Page 27

CHAPTER 27

Toxic

I t didn’t matter that I’d spent years surrounding myself with women. I didn’t understand them. Was sure I probably never would. I watched Billie stalk into her house, slamming the door behind her, as anger rose up in me.

Killing one asshole that Brently had hired hadn’t taken the edge off of my frustration. And now I was back here and instead of ignoring me, she was yelling at me. I was moving before I even realized it, following her into the house.

“Not this time, Lightning,” I told her.

She whirled around, glaring at me. “What?”

“You’re going to have a seat right there,” I pointed at the dining room table, “and talk to me.”

She planted her hands on those sexy hips and gave me a look so challenging it made me want to grab her, toss her over my shoulder, and take her somewhere to teach her why it wasn’t smart to mouth off to a frustrated, impatient man. A man who’d been doing his damndest to keep his hands to himself even though he was living with the sexiest woman he’d ever met.

“You’re not the boss of me, Boone Sutton. Just because you give an order doesn’t mean I’m going to jump to obey you.”

I blew out a breath, trying to keep a hold of my temper. She was in a mood and I didn’t have my usual amount of patience. Laid back was typically my style, but it was difficult to let things roll off me when I’ve been dreaming about the infuriating female standing there, giving me a piece of her mind.

“Why are you so upset?” I asked between gritted teeth. I wondered if she was able to tell that she was shoving me toward the line? The one that once I crossed it, nothing I did to her was going to be my fault? The one that once crossed, demanded I fuck the attitude right out of her? Did she know? Evidently not, because she kept pushing.

“That’s none of your business,” she replied. “Nothing I do is actually any of your business.” She said it like it came as a surprise to her too. “You know what?”

“What?” I growled. The only thing I knew was that I wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. That was a given.

“This is my ranch.”

I blinked at her in confusion. Never once had anyone said it wasn’t.

“And I don’t have to put up with this.”

“With what?” I asked, perplexed.

“You.” She stepped toward me.

Bad idea.

She reached over and grabbed something off the little end table she kept in the hallway. Giving me an eat shit and die kind of look, she clicked the pen, then scribbled away on the checkbook.

Narrowing my eyes, I watched her make a check out to me. “What’re you doing?”

“Thank you for your help.”

Every muscle in my body tensed up. This was a bad move on her part. That line was looming directly ahead of me. “Don’t,” I warned her.

She ignored me. “Here is the first half of your payment. I’ll calculate the rest of the time you’ve spent here and make sure you get the rest soon.”

I stared down at the check she was holding out to me. She thought she could fire me? She thought she could pay me? I took the check, seeing a flash of something that looked like disappointment in her eyes before she masked it.

It took me a minute to speak because I was so fed up with all of this. “You firing me, Billie?” It didn’t fucking matter. I never worked for her. I was never planning to take money from her. I was here because I wanted to be. To help this stubborn woman because she belonged to me.

“Yes.” She looked smug for about two seconds, then shocked as I ripped up the check into tiny pieces of confetti.

“Good.”

“What?” she asked, confused. Her gaze bounced from the floor, where I dropped the pieces of the check, back up to my face.

“If I don’t work for you, then I don’t have to keep shit professional.”

“ When have you been professional?” she asked, attitude ramping back up now that she could see this wasn’t going her way.

“You haven’t been fucked six ways from Sunday have you?”

She blinked at me in shock.

“Professional.”

Her pretty mouth opened to keep arguing with me, but I was done. My temper was frayed like a well worn rope, and now she was going to see why she shouldn't shove me to the edge of my control.

The door opened just as I got my hands on her perfect curves. She let out a squeak of surprise at my fast movement. One hand was buried in her hair, the other flexed against her hip as I turned my head to see who the hell was interrupting us.

Butcher raised a brow as he saw us, then backed out of the house, letting the door slam shut. No one had ever said he was stupid. Crazy. But not stupid.

“Let me go,” Billie snapped, her hand coming up to grab my wrist as she tried to pull my hand from her hair. I wasn’t having any of her fighting and I moved to wrap an arm around her waist to pull her onto her tip toes and closer to me. Her breasts pressed up against my chest as she arched away from me.

She was gorgeous, and she was going to be mine.

I bent my head and gave in to the urge I’d had since I’d gotten back. Billie struggled in my hold, her fingers digging into my bicep. The pain wasn’t enough to distract me from my need. She felt good. Like she was meant to be in my arms.

Our lips brushed against each other, and I growled as she stopped struggling and leaned into my kiss. Her lips parted for me, but she was still stiff in my hold.

I tightened my grip on her as I slid my hand from her hair and moved it to her chin so that she couldn’t look away from me. I needed to make sure her struggles weren’t anything more than her fighting herself. There was arousal and excitement in her eyes and her cheeks were flushed.

“You want me to let you go, Billie?”

Her eyes widened at my question. She may have pissed me off, but that didn’t mean I was the kind of man who would do something against a woman's will. If she wanted this, wanted me, she was going to have to tell me. Otherwise, I’d wait. Keep wearing her down, destroying those walls she tried so hard to build between us.

There was no other choice because it was impossible for me to do anything but protect this woman. To make sure she was safe and cared for. Part of caring for her was making sure she was dicked down until she was a satisfied puddle of bliss. I hadn’t been able to do that yet. She hadn’t been ready. But based on everything that just happened, I was pretty sure she was at that point.

She didn’t say anything for a second, then she swallowed hard, her gaze locked on mine.

“Well?” I demanded. “You want me to leave?”

She looked away. I wanted to get pissed that she was going to deny us what we both obviously needed, but then I caught the flush that was spreading down her neck.

I needed her to say the words, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t give her some encouragement. Dipping my head, I moved my hand away from her chin and slid my thumb across her lower lip. Billie shivered at the contact, her lips parting in surprise. I took the advantage and thrust my thumb between those plump lips and let her suck the tip.

A low, strangled groan left me at the heat and moisture of her mouth. I wanted my dick between those lips and my tongue buried in her pussy. But I had a feeling this might be the only time I had her this vulnerable for me, and I needed to make it count.

My chest was heaving like I’d just run a mile, my heart slamming against my ribs like a mad beast was trying to break out. My cock was so damn hard, I thought my zipper might give out at any moment. But this was more than physical attraction. She needed to know that we belonged together. We were meant for one another.

“You’ve been mine since you pointed that fucking shotgun at my nuts,” I told her, my mouth moving over the delicate skin just below her ear. “Say you understand me, Sweet Girl.” I pressed my hard-on into her side so that she couldn't mistake how much I needed her.

Billie let go of my thumb with a small pop, her eyes wide. Her voice was small as she whispered, “Really?”

I had a feeling she wasn’t even aware that she’d responded. But I wasn’t letting this chance escape. I wanted her so badly. Needed to make her mine, so that no one else would ever try and come between us. She was it for me.

I started walking her backward, my mouth latching onto the pulse beating at the base of her neck. “I want you to be mine. My old lady.”

Indecision entered her eyes. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” I was still kissing my way down her neck.

“Because-”

I nipped the swell of one of her tits through her shirt and she moaned. I needed to see them. Pulling my head back, I gripped the bottom of her t-shirt. She didn’t stop me. “Because why?” I prompted, ripping her shirt off over her head.

I didn’t waste any time, pulling the cups of her bra down to expose those gorgeous tits to my view. She wasn’t afraid of me. She knew she could say the word and I’d stop. But she’d really have to mean it. Because she wanted this. I could tell by the way she was pushing into my touch as I cupped her breast in my hand. It fit perfectly. It was like her body was tailor made for me.

“Because…” She gasped as I sucked her right nipple into my mouth and her hand fisted in my hair, tugging my mouth away.

I snarled a little when she denied me and Billie gave me a look of determination. I let her pull my head away, my heart thundering in my ears as I waited for her answer.

“I’m broken, Toxic.”

Frowning, I shook my head, ignoring the way my hair pulled in her grip with the movement. “What the fuck does that mean?” My eyes raked over her. She was perfect.

“You don’t want me,” she said, voice sounding like a plea. Her words were saying one thing, but there was a look in her eyes that was begging me to tell her she was wrong. She was.

“You're the only thing I want. Nothing else fucking matters. I’ve been waiting for you for years.”

She let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes. “You won’t want me once you realize I can’t trust anyone.”

Reaching up, I grabbed her hand, forcing her fingers to let go of my hair. I gripped her hips, then lifted her, pinning her lower half against the wall with mine. Her long legs wrapped around my waist automatically. Once she was secure, I cupped her face in both hands, forcing her to look into my eyes. “I’ll never stop wanting you. I don’t know what your hang ups are, but I’m willing to overcome them. As long as you’ll agree to be my old lady.”

I stared into her beautiful brown eyes, trying not to lose the last pieces of myself to her. That could happen once she stopped fighting this. Stopped running from me.

Her lips parted slightly. She wanted to believe me. “You won’t leave me?” she asked, voice small and trembling.

I moved in, nuzzling her cheek. She’d let her guard down again, just as she had at the bar. It was like I could feel all of her emotions swirling around us and they were taking us under. We were sinking in them together. “Never.”

“...cheat on me?”

Raising my head, I scowled down at her. “Do you seriously believe I would do that to you?”

“No,” she whispered. “I don’t. But...I’ve had people close to me do horrible things that I would have never suspected they were capable of.”

“I’d never fucking cheat on you. I’m going to spend the rest of my life chasing you, only you.”

She gave me a wobbly smile. “You know. I believe you. I don’t know why. You’ve only known me for about a month, Toxic.”

“So,” I said.

She searched my gaze. “Why me?”

I shrugged. “Because you’re mine.” She tried to shake her head, but with me cupping her cheeks she couldn’t quite get the movement going. “I don’t know what else to say,” I told her. “You’re sweet, and kind. Compassionate, reliable, and the first time I saw you, something inside me recognized you.”

How else was I supposed to describe her? I could tell her how beautiful she was. That I loved the way she was with my family. With the kids. Hell, even with her animals.

I wasn’t normally a fanciful man. I was a biker. A rancher. But here I was spilling my heart out to her because she needed it. These weren’t pretty lies; they were the truth. I was baring my fucking soul to her. If she laughed in my face I wasn’t sure I could put the pieces back together because I was never this vulnerable. With anyone. Only her. Because she needed my honesty. I’d get to the bottom of what had happened to her later. I’d need to know who hurt her. But for now, I just needed her .

She wasn’t laughing. Thank fuck. The way her eyes softened at my confession told me her answer before she formed the words, but I still wanted to hear her say it. Needed it like I needed my next breath.

“I’ll be your old lady.”

Hissing out a breath of relief, I grinned at her. “Finally.”

She laughed, her cheeks pinkening.

“I need to show you what you mean to me.”

She wrapped her arms around me and kissed me, then leaned back and gazed into my eyes. “I want that, too.”

I tightened my hold on her. “You have nothing to worry about.”

She gave me another shy smile.

I wasn’t going to waste any more time talking. She’d just given herself to me and I was never giving her back. She was mine, now and forever.