"I'm sorry, baby," Roman murmurs a moment later, striding into the bathroom. He yanks his shirt off over his head, tossing it toward the trashcan. His pants follow a moment later, sailing through the air.
I watch through heavy lids as he strides his naked ass toward the shower. Even though he smells like crap—literally—and I just vomited, the sight of him naked has heat pooling low in my belly. His body is so big and hard. He's a mountain, strong and solid.
"Stop looking at me like that, Mila," he rumbles in warning, turning toward me after he turns the water on and adjusts the temperature. His cock is rock hard, standing straight up. "You're sick and you're tired."
"I'm not very tired," I lie.
He smiles and shakes his head at me before stalking in my direction. Once he's standing in front of me, he reaches out and yanks my shirt off over my head, tossing it in the floor beside me.
"What are you doing?"
"Putting you in the shower with me," he says, lifting me up to strip off my sweats. He grunts his approval when he sees that I'm wearing panties, and then rips them off me too.
"That's cold!" I gasp, jumping when he plops my naked ass down on the vanity.
"Sorry." He snags my toothbrush out of the holder and then runs it under the faucet before holding it out for me.
I scrub my teeth while he watches. He has that look in his eyes…the one that always makes me feel like he can see every little thought in my head and hasn't decided what to do about them yet. I love when he looks at me like that. I don't know why, but it makes me feel like he still hasn't figured me out completely and thinks I'm a mystery worth solving. I love that.
"How's Michael?" I ask when I'm finished brushing my teeth.
Roman picks me up and carries me into the shower with him. I moan in delight as the steamy water surrounds us, relaxing muscles all over my body. He smiles at me and sets me down on the built in seat.
"He told January what really happened with her brother," he says, dumping his body wash onto a loofah and scrubbing himself head-to-toe. "She didn't take it well."
"Oh no," I whisper.
"He's struggling, but his informant came through. We're going to question the girls Kaleo was pimping out first thing tomorrow. If they cooperate, we'll raid Kaleo's property this week." He stops talking long enough to stick his head under the spray, letting soap run in rivulets from his hair down his face. As soon as it's clear, he soaps up the loofah a second time and begins all over again. "Luke is going to move into the apartment in the garage, at least temporarily."
"Why?" I ask, frowning.
Roman grimaces. "I've still got to track down Remi, figure out how many of these women on the list are pregnant, try to find the mother of the baby we found today, and help Kincaid. I don't know how much I'll be home until shit settles. I don't know when Remi is going to resurface again, but I need to be there when he does. Having Luke staying here will make me feel a helluva lot better."
"Okay," I say.
"Yeah?" He cocks a brow at me like he's surprised I'm agreeing.
"Yeah," I say with a shrug. "I like Luke."
Roman narrows his eyes on me.
"Not like that. Jeez," I huff, rolling my eyes at him. "Do you have a setting other than caveman?"
"Apparently not when it comes to you," he mutters.
I snort a soft laugh.
"I was never jealous until you," he says, rinsing the second round of soap off. I lick my lips, watching it slide down the defined ridges of his abdomen. "No one else ever mattered before you. But you? The thought of some other guy even looking at you like I do pisses me off. I think I'd straight up murder someone if they tried to touch you."
"I feel the same way about you," I tell him, wrapping my arms and legs around his waist when he picks me up again. He turns me until the water is beating down on my back, which pulls a moan of ecstasy from my lips. I swear, there's nothing better than a hot shower with my even hotter man.
"Baby," he says on a deep chuckle that hits me low in my stomach, "you don't even have to worry about someone trying to touch me. I'd never let that bullshit happen. The only hands I want on me are yours."
"Same here," I breathe, sliding my hands up into his hair and pulling his head to mine for a deep kiss.
"None of that," he growls when I moan and wriggle, trying to find a little friction. "You need sleep."
"I'm not sleepy," I whine, rubbing up against him.
"Liar." His lips quirk up into a smile.
"I like you way better when you're giving me what I want," I pout.
"I've been giving you my cock every day since I brought you home," he says with another chuckle.
"Then why stop a good thing?" I ask, leaning forward to bite his neck. "I sleep better after you make me come, anyway, Mr. Gregory."
He growls softly and then grinds me down on his cock before smacking my ass. "I'm trying to clean you up."
"I like it better when you get me dirty," I retort, grinding against his cock and moaning loudly.
"Fuck," he mutters before spinning and putting my back against the wall of the shower. He glares down at me, but I know he's not really mad. His eyes are wild with desire and a little hint of humor. "You're a pain in my ass, baby."
"That's why you love me. Oh…fuck!" I shout when he lines himself up and then yanks me down on him in one smooth move. His cock stretches me, filling me until my eyes water and my head kicks back, knocking against the wall. I writhe above him in pleasure and pain.
"Goddamn, Mila," he growls. "You're always so fucking tight." He lifts me off him and then drops me back down on him, taking me hard and fast. "You know how often I dream about this pussy? How tight it is, how wet it gets. How fucking delicious it is when I'm eating it. It's all I fucking thing about some days."
"Same," I gasp, clawing at his shoulders when he hits that spot deep inside that has my toes curling and my entire body tingling. "I made myself come so many times thinking about your cock."
"Yeah?" he asks on a wicked thrust.
"Yes! For"—a loud moan erupts from my lips when he attacks my nipple with his teeth—"years, I fantasized about you. Now that you're mine, I think about you fucking me all the time."
"Good," he grunts, digging his hands into my ass and bouncing me up and down on his cock in punishing jolts. "Because I'm going to be the only one fucking you for the rest of your life, baby. This cunt is mine. Your tits are mine. Now come on my cock like a good girl so I can take you to bed."
My laughter ends on another moan as my body erupts. Orgasm rushes through me in a tidal wave, unmaking me from the inside out. It's heat and steam and heaven all wrapped into one. Complete perfection.
Roman roars my name and then I feel his hands dig into my ass cheeks hard enough to bruise as he comes too. I tip my head back against the wall of the shower, panting for breath as another bolt of pleasure shoots through me.
Roman holds me for a long moment as we both come down, and then he presses his lips to the hollow of my throat in a sweet little kiss. "I love you, Mila."
"I love you too."
He groans and slowly separates from me, reluctantly sliding me down his big body until my feet hit the floor of the shower. Once he's sure I'm steady—with my arms around his waist and my head against his chest—he grabs my body wash and quickly cleans me up. By the time he's finished, I'm practically dozing on my feet.
"Come on, sweetheart," he murmurs, his voice soft and gentle, like he didn't just fuck me dirty against the shower wall. "Let's get you in bed." He turns the water off and then grabs a towel to dry me off. As soon as we're both dry, he sweeps me up in my arms and carries me to bed.
I snuggle up against his chest, throwing one leg over his when he follows me down.
"Thanks for fucking me," I mumble.
His laughter chases me into sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Roman
"Kaleo has gone underground," Kincaid announces, stalking into my office. The slamming do
or rattles the window panes. He flings himself down in the chair across from my desk, his steely blue-gray eyes on fire. "I can't find the motherfucker anywhere."
"Fuck." I push away from my desk and run a hand through my hair, staring over my monitor at him. He's been on edge for the last few days, ready to snap. He hasn't seen January since she kicked him out of her house. He won't talk about it, but it doesn't take a genius to see that it's fucking him up in a major way. There's a stark desperation in his gaze that worries the hell out of me. If he's sleeping, he's not doing it often. His eyes are haunted and bruised beneath, his jaw clenched so tight I'm surprised it hasn't shattered under the force. He looks like shit. To keep himself occupied, he's been running Kaleo's people to ground all over the city. I guess Kaleo got spooked and bolted.
Once we talked to the girls Kaleo has been pimping, they told us everything we needed to know. One is only fourteen years old. They're in protective custody until Kaleo is out of the picture, but Kincaid is out for blood. The last thing I need is him tearing the city apart to find Kaleo.
We haven't heard a peep out of Remi since I chased him all through the sewers under the city. We still haven't found the baby's mother…and I'm starting to think we never will. Either Remi killed her or she fled. We haven't found any other kids who might belong to Francisco, thank God, but the fact that he's been using a fertility clinic to inseminate women is bad news all the way around.
Authorities in Mexico are working that angle, trying to figure out how many other women like Medina and Ortega are out there, but the fertility clinic hasn't exactly been cooperative. We may never find out exactly how long he's been at it or who at the clinic is involved. Selena wasn't able to tell Carter much of use beyond that she never visited the clinic until the day of the procedure itself, and they kept her in the dark right up until the very end.
The whole situation is a goddamn nightmare. In the last four days, I've been home twice…just long enough to catch a shower and a couple hours of sleep. I haven't even had a chance to check in on Faith and Octavio at all. Mila says she's doing a lot better, but I haven't seen her myself. I haven't seen Octavio either. He's been busy with his own shit and our paths haven't crossed. Whatever he needed to talk to me about seems to have cleared itself up though.
"We're going to have to raid Kaleo's property and try to scoop him up later," Kincaid growls, his knee bouncing up and down in obvious agitation. "We can't risk him cleaning it all out before we get there."
"I know," I mutter, shuffling through the stack of shit on my desk until I find the file on Kaleo. The list of charges against him is as long as my arm. Drug trafficking, kidnapping, sex trafficking, sexual assault, gun charges, extortion, endangering the welfare of a minor…. He's dirtier than I ever expected. "This is a fucking mess."
Kincaid snorts his agreement, pushing a hand through his dark blond hair.
"I can have the team ready to go tomorrow," I say, tossing the file back down on the desk. "We can hit his place at dawn, clear it out before he has a chance to move anything or destroy evidence."
"Fuck. Let's do it," Kincaid agrees, his leg still bouncing. "I've already taken out as many of his people as I can. We shouldn't have any issues. We just need to bag and tag everything."
"I want you to meet the team first."
"Fine."
"I want you on the team."
"Fine."
"I'm not just talking about tomorrow, Kincaid. I'm talking permanently."
He cocks a brow at me.
"We both know you have no use for the DEA here," I say, not mincing words. "But regardless of how you feel about them, we need you on the streets. You might be the only fucking thing guys like Oscar Fuentes are afraid of, and that matters."
"You going to refuse to raid if I say no?" he asks.
"Do I look like I'm going to tell you no?" I shoot back at him, narrowing my eyes. It pisses me off that he even thinks he needs to ask. I may have helped bring him back here, but I'm helping him with the Kaleo situation because it's the right thing to do. Whether he knows it or not, I've been keeping an eye on Kaleo since I found out what happened to Titan and Jana James. The fact that Kaleo is out of control now is as much on me as it is on him, more so maybe. Kincaid has been in Seattle for the last ten years, but I've been right here. The motherfucker has been pimping out teenagers on my watch. I should have been keeping a closer eye on him over the years. I can't let that go any more than Kincaid can.
"Just asking," he says and then cocks his head to the side. "You're not a bad dude, but you don't know me. You might change your mind about having me on the team if you did." He sounds almost…regretful.
I open my mouth to tell him I know what he did—who he killed—but snap it closed instead. I haven't said a word about what I know since I found out because there was no point. He did what he had to do to protect January. The three gang members he killed were suspects in no less than half a dozen murders and a slew of other crimes. Maybe killing them was wrong in the eyes of the law, but when it comes to family? The rules aren't so black and white. You do what you gotta do to protect your family. And if killing someone who threatens them is wrong, then I'm not exactly innocent either. I shot Guerrero without hesitation. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
"You don't know me either," I tell him, my voice soft. "But you and I aren't as unlike as you might think. We both do what we have to do. It isn't always pretty, but it is what it is. This city needs that, especially with guys like Pedro Francisco trying to strong-arm their way in. You think it'll stop with him?" I shake my head. "Now that he's tried to take this city, others will follow suit. I need you to help convince them it's not worth the cost."
"You think they'll listen to me?" Kincaid laughs in disbelief. "Hate to break it to you, but these motherfuckers don't listen to reason. They're like wild animals."
"And as far as they're concerned, you're king alpha. They might not listen to reason, but they'll listen to you because they're fucking terrified you'll tear their world apart if they don't. You've been doing it for years. We need that. I need that."
"Why?" he asks.
"Because I have someone in this city worth protecting," I tell him, nothing but the God's honest truth. "To keep her and my daughter safe, I'll do whatever the fuck I have to do. And I'm thinking you feel the same way about your girl."
Pain flashes through his expression. "I'll tear this entire fucking city apart if anyone comes for her," he says, his voice lethally soft. The same dangerous emotion reflects in his eyes, mingling with pain until he looks tortured and tormented…and more goddamn dangerous than anyone else I know.
"That's why I need you."
"I'll think about it."
It's not a yes…but it's not a no either. For now, that has to be good enough.
"Then let's go meet the team," I say, pushing myself to my feet.
"How the fuck do people live like this?" Luke growls, his upper lip curled in disgust as he kicks his way through a pile of dirty laundry and moldy takeout containers in Kaleo's bedroom floor.
"No fucking clue," I mutter, trying not to breathe too deeply. The entire place reeks of pot, body odor, and what I'm almost positive is unwashed ass. Every room in the house is in the exact same shape as his bedroom. The floors are covered with trash and laundry. Dirty dishes cover every available surface. There are cockroaches skittering all around, and mouse droppings all over the place. My skin feels like it's going to crawl off.
"Nasty ass motherfucker," Luke grunts and then nods at the drug stash spread across Kaleo's bed. "Is this all of it?"
"Looks like it," I say, crouching down to shine my flashlight into the hole Kaleo carved out beneath the floorboards. I reach in and feel around to make sure we didn't miss anything, but come up empty. We've already recovered a quarter million in drugs, guns, and stolen property from holes a lot like this one. The son of a bitch has them all over the place…in the floors, the walls, behind the water heater, and in the attic.
Luke takes several photos for evidence and then starts packing it all up into tote bags to carry it out.
I replace the floorboards and stomp my way around the rest of the room to make sure we didn't miss any other hollowed out hiding spots.
"Gregory," Gunner says from the doorway.
I glance up.
"LAPD just rolled up."
I frown. "We didn't request LAPD assistance for this." In fact, Finn told them to steer clear of the area until we're done, hoping it'd keep the DEA off our backs until we're finished.
Gunner shrugs.
"I'll go see what they want," I mutter.
"Wait," Luke says and then tosses me a full tote. "Take that out with you." He grabs the other tote and follows behind me, kicking his way through all the trash in the floor and cursing under his breath.
Kincaid's on the front porch, standing beside a large safe. My heart dives toward my stomach at the sight of Octavio standing at the bottom of the steps beside a uniformed officer who looks like his balls haven't even dropped yet. Last I heard, Octavio was taking Faith to a follow-up appointment, which is why Mila is at the office with Finn until we get done here. The fact that Octavio is here and not with Faith isn't good.
"What are you doing here, Octavio?" I demand, confused and leery as hell.
"Octavio Hernandez!" Kincaid says, snapping his fingers. "Fucking knew we were acquainted."
"Not something I want to be doing," Octavio mutters, rubbing his palm over his dark hair. He casts a glance at the rest of the team milling around in the yard. Something a hell of a lot like regret passes through his expression.
The sight sends shards of ice into my veins.
Kincaid sighs softly and steps away from the safe, eyeing the young officer who looks like he's ready to swallow his own tongue.
"Roman, I need you to take my badge and my gun," Kincaid mutters, holding his hands up in the air.
"What the fuck?" I growl as anger slides through my veins right behind the ice.
Desire Me (Her Best Friend's Father Book 4) Page 20
