The release of adrenaline. Endorphins.
So much repressed energy.
It built up inside me every day. If I didn’t have an outlet to release it all, it was likely to explode in the most self-destructive of ways.
I’d learned that before.
I was eventually able to rein myself in, but only because I didn’t want Cat to see me commit murder. No doubt, she was already freaked out enough by what she’d just witnessed. Probably thought I was some kind of psycho. She most likely wouldn’t give me the time of day now, let alone get anywhere near me.
Or let my blood-stained hands get anywhere near her.
Turning away from the poor excuse for a man lying on the floor, I rose to my feet. If I hadn’t heard his stilted breaths, I might have thought him dead. I stomped back inside Cat’s apartment to find her standing stock-still in the same place I left her. I plucked the other man off the floor, who’d been watching the scene with terrified eyes and a trembling lip, as he held his mangled knee. I tossed him out into the hall to join his unconscious buddy, rolling my eyes at his moans of pain.
“Get the fuck out of this building right now and don’t ever come back,” I grated in a sinister voice. “And if you ever think of going near her again, I’ll kill you.”
That was no idle threat.
I considered it my sacred duty to rid scum like him from this earth. He wasn’t doing society any favors, especially if he was the type to go after innocent women.
The frightened man with the injured knee nodded rapidly and hobbled to his feet. With only the weight of one leg, he nearly buckled under the additional weight of his friend, but managed to limp them both down the hall and out of my sight.
Just before I whipped around to face Cat, I commanded my faculties to regain control of themselves. Especially the homicidal look in my eyes that I knew was there. Slowing my breaths, I carefully wheeled around, cautious not to spook her. This was one I really didn’t want to scare off.
If I haven’t already.
My shoulders barely fit through the narrow doorway. After flipping on the lights, I was able to see just how small her studio apartment was. My king-sized bed wouldn’t have fit inside the space, which explained the twin mattress that was shoved against the wall and looked more like a cot than an actual bed.
Everything about the place pissed me the fuck off.
I pushed the black hood off my head.
Cat sucked in a sharp breath. “You…”
If I was capable of laughing in that moment, I would have busted a damn gut at the look of bewilderment on her gorgeous face. But I didn’t laugh easily these days. My funny bone had been numb ever since my time with the Rangers. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to laugh again after seeing a tweaked-out asshole lunging at Cat with a deranged look in his eyes.
That shit was now permanently etched onto my brain.
I grinned wryly. “I sense a pattern developing here.”
She opened and closed her mouth several times before she was able to get out, “What are you doing here?”
My expression hardened. “Apparently, finishing what you started.” I tipped my head toward the hallway. “I think you broke his knee. Not bad. Maybe I didn’t need to intercede at all.”
She’d definitely handled herself. Impressively. Capably.
But the mere fact that something like that had even happened to her sent me into another state of mind. Back to my ops days when I was the personification of living, breathing destruction. They’d send me in when our snipers couldn’t get the target in their crosshairs. Or when the situation needed to be contained within close quarters. They sent me in when a threat needed to be not just neutralized, but obliterated.
A minute ago, I went back there.
Back to the desert. Back to the blood. Back to the obscurity.
Just moments before, I’d been seconds away from taking that motherfucker out. It would have been so easy. A quick snap of his neck would have required nothing more than a flick of my wrist. Barging into her apartment and seeing her in that defensive stance had my protective instincts firing on all cylinders. The need to keep her safe had suddenly become the only thing in my world, my only purpose in this life.
All in a matter of about thirty seconds.
The scariest part? That urge hadn’t left me. It was still there, scraping at that locked door, desperate to get out. It was alarming how certain I was—especially after beating that guy to within an inch of his life—that I’d do whatever necessary to keep harm from ever touching this woman again. I’d carry out any crime. Commit any sin.
Whether she liked it or not, Cat was now in my domain.
She needed to understand what the hell that meant. Sooner rather than later.
“Yeah, well, you broke that guy’s face,” she said defensively. Then narrowed her witchy hazel eyes. “And I think you liked interceding.”
My grin spread, baring my teeth. She sees. “Guilty. You going to tell me I should feel bad about busting him up?”
Her forehead scrunched in confusion. “No.”
I heard my father’s voice in my head when I responded, “When the stronger don’t remove the evil from this world, the ones who suffer for it are the innocent, the weak, and the defenseless.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. “I think Batman said something like that once. What, did you forget your cape at home?”
“Of the dark avengers, I’ve always had a soft spot for The Punisher.”
She didn’t look surprised by that. “Of those three, which one am I, Luka? Innocent, weak, or defenseless?”
Sensing a trap, I chose to answer honestly. “None.”
Now she looked surprised.
My gaze flicked down to the canister of pepper spray still in her hand. “You’re one of the strong. Your instinct was to fight rather than flee.”
“I didn’t exactly have a choice.”
Oh, but she was so wrong. “You had a choice.” She could have screamed bloody murder, shed tears, begged for her life. Cowered in the corner and allowed those two men to do whatever they wanted. “And you chose to be brave.”
She would have been amazed at how many grown men I’d seen do the exact opposite when human lives were on the line.
“That may have just been my temper taking over.”
The instant chuckle that escaped my mouth shocked me. But she had no idea how well I could relate to those words. “Having a temper can be a useful survival skill. Believe me.”
“How did you know where I lived?”
A few seconds ticked by in tense silence. “You really want to know?”
She straightened her shoulders, sending a clear message that she wouldn’t be intimidated. “Yes. I want to know.”
This could all end right here. Depending on how she reacted.
“I followed you here from the gym.”
She stilled.
For any clear-headed woman, those words were giant red flags that you saw on the road to a restraining order. If she had any sense in her at all, she’d kick my ass right out of here and haul her ass down to the closest police station.
Her tongue snaked out, shining up those fat lips. “Why would you do that?”
Her voice was soft—
But not afraid.
I’d backed off earlier at the gym. Even though I’d wanted nothing more than to shove her against the ropes of my boxing ring and drive my aching dick inside her so hard it would permanently brand her pussy, I’d exhibited the most restraint I ever had in my entire life by acting like I didn’t remember her. I knew how intense I could be. And something had told me in that moment to not come on too strong with Cat.
As strong as she appeared to be, I sensed a skittish nature in her.
I was known in my family as the loose cannon. The untamable, unpredictable one. Standing in the middle of my gym with the woman of all my darkest fantasies, I’d withstood every primitive urge surging through my bloodstream.
But in just
five minutes, everything had changed. She’d just witnessed the worst side of me, and she hadn’t run away screaming into the night. That told me she might just be capable of handling my level of intensity.
Which opened all kinds of fucking doors.
I’d initially pegged her as more sweet than spicy. But as I watched her lick her full, plump lips—two soft cushions that would perfectly cradle a man’s dick as she voraciously sucked it deeper and deeper—I was amending that assessment. Cat was…sultry. Provocative. A sinful siren, but in a way that I didn’t even think she was aware of. The way she smelled brought to mind sweltering nights, carnal passions, and her voluptuous body swathed in silk sheets that eventually get torn beneath my boorish hands.
My limits had been pushed beyond the veil tonight. I hadn’t wanted to take charge with her earlier at the gym, but I was done with that shit. She was about to get an up close and personal look at the real Luka. The former special ops Luka. The Luka who could never wash all the blood off his hands. She was going to know me a hell of a lot better by the end of the night.
When I felt convinced that she wouldn’t shy away from my brand of brutal honesty, I finally answered her question.
“I followed you tonight because I wanted to figure out why I haven’t been able to get you out of my head for two damn months…Raven.”
I agreed with Luka. He was more like The Punisher than Batman.
The thing about The Punisher, though? He rode a very fine line between heroism and villainy. So, which one was Luka? The man who attacked for his own ruthless ambitions? Or the man who avenged for the sake of protecting others, doling out his own justice? After seeing the way he flung those two tweakers around like he was swatting at flies, I probably should have feared this man.
It was beyond irrational to trust him.
Yet I found myself wanting to. More than anything.
He kept on watching me with a level of intensity that, again, should have had me backing away. But instead of all that dark energy repelling me, it was hooking me. Drawing me closer.
And he knows who I am.
I swallowed. “You…remember me?”
He scoffed. “Jesus, Cat.”
The familiarity with which he said my name didn’t make any sense. We’d only just met. Officially anyway.
“Give me a little more credit,” he went on. “If you actually think any man could forget a woman like you, you obviously don’t own a mirror.”
My eyelids shuttered. “Then why didn’t you say anything back at the gym?”
He shrugged. “Probably for the same reason you didn’t.”
Because he hadn’t wanted to embarrass himself by admitting how profoundly those ten minutes in a small back room at a strip club with a complete stranger had affected him?
“You…” Don’t sound desperate, Cat. “You never came back to the club after that night.”
His head tilted, almost knowingly.
Sí, he heard that. That I’d wanted him to come back. My intuition told me this man didn’t miss much.
“Actually, I did. I just didn’t sit in your section.”
“You came back…but you didn’t talk to me.” Or buy another dance. He’d been nearby, yet he’d stayed away. “Why?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, widened his stance. “Like I said, I’m still trying to figure that out. I don’t exactly make a habit out of creeping on women.”
I allowed my gaze to briefly trail down his body. “Shame. I’d say you’ve got the right qualifications. You could make a real career out of it.”
I winced.
I’d been cursed with a macabre sense of humor, and people didn’t always know how to take it. But if those people had seen what I’d seen in my lifetime, they might understand why I had to find something—anything—to laugh about. No matter how bleak or morbid that something might be.
Otherwise, my sanity, which was already frayed, would unravel thread by thread.
“Can I list you as a reference if I do decide to go the stalker route?” he asked.
My shocked gaze snapped back to his.
Was he as offbeat as I was? Was it possible that someone else might understand the desperate need to find those sporadic streaks of sunlight streaming through an ocean of darkness?
“You followed me to my home, kicked the door in, and beat up my neighbors,” I mused. “I’d say that deserves a glowing recommendation.”
A muscle popped in his jaw. “They’re not your neighbors anymore.”
My grin vanished as the seriousness of my situation began to dawn on me. But there was something I was still curious about.
“You said you’ve been trying to figure it out. Why you went back to Rumors. Why you followed me here tonight.” I paused. “Have you had any luck?”
“That would require me to figure you out first.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And?”
I was almost afraid to hear the answer. What did other people see when they looked at me? The fact that one of the few things Luka knew about me was that I was a stripper didn’t bode well.
He pursed his lips. Out of frustration? “I think you make sure that people don’t figure you out.”
I frowned. “Why would you say that?”
“Like recognizing like.”
My lips parted.
His expression didn’t change. “Everyone’s got their reasons for locking shit down. You seem pretty good at it.”
“And you think that because you just came to my rescue, I’m going to share those reasons with you?”
“I’d be really disappointed if you did.”
My eyes held speculation.
His grin was crooked, though it did nothing to soften his features. “You don’t know me, Cat. If a girl like you trusted that easily, you’d have a lot more problems in your life than just some cracked out neighbors trying to rob you for their next hit.”
My mouth widened in a rueful smile. “That was just today’s problem, corázon.”
He stiffened.
That piercing gaze demanded answers. The clear implication that two men breaking into my apartment was just the tip of the iceberg seemed to ignite some sort of fuse in him.
“You don’t know me either, Luka.”
Gnashing his teeth, he snapped, “Pack a bag. You’re coming with me.”
My head reared back. “Qué? You want to repeat that?”
He waved at my front door that was swinging loosely on its broken hinges. “Your lock is broken. You’re not staying here tonight, or maybe ever again. If you want to fight me on this, so be it. I’ll just sleep here on the floor in case any of your other neighbors decide they need to borrow a cup of sugar.”
I tucked my tongue in my cheek, unable to deny the wisdom of his words. Glancing around the shoebox-sized apartment, desolation weighed on my bones. This was the best I could do when I’d first arrived in Brooklyn. But facing this larger than life man, I refused to let the feeling of inadequacy pin me down.
“I’m not staying with you.” I said it defiantly. No invitation for arguments.
He shifted on his feet, clearly agitated. Was he used to controlling everything around him? What a luxury.
“You don’t have to,” he said hoarsely. “There’s an empty apartment above the gym. I lived there when I first opened the place, and I’ve been renting it out ever since I moved. It’s empty right now, and you’re welcome to stay there.”
I bit my lip in thought. “It would only be for tonight.”
“You got somewhere else you can stay tomorrow?”
My silence answered his question. If I had any other options, I wouldn’t even be considering his offer, and he knew that.
“Can you find a new place in the next twenty-four hours?”
I lifted my chin in pride. I didn’t appreciate anyone telling me I couldn’t do something. Or doubting that I could. No matter how beautiful they might be. “Maybe. I’ll make some calls in the morning.”
He nodded. As
if that answer had satisfied him. “The place is all yours until you can find something else.”
He turned to step out into the hallway. “What’s the rent? In case I do decide to stay.”
“We’ll figure it all out later,” he said absently over his shoulder.
“I’m not sleeping with you.” I cringed as the word vomit spilled from my lips.
He stopped cold.
And slowly spun around.
There was a warning in his eyes, but I wasn’t about to back down. You give a dominant man like this an inch and he’d take a mile. Not always on purpose. It was just his nature. Besides, I really knew nothing about this man. He might have just saved my ass, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous in other ways. After all, he did admit to stalking me home…
I had enough stalkers in my life, muchas gracias.
“If that’s the only reason you’re offering, I’ll barricade myself against this door all night,” I added vehemently.
Luka took measured steps across the room, closing the distance between our bodies. We were both pulsating with energy—I could feel it emanating from him. Vibrating from him. The heat of his body was pulling me to him like a moth to a flame. The strength and brawn he exuded in every tightened muscle was…staggering.
Stimulating.
His mere presence had that effect on me. It was what had caught my attention that first night at Rumors. I’d danced for him in the dark. Could barely see his face that had been shrouded in shadows. I’d never experienced the kind of electricity this man had running beneath his skin, in his veins. Charged currents that you could sense humming in the air the second he entered a room.
“If my only goal was to fuck you,” he grated roughly, eyes burning, “you’d still be back at my gym right now, taking thick eight inches deep inside you. Eight’s probably all you could handle.” He closed the distance between our mouths. “But I’d make you scream for the full ten. Trust me, I’d find room for those extra two inches.”
My jaw went slack.
“Take your time, Cat. I’ll be out in the hall.”
Glitter and Greed (Brooklyn Brothers #4) Page 4
