by Penelope Sky
How many other men would have done that?
Not many.
I was heartbroken watching her throw herself at him, assuming Bosco would go through with it when there was no way for me to find out. But seeing him blow her off did a number on my heart. It made it skip a beat, made it throb in pain because his actions meant so much to me.
Only a real man could turn down a woman like that.
I was distracted all day thinking about it, unsure what I would say to Bosco when I got home. Would I act like nothing happened? Would I wait for him to tell me what happened? Was that something he would even tell me?
When the day was over, I locked up the shop and walked to Vanessa’s gallery. It was a few blocks away, and even though I didn’t see Bosco’s men anywhere, I knew there were at least ten of them watching me, all armed and ready for a man dumb enough to cross me.
I stepped inside the gallery, seeing Vanessa closing up for the day. “How’s it going?”
“Hey, girl.” Vanessa rose from her desk and hugged me. “Nice to have you drop by.”
I noticed the huge man lurking in the corner, watching every move I made. I glanced at him and smiled. “How are you doing?”
All I got was a quiet growl in response.
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Carl, this is my cousin. She’s cool.”
He made another growl before he walked away.
When he left us alone, my eyebrows rose almost off my face. “You have to deal with that guy all day, every day?”
“He’s a lot nicer when it’s just the two of us. He doesn’t like or trust other people.” Vanessa was in black leggings and a long-sleeved dress. Her stomach was getting bigger every week, and she was deep in her second trimester. “He’s actually a very nice guy…when he shows it.”
“I’ll just take your word for it.”
“So, what’s up?” she asked. “I would ask you to dinner, but I need to get home. Griffin probably already has dinner on the table. Unless you’d like to come over?”
Having Bosco’s men follow me to Griffin’s territory sounded like a terrible idea. “No thanks. I should be getting home.”
“You mean, to Bosco’s home,” she teased.
The penthouse already felt like mine, even though it’d only been a month. The bed was far more comfortable than mine had ever been. Or maybe it was just the beautiful man sharing the sheets with me. I liked everything about the place, from the masculine furniture to the design of the bathroom. “I actually wanted to talk to you about him…” The scene I saw earlier that day had been eating me alive since I’d witnessed it. I wasn’t angry at Bosco’s reaction. In fact, I was incredibly touched…and that’s what worried me.
“Was is it?” she asked, turning serious. “Everything alright?”
I told her the story, admitted I spied on his conversation because I’d run back to the penthouse to retrieve my keys.
“Wow,” she said, her eyes wide with surprise. “First of all, who the hell is this Ruby skank?”
“No idea.” I shook my head. “But yes, she’s a fucking skank.”
“And a snake.”
“Yes.” She wouldn’t hear an argument from me.
“She showed off her tits and tried to get Bosco into bed?” she asked.
“Said she wanted to be his queen…basically said she wanted him to take care of her. What kind of woman just asks a man that?”
She looked away. “Well, if I said that to Bones, he’d be inside me so fast… That’s like his dream. He would love it if I stayed home all day and spent his money. But at the same time, I know he loves me because I’m not like that, because I don’t actually need his money.”
“Thankfully, Bosco wasn’t into it. And this woman was gorgeous. Like…supermodel status.”
“It’s pretty impressive he said no,” Vanessa said. “Not all men would have the strength to resist something like that. Not just because this woman is attractive, but because she showed up to his house and basically begged him to take her. That’s a fantasy for a lot of men.”
“She had nice tits.”
“I bet they were fake,” Vanessa snapped. “Like the rest of her.”
Fake or not fake, they were nice.
“It doesn’t matter,” Vanessa said. “He turned her down—because he’s loyal to you.”
That was the part that made me so confused. “I know…” I took a deep breath, feeling so much relief that I was terrified.
“If this is a good thing, why do you look so sad?” She crossed her arms over her chest, making her belly stick out even more.
There were no words to describe what I was feeling. “I don’t know…I can’t explain it. I kept expecting him to grab her tits then take her clothes off, but he didn’t seem remotely interested in her. Then he said I had class and she didn’t. It was just…”
“Sweet?” Vanessa asked. “Romantic? Touching?”
“Yeah…I guess.”
Vanessa’s eyes softened as he stared at me. “Griffin used to be the kind of man that fucked anything that moved. When he met me, he stopped looking at other women. There’s no doubt in my mind that he could be anywhere, at any time, and he would never mess around.”
“Because he’s in love with you, Vanessa.”
“Exactly.” She gave me a meaningful look.
I held her gaze, understanding her meaning perfectly.
“And the reason it means so much to you is because you feel the same way. You’d be devastated if he messed around. I warned you this would happen, that you would fall for the man who was supposed to mean nothing to you.”
When the three months were over, I was leaving, no matter what. Regardless of how I felt, this had an expiration date. I knew what kind of future I wanted, and that would never be possible with Bosco. He was a man I would remember fondly, probably be the best sex I’d ever had, but that would be it. “Should I say something to him?”
“You would incriminate yourself in the process.”
“True.”
“And you would also have to talk about it…and that conversation would only go in one direction.”
Bosco would tell me he didn’t want that tramp. He only wanted me. Other words would be exchanged, capitalizing on the feelings that were already in the room. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“I wonder if he’ll mention it to you.”
“No idea.” I had no clue if Bosco would be honest with me about Ruby. He might consider it to be none of my business. Or maybe he just didn’t want to make me jealous. But knowing him, he would love the opportunity to make me admit I wanted him all to myself.
“Excited about the wedding?”
I was leaving for my parents’ tomorrow after work. I’d be there all weekend, celebrating my brother’s nuptials. There would be lots of drinking, laughing, and partying. But there would also be lots of sleeping alone.
I wasn’t looking forward to that part.
“Yeah, I’m really excited,” I said. “I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t spent much time with our family.”
“Yes,” she teased. “Very busy.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ll keep my secret?” Being around all our family while they asked me a million questions would make it a little harder for her.
Vanessa gave me a fond look and shook her head. “You know I’ll take your secret to the grave. But I hope when the truth comes out, you won’t throw me under the bus.”
“The truth isn’t gonna come out.”
“Ongoing secrets never stay hidden, Carmen. Especially with our family…”
“It’s gonna end…in two months.” A month of our relationship had already passed. It seemed to happen within the blink of an eye.
“You can say whatever you want to make yourself feel better,” Vanessa said. “But I have a lot of experience in this area…and I know intense relationships like this never end. They simmer, burn, and then turn into an inferno. They may simmer once more, but the flames will never go out. The
y will keep going…even when there’s nothing left to burn.”
I came home a little later than usual, but Bosco didn’t seem surprised. His men probably told him exactly where I was when I didn’t come home at my usual time. I stepped into the penthouse and saw him sitting on the couch. The smell of dinner was in the air, and it smelled surprisingly good for chicken or fish. He was on the couch, wearing his black sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips. He’d shaved this face after his workout, and his bare chest rippled with every breath he took.
He stared at me with that intense gaze that I could never get used to. It was dark, terrifying, and filled with so much desire, it suffocated my thoughts. To someone else, it might be impossible to figure out if he wanted to fuck me or kill me.
My purse hung on my shoulder, and my thick jacket was still wrapped around my body, hiding my curves from view. But he kept looking at me like I was buck naked and my wetness was dripping from between my legs. Ruby had put her tits on display, and he didn’t tense this way for her.
Only for me.
He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his thighs, his chiseled biceps looking thick and powerful. The cords were noticeable down his forearms, and his shiny watch was absent. His hair was slightly messy because I gathered he’d been fingering it for the last few hours. His blue eyes were beautiful, shining with unmistakable masculinity.
Time seemed to slow down, and the intense staring between us didn’t fade away.
I remembered the cold way he got rid of Ruby, unaffected by her perky tits and her desperation. He could have fucked her any way he wanted, but instead, he burned the bridge and kicked her out of his penthouse. He only wanted me, didn’t care about securing anything after I was gone.
I set my purse on the other couch and stripped off my jacket. It fell to the floor, and I kicked off my shoes next. I could feel the wetness in my panties, the tightness in my thighs. I’d never wanted him more than I wanted him right now. Honest, committed, and faithful, he had all the qualities a woman dreamed of.
And he had them for me.
I removed my jeans then pulled my panties down my legs.
He glanced down, seeing the pool of slickness my pussy had soaked into the fabric. I’d been wet all day, thinking about what kind of man was waiting for me at home. That hussy’s tits weren’t on my mind anymore—and I knew they’d never been on his mind in the first place.
I left my shirt on and straddled his waist, wanting that big cock inside me as soon as possible. I pushed his sweatpants down along with his boxers, revealing his enormous length. He was throbbing for me, bigger than he’d ever been for that skank. She couldn’t even get him hard when she tried.
This man was all mine.
I kept my eyes on him as I slowly sank down his length, feeling him stretch me hard with his thick head. Once we moved past the initial notch, I slowly slid down his length until I was sitting on his balls.
He had the kind of hands built to touch a woman’s body, and he gripped my cheeks with masculine force. He pressed his lips to the corner of my mouth and growled quietly, enjoying my overwhelming slickness. “You’ve been thinking about me all day, Beautiful.”
I’d been thinking about him since the moment he blew Ruby off. All day at work, he was on my mind. I replayed the event in my head, remembering the pissed off look on Ruby’s face when she was kicked out of his penthouse. “Yes…can you tell?” My fingers dug into his hair, and I looked into his eyes, seeing the most beautiful man in the world. Everything about him was perfect, from his chiseled jaw to his soft eyes. I loved the masculine lines of his face, the shadow across his jaw even though he’d just shaved that afternoon. Despite his criminal ways, I loved his integrity, his commitment to his promise.
“Fuck. Yes.” He ground his hips against me slightly, feeling my wetness sheathe him all the way down to his balls. His fingers kneaded my ass as he breathed against my mouth. “You’re the wettest you’ve ever been.”
My arms hooked around his neck, and I kissed him, let him suck my bottom lip into his mouth. My hands shook as I held on to this man, feeling a burning chemistry like no other. There was more heat in his embrace than I’d felt with anyone else—by a landslide. I wondered if this was what Vanessa and Griffin felt, if this was the kind of passion people really shared. Did other people experience what Bosco and I had? Was it less? Was it more? I found it unlikely they experienced it at all.
I rose and fell on his lap, sliding his dick in and out of me at a quick speed. I wanted his length inside me, wanted as much as I could take. That stupid tramp was elsewhere, wishing she were the one sitting on his lap. But I was the one who was here. I was the only woman this man wanted.
He grabbed my hips and steadied me, his blue eyes burning into mine. “Slower.” He guided my hips up and down, controlling the pace and setting it to a speed at a fraction of what it was before. His hands slid up my back until they spanned my rib cage. “Slow, Beautiful.” He repeated the same words back to me, wanting that pleasurable pace I wanted the other night.
I slowed down, riding his length at such a reduced speed that it felt even better. Every movement was amplified, in addition to the sensation of my nipples dragging against his chest. My pussy grew wetter and tighter, clinging to his length like I’d never enjoyed it so much before.
“Slower.” He looked me in the eye as he breathed into my face, looking like he was enjoying me even more than I was enjoying him. His thumbs spread across my belly, and he pressed into me as the desire coursed through his veins.
I ground against him, stimulating my clit with his hard body. I finally fell into the rhythm he wanted, finally moved my body just the way he requested. I slowly rose to the top of his length then slid back down, smearing his cock with my slickness. We breathed deeply together, enjoying every single touch, kiss, and thrust.
He brushed his lips past mine like he was teasing me. Then he rubbed his nose against mine, his fingers clenching around my flesh. He gripped me tighter and tighter, only stopping when his force became too much. He pressed his forehead to mine and closed his eyes, his hands lifting me slightly to alleviate my exertion. He moaned quietly, his cock thickening inside me even more.
I stared at his lips as we moved together, our bodies so aligned, we seemed to be a single person. We lived and breathed for one another, yearned for one another. There didn’t seem to be anyone else out there who mattered, not when we had each other. I always felt safe with him, knowing no one else had the power to even touch me. But I’d never felt safe from him—until now. This man would never hurt me. He would never lie to me.
And he would never break my heart.
When I came home from work the next day, Bosco was in a terrible mood. He glared at me the second I walked in the door, knowing I would grab my suitcase and then leave town to spend the weekend with my family.
He looked like he might destroy his own building.
I walked past him and entered the bedroom, doing the best I could to ignore his coldness. We’d extended our relationship for an extra three days to make up for my absence, but he was still angry about the whole thing.
I really wanted to spend time with my family since I hadn’t seen them much lately, but I didn’t want to leave him either. There was nothing better than sleeping in that comfortable bed with this man keeping me warm. It was hard to imagine going back to my old bed, which seemed like a cot in comparison. And there would be no sexy man waiting for me.
Bosco never mentioned his interaction with Ruby. When I came home yesterday, he behaved as if everything was normal. Maybe he forgot about her the second I walked through the door. She wasn’t important enough to remember.
Or maybe he simply didn’t think it was any of my business that some other woman wanted his balls.
I hated thinking about that whore.
I piled everything into my duffel bag, making sure my dress for tomorrow was on the hanger covered in plastic. My makeup, hair supplies, and sleeping cloth
es were packed. I wanted to bring one of Bosco’s t-shirts, but my mother came into my room all the time, and she would immediately notice I was wearing a man’s shirt.
His footsteps sounded behind me. Heavy and slow, they announced his ominous presence. He moved until he was directly behind me, his scent entering my nose.
I zipped up the duffel bag on the bed before I turned around to face him. He was in his sweatpants, barefoot and bare-chested. Whenever he was home, he never wore anything else. Sometimes he walked around in his boxers, showing off his muscular thighs and calves. His broad shoulders led to sexy arms, and his powerful chest led to a tight stomach that was so ripped it didn’t seem like he had any fat. He was the product of a sad life, a life where there was no pizza and pasta.
He wasn’t as angry as he was when I first walked in the door. Now his rage simmered, probably because he realized being pissed off wouldn’t change anything. I would leave on bad terms, and that kind of departure wasn’t good for either of us. He moved his hands into his pockets and sighed quietly, his nostrils flaring.
“It’s really only two days if you think about it…” This man was so possessive that nothing I said would make him feel better, but I thought I would try.
“And two nights.” His voice was ice-cold. “Just one night is too long.”
“It’ll be over before you know it.”
He gave me another cold look with a hint of skepticism. “Maybe for you. I would just put my dick in my hand, but I don’t think I can go back to that after having pussy like yours.” The shadow across his jaw was getting thicker, highlighting the masculine curves of his face. Only a man bursting with this much testosterone could pull off a statement like that.
“How sweet,” I said sarcastically. “I’ll miss you too.”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile at my joke. “I really will miss you, Beautiful.” His eyes turned serious again, and he pulled his hand out of his pocket to cup my face. His thumb brushed across my cheek before he gave me a soft kiss on the mouth.
