the type of friendship that didn’t require beating around any bushes.

Eva cringed as she handed her a spoon. “I would have been had I been able to wake up. I vaguely remember him leaving but was too zonked to get what was going on. I hate to say it, but I’m glad. I’d have been a basket case and not slept the rest of the night.” She pulled a face and took a drink of her coffee. “I did feel guilty as hell when he called and I didn’t even know where he was.”

Nika smiled. Seems they all had their problems. “Vincente told me they were cleaning house. That’s a good thing.”

Eva went over and put the milk away. “Yes. A very good thing,” she agreed when she returned. “I just hope the process is a quick one.” She sighed, and they both pushed their eggs around their plates. “No matter the venture or where in the world you are, everyone’s the same, aren’t they? Power and money draws out the greedy, and the craving for both usually turns violent, sometimes deadly.” She forked up a slice of peach and reached out with her free hand to go to work on Samnang’s spice rack, lining up all the labels to within an inch of their lives. “It sucks that both my husband and father are at the top of the food chain in our small circle of it all.” Her smile was stiff as her hand brushed across her navel. “I have to say, having Quan and Vincente watching Gabriel’s back helps. And Alek and Maksim, too. I’ll feel even better when Jak gets here from Seattle. He used to be a US Navy SEAL. Isn’t that crazy?”

Nika pushed her plate aside and brought her coffee forward, her appetite having deserted her. Yeah, crazy. She truly was glad that Gabriel was well covered, sure, but who would have Vincente’s back when, and if, the time came?

Vincente stood outside the closed door, anxiety clawing at his insides. He’d gotten so tired of hearing the guy inside yammer his denials—that had soon turned into excuses—that he’d had to get the fuck out of the room. He wished he could have kept walking because what he really wanted was to get the fuck home!

The desperate thought didn’t faze him.

Well, it shouldn’t, since he’d been having it every minute and a half for the past five goddamn hours. He’d never dragged his feet more than he had when following Gabriel and Quan out of the house. Quan had smiled most of the way to Brooklyn. The bastard. G had smirked a little, after asking him how he’d gotten the “bruise” on the front of his throat. Vincente wore Nika’s mark with way too much pride.

Shit.

He’d screwed himself by having her. Royally, because he now wanted her again.

And again, and again, as he’d known he would.

Shit. Shit.

His head snapped up when he heard heavy footfalls coming from around the corner in the lower level of the empty office building they were in. He palmed his SIG, keeping it pressed to his thigh, and relaxed only when Gabriel, Quan, and Maks came into view.
Fuck. Finally.

“What the hell took you so long, Kirov?” he snapped as they drew near. The idiot’s choice of T-shirt didn’t even make his lips twitch; it read,
I Shaved My Balls for This?

Maks gave him a hard look. “Get off my ass, V. I’m not in the mood. I haven’t gotten laid in days.
Days.
Yes, you heard that right. I’m going on next to no sleep. And that little Aussie’s still refusing to play by my goddamned rules.” He threw open the door Vincente was standing next to and looked inside. “Yeah. That’s him. Nice to be the head of the operation, huh, asshole?” he said to the guy as he raised the Glock Vincente hadn’t even seen in his hand and fired off three rounds, pulling the door closed before the echo finished its thing. “Why the fuck is she playing hard to get? Who does that anymore? You think she’s playing
me
? Do you think she thinks she’s getting to me? Or do you think it’s possible she really doesn’t want—”

Vincente cut him off. “You couldn’t have identified that fuck from the pic I texted and saved me an hour of standing here with my finger in my ass?”

“Was blurry. Didn’t want an innocent to die for nothing.” Maks shrugged. “Anyway, so that’s what she says, in that fucking gorgeous accent. ‘I’ll pass.’ What the fuck.” He shook his head as he went back the way he’d just come. “I don’t get it. I’m going home,” he called over his shoulder—sounding distinctly sulky—before he disappeared around the corner again.

Quan took a breath as if
he
needed the oxygen after that spiel.

“I could have taken another!” Vincente yelled.

Gabriel looked over, amusement lurking in his dark-green eyes. “He’s right. Has to be a positive ID. So much for getting details on the dealers from the distracted motherfucker.”

Vincente wasn’t overly concerned about the whys. “Sydney Martin might as well give in and cuff herself to his headboard. Because he isn’t giving up until she’s there.”

“No shit.”

Relief made him feel good when they finally headed for the exit. Almost to the truck, he stopped Gabriel with a bump on the arm.

“Give us a minute,” he said to Quan, who nodded and carried on to get behind the wheel of the Escalade.

Gabriel looked curious. “What’s up, V?”

“I wanted to apologize for my lack of enthusiasm yesterday morning. I’ve been strung out, not that that’s an excuse.” It was what it was, and he wasn’t trying to justify his actions. He kicked away a dirty cigarette butt. “I just want you to know I’m happy as fuck for you and Eva. You’re brave, man. Braver than me.”

His boy took his outstretched hand and pulled him in for a hug. “Thanks, V. But it’s not about being brave. It’s about being determined. No one is getting at my wife and child. No one. If I have to give my life to make that a reality, I’m more than willing to do it.”

Vincente nodded once, love and respect for this man making his chest feel swollen. “Nothing is going to happen to you, my brother. You’ll be here to raise your son, or daughter, because if anyone dares to attempt a takedown, they’ll be answering to me long before they get anywhere near you.”

As they climbed into the truck and got on the road, Gabriel’s words echoed in Vincente’s mind.
Determination.
Was that all it took to keep your loved ones safe? What about their freedom of choice? Eva could choose to go to the office tomorrow and get knifed in the belly on the sidewalk in front of TarMor by the partner of the dealer they’d just put down. And there would go a wife and child. How would Gabriel’s determination help her then? Unless G locked her up, taking her freedom from her, the possibility that someone might get to her lived.

Yeah. And they might take one head-on along the freeway halfway home and never make it there. They might get struck by lightning as they walked across the driveway to reach the front door of the house. He might slip on the top step and break his neck as he tumbled back down to the foyer before he even reached Nika in his bedroom.

Fuck.
The possibility of shit happening was just there. All the fucking time. And Vincente had to find a way to live with that.

Before he drove himself, and everyone around him, nuts.

They reached Old Westbury in record time. Vincente waved Gabriel and Quan inside and hung back in the garage. He had to get his head on straight before he saw Nika. Didn’t want to spook her with his mood.

Taking what he hoped was a relaxing breath, he leaned against a spotless worktable and took his phone out. He texted Caleb, asking if they had anything new on Nollan. The bikers had gone back to Crown Heights last night. Probably scared the fuck out of the heavies in the neighborhood, giving the impression the ODMC were moving in.