Hart of Vengeance: The Hart Series

by Alexander, S. B.

  He’ll break your heart again. I wasn’t listening to the devil in my head. It was time I threw caution to the wind and saw where the road took us. I would like to believe that, as adults, our heads were screwed on better. Denim was a different man. I had seen that the instant he’d walked into the meeting room in prison, the instant we’d locked eyes.

  We weren’t teenagers with raging emotions that drove our actions. We’d both had time to grow, think, and decide what we wanted, and I wanted Denim Hart, every freaking inch of him, despite the danger that surrounded him. I knew he would protect me, and I felt safe with him.

  Denim and I deserved a second chance. We deserved to start anew and see where our relationship took us. If we didn’t try, we would both wonder what if, and I was tired of playing the what-if game. Life was precious and short, and I shouldn’t waste it because I feared the unknown or feared having my heart shattered.

  Suddenly, I wasn’t tired. I eased off the bed and padded across the plush white carpet and into the en suite bathroom. I flicked on the light and found myself standing in an enormous room.

  The glass shower tucked in the corner was larger than the entire bathroom in my dinky apartment.

  I found the towels in a small closet in the other corner and started the shower. It was time to shed a lot more than the grime coating my body. It was time to let go of the past. I stripped down and examined myself in the mirror over the stone sink. I touched the large bandage on my chest, making sure it was secure. The nurse had given me a small bag of medical supplies, including waterproof bandages.

  I couldn’t look at myself any longer. Hopefully when I emerged from scrubbing myself clean, I wouldn’t look like death.

  Three hours later, I was squeaky-clean, my hair was dry, and my skin was soft. I’d made coffee, taken inventory of Duke’s sparse kitchen cabinets, and now I was curled up in bed. In a way, I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. I hadn’t taken a bubble bath, but staying in such an expensive place made me feel pampered.

  I’d just closed my eyes when footsteps clamored down the hall. I jolted up and threw off the blankets to see who was there, and a moment later, Denim graced the doorway.

  I didn’t move, but not because I was surprised he was there. I was buck naked. It felt nice to have my bare skin on the thousand-thread-count sheets.

  He leaned against the doorjamb and raked his heated gaze over me, taking his time when he landed on my breasts.

  On command, my nipples hardened.

  He licked his lips, pushing his hands through his hair.

  Instantly, I imagined him pushing his hard cock into me.

  “Do you normally sleep naked?” His voice was husky.

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed. “Nope. I was waiting for you.” Bold much, Jade?

  His eyes blazed, hungry and heated, as he popped off the doorjamb. “Is that so?” He stalked over with a boyish smile, but there was nothing boyish about Denim Hart. He had broad shoulders, a strong jaw, arms built to protect, hands made to bruise, and lips born to tease, tempt, and drive a woman into a delicious rage.

  I grabbed my nipples. “I’m all yours.”

  One eyebrow went up. “Don’t fuck with me, Jade. Because when I’m finally inside you, you’re mine. No one else. Not even that douche you were with at the club. This is it for me. You’re it for me.”

  Sitting on the edge of the bed, I planted my feet on the floor and opened my legs. “You should know I’m not the type to play with your head.” I slid my hand between my legs.

  He ripped open his shirt, and buttons flew in all directions.

  I giggled, but the sound died when he was standing before me. His blue eyes hypnotized me, ensnaring me into his seductive web, and I couldn’t look away.

  He took the hand I had in between my legs and guided it to his dick. “Feel that. Years of waiting for you.” Then he placed my hand on his heart. “You asked me why you should believe that I won’t hurt you again. Feel this. My heart beats for you and only you. It will never beat or pine for another woman. I thought letting you go was protecting you. I was so fucking wrong. The only one who can protect you is me. So I’ll ask you again. Are you sure you want us, me?”

  I tugged my hand from his wildly beating heart and tucked my fingers inside the waistband of his jeans. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” I swallowed as I traced my fingers up the dips and valleys of his six-pack. “I’m still in love with you. Never stopped. But…”

  He tensed, his abs tightening beneath my hands.

  “If you hurt me, I will kill you.” I wasn’t teasing. I would die a thousand deaths if he walked away again.

  He didn’t laugh either. Instead, he traced the outline of the bandage on my chest before his fingers landed on my chin. “If I do, I’ll give you the knife.” His tone was deathly serious and so was the look in his eyes.

  As if those were the magic words I needed, I started to undo his belt.

  He stopped me. “Maybe we should wait until you’re healed. I don’t want to physically hurt you.”

  “I’ve taken pain meds. And I know you’ll be gentle.” I was sure the doctor wouldn’t think sex was taking it slow. But I trusted Denim. “You’re in bad shape too.”

  His face was bruised pretty badly. He’d filled me on his ordeal and the torture he’d endured at the hands of Tito and his men.

  “Nothing I can’t handle.” He shucked his jeans in seconds with expert precision as though he’d practiced that move fifty times.

  I watched in quiet fascination and intensity as my body heated in all the right places.

  When he was fully naked, lust burning in his eyes, blond hair wild around his face, and his dick hard, ready, and bigger than I remembered, I whimpered.

  Is he truly the Denim I remember? It didn’t matter. Teenage Denim had been hot and swoony. Twentysomething Denim radiated strength, power, and a healthy dose of passion I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

  Or maybe I was ready because I was holding out my hands, and my eyes were fixed on his cock. When he stepped in between my legs, I wasted no time wrapping my fingers around his silky, smooth shaft.

  He groaned, a sound that awakened every butterfly in my stomach.

  Suddenly, my brain scrambled like an out-of-control satellite signal. It’d been years since I’d given him a blow job, years since I’d done much in the way of sex. I wasn’t sure I would be as good as I’d been at seventeen.

  He curled long fingers around his shaft as if to show me how it was done.

  But I didn’t need a lesson, although watching him stroke his long, thick erection was a sight to behold. With his free hand, he reached out and rolled one of my nipples in between his fingers.

  I purred, my eyelids drifting shut. And before my brain kicked into gear, my hand was traveling down my belly until I was circling my clit.

  Denim tapped my chin. “Open up, beautiful. I want to see sparks in those emeralds as you come for me.”

  It was then I realized just how close I was to reaching that crescendo of unadulterated bliss. I wanted to stop, to wait, to make it last, but I was too far gone. All those images of Denim and me I’d had in the shower had been foreplay.

  I did as he commanded and opened my eyes to find him on his knees, watching me intently, passionately.

  I continued to pleasure myself. My body was on the brink of something fantastic, something that had been dormant in me for years.

  Sliding his gaze down my body one inch at a time, he rubbed his calloused hands along my thighs. “You’re more beautiful than I remembered.”

  I wanted to shove my hands in his hair and guide him down to my throbbing clit. But he beat me to it and lowered his head.

  My pulse thrashed at the image of his tongue all over me. But I didn’t have time to envision anything. My hips bucked the moment his lips closed over my nub. I moaned so loudly, I had no doubt the city outside could hear me.

  Then he stopped cold.

  “No,” I whim
pered. “Please.” I wasn’t beyond begging. It had been far too long since I’d felt him and the euphoria of us.

  He chuckled, kissing the inside of my thighs, my stomach, everywhere but the one spot I needed relief. “I’m so happy to see you’re still impatient.”

  “Ass.”

  And just like that, we were teenagers again, bantering in the throes of passion. He would always tease me to the brink of pure, delicious pain.

  “Remember this?” He licked the back of my knee.

  I giggled and moaned. “Ass.”

  He licked the back of the other knee.

  I couldn’t describe the sensation except that it sent tingles to every part of my being, and Denim Hart knew how to play me perfectly.

  I was ready to explode, and as I’d done so many times over the years, I played with myself.

  He shook his head. His eyes were hooded, and his grin was sexy. “I want to take care of you.” He buried his head in my pussy, nipping, licking, and sucking.

  I squirmed and let out a huge sigh, clutching the comforter in my hands.

  He moaned as he stuck two fingers inside my channel, not missing a beat as he flattened his tongue on my nub.

  I bucked my hips, and when I did, he sucked hard.

  I let out the scream of all screams, and my body went slick with sweat.

  Denim kept his lips seated and licked with gentle strokes as I rode out the best orgasm in forever.

  When I finally came down, I sat up, breathing heavy. My cheeks were burning, my mind was clear, and my heart was full.

  Denim had disappointment written on his face when he rose.

  I blew out a breath. “What?” I couldn’t imagine why my orgasm would make him pout.

  He stroked his dick, and his pain was so evident as he eyed my pussy. “I don’t have any condoms.”

  “I’m on the pill.” The pill helped to regulate my monthly periods so they weren’t so heavy.

  His shoulders relaxed. “I promise I’m clean.”

  Letting my legs fall open, I scooted back on the mattress as he climbed onto the bed. When his hands were on either side of my head and his dick was primed and ready to enter me, he leaned down, hovering over my body with uncertainty in his eyes

  I cupped his face. “I’ll be okay.” I wasn’t in any pain.

  “You’re not exactly healed.” His voice was strained.

  “How about if I get on top?”

  He beamed. “I always loved you on top.”

  That I had forgotten.

  We traded positions, but before I straddled him, I had to taste him.

  He lifted up on his elbows, his chest rising as he watched me.

  I crawled down his body and wrapped my lips around his dick.

  He drew in a loud breath as his eyes drifted shut.

  When I took him deep, he almost flew off the bed. “I’m not going to last.”

  I swirled my tongue around the head of his cock, teasing, licking, and nipping.

  He threaded his hands through my hair and groaned. “I need to be inside you. Come here.”

  I climbed on top of him, and he guided his cock to my entrance. Our eyes locked. My heart was beating off the charts, and sweat coated our bodies.

  He gave me a nod like I needed a gentle push. I guessed I kind of did. The last time I’d had sex was a one-night stand years ago. The only thing that had been inside me since then was my vibrator, which was nothing like the real thing.

  My chest was rising and falling as I seated myself onto him. The moment he was completely buried inside me, I stilled. There was a pinch of pain, but once that passed, I squeezed.

  Denim’s lips parted. “Fuck me now, beautiful. Otherwise, I won’t have any control. I’ll flip you over and fuck your brains out. And I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I giggled. “Ever the gentleman.”

  He gripped my hips, his eyebrows creasing as he urged me to move.

  For a split second, I felt powerful. I had the reins, and I could command him at will. It was my turn to see him come undone.

  I pressed my hands to his hard pecs and began rocking my hips.

  A loud grunt rumbled out of his chest as his fingers dug into my hips. “Faster, baby. Faster.” He bucked and thrust.

  I rocked hard and fast as his dick hit that sweet spot inside me. My core went liquid. My body hummed, and I didn’t want to stop, but I was losing steam.

  “Flip us,” I said. “You won’t hurt me.” I would deal with the pain later if he did because I wasn’t stopping.

  Carefully and without breaking us apart, he rolled me over then froze. “Are you okay?”

  I bobbed my head. “Now fuck me like you mean it.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  I giggled.

  Pressing his hands into the mattress and keeping his chest off mine, he became a madman, pounding into me hard and fast. It was a beautiful sight to see the boy who had developed into a virile man about to come completely undone.

  He dipped his head, and his hair brushed my chest. Tingles sprouted like flowers on the first day of spring.

  He sucked a nipple into his mouth, circling his tongue around without losing momentum in the least. I squeezed around his cock as the friction climbed higher and higher and higher.

  Then he let out a growl. “Fuuuuuck.” His biceps bunched, his abs tightened, and his head fell back. “I can’t stop.”

  “Keep going. I’m close.”

  He kept pumping in and out until his name dropped from my lips, light and breathy. An explosion of stars danced before me as our gazes clung to each other with a quiet message of love, desire, and forever.

  When I finally shuddered in a heap of pure bliss, I was ready to pass out.

  He curled up alongside me, brushing my sweat-dampened hair from my forehead. Then he peppered kisses up and down my chin. “I do love you, Jade.” He sounded sad all of a sudden.

  But I was too spent to probe, and I didn’t want to ruin the moment. I snuggled against him, tangling my limbs around his, and closed my eyes. We could talk more in the morning.

  27

  Denim

  Jade looked peaceful as she slept. Her black hair was wild around her head, her hands were tucked underneath the pillow, and her soft snores hummed in the room.

  Careful not to wake her, I eased out of bed with an erection that I was sure would be permanent with her at my side. I wanted to roll over and make love to her again, but she needed the rest, and I had to meet Travers. The only way to take down Tito was to do it the legal way, which I knew, but I sure as fuck wanted to gut him with a steak knife. Yet if I gave in to my urges, I would end up back in prison, and that wasn’t happening.

  My feet had just sunk into the carpet when Jade stirred.

  Damn.

  “Where are you going?” she asked in a sleepy voice, which was sexy as hell.

  My dick grew harder if that was possible. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Sleep. You need to rest.”

  Hell, we’d had one epic night that would be embedded in my brain until the day I died, and not because of the sex. That was great, and we’d only had one round. I didn’t want to put her through too much physical activity. She’d said she was fine, but I could tell how tired she was.

  What had made the night epic was the love we’d never lost for one another. It was as though we’d picked up right where we’d left off eight years before.

  I wanted more nights like that of holding her, talking, making love, and falling asleep with her in my arms. I wanted to show her the world, swim with her in the ocean off some tropical island, and curl up in a cozy cabin in the mountains in the dead of winter.

  No more city life. No more Titos of the world. No more crime. No more running. After I cleared my name, I was hightailing my butt out of the city with Jade on my arm. Neither of us had anything or anyone holding us back.

  She propped her head in her hand. “Let’s spend the day together. We can order in and watch movies.”
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  I hadn’t told her yet about the plans Duke and I had with Tito. I hadn’t told her what Savannah had witnessed outside Hector’s apartment. I felt it wasn’t my place to share that information since Duke had heard it firsthand from Savannah.

  Jade might not believe Duke, but she needed to hear the story from him. Besides, the more I thought about what Savannah had seen, the more I believed Tito had had a hand in his brother’s murder. However, I couldn’t shake a few nagging questions. What was Savannah doing at Hector’s that night? Hector hadn’t been the only drug dealer in town, and surely she’d had her own dealer. I also wasn’t one-hundred-percent sold on why she hadn’t gone to the cops. She’d known I’d gotten pinched for the murder. Savannah had had a ton of faults, but I didn’t see her cowering, especially knowing Duke had the men to protect her. Although Tito wouldn’t have hesitated to kill her if he knew she’d seen him.

  But I might be wrong on all counts. Until I could get the truth on who the murderer was, I didn’t want to say a word to Jade because it would only upset her. She was mourning her sister and trying to heal. She didn’t need any more turmoil at the moment.

  If you can’t get Tito to talk, then what? You can’t ask Savannah.

  Someone in Tito’s circle had to know something about why he’d been at Hector’s and what had happened. But it wouldn’t matter. His men wouldn’t throw him under the bus, and they certainly wouldn’t tell me shit.

  Jade waved a hand in front of my eyes. “Denim, you checked out.” She felt my forehead. “You’re warm.”

  I chuckled. “Hot is more like it.” I lowered my gaze to my cock.

  She licked her lips. “Well, let’s take care of him.” She gave me the most beautiful, sleepy, seductive smile.

  Then my phone buzzed on the nightstand.

  She flopped down onto the pillow. “You don’t have a job. You don’t have to be anywhere. So who’s calling?” Frustration threaded through her tone.

  I kissed her on the cheek. “Patience, baby doll. I’m in for the long haul.”