Page 29 of Nitro

“People who are abused become masters of hiding their pain.” He swallows hard and glances away before looking back at me. “You’re worthy of so much more. You should be cherished and loved. That’s what a husband’s supposed to do. Jeff did the exact opposite of that.”

“Nitro,” I whisper. My heart’s breaking into a million pieces because he’s absolutely right. Jeff was supposed to protect me and care for me. Instead, he became my worst nightmare. I can’t stop the wave of pain washing over me. It’s too much. It’s too intense.

“It’s okay to cry,” Nitro murmurs as he gently pulls me into his lap.

His hands cradle me while I cry. It hurts like hell to let out all this anguish, but I can’t stop. It’s like he’s shattered the dam holding back all my pain and now I’m drowning in it. Sobs wrack my body. Every clench of my belly sends shooting pain across my ribs. I’d give anything to end this, but I can’t. I’m unable to control it.

I shed a waterfall of tears while pressing myself against this body. A deep yearning consumes me. All I want to do is get closer to him. I’m so caught up in this need that I don’t think about what I’m doing. I give in to my impulsive desire and brush my lips against his. He groans and slides his hands into my hair. He angles my head and deepens the kiss. I can’t catch my breath, not even when he slides his tongue between my lips. I gasp, opening for him. Our tongues tangle and dance together until we’re both breathless and panting.

When he starts to pull my shirt out of my pants, I grab his hands. “Nitro, wait.”

He stops immediately. “Jesus, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not … I’m just … my ribs.”

“Fuck! I forgot. Shit. Did I hurt you?” Concern draws his brows together.

“No.” My cheeks flush as I try to suppress a smile.

“You don’t know what you do to me,” he murmurs.

“What do you mean?” I need him to tell me how he feels because I honestly can’t believe he cares about me at all, let alone like this.

“This is what you do to me.” He grabs my hand and pulls it to the huge bulge in his jeans. “This is how hard you get me. If you weren’t hurt…”

His gaze goes molten, and pure lust shimmers in his eyes. Carnal desire is written all over his face. It’s so clear I can’t believe I thought he could want anything more from me. Now I know exactly how he feels. It’s blatant. He doesn’t care about me. He only cares about what I can do to his body. He wants me for sex, nothing more. Just like Crystal.

I snatch my hand away. As I stand, I clench my teeth against the pain. “I should move to a hotel.”

“What? Why?” He’s on his feet, chasing me up the dock toward the shore.

“I’m not going to be one of your sex toys.”

“What?” He stops walking.

“Oh, please.” I turn to confront him. “I’m an idiot because I thought maybe you cared about me as a person. But I was wrong. You just want me for sex. Use Crystal instead. I’m not that kind of girl.”

“Crystal? What are you talking about?” He’s good. He actually looks confused.God, I’m so stupid.

“Take me to a hotel. I don’t care which one. Fuck! I don’t have any money.” Fresh tears fill my eyes.

“Wait.” He jogs up to me. “Did Crystal say something to you?”

“She came into your bedroom to get the bra she left there after the last time you had sex with her.”

“I’ve never slept with her.”

“Yeah, right.” I cross my arms over my chest. I’m too angry to care about the pain I’m causing myself.

“I don’t sleep around.”

“Don’t lie to me. She barged into your room to get her bra. It was in one of your piles of clothes.”

“It probably got tangled up in the laundry or something. I’ve never been with her. She’s not my type at all. Not even close. I don’t want her around, but Scar thinks she’s good for the other guys.”

“Aren’t the club girls there to entertain you in bed?” I ask, hating the waver in my voice. If I’m wrong and he’s not sleeping with her, then I’m going to look even crazier than I feel.

“That’s the idea. And they cook and clean too, but I’ve never slept with any of them. I don’t shit where I eat.”