Page 49 of Tracking Luxe

What was more worrying to Rider was he would have to do something he didn’t want to fucking do.

Reaching out to his father was the last thing on Rider’s to do list.

Now the Russians and his uncle were forcing his fucking hand.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I don’t want your money, but I’ll take a fuck…” – Grinder

Don’t let anyone tell you sexual tension doesn’t turn a man a little mad.

Grinder was pushing food into his face so he didn’t crawl across the table and lick Luxe top to bottom down on the sticky linoleum floor, swallowing hard to fight down the desire she rose in him. The minute his call with Rider was dealt with he’d strode across to the diner counter and ordered food from a cheerful Paige working the night-shift and avoided looking at Luxe while he thought of a subtle way to invite her back to his place that would seem casual as fuck and not a plea from a desperate man.

He’d fingered her into a crying orgasm, he’d think it would be easy for the follow-on step.

Nothing about Luxe Reyes was easy.

And altogether worth it.

She’d wanted to eat, so here they were with Grinder filling his mouth long enough to come up with a plan.

Grinder wasn’t under any illusions winning his woman would be trouble-free. Nothing so amazing as she was would come to him easy. But he could see a crack of jagged daylight in Luxe’s armor and he wasn’t going to waste it. She didn’t seem to hate him anymore, that was a plus.

If only he was arrogant enough to use sex against her, to use it to keep her coming back for more, maybe he could.

No, he had to get smart about it, use his big boy words until she truly forgave him, he couldn’t settle for less, no matter how much his lower half of his body told him to shut up.

They hadn’t had the most conventional of romances so far for fucks sake, the only men that started out committing a crime in the name of passion were locked up in jail.

Tonight, had cemented just what he wanted from Luxe.

Treat her as he would any other one-night hook up? That was a joke. The woman was becoming his whole damn system, electric need running through his blood.

Feeling more than protective over her tonight, the urge to lock her away again was strong, only this time it was for her own good, and his own damn sanity.

They still weren’t in the clear with Grigori, not until the underboss discovered he’d been robbed. He wanted Luxe protected, if only she’d allow it.

Every strategic move he'd planned out had gone according to the letter, so why did he feel like his skin was on fire? He'd watched her waltz around the party like she was host and entertainment rolled into one. All eyes had turned to Luxe and stayed there, as was part of their script, she knew how to work a room, how to charm and flirt and Grinder's heart was torn in two, he'd known what he had to do, find the fucking lock box, but his every instinct had him wanting to stride through the sea of criminals, grab up his woman and get her out of there. Talk about a war within himself. Only knowing those sketches were going to help get him his forgiveness made him move, made him do the job.

And then there had been the touching.

Luxe had handled it just fine, smiling sweetly all the while moving herself subtly out of the reach of grubby, pawing hands.

His imagination conjured up ways in which he’d kill every Russian and the like with a dick who’d dared to flirt or even smile longingly at her. He got real damn nasty in his efforts to keep his thief to himself.

Yeah, there was nothing else for it, he thought as silence sat on the table between them, he’d have to win the dirty rotten thief around.

Chew. Swallow. Plot.

A wedge of money suddenly landed on the table in front of him. Luxe used two fingers to push it towards Grinder, who was busy shoveling an All-American Slam all day breakfast into his mouth, he paused and cocked his brow. She’d yet to touch her own egg white cheddar omelette with a side of grilled veggies. “I wish they soldTres LechesorBiscochitos. You guys suck for New Mexican food here.” she’d grumbled after ordering the eggs and a milkshake. Other than that, they hadn’t spoken a word to each other. What did he say to a woman he’d just brought to her climax and wanted so much more from without sounding like a drooling idiot?Please, baby, can I have some more?

“What’s this?”

“I took the money from the safe, this is your half.”

I like you, you, goddamn little magpie.

He laughed, fed more food into his mouth before wiping his lips with a napkin he pulled from the dispenser. “Couldn’t help yourself, huh?”