I laughed then, feeling lighter than I had in weeks.“Come on, honey.Let them take out the trash.I need to get you home and look you over.I’m not sure how much more my heart can take of this shit.”
Nadine smiled up at me.The wicked gleam in her eyes was its own aphrodisiac.“Yeah.Let’s go play doctor.”She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
My new life made going to prison worth it.And I’d be all the more protective because of it.Nadine was the one person in the world who could bring me to my knees.Funny thing was, I went voluntarily.If that meant I worshipped at her feet every fucking day for the rest of my life, nothing would make me happier.
Chapter Fourteen
Pain
I’d ripped men apart with my bare hands and never lost a night’s sleep.Seeing Nadine hurt yet again on my watch made me feel like I was drowning in my own rage.I wished that bastard, Roscoe, was still alive so I could kill him again.
“Stop fussing,” she murmured as I carried her through the doorway of our apartment, her body cradled against my chest.“I’m not made of glass.”
“That piece of shit hit you.”My voice came out rougher than I intended, but the image of Roscoe standing over her was burned into my brain.“Let me take care of you.”
She sighed, her breath warm against my neck as I kicked the door shut behind us.“I’m a nurse, Pain.I know what I need.”
“Yeah?I’m a doctor.”I flashed her a grin I was certain looked anything but humorous.“I outrank you, so I win.”Even though, technically, I wasn’t a doctor anymore, I still had the skills.I just couldn’t use them legally.
That earned me a small smile.At least, she lifted one corner of her mouth.There was genuine humor in her smile, but the darkening bruise on her cheek and jaw probably caused her pain when she did.The contusion was a stark contrast against her pale skin.My fingers hovered over it, not quite touching, and I was surprised to find they were trembling.
“It doesn’t hurt that much,” she said.
“Little liar.It has to hurt.You’ll be lucky if it doesn’t make the tissue around your eye swell.”I stood and turned to go to the kitchen.“Let me get you an ice pack.”
Nadine snagged my hand, tugging gently.“It can wait.”I turned back, ready to tell her that, no it couldn’t wait, but she stood and put her arms around me, pressing her lips gently to mine.
“Pain, I’m fine,” she said.“Yes, I’m bruised and sore, and I’ll complain and whine and wear you out taking care of me.Later.Right now, I want you to take me to the bathroom, get in the shower with me, and fuck me until we’re both too wobbly to stand.”
The raw need in her voice hit me like a physical blow.My hands tightened on her hips as I searched her face, looking for any sign she was pushing herself too hard.Once I looked past the battle mark on her face, all I saw was determination and heat that matched the fire building in my chest.
“You sure about this, honey?”My voice was gravelly with want, but I had to ask.“Even if you’re ready for this, I don’t want to hurt you more.Ineverwant to hurt you, Nadine.Ever.”
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”
“All right,” I said, my voice rough.“But we’re doing this my way.Slow.Gentle.”
“Like hell we are.”She pulled back, that stubborn chin lifting.“I’m not some delicate flower you need to handle with kid gloves.”
“Baby, you’ve got a bruise the size of Texas on your face --”
“And the rest of me is perfectly fine.”She stepped back, pulling her shirt over her head in one fluid motion.The sight of her bare skin made my mouth go dry.“Unless you don’t want me?”She didn’t sound insecure in the least.In fact, she sounded like a woman who knew what her man wanted and exactly how to drive him so wild he kept coming back for more for the rest of his fucking life.Under any circumstances.So, cocky and sexy as fuck.I loved this woman so much!
“Don’t want you?”I let out a harsh laugh.“You’re baiting me, woman.Don’t think I don’t know.”
She put her mouth right by my ear.“Is it working?”Her soft whisper was like a siren’s call.When she nipped my earlobe for good measure, I threw caution to the wind.
“You better fuckin’ tell me to back the fuck off if you feel even the slightest bit of pain.”This was happening.Whether I thought it was a good idea or not.“You don’t, once you’re well, I’ll beat your ass every fuckin’ night for a solid week.”
The little witch gave me a wicked grin.“Right.I’ll just beallover that.”
“AndI won’t let you orgasm for a month.”
Her eyes widened.I grinned.
“Oh, it’s on, motherfucker,” she said fiercely.
There was no way to keep the belly laugh from bursting free.This woman!Thisfuckingwoman!
