“I meant the temp receptionist. Imagine being that prostitute doing a cop for free because he’s your boss and then having Hayes show up and kill him. The best part of her day is fucking ugly men so she can pay her bills. Meanwhile, the whiner inside doesn’t like hearing Hayes yell. Fuck, he isn’t even yelling at her.”
I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “You’re sweet as sugar when you get wound up over other people’s problems.”
Minka gives me a little smile. “I have feelings and care about people. Not all the time or anything, but I care on a regular basis.”
“I know you do.”
“Don’t you?”
“I care about those I care about. I’m not as sweet as you, Apples.”
Her hand grazes where my buttoned shirt rests open and plays with my chest hairs. “You have other qualities, I guess.”
“You guess?” I tease, opening the SUV door for her.
“I don’t want your ego getting any bigger on my account.”
“Too late. I saw your face when I made you come this morning.”
“I saw yours when you came too. That’s why I know I’m the fucking boss,” she says and laughs. “I thought you’d pass out.”
“You and me both.”
Joining her in the car, I don’t want to meet with bikers. I only want to take Minka somewhere alone and ask her questions about her life. I want to know what she likes and hates. I want to know everything there is to know about my woman.
17
~ Minka ~
So Much Testosterone
Dino and I find an Italian place in Hickory Creek that serves spaghetti with big juicy meatballs. I enjoy lunch, but he’s in heaven. When he smiles so big over something as small as a good sauce, I can’t help falling even deeper into the rabbit hole.
What would life with Dino even look like? I try to imagine a future with him while he discusses good pasta with the restaurant’s chef.
Earlier, Dino again talked about kids. He says his mom wants grandkids and would watch them all the time. Where in the hell does he figure we’ll live? No way in fucking hell will I move to New Jersey!
I like my job, but working in security, let alone as an assassin, doesn’t mix with being a mom. Troy cut back his hours once he fell in love with Darla. My old security co-worker Saskia quit altogether and now plays house with her man. Rafael rarely comes into the office and will be around less as Harlow’s pregnancy progresses. Everyone settles down, but I don’t know if I can.
“I need to make you spaghetti when we get back to Houston,” Dino says, and I realize he’s talking to me again. “If you’re a good girl, I’ll give you my mom’s secret sauce recipe.”
“I don’t like cooking.”
“Don’t worry. I like it fine, and I like eating out too. I’m an easy-going guy.”
“How easy-going? Would you be okay with no kids or one way off in the future?”
“Are you scared of childbirth?”
“I’m not particularly thrilled about something large ripping out of my vagina, no, but that’s not why I don’t want kids.”
“It’s ’cause of your mom. I know.”
“No, you don’t. It’s because I like being independent.”
Dino stops twirling pasta on his fork and frowns at me. “Don’t you like kids?”
“They’re fine, I guess.” When Dino just stares at me, I ask, “If that’s a deal-breaker, we might as well break it now.”
“Apples, you’re going to be a great mom,” he says. “Just not right now.”
“I’m nearly thirty. If I do it, I don’t want to be using a walker when I go into labor.”
“Then don’t wait that long.”
“But I don’t want to do it now.”
“And you don’t think there’s a span of time between this very second and when you’re tooling around with your walker?”
Agitated, I lean back in the chair and cross my arms. “I’m not your mom.”
“Good thing since I’m planning to fuck you after lunch.”
“I’m not going to be satisfied playing wife and mom.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
“You’ve been thinking about this for how long? A day? An hour? Since we sat down for lunch? Why are you making such a big deal out of something that ain’t a priority?”
“I don’t want you thinking things will happen that won’t happen.”
“And you think I won’t fall in love with you if you tell me, in this restaurant, that you won’t want to give me a couple of kids in a few years? Too late, doll.”
His words punch me in the gut. “You’re not in love with me.”
“I might be. I play things close to the vest.”
I can’t help laughing at his smug expression. “Love isn’t a choice.”
“If it was, would I pick a woman always busting my balls?”
“No, probably not.”
Dino winks at me. “You need to stop worrying about far-off things and start worrying about the meeting with those bikers tonight.”
“What’s there to worry about?”
“I don’t want you looking at them, and I don’t want them looking at you. That’s gonna make keeping up a conversation tricky.”
“I look at who I want,” I say, digging into my lasagna.
“You probably shouldn’t talk to them either. I’ll do the talking while you stare at the ceiling and think happy thoughts. No, look behind us to make sure we aren’t jumped. I don’t want your skills going to waste.”
“You need to find a way to reel in your caveman bullshit. At least when we’re working.”
“Yeah, I don’t see that happening. I guess you’ll need to reel in your Helen Reddy bullshit.” When I don’t understand, he gives me a sly smile. “Google it. I’ll wait.”
I pull out my phone, google the name, and then flip him off. “I am a woman, and you will hear me roar.”
“Only in bed, Apples. Learn your place.”
Dino is already ducking by the time he finishes talking. I throw my roll at him while he laughs.
“Learn your place, dickhead,” I growl, laughing at his amused expression. “No way will this work between you and me.”
“Don’t be scared. Change is good.”
“I’m not changing for you.”
“Sure, and I’m not changing for you either. We’ll stay exactly the same until we die of old age in Florida.”
“I hate Florida.”
“So do I, but I was making a point.”
“Well, okay then.”
We share a smile before I return to worrying about how much I want Dino yet don’t want the future I imagine with him.
Finishing the plate of spaghetti, he wipes his mouth. “We better get back to the hotel so I can work off these carbs.”
I stand up and throw cash down for the bill. “I guess that means you’ll be on top. Works for me.”
Walking out, I don’t wait for Dino, but he’s on my ass within seconds. His arm wraps around my shoulders, and he leans in to smell my hair.
“Apples,” he murmurs.
“Peaches, actually.”
“All fruit smells the same to me, but your hair could smell like dog shit and I’d still have a raging hard-on.”
Stopping at the SUV, I lean against the door. “Looking so fine, I bet you never once had to come up with a decent pickup line, have you? It’s all been sexy smiles and crappy come-ons.”
“I got you in bed, didn’t I?”
“That you did,” I say, kissing him quickly before he can lengthen it out into a public make-out session.
Dino takes me to the hotel where we partake in vigorous afternoon sex. I show off my limber legs and hips when he bends me like Beckham during our fuck-a-thon.
“I think I broke something,” Dino mutters when we arrive downstairs to meet with the bikers.
“You’re welcome,” I whisper, slapping his ass.
“Nice limp.”
>
We share satisfied smiles before our expressions shift into professional ass-kicker mode.
Vaughn and Judd wait for us in the empty breakfast area. They have a third guy with them, and he lacks volume control.
“Indoor voices,” I say, crossing my arms.
The loud guy takes a minute to get the joke before laughing. “I tell my Scarlet that all the time.”
“Does she mention glass houses or black kettles?”
Vaughn grins. “He won’t get those references. This is Tucker Johansson, and Cooper hit him in the head too many times.”
When I nod at this information, Tucker makes the mistake of smiling too big at me. Dino moves so quickly that he already has the Johansson idiot flat on his back before anyone can react.
“Hey,” Tucker mutters. “What the hell?”
“Don’t look at my woman.”
Vaughn starts laughing while Judd just rolls his eyes.
“We’re all married men,” Judd tells Dino. “Put your dick back in its holster, bud.”
Raising his hands, Dino nods. “Fair enough.”
Tucker takes a still-laughing Vaughn’s hand. Once pulled to his feet, the idiot shakes out his shoulders.
“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood.”
“Or what?” Dino pushes.
I pat my guy’s shoulder. “Let it go. Tucker has a lot of pressure on him. You know, with Hayes and the other biker club both wanting to steal Reapers’ territory.”
Tucker frowns like he wasn’t aware he ought to be worried. Judd doesn’t like what I said either. Vaughn’s still amused by Dino’s smack down.
“Let’s go somewhere more private,” Judd says, all business-like now.
“There’s a conference room.”
“We saw a bar on the drive into town. They serve food.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“We are.”
“Then go eat and come back so we can talk.”
“What’s the problem, princess?” Tucker asks.
Dino pulls his gun before everyone else, but we’re all pointing weapons seconds later.
“We don’t work for you,” I say to Judd while my gun focuses on Tucker. “We also don’t want to be seen in public with you in White Horse. We obviously can’t go to Hickory Creek or Common Bend either, and I’m not looking to make a road trip.”
Vaughn lowers his gun. “This is stupid. We aren’t gonna shoot each other.”
“I might,” Dino mutters.
Judd follows Vaughn by lowering his weapon while Tucker waits for me to stop aiming at him. Once I slide my gun into the holster, Dino and Tucker return theirs as well.
Giving everyone a big smile, Vaughn says, “We’re all friends here.”
“Not really,” Dino replies immediately.
Dino wears a frown that makes him look really sexy, and I wish he’d stop. I don’t need the distraction.
“Why can’t we be seen together in White Horse?” Vaughn asks.
“I told you Hayes wants Reapers’ territory.”
“So? That ain’t nothing new.”
“Yeah, but we’ve been making nice with the asshole. Staying neutral, get it? Taking you boys on a dinner date doesn’t make us look very neutral.”
“You’re not neutral, though,” Judd nearly growls.
“Don’t do that,” I say. “I can’t stand when men growl at me. I always get the urge to smack the growling fucker with a rolled up newspaper.”
“The mouth on this one,” Tucker says and instantly gets into a glaring match with Dino.
“We work with Rafael,” I say, ignoring the tension. “He’s friendly with Cooper, but he was in the employment of the men in Memphis. Keeping those particular men happy is our concern.”
Dino wraps an arm around me again. “Them, not Cooper or Hayes, and certainly not the twats in Hickory Creek. So you go eat, and we’ll meet you later.”
I allow Dino to guide me out of the room and back to the elevators.
“That could have gone better,” he says.
“I thought it went great. They respect us now. Now we don’t have to worry about them using us as human shields if the meeting with the Hickory Creek club goes to shit.”
“You’re so smart,” he whispers, kissing my forehead.
“I really liked when you knocked down Tucker even though we could have gotten killed.”
“I need to buy you some bling. A big fucking ring or tiara with my name on it so men know to stop flirting with you.”
Laughing, I wrap my arms around his waist. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t always want a tiara. How do I put my stamp on you?”
We walk out of the elevator and return to the room. “Hey, Rafael got a tat of Harlow when they hooked up.”
“I can do that.”
“If I’m wearing a bunch of gaudy bling with your name on it, then I’ll need my face tatted on your face. Something really obvious.”
“So you can look at yourself when we fuck,” Dino says, shaking his head. “So vain.”
Laughing again, I wish I didn’t suffer from fucking sickness, or I would climb him again. Instead, my entire body needs a break from sex. I even want to puke a little from remembering our last go-round.
Dino stretches out on the bed, and I think he’s exhausted from all the fucking too. He watches me, though, and his gaze whispers for me to join him. Even fucked out, he wants me close.
18
~ Dino ~
Fly Me to the Moon
Minka is restless, and I want to fuck away her edginess. Unfortunately, all of the vigorous fucking the last few days has left my dick willing yet pained. Minka claims her pussy is closed for repairs. I’d believe her complaint more if she would stop stripping me down with her eyes and imagining us in bed again.
Rather than naked play, Minka decides to walk around the hotel. I follow her because I have no interest in anything in the entire world besides this woman. When she smiles, I must smile back. Even when she’s pissing me off like she is right now.
“Don’t act like an ape during our meeting with the two clubs tonight.”
“An ape?”
Minka smiles at my irritation. “Not that I don’t enjoy when you grunt and jump around to make your claim on me. I’m just thinking it might not be the time or place for that crap.”
“An ape?” I ask again, grabbing her shirt and tugging her against me.
“A sexy ape.”
“A little better.”
“Did your father pee a territorial circle around your mother? Is that why you’re behaving like an ape?”
“He didn’t need to. Mom was loyal.”
“I’m loyal,” she balks, moving to knee me in the crotch before deciding better of it. “Why wouldn’t you think I’m loyal?”
“I see you looking at other men.”
“It’s called making eye contact. I do it with women too.”
Studying her irritated expression, I realize she’s truly offended that I might consider her disloyal. Fuck, she’s sexy when she gets wound up.
Swaying to the music playing in my head, I smile at her grumpy face. “I only have eyes for you,” I sing along with Sinatra’s voice.
Minka shares my smile. “People are looking.”
“Do you really care?”
“Not even a little.”
We dance to a song only I can hear. Minka glances down the hall at the pool and exercise room.
“Maybe we should work out.”
“I’m not running unless someone is chasing me,” I tell her.
“What if someone is chasing me?”
Grinning, I dip her and spin her around. “Good point. Do you want to run?”
Minka considers running off her edginess. “If I don’t stretch before running, I strain my glutes.”
“Those are ass muscles, right?”
“Yeah, but first I’ll stretch and then I’ll run and then I’ll need to cool down. Sounds like a lot of work.”
“N
o one needs that,” I murmur while dancing in the hallway towards our room.
“Closed for repairs, remember?”
“Oh, I remember.”
Once we’re back in the room, I play Fly Me to the Moon on my phone.
“I like this song,” she says surprised. “Look at you finally having good taste.”
“I have the best fucking taste, Apples.”
Minka kicks off her shoes, trusting me not to step on her toes.
“You learn to dance in Jersey?” she asks as I guide her around the room.
“Yep. We were always going to weddings and other parties. Knowing how to dance without injuring a girl was important. That’s how my parents met.”
“You’re making me jealous that I didn’t have happily married parents.”
“You ought to be jealous. My parents were amazing together. Even when they argued, they had rhythm.”
Minka throws her head back and laughs. I take the opportunity to kiss her long neck. She sighs in the breathless way that signals her panties will be flying off soon.
“No,” she mutters, trying to pull away.
“Hey, I’m just dancing. You’re the one thinking about more horizontal activities.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Staring into her eyes, I smile. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
Minka laughs again. Her earlier edginess is gone, and she relaxes in my arms. We move effortlessly around the room.
“Before we meet the bikers, I need to have my weekly chat with the girls.”
“Can I listen to you gossip? I really enjoy hearing about how fantastic I am in bed.”
“No and no.”
“You’re fooling no one,” I tease. “How come I can’t sit in?”
“This girl thing is new for me, and I want to follow the rules. No men involved. It’s easier when we’re in the same town, but with Harlow in Ellsberg and the other girls in Houston, this phone conference thing will have to do.”
“By other girls, do you mean Troy?”
“No, though you’ll need to shake off your bitchiness about him. He’s my closest friend, and I’m not ditching him because of your misguided jealousy.”
“Men and women can’t be friends.”
“No, you and women can’t be friends.”
Minka challenges me. I stare into her eyes and challenge her right back. She wins this time. I can’t deny Troy is sloppily head over heels for Darla.
High Voltage (Ramsey Security Book 3) Page 10
