Page 182 of The Enforcer

“It’s not hope. That’s what the rest of them think because they see it on Nova’s body, and that’s what he means to them. There’s always a way? Those are Nova’s words, Bri. It’s his ideal,” Tino argued as he touched it again. “But it’s not anything like hope. It’s closer to revenge than anything. The tattoo is on his body to prove he can win the Borgata instead of flip against it. That’s why it’s on mine too. We protect it like it’s supposed to be ours. It’s the mark of Nova’s ship, and it’s a gamble at best.”

“I know.” She nodded, like maybe she’d understood all along what the tattoos meant. “That’s why I got it.”

“You think because he’s so smart he’s worth betting on? He’s worth risking so much for?” Tino asked cynically, because he more than anyone knew that Nova’s intelligence couldn’t fix everything. “Just like that, you put a mark on your body that makes you a target for the rest of your life? It’s not even real yet. Like you said, all it is right now is an idea.”

“I didn’t do it for Nova,” Brianna whispered softly. “He wasn’t the one I was betting on.”

Tino snorted. “Then you’re really fucked.”

Brianna shrugged and gave him a smile, still leaning over him, all long legs and pale skin. “I hope so.”

Tino ran a hand over one strong, smooth leg and decided a tiny tattoo was the least of their problems. He placed a kiss on the inside of her thigh and let it go when she spread her legs farther apart for him. Brianna stroked his hair once more, watching him with hooded eyes that sparkled like dark emeralds in the late-afternoon sun coming into the apartment.

He leaned up and kissed the tattoo next, because if it was on her body, a part of Brianna, then it was beautiful. It sort of made him hope that Nova’s ship would fly one day, a long time from now, even if Tino wasn’t around to see it.

Then he gathered Brianna to him and stood with her wrapped around him. Her legs were tight around his waist, and she let him hold her as she threaded her hands in his hair and leaned in to kiss him.

He flinched on instinct.

“Stop that.” She pressed her lips to his, whispering against them, “Kiss me.”

“You’re on me,” he reminded her, assuming she’d forgotten. “I just went down on you.”

“I don’t care.” Brianna’s breath was still mingling with his. “Am I supposed to care? What’s wrong with me being on you?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, feeling his heart jolt at the idea she would think absolutely anything was wrong with her being on him. He silently berated himself for treating her like she was Mary. “There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s fucking perfect.”

He tightened his right arm around her as he walked into the bedroom, and then fisted his left hand in her hair and kissed her. She moaned into his mouth, pushing her tongue in to rub against his, and the rocket fire of lust that one kiss caused was insane.

The goose bumps spread over his skin in a fine sheen of desire as it registered that he’d never had a woman do that after he went down on her. Tino was so fucking hard it would be a miracle if he didn’t come in his jeans. He had no idea if that was something unique to Brianna, because this was the first time he was making love to a woman as an equal instead of a purchased product. It was so strange to do this for no other reason than the wild rush of excitement that caused his heartbeat to throb in his ears.

He dropped her on the bed and pulled off his jacket with sharp, jerky motions, all the while running his lips down the valley between her tits because he didn’t want to be separated from her.

Except he’d come from work and still had the guns and the boots on.

“Stay right here.” He sucked on one pert pink nipple, making it tighten. He had to lick it again, and then, since he was there, he went ahead and licked the other one. “Just like this. Stay like this.” He grabbed Brianna’s knees and pushed them back until she was forced to place her feet on the edge of the bed. Tino tilted his head to eye the slim line of her pussy. “No, like that instead,” he decided as he pulled at his belt. “That’s good.”

Brianna giggled but kept her legs spread like he asked. She even opened them a little wider for him. “Like this?”

He sucked in one sharp breath and nodded with a simple, “Yeah,” because anything else was beyond him.

The apartment was sparse, but he had bedroom furniture in this one so he tossed his holster and guns on the dresser. He had to reach down to unlace his boots, because they were too sturdy to just kick off.

When they were off, he practically fell over her, licking her stomach and then kissing the tattoo once more before he grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it off. He tossed it aside and moved up so that her tits were crushed to his chest, and there was just all this bare skin making him ache and burn. It must’ve affected Brianna too, because she immediately wrapped her legs around him, forcing him tighter against her as she ran her hands through his hair and brought his lips to her.

Brianna was incredibly strong when she wanted to be, and she wasn’t letting Tino go anywhere, which worked for him too. The two of them just lay there tangled together, kissing until they were both breathless and moving against each other, doing a mini repeat of their night in the bunk bed.

Except he didn’t want to half-ass it this time.

He’d promised her all of it, so he managed to slip a hand between their straining bodies and pull at the button to his jeans. He tugged at the zipper, but his first instinct was to reach for a rubber in his back pocket before he kicked the jeans off.

The rubber he didn’t have.

He dropped his head to her shoulder and groaned, even as she stroked his hair and asked, “What?”

“I don’t have protection, baby.” He took a deep breath and fought down the panic that surged forward when it felt like he was fucking up. He had to remind himself Brianna wasn’t going to call Mary and complain, but still he worked like she might on instinct. “I can do other things. I can make it hot.”

“I’m on the pill, Tino,” Brianna reminded him. “I’ve been on it for years. Since before that night at your old apartment. I’ve been waiting for you.”