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“Thank you,” I said, although the gratitude was tinged with hesitation. “I don’t want to have to choose.”
“We’d never ask you to,” Bones said.
Chapter 39
Lotto
Iknew I’d find her at the gym. She stood, shoulders slouched as she stared out the window, lost in thought.
“I’m sorry,” I said, approaching her with the need to pull her into my arms.
I hated the look of disappointment in her eyes as she left Bones and me standing in the hospital hallway. I so desperately wanted to make it better. I wanted to fix it. Fix everything. But I was also starting to learn that with Ari, she was also pretty damn good at fixing things herself.
She glanced over her shoulder at me. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run out like that. And I shouldn’t have blamed you. The fight was between Bones and Frankie. You didn’t play a part in it.” She released a deep breath. “And you and Bones are going through a lot with your dad, and?—”
I reached out and softly touched her arm. “You’re going through a lot too with the gym and preparing for Heathens Hollow. Give yourself some grace. And I should have kept a tighter leash on Bones. I knew he was dynamite, ready to explode. I know how he gets.”
“Yes, but with everything you are both dealing with, I don’t blame him. Not really. And no matter what Frankie says, Bones is fighting at Heathens Hollow. This is my gym. My rules. And I trust him. I do. I trust you both.”
I smirked, loving the look of determination on her face. She may be small, innocent-looking—even with all her tats and edgy vibe. But the girl was a fighter. No doubt about it.
She turned around completely now, meeting my gaze, a hint of sadness still lingering in her eyes. “Frankie can be a real dick. I know this. But he’s… all I have. Well… until you and Bones came into my life.”
I nodded, agreeing with her wholeheartedly. “He can be a total dick. But I see what you see in him, too. Bones sees it too. I know he does. He may not want to admit it yet, but he sees it.”
“Those two?—”
“Will figure it out,” I interrupted. “Just like we all will. We all will have our own dynamics. And yes, those two are like gasoline and a match, but they have one thing in common. You.”
She pressed her body up to mine, looking up under thick lashes. “There’s something about you, Lotto. Something that always seems to make me feel safe. Protected. When I’m with you, I can go from sad and pissed off like I just was, to?—”
Ari didn’t finish her sentence, but I knew what she meant. I leaned down and captured her lips with mine, feeling the tension between us dissolve. She parted her lips, allowing my tongue to glide against hers in a slow dance. As our kiss deepened, the weight on our shoulders seemed to lighten.
Her hands roamed up my chest, tracing the lines of my muscles before she tangled her fingers in my hair. I pulled her closer, feeling the heat from her body seeping into mine. My heart pounded in my chest as I lost myself in the taste of her lips, the softness of her skin.
When we finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against mine, her breath hitching. “I don’t know what it is about you,” she whispered, her voice husky with desire. “But when I’m with you, everything feels right.”
I brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “That’s because if it isn’t right, I’ll make damn sure it is. There’s nothing I wouldn’t fix or even destroy for you.”
“Fuck me,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “I want you, Lotto.”
I needed no more encouragement than that. I picked her up, cradling her in my arms as I carried her to the nearest bench. I gently laid her down, my body hovering over hers as I trailed kisses down her neck.
She moaned softly, her fingers digging into my back as she arched against me. I could feel her heart racing, matching the rhythm of mine.
I reached down, pulling her shirt over her head before I unclasped her bra. Her breasts spilled out, and I couldn’t resist the urge to lean down and take one in my mouth. She gasped, her back bowing off the bench as I teased her nipple with my tongue.
Her hands roamed down my chest, undoing the buttons of my shirt as she went. She pushed it off my shoulders, her fingers tracing the lines of my flesh as she did so.
I moved down her body, kissing a path to the waistband of her pants. I hooked my fingers in the fabric, pulling them down her legs before tossing them aside.
