Page 68 of Alonzo

“So listen,” I say. “If you decide I’m more trouble than I’m worth after all that, I’ll understand. But I need you to know what you’re getting into when you say ‘I’m on your side.’”

Alonzo removes both hands from my hips. One of them comes up to his brow and he sighs as he massages his temple.

“I know,” I whisper. “I know this is bad. But you need to understand what you’re getting involved with if you think we have a future together.”

Alonzo just looks off to the side of the shower, staring into nothingness.

“Say something.”

He redirects his attention to me. “Now that comment you made about my Spanish name makes some sense. But, for the record, my name is actually Portuguese. So… Diablo, huh?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “I know. The devil himself. He’s a scary guy, Lonnie. Covered in tattoos. Like you, only not mermaids. Demons. Gorgeously ugly, scary demons. So when I had that reaction to your tattoos, it wasn’t you I was reacting to. It was him.” I look down at his chest, his shoulders and arms. Covered in beautiful women with long, flowing hair and the tough-looking sailor men who search for them on rough seas. “I like yours. I do. I think they’re pretty. Almost… romantic.”

He stands up, taking me with him. Then he sets me back down on the bench and walks over to the shelf built into the tiled wall, squirts some shampoo into his palm, and beckons me with one finger.

“Come here, Tare. We spilled enough secrets for one day. Let’s just get clean now. What do you say?” Then he dips his head under the water and begins to shampoo his hair.

I let out a long, relieved breath. Because I’m totally OK with tabling this discussion for another time. And when I step under the hot water and let it rush over me, I already feel cleaner.

Now he knows. Now it’s his decision. I did my part by telling the truth.

When my hair is thoroughly wet I step out of the water and before I even know what’s happening, he’s massaging shampoo into my hair too. He turns me around and begins to work the soft, coconut-scented lather into the long ends that fall down my back.

I’m so tired in this moment. So freaking exhausted after everything that’s happened—not only over the past three days, but the whole two years that came before. I brace my hands against the glass wall of the shower and lean into it, letting things go as it holds me up.

Lonnie presses his chest up to my back. His cock hard against the side of my ass. And his hand slips around to my front and begin to fondle my breasts.

Even if he’s only doing this to get one more fuck out of me before he dumps my ass and sends me packing, I don’t care.

I think I love him too.

I fell for Lonnie Derringer a long time ago. And even though I don’t know his full story yet, and I have no idea what he is so desperate to hide that he felt the need to lie to me, what I do know is this:

I just fell for Alonzo Dumas today.

I want to be on his side too.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - ALONZO

I want to fuck her again.

I want to be inside her. Now. Later. Tomorrow. Forever.

I heard her story. And I get it. She’s dangerous. To me, to my family, to everything we’ve been doing. It could all come crashing down because this one girl found a way to slide right past all my barriers and snuggle up inside my heart.

And I just can’t find a way to care about it at the moment.

Not with my hands squeezing her soft, round breasts. Not with my chest pressed up against her back and my cock throbbing as it presses against her ass.

I take both of her wrists and slap her hands up against the glass.

“Ohhh.”

“Stay like that,” I command her. “And do not move. Because I’m going to fuck you from behind, Tara Tanner. And make you forget about that life you left back in LA. I’m going to fuck the past right out of you. I’m going to fuck you so hard the only thing you’ll have left is our future.”

She turns her head to the side a little, just enough so I can catch her grin. “Then stop talking, Lonnie. And just fucking do it.”

I close my eyes, trying to keep the excitement building inside me to some kind of sustainable level. The last time was too quick. This time I want to fuck her into exhaustion.