Fighting Dirty

After a half hour or so of blessed silence, where he’d finally gotten his gonads to calm down, Merissa turned up her face to look at him. He felt even drunker now, but some of that might be overwhelming need blunting his brainpower.

He tried to resist, but finally glanced at her—and got caught.

“How’s your head?” she asked.

All his concentration went to her mouth, and he had to fight the urge to give her a long, hot, wet kiss. Think, Armie. An idea occurred to him. “You tell Cannon you were coming here?” He already knew she hadn’t because if Cannon knew his baby sis was hanging out at his apartment he’d have already come to collect her. No guy in his right mind would want a female relative slumming with Armie, but Cannon was more protective than most. “He needs to know—”

“You’re right.” She got her phone from her purse, thumbed in a message, then put the phone on the coffee table. “All done.”

Armie stared at that phone, willing Cannon to reply, and when it finally dinged he released a tense breath of both relief and disappointment. She needed to leave, true. But damn, it was so nice having her close.

She leaned forward, looked at the screen and smiled.

Smiled?

Suspicious with a vague sense of dread, Armie asked, “He coming to get you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“What’dya mean, no?”

She held the phone for him to see the message.

He read: Good. I’m glad you’re not alone. Now I can stop worrying.

Confusion nearly crossed his eyes. “You told him you were with me?”

“Yes.”

Tunneling a hand into his hair again, Armie wondered what the hell Cannon was thinking.

When the room went quiet his heart stalled. Wide-eyed, he realized that Merissa had turned off the television. He tracked her every move as she replaced the throw pillow in the corner of the couch, then stood and carried her boots over by the door. The finality of the lock clicking into place jump-started his heart again.

He shifted around and watched her remove her socks and peel off the hoodie. Scalding heat washed over him. She tucked the socks into the boots and left the folded sweatshirt on top.

Now wearing only skinny jeans and a big SBC T-shirt, she came back to him and held out a hand. “Come on, Armie. I’m ready for bed.”

CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_ec70c83f-e785-58b7-8f94-43c27f51abda)

MERISSA HAD NEVER felt so daring in her entire life. Leading Armie to bed—yup. That topped the list of daring feats. For some reason she felt powerful tonight, powerful enough to make some headway with the man of her dreams.

Maybe it was escaping the violence. Maybe it was how Armie had so gallantly protected her.

Maybe it was her brother’s encouragement—and tacit permission.

Whatever the reason, she was here, and she was willing to fight dirty to get what she wanted.

Armie had accepted her hand and now their fingers were very loosely laced together. Gaze intense and big body taut, he came along quietly, perhaps a little stunned. Sexual tension filled the air, thick enough to trip on.

She didn’t know her way around Armie’s place so she peeked into rooms as she went. He kept things mostly tidy, but was far from immaculate. His black-and-white bathroom had a towel on the floor, another over the shower rod. A laundry hamper overflowed and she saw his bloody flannel shirt on top.

It leveled her to remember the moment he’d stepped in front of her, willing to take a bullet. Emotion swelled until it burned her eyes but she fought it. She wasn’t a crier, never had been, and saw no point in it.

These were very different circumstances, so eventually she might break down—but not on Armie.

He’d been through enough today, more than her for sure, given he’d offered up his life to protect her.

She didn’t always understand him, what motivated him or why, but she loved him. For tonight, that seemed like enough.

Next to the bathroom was an open bedroom. Biting her lip, anticipation keen, she peeked in. Heavy black furniture dominated the room. The unmade bed was king-size with a directional light overhead. On the wall facing the bed was a gigantic mirror. Otherwise, it looked like the rest of his apartment—comfortably masculine and lived in.

Crowding close to her back, his voice dark and silky with menace, Armie asked, “Having second thoughts?”

She shook her head.

“Looking for my whips and restraints?”

She spun around to see him, which meant they stood very close, eye to eye, mouth to mouth. “Do you have them?”

His firm lips quirked up. “Curiosity killed the cat.”

Guessing that he only wanted to scare her off, she taunted him. “I don’t think you do.”

His eyes narrowed. “I have whatever I need to make a lady happy. And by happy, I mean screaming as she comes.”

Wow. He certainly sounded confident as he said that. “So...restraints if she asks for them?”

His expression hardened more. “I’m not having this discussion with you.”

“Pretty sure you are.” She tried to sound cavalier when really, inside, she was a little appalled. And maybe just the tiniest bit turned on, too. Not by the idea of being physically hurt, but any thoughts of Armie in sexual mode made her tingle. “Besides, I heard you talking to that woman. I’m dying to know what you did with her.”

Confusion overshadowed his antagonism. “What woman?”

“The one who came to visit you tonight.”

His jaw loosened, then he clenched it tight. “You eavesdropped?”

“Afraid so.” It’d be hard to question him without admitting that much. “But not on purpose. I came to see you, and she was already there. I didn’t want to intrude, so I waited.”

“Within hearing distance?”

“You were both in the hall. Not like I put my ear to the wall.”

Annoyance had him breathing harder and his right eye kept twitching. “Shit. I’m too far gone to figure this out.”

“Far gone?”

“Drunk.” He waved a hand at her. “And you being here isn’t helping.”