He broke the kiss. “We shouldn’t do this.”
I could feel my eyebrows coming together. “Why not? Is it because of me or prison?”
I might’ve been tipsy the other night, but I hadn’t forgotten the heat between us or our conversation. In particular, I remembered the part where he’d said,“Jade, don’t tease. I just got out of prison, and I’ll fuck you right here in front of everyone.”
A laugh rumbled from deep within the caverns of his belly and broke free, echoing around the room. “Truth?”
I rolled my eyes. “Since when do you not tell the truth?” One of his defining traits was his honesty. Not only that, the man always said what was on his mind, regardless if it hurt or not.
He placed my hand on his heart. “Feel this.”
I was usually one for romance, for sweet nothings, and a dozen roses—not roses, orchids—but I wouldn’t mind wrapping my fingers around his hard dick and showing him what he’d been missing.
His soft blue eyes glistened. “I’m not going to play games. I’ve had six years to pick apart everything I did wrong, and the biggest mistake I made was letting you go.”
At the time, I hadn’t believed his reasoning. I hadn’t believed I could get hurt if we stayed together. Now I was slowly seeing that maybe he was right, but that didn’t change how I felt for him.
“You hurt me, Denim. So tell me why I should give you another chance.”
“Because I’ll never walk away from you again,” he said as sure as we were breathing. “I don’t want another woman, Jade. I’ve never stopped loving you.”
I wanted to throw myself at him and confess the same to him, but a small whisper in the back of my mind told me to proceed with caution.
He’s mixed up with his former drug buddy. He’s working with the Feds. His life is still dangerous. What’s to say he won’t push you away again?Or that I won’t get shot at again? Or worse, killed, the next time someone wants to use me as revenge against him?
Someone clapped behind him. “What a wonderful speech.”
Denim’s jaw turned to cement, and he let go of my hand as he spun on his heel. “Rude much, Travers?”
Agent Travers stepped into the room. “Jade, nice to see you again.” His sweet demeanor with me was a sharp contrast to the crassness in his tone when he spoke to Denim.
Aside from asking me about the shooting at the club, Travers had also grilled me about Duke. I didn’t have anything on Duke either. Besides, the man wouldn’t tell me his deepest, darkest secrets. In addition to Travers, Boston PD’s gang unit had asked me questions, including if I knew whether a gang was responsible for the shooting, in particular the Southside Creepers, which was led by Tito.
“You look like shit,” Travers said to Denim.
“What do you want that you had to interrupt a private moment? You’ve already spoken to my lawyer. I’m not obligated to help you.”
Travers flicked his head to the hall. “A word alone.”
“I don’t keep secrets from my girl. Besides, she works for my lawyer. Go for it.”
He was right. I couldn’t divulge the specifics with anyone except Kelton. Still, I felt as though I were the one intruding.
“Given the events at the club, I was hoping you will take the deal.”
“My brother isn’t going to tell me about gun shipments or anything about his business. I keep telling you that. Besides, he knows you and I have been talking.”
Travers’s nostrils flared. “How does Duke know that?”
Denim held up his hands. “You tell me. I hardly said hi to my brother when he dropped that bomb at my feet. Maybe your men are getting sloppy.”
“Careful, Hart. I can bring you in for obstructing an investigation.”
Denim growled low. “You have no grounds. Stop with the threats. I did my time and followed the rules for the early release program. The only thing you did was speed up the parole board’s decision.”
Travers narrowed his green eyes. “They weren’t going to give you parole given the fight you got into.”
I grasped Denim’s hand and squeezed, hoping to tame the anger I could see brewing in his pinched features.
