“Fuck, you really are trying to kill me,” Davin said.
Morgan gasped as he spun her in his arms and pressed his knee firmly between her legs as they moved. He pressed hard against her sensitive center.
She wanted to speak. To ask him where the hell he’d been the last six years, let alone the last four days. But instead she focused on the feel of him there in her arms, his bright green eyes staring down at her.
Davin leaned down and placed a soft kiss against her lips. “If I’m not careful, I’m going to really fall for you.”
Her body stiffened instantly. He’d meant it playfully. She knew this. And yet those words struck something deep inside her. Something that felt true but also terrifying.
Morgan pulled herself away. It was her turn to run.
“I…” she said, not really sure what to say as he stared at her. “I need to use the restroom.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond and bolted from the dance floor, and from Davin’s firm embrace where anything and nothing were possible all at once.
He didn’t try and stop her. He must have realized the mistake. Hell, given how he’d behaved four days earlier, it was almost certain.
It didn’t take her all that long for her to find the bathroom, and fortunately, for once, there wasn’t a line.
Morgan breathed in deeply as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her body still hummed from having Davin pressed so firmly against her.
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She’d thought he realized everything was a mistake, but his behavior on the dance floor now made her question that, along with what he’d been saying.
Just what the hell was he getting at? It had been a week since she’d last seen him, not even counting the many years he’d been gone. Then he suddenly showed up on the dance floor and left her feeling like they just screwed in front of everyone.
The heat of a blush spread across her face as several women entered. Their outfits displayed much more skin than her own, and their makeup was far fancier.
Those were the sort of women Davin usually went for. They were the type she’d seen him with over and over again, breaking her heart every time.
The truth was even if he were willing to play around on the dance floor, in the end, he just wouldn’t go for someone like her.
She was overthinking things. Maybe he was just drunk.
Morgan frowned. She wasn’t really sure she’d be able to tell. After a couple Tequila Sunrises, she was pretty toasted herself. But really, the explanation was the only one that made sense.
Sort of.
It still didn’t explain the other night and the super hot kiss he’d given her, but one problem at a time. It was about all her brain could process right now. Or her body for that matter.
She took in a deep breath and headed for the door. Maybe she could just slip out without him even seeing her. Then she could go back to the way things were before Davin returned and stirred her heart.
Morgan paused with her hand still on the door.
Did she really want that? The same thing every day?
A lump formed in her throat. It wasn’t what she wanted. What she wanted she’d likely never get, and a one-night stand wasn’t likely to change anything. It’d only make things worse.
But perhaps one night with Davin was better than nothing.
Taking in a shaky breath, Morgan felt her resolve settle. She’d just have to make it the best night ever.
She opened the door and stepped out into the dark hall leading to the dance floor. The music hit her like a wave as she looked around for those green eyes she always loved.
“Looks like loser ran away,” a rough Russian-accented voice said near her ear. His thick accent made him hard to understand at first. “Maybe we get out of here.”
The strong stench of the alcohol hit her nose before she even turned. She knew it was the man who had been watching her before.
Morgan plastered a smile on her face. She’d never been very good at rejecting people. “I should really get back to my friends.” She twisted her hands in front of her nervously.
The large man pressed in. She stepped back, but her back collided with a cold wall.
“What your hurry?” he said. He mumbled something in Russian under his breath.
Morgan tried to look around, but found she was completely blocked off from anyone that might help. It was not at all the situation she expected to find herself in.
* * *
Davin watched her race to the bathroom and cursed himself. Not only had he stepped in when the hulking Russian was making his way over to her, but he’d scared her off as well.
His words came out before he’d even had a chance to think about what he was saying. She just smelled so good in his arms. Like they were made for one another.
He clenched his fists and made his way back to the table. Torin raised a brow as Davin sat hard in his seat and chugged the last of his beer.
“So what happened to keeping a low profile?” Kane grumbled. “I’m sure half the Russians in this bar have made you now.”
“They have no idea who the fuck I am.” Davin slammed his beer down. He itched to get another, but he needed to remember just what the fuck he was supposed to be doing.
This wasn’t the time to be sorting out his feelings for Morgan. He was supposed to be casing the fucking Russians.
“And it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t let that asshole near her,” he said firmly.
Sure, that was it. He was just doing his civic duty by protecting Morgan from that creep. His wandering hands and hard-on were just perks of the deal.
He stared hard in the direction of the bathroom, waiting for her to come back out so he could explain how dangerous it was there. That she and her friends needed to go someplace else to dance and drink.
Davin clenched his fists again. She needed to be someplace else. But then he’d not be there and wouldn’t be able to keep every other man away from her.
Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure his plan was going to be the best idea. He thought maybe he should just take her home with him and have his one night. Then he’d be able to move on.
The lie didn’t even sound good in his head. He knew this path.
There was never going to be just one time with Morgan. As it was, they’d only shared one kiss, and he hungered for more like a starving man. Hungered to hear her soft moans against his mouth as he brought her to the edge over and over again.
He watched as the sea of people parted, and his heart froze in his chest.
The large Russian from before leaned over Morgan. His body moved closer and closer to her until she was backed against the wall. His hand moved toward her shoulder.
Davin stood instantly.
“Don’t do this,” Torin said firmly. “You’ll fuck everything up.”
Davin glanced down to his friend and offered him a smile. The sort that told them both he was going to enjoy what happened next.
“I’m not going to fuck anything up,” Davin said. “I’m just going to say hello.”
Kane sighed. “We’ll bring your car around. Try and not kill anyone before then.”
Davin nodded. They knew where this was going. The only direction it could go when he was involved.
Chapter Nine
Morgan found it was hard keeping a level head when it was swimming with alcohol. Though her fear was helping her burn through her haze, it wasn’t happening nearly quickly enough.
The large man nudged her toward the back door. “Let’s get out of here,” he said with a grim smile.
Morgan tried to slip out between his body and the wall, but found a meaty hand holding her firmly in place by the shoulder.
“Let me go,” she said. Her voice rose with panic the harder he tried to press her toward the door. “Please.”
“Do you know who I am?” the man said, his face contorted in anger.
Morgan opened her mouth to respond.
“Son of
a whore?”
She closed her mouth. Those hadn’t been her words. Then she realized it hadn’t been her voice, but a man’s.
The large hand on her shoulder slid off as the Russian man turned. She hurried away from him, relieved by the sight of Davin standing there.
His green eyes twinkled with merriment as he watched the large man.
“What did you say about my mother?” the large man said.
Davin smiled back at the angry man, and Morgan groaned at his choice of words.
“You’re right,” Davin said, scratching his eyebrow. “That was rude and unfair. Your mother can’t help that her son is a rotting sack of shit.”
Morgan’s heart hammered loudly in her chest. It only mildly calmed when Davin reached out to pull her behind his back. He started to slowly back her away.
She could see the large mans hands clench into meaty balls near his sides. If he got his hands on Davin, there was no way he’d come out okay. Not with a man that size. It didn’t matter how tough Davin was.
“You going to pay,” the man ground out.
Davin reached behind him and grasped her hand in his tightly. She could see his other hand making its way to his side where she knew he kept his gun.
“Doubtful,” Davin said, sounding almost cheerful
Like a flash, his hand reached out but instead of landing on his gun like she expected, it hit the wall, and darkness swallowed the room.
He pulled hard on her hand as they stumbled through the darkness to the bright red exit sign over the door.
The instant he hit the door, alarms blared. Flashes of strobing light lit the room as the alarm screamed into the night.
Then they were outside in the cool night. The door slammed behind him.
She turned to Davin who stood grinning beside her.
“Well, that was fun,” he said with a shrug.
Morgan felt her hand twitch to slap the smile right off his face. She was terrified, and he was having a great time. It seemed like some things never changed.
Bright lights turned down the alley, and she covered her eyes to get a look at the driver. Maybe it was that man and his friends. The fear gripped her heart.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here before shit gets real,” a man said as he climbed out of the car. It took her a second, but she recognized him as Torin.
Another car pulled in behind him as he spoke.
Davin pulled on her hand just when the metal door creaked open. “Shit.”
Exactly what she was thinking when the large man and his friends stepped out, guns drawn.
“We fucking kill you!” the man screamed.
Davin turned to her as he pulled out his own gun. “Run.”
Morgan didn’t need to be told twice as several loud bangs echoed through the alley.
She ran as fast as she could. Rocks around her pelted her feet as bullets hit the ground.
When she reached the car, Morgan ducked behind it. Torin and Kane returned fire as the other men ducked behind a nearby trashcan.
“Get in,” Davin shouted to her.
She opened the door and ducked inside, just as Davin slipped in.
He hit the gas and revved the engine. Morgan looked behind them. The other car still blocked their escape.
“We’re trapped!” she said.
Davin turned and gave a smile that made her think he was enjoying this just a bit too much.
“We’re not trapped,” he said with a grin. “We’re going through.”
Morgan gripped the door frame as the tires under them spun on the gravel.
“Get down!” he shouted.
Davin grabbed her by the neck and forced her down. It was a risk going this way, but he had to show these bastards that they didn’t fear them. It was the only way to make men like them understand.
He pressed his foot against the floor as his car shot out of the entrance of the alley, missing the other car and the wall by inches. He held his gun out the window and fired at the men as they scrambled to get out of the way of the bullets raining down on them.
Pain ripped through his arm, and he grunted. Just a flesh wound. Nothing he hadn’t dealt with before.
For one brief moment, he caught the eye of the man that had been touching Morgan and fired. The bullet found its mark in the man’s chest,
Satisfaction filled him over taking out the bastard. There was one less piece of shit on the streets.
“You killed him,” Morgan said.
He hadn’t even noticed she was sitting up until she spoke.
Davin stared out in front as he whipped into oncoming traffic. He rolled up his window quickly and placed the gun on the side of his seat.
He glanced behind him and was glad to see Kane behind him in the SUV.
They drove in silence now. Davin could see her from the corner of his eye as she shivered and reached over to turn on the heat.
When she flinched, he felt it right to his very soul.
They turned down several streets before coming to the gates leading to his new community.
Once inside, he watched as Kane turned off to his own home.
They stopped just outside his place.
“You killed him,” she repeated.
He could hear the horror in her voice, and no matter how much he tried to make it okay, hearing it right there in her voice only made it worse.
“He’s dead,” Morgan said a little louder. “How could you kill him?”
He turned in his seat to glare at her. “Are you kidding me? How could I?”
She stared at him in shock, and even though he knew this wasn’t going to help, Davin couldn’t seem to find a way to pull himself back.
“First of all, in case it escaped your attention, he and his buddies were trying to kill us.” He snorted. “And do you even know what that son of a bitch was going to do to you?” He watched her throat work as she swallowed hard. “He shouldn’t even be able to look at you, let alone touch you,” he said with the venom he felt. “So, yes, I fucking killed him. I gave him his chance, and he came after me. He didn’t just try and hit me. He shot at me. And, shit, I’d do it all over again if it meant one less piece of shit on the streets.”
Davin didn’t wait around for her to speak again. He didn’t want to hear the disappointment in her voice or to see the fear in her eyes. It was too much.
He should have known it would be like this. Morgan wasn’t like everyone else. Even after everything she’d been through, she was still the sweet innocent person she always was.
More than anything, he wanted her to keep that. That was one of the reasons he needed to stay away from her.
He stepped out. He’d just dress his wound and then have her back at her apartment where she belonged. She’d be away from this sort of life and safe in her book world.
Chapter Ten
Morgan didn’t say much else to him after they stepped into Davin’s house. The truth was she wasn’t really sure what else to say. She’d seen Davin kill the man in cold blood, and what chilled her more wasn’t that he didn’t care, but that once she thought about it, she didn’t.
She knew she should be disgusted, but the farther away the incident grew, the less she could bring herself to feel that way. In fact, after the shock of it all had faded, killing the man didn’t seem all that outrageous.
Davin was right. It wasn’t as if he’d walked up and shot the man out of nowhere. There was something to be said for “live by the sword, die by the sword.”
Morgan wondered what her aunt would say. This wasn’t how she would have wanted her niece to spend her weekend. That was for sure.
Thinking about it too much wouldn’t change anything. She tried to shake off the bad feeling the whole thing gave her.
She walked around Davin’s house, surprised that he actually had a house. It just didn’t seem to go with the wandering life style she associated with him. A home meant permanence.
A home meant he might be staying for a while.
; Morgan shook her head, trying to force down the hope that wanted to rise.
The real surprise was the tasteful decoration. Not that she really knew his style, but judging by the retro flashy car he drove, she doubted that brown muted tones were really his thing.
“Finn set all these houses up for us.”
Morgan jumped and turned toward the voice. Davin stepped back into the room, his shirt off.
A plane of hard muscle flexed as he placed a small black zippered bag on a table, along with two opened bottles of beer. He picked up one and took a long drink.
Morgan’s eyes trailed over him until she came back up to Davin’s beautiful green eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but wasn’t sure what exactly she wanted to say.
There were so many things she should say, but just as she’d been processing his return to her life, they’d been swept up in this shoot out with goons at the club.
That sort of thing just wasn’t her life. She owned a quiet little bookstore.
Davin’s phone rang loudly, forcing his attention down, and ending the intense gaze he had been giving her for a second. But he quickly returned to staring at her.
“Yeah,” he said, after bringing the phone to his ear. His eyes stayed on her, and she shivered. “Getting ready to take care of it now.” He looked away. “I know,” Davin said quietly, and shoved the phone back in his pocket.
He winced as he did so, and for the first time, she noticed the blood dribbling down his arm.
Morgan hurried over to Davin. Without hesitation, she turned his arm to the side.
“You were shot!”
Davin nodded and sat on the couch. “Yeah, looks like it. Feels like it, too.”
Morgan sat next to him. “We have to get you to the hospital.”
Davin gave a small laugh. She was so close that she could see the soft crinkles in the corner of his eyes that always made her stomach do flips.
He shrugged. “No big deal. I’ve had worse. I just need to get the bullet out and stitch it up.”
Davin unzipped the bag and pulled out what appeared to be first-aid supplies. He picked up tweezers and dropped them into a small bottle of alcohol.
Davin: #6 (Kelly Clan) Page 5
