The Skull Crusher

by Penelope Sky

  “I told you not to come up here.”

  “You left the woman alone for four days—”

  “She’s my woman, and I can do whatever the fuck I want.” He grabbed him by the throat and squeezed his fingers around his windpipe. “My absence doesn’t give you the right to march in here and touch her like she’s yours. Asshole, she’s mine. If you were someone else, I would have already killed you. But if you do it again, I will kill you.” He released his grip.

  The man rubbed his throat but refused to cough. “No touching. Got it.”

  Balto finally turned around and looked at me. There was no longing in his eyes like he’d missed me. He seemed just as angry at me as he was with his brother. “Are you alright?”

  “I’m fine.” I crossed my arms over my chest, hiding my tits from view. The shirt was thin and sheer, so I was practically on display.

  “Are you satisfied with his punishment?”

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “Do you want me to keep hurting him?” Balto asked. “Because I will.”

  The guy probably had a concussion, so I thought he’d been punished enough. “I’m satisfied.”

  He turned back to his brother. “Cassini, this is Heath. My twin.”

  Heath raised a hand in acknowledgment. “Wonderful to meet you.”

  “Not so wonderful to meet you,” I said coldly.

  “He’s in the building because he lives on the third floor,” Balto explained. “I let him live there until he got back on his feet. But now that he’s broken one of my only rules, he’ll be moving elsewhere.”

  “Come on, I just wanted to check in on the girl,” Heath argued. “I didn’t come off very well, but my intentions were good. Don’t kick me out.”

  “You can afford something else.” Balto left his brother’s side and examined the shards on the floor. Then he walked toward me.

  “I know I can afford to move. But I like it here. Doesn’t it make sense for both of us to be in the same place? If we’re ever attacked, I’ve always got you and you’ve always got me.”

  “It would have made sense before you pissed me off.” Balto’s eyes moved over my hands and arms to make sure I didn’t have any injuries. He grabbed the gun off the table then tossed it at his brother. “Now apologize to Cassini and get the fuck out.”

  Heath slipped the gun into the back of his jeans then walked up to me. “Sorry, sweetheart—”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  He did his best to hide his smile. “Alright. Sorry about this all this. I’ll be on my best behavior from now on. You know, so Balto doesn’t rip out my throat.”

  I stared at him in silence, not ready to accept his apology. “You should be on your best behavior so I don’t shoot you. Because I will.”

  He couldn’t stop himself from smiling that time. His eyes glanced up to meet Balto’s. “I like her.” Heath walked to the elevator then disappeared.

  When he was really gone, I turned to look at Balto, finally appreciating the fact that he was there. The second he walked through those doors, he made all my problems go away. He turned into a deranged pit bull and scared off my assailant.

  “That won’t happen again.” He stuck his right hand into my hair and cradled the back of my head as he looked into my face. “But he is harmless, just to give you peace of mind.”

  “He said he just got out of prison.”

  “Because I put him there. He was doing petty crimes and pissing off the police. I put him there to straighten him out.”

  “You can do that?” I asked in surprise.

  “Baby, I can do anything.” He tilted my head slightly so he could lean in and kiss me softly on the mouth.

  I’d missed that kiss over these last four days. My longing outweighed my rage, so I forgot that I was pissed at him.

  “How did you know he wasn’t me?”

  “It was easy.”

  His fingers glided to my neck, and his thumb rested in the corner of my mouth. “Hardly anyone can tell us apart. How did you manage?”

  “You may look alike, but you’re nothing alike. The second he opened his mouth, I knew something was off. He complimented my legs, but that’s something you wouldn’t do. If you found me attractive, you would just take me. He kept calling me sweetheart…something you’ve never called me. And he wasn’t wearing your ring. I figured it out in thirty seconds.”

  Approval shone in his eyes. “How did you get his gun?”

  “I knocked it out of his hands, hit him in the head with the lamp, then took it.”

  “Maybe I underestimated you.” His hands moved down to my waist, his large arms circling me until I was cradled against his chest.

  “Of course you did.”

  “It was sexy watching you point that gun at him. I like a woman who puts a man in his place.”

  “I’ll put you in your place soon enough.”

  The corner of his mouth rose in a smile as he pulled me closer. “I’m a man who can never be put in his place. But I welcome you to try.” He kissed the corner of my mouth before he released me.

  “Did you get the pictures I sent?”

  “Why do you think I came home?” He grabbed his bag off the table and carried it to his bedroom. “But then I walked in on a scene from the Godfather. Got a bit distracted.”

  I followed him into his bedroom and watched him set his bag on the dresser. “I’m glad the punishment is finally over.”

  “I hope you learned your lesson.”

  “I did. But don’t expect me to behave myself.”

  He tossed his clothes in the hamper then set his bag in the closet. “Every time you piss me off, I’ll be gone longer…and longer.”

  Now he’d just raised the stakes, and I didn’t want to play his games anymore. Four days already felt like an eternity. Eight days would feel like hell. Anything longer than that would just be cruel. “What did you do while you were gone?” Did he sleep alone every night? Was he surrounded by women who wanted to dig their claws into him? Why did I care?

  He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it into the hamper. “You should trust me. I’m a man of my word.”

  “I never said I didn’t.”

  He undid the top of his jeans and got them off. “I can read you better than you realize.”

  He must have been telling the truth because he was right on the money. “Four nights is a long time to be alone.”

  “Nothing my hand can’t fix.” He tossed his jeans into the hamper and stood in just his boxers, six-three of nothing but muscle and man. “And what did you do while I was gone?”

  “Watched TV…read a book…ate a lot.”

  “Touch yourself?”

  I brushed off the question by tucking my hair behind my ear.

  He grinned. “Admit it or deny it, I already know the answer.”

  “I wouldn’t have to do that if you were here.”

  “Well, you forced my hand. Don’t let it happen again.” He grabbed the bottom of my camisole and pulled it over my head, revealing my bare tits with their hard nipples. His hands palmed both of them, and he moaned, like playing with my tits felt as good as getting a massage.

  “You never answered my question.”

  He grabbed the top of my boxers then pushed them over my hips, revealing the bright teal thong. He lowered himself to his knees as he peeled both away, his lips caressing my thighs at the same time. “You really want to know? Or do you want to be full of my come while I tell you?” He rose to his feet again, and his hands returned to my tits. He rested his mouth close to mine and guided me back toward the bed.

  All my anger and resentment faded away when this beautiful man wanted me. His powerful chest was hypnotic, and it’d been so long since his fat dick was inside me. Just like when we were lovers, I didn’t care about anything going on in real life. I just wanted to get lost in the passion, the ecstasy. “I want your come inside me…”

  15

  CASSINI

  He thr
ust inside me while his arms were pinned behind my knees. He’d already taken me several times, but he got hard again almost instantly and we were back at it. I was full of his come, but I was about to take another load. “Ready for more?” His blue eyes burned into mine as he kept rocking into me, getting his entire length inside me with every thrust. Long and fat, he had the kind of dick that always pleased a woman. He was anatomically built for pleasure.

  “Yes.” My hands dug into his hair, and my body pressed back into the mattress every time he dug in deep inside me. I let this man have me, let him take all of me. He’d already made me explode enough times to make up for the last four days, and now I wanted him to enjoy his final bliss. “Give it to me.” My hand gripped his ass and I yanked on him, pulling him hard inside me.

  He moaned as he finished, giving me another load that couldn’t possibly fit with all the others. His dick throbbed as it released, and all the muscles in his powerful body tightened in response. He looked me in the eye as he finished, making the sexiest bedroom eyes as he clenched his jaw in a rugged way.

  I loved feeling him fill me. I never enjoyed it so much with another man. Every time he emptied himself in my pussy it was like having a micro-orgasm. I loved watching him feel pleasure, loved seeing him experience the same high I received.

  When his cock started to soften, he pulled out.

  The come dripped everywhere.

  He admired it before he rolled over and lay on his back.

  Now it was evening, around the time I would normally go to sleep. I hadn’t been sleeping well with him gone, so I knew I would crash hard tonight.

  He stayed on his side of the bed as the sweat evaporated from his skin. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, and he closed his eyes as he relaxed.

  I pulled the sheets to my shoulders and turned on my side, so comfortable that I could fall asleep that very moment. But my eyes stayed open so I could look at him, admire all those muscles. Even when he was relaxed, he was still so tight.

  He must have felt me staring at him because he turned his head to look at me. “Like what you see?”

  Instead of being a smartass, I told the truth. “Yes. You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”

  He stared at me without blinking. “I never get compliments from you.”

  “Because you don’t need to hear them.” He knew I wanted him, always had. Every time I tried to call things off, he knew it would never happen. I would call him again and again because I was so addicted.

  He turned his head and looked at the ceiling. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

  I knew he’d been with more women than I could probably count, so I found that unlikely. But he said he wouldn’t lie, not even to spare my feelings. He was transparent in his thoughts, saying exactly what he felt. So if he said it, he must mean it. “I find that hard to believe. There’s a lot of competition out there.”

  “No, there’s not.” He moved his arm underneath his head for more support, the sheets bunched around his waist. “I may have been with a lot of women, but that doesn’t mean they were special. I’m the kind of man that just wants sex, so I’m not picky with my partners. As long as they’ve got tits and ass, it doesn’t make a difference to me.”

  “If it matters so little, then why don’t you just jerk off?”

  “Because I like tits and ass a lot more than my hand.”

  For a man so handsome and rich, he could have any woman he wanted. He could buy a beautiful woman and make her his, exactly the way Lucian did with me. But just like with his beat-up truck, he didn’t seem to care about the finer things in life. “And you really think I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen?”

  “I said it, didn’t I?” His hand rested across his stomach. “I don’t say things I don’t mean.”

  “Is that why this has lasted so long?”

  He took a quiet breath, considering his answer. “Partially. But a lot of it has to do with who your husband is.”

  “But you had no idea who he was for the first month.”

  He was quiet again, choosing his answer carefully. “Then that was all you.”

  Had he been with anyone else during that time? Was I the only one? Was he as obsessed with me as I was with him? “Were you with anyone else during that time?” It was unfair for me to care about sharing him, not when I had still been sleeping with my husband. I’d waited for the agony to end so I could retreat to my bedroom and wash his scent away. Just to get through it, I pictured the man I really wanted, even though Lucian’s smaller size made that difficult to pretend.

  “Does it matter?”

  “I was just curious.”

  When he was quiet, it was obvious he wasn’t going to give me an answer.

  “I thought you were always honest.”

  “I am always honest.” His voice was rough like the hardwood of an ancient tree. He had so much strength in just the tone of his voice. Unnatural levels of testosterone made him so male. “Did I tell you a lie?”

  “No. But why won’t you answer?”

  “Because it’s none of your business. That’s why.”

  His cold dismissal made me quiet, but it also made me curious. If he had been with other women, he wouldn’t care about hurting my feelings. It wouldn’t change our relationship since he didn’t owe me anything. So why would he not just tell me? “You weren’t.”

  He slowly turned his head my way, staring at me with those cold eyes.

  “You said you didn’t care about hurting my feelings, so you would just tell me if there had been others. I have no right to be upset anyway. I was still with Lucian at the time…even though I hated it. So the only reason why you aren’t answering is because there was no one else…and you don’t want me to know that.”

  He had the best poker face in the world, an expression that was flat like a slab of concrete and cold like the winter winds. His thoughts were buried under his hostility. If he were my opponent across a battlefield, I’d shit my pants. He turned his head back to the ceiling. “One of the men under my ranks crossed me. Hunter Reyes has been one of my top drug dealers for the last few years. Always pulls in great numbers and stays out of my way. But one of my spies informed me that Hunter’s been skimming off the top, underreporting the amount of product he’s shipping, and therefore, undercutting my fee.”

  I still wanted to press him for an answer, but I became so engrossed in his tale that I pushed it into the back of my mind. This sounded like a story that would lead to a war—with lots of causalities.

  “I took sixty of my best men and confronted him on his doorstep. He had just transferred the product into the back of his van. I pride myself on being a fair and just Skull King. I don’t execute a man unless I’m positive that he’s guilty. And if he is guilty, depending on the severity of the crime, I always extend a less cruel punishment—if they earn it. But they have to be honest with me, look me in the eye and tell me exactly what they did. Unfortunately, Hunter Reyes insulted me by expecting me to buy his bullshit. He actually thought he could trick me and get away with it. It was disrespectful…and I can’t stand disrespect. So I broke into the van and caught him red-handed.”

  This story didn’t have a happy ending. “What did you do?”

  “I crushed his skull under my boot.”

  My hand immediately went to my mouth as I silenced a gasp. The mental image popped into my head, a man begging for his life while this behemoth stomped his shoe so hard that it shattered his skull. Blood and brains must have spilled everywhere. It was a violent and painful death, so disturbing that it nearly made me sick.

  “Don’t feel bad for him. I gave him a way out—and he didn’t take it.”

  “What if he had told you the truth?”

  “I would have beaten him to within an inch of his life—but he would have lived. He gave me no choice. My men respect me, and I can never lose that admiration. If I granted this man mercy, it would have made me weak. I didn’t want to gr
ant him mercy anyway, so it didn’t matter. A man who crosses me like that doesn’t deserve to live. He deserves to be tortured and humiliated in front of his men.”

  It took me a few seconds to recover from the tale, to understand what this man was truly capable of.

  “Another reason I despise Lucian. He hides behind his bombs and explosives and detonates them when he’s safe somewhere else. When he kills his enemies, he has one of his men do it for him. The man isn’t a man at all. He’s just a genius with a fat wallet. That doesn’t impress me.”

  Nothing about Lucian impressed me. “His men don’t admire him. They’re just afraid of him.”

  “That’s not leadership.”

  It was crazy to believe that this warlord had so much nobility and class when he was a murderer and a criminal. He was just and merciful. He never lied. He was transparent and respectable. He didn’t seem to care about money either, so why didn’t he pursue a different line of work?

  “I respect your brothers. And respect is hard to earn from me.”

  The mention of my family made me forget about Lucian.

  “They came to the Underground, surrounded by hundreds of the biggest criminals in this city, and not once did they show their fear. They offered me everything they had if I let you go.”

  My eyes closed as the emotion hit, thinking about my brothers willing to give up their pasta company just so they could have me back. My brothers were so fearless, especially Case. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for me—and I loved them from the bottom of my heart. “I’m guessing you said no.”

  “Baby, I’ll never say yes.”

  The hope left my heart.

  “But I admire them for trying. I admire them for sacrificing everything for you. I sincerely hope I never have to kill them.”

  “Kill them and I’ll kill you.” The words flew out of my mouth by their own will. I wouldn’t take them back because I meant them so passionately. I knew that I had feelings for this man, that I was in his bed because I wanted to be, not had to be. I even respected him. But if I ever had to choose, there was no question who I would choose.