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Good fucking question.
“I don’t.”
“You trying to put on a show for your friend here or something?” She points with her pizza toward Reilly. “I’m sure he already knows you're a dickhead, so you don’t need to pretend to be nice.” Reilly clears his throat, his body stiffening uncomfortably at the sudden attention.
I hop off the stool, moving until I’m standing directly in front of her. “I don’t need to put on a show for him. What I do need is to keep my wife fed, so people like Randall Crowe don’t start talking. If you show up looking like skin and bones, it won’t look good now, will it?” So much for trying to be nice. I know keeping her fed and wanting her to stay around while she eats are two different things, but I can’t let her know I wanted her to stay for something other than fucking pizza.
I expect her to blow up, but instead she looks bored. “Would be a shame for your rich prick friends to think you neglect your wife like a pet. But that’s not the case, Marnix. I’m an adult. I can do shit for myself. I don’t need you.”
As much as she annoys me, I love seeing her stick up for herself. I know a ton of girls who would just lay down and take my bullshit, but not Tara. She’ll never be submissive or actually do as I say without taking the opportunity to fight me.
“I think we’ve already established that you do.”
I can practically see the steam coming from her ears. Stirring her up turns me on more than it should. I can almost see the wheels turning in that pretty head of hers. She wants to come up with the comeback of the century, but maybe she’s debating whether it’ll be worth it or not.
My phone rings, pulling me from the stare off with Tara.
Shit. Motherfucking Snakes.
My phone rings pretty insistently on a normal day, but it’s been constant since Rex—the leader of the Draaks—basically put a price on my head. Apparently, he’s not a fan of me protecting the Snakes from their legal troubles. Just another day in this fucked up life.
As much as I want to continue to rile Tara up, I can’t ignore this call. I could be in danger. Tara could be in danger.
I push past her, answering Viper’s call as I storm out of the kitchen. “Nix.”
I can’t help it,my eyes follow Marnix as he speeds out of the kitchen. My eyes are drawn to the way his jeans cling perfectly to his ass. He gets on my very last nerve, but there’s something about him that draws me in. The push and pull between us is thrilling, even though it’ll likely end in the death of one of us. No way in hell we aren’t both thinking about killing the other on a constant basis.
The stool scraping across the floor reminds me I’m not alone. My attention turns to Cohutta as he grabs another beer from the fridge. He looks over at me, forcing heat to climb up my cheeks. My mind automatically goes to what happened in this very kitchen a few hours ago and what I just did upstairs while thinking about having him, Marnix, and Rush all at the same time. Thinking about all the ways they could punish and worship my body, taking what they want and giving me what I need.
Fuck. Heat pools between my legs. If only those dreams could become a reality.
Cohutta smirks at me, as if he knows exactly what’s running through my mind. I can’t help but wonder if he went somewhere and jerked off after he had me cornered in the kitchen. If I affected him the same way he did to me, needing an instant release. I probably shouldn’t have grabbed his cock, but I needed to feel it again. It’s empowering to see a man get hard for me.
To be fair, Cohutta probably gets hard from the wind blowing. But in my imagination, I’m special and that massive erection was just for me.
Yeah, I have issues.
I spin, attempting to make a run for it, but Cohutta's voice stops me. “Tara.” He moves around in front of me, and I give him a small smile, hoping he’ll say what he needs to quickly so I can get out of here as soon as possible.
Too bad Rush had to leave, or I’d just hide out with him. We were having a good chat earlier, before I bolted. The conversation was getting too real, and he was getting close to the truth so I had to leave.
Zayan is my secret. My dark, painful, agonizing, nightmare of a secret. The one I’m ashamed to admit. He controlled and destroyed me so easily, while I just... let him.
Cohutta sighs. “I know this shit is awkward between us, but I’ll stay out of the way. The last thing Nix needs is to be pissed off even more and drive you away. That wouldn’t help anything.”
My stomach twists at his words. It hurts that he’s going to purposely push me away, but I get it. I think. He obviously cares about Marnix, and doesn’t want anything to screw up his chance at the firm. Why is this so complicated?
“Cohutta.” I watch his jaw clench at the use of his first name. “I don’t want to put you out. This is your home too.”
He shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’ve got enough to keep me busy at the shop anyway.” The uncertainty in his eyes tells me he’s lying.
Now I feel like a complete ass.
“No. This was your home first; this is where you’re comfortable. I’d hate to come between you two. I’ll stay out of the way. If it’s too much, I’ll stay at Lya’s.” For some reason, I want to do whatever I can to make things okay for Cohutta. I don’t want to hurt him. And he looks like he’s struggling right now, judging by the beer bottles lined up on the countertop.
“You can’t. Randall might find out and that’d give him the leverage he needs to destroy Nix. I won’t let that happen.” Cohutta bites his lip as he thinks. His mood suddenly lightens, and I wonder what the fuck just happened in his head. “It’ll be okay, I promise. I think we can make this work. Friends?” he asks, holding his hand out, his voice cracking over the word friends.
I laugh, even though the thought of just being friends hurts more than it should. I raise my hands, reminding him that I’m holding pizza in both of them.
