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I turned, holding my hand out. “Zadie. Come.”
She pushed forward and rose from her seat. My back was turned to him, but Reno’s groan couldn’t be mistaken. I saw what he saw. Zadie had ditched her girly little skirts for a pair of black skinny jeans that hugged her thick thighs, round hips, and ass, and cinched high on her waist. When she walked on her high heels, those round hips swayed. I could say with certainty she wasn’t even doing it on purpose, but she was fucking doing it.
She wore a pale-blue T-shirt on top, with a lowV, and two long necklaces that kept dipping between her tits—full, plush tits that were another taste I’d never,everforget. And with her soft, chestnut hair cascading down her shoulders and back in loose waves, Zadie had the modern pinup thing going with her own achingly sweet spin.
Reno liked flash, girls like Vanessa. Zadie wasn’t anything like Vanessa. She was stunningly beautiful, though. Her beauty was quiet, but it was unmissable. The thing that drove me most crazy about her was she had no fucking idea what she looked like. She didn’t see the heads she turned or men she left on their asses. She’d wrapped up Julien and Marco within days, and my boys weren’t the kind to get wrapped up.
So, yeah, I saw what Reno saw and knew my brother well enough not to like him seeing what was mine. Even if Zadie was only my pet, she was still mine, not open for the taking.
Zadie came to me, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, tucking her to my side.
Reno’s lids went half-mast, and his nostrils flared like he was trying to inhale her from three feet away.
“Zadie, this is my brother, Reno. Reno, my girl.” She went still, and her little gasp was audible.
Reno gave Zadie a long, slow once-over. “She’s yours?”
I inclined my chin. “She’s mine. My girl.” Zadie’s arm circled my waist, and she pressed in deeper to my side. Yeah, she was smart, choosing me as the lesser of two evils. Reno would tear her apart like tissue paper. It was just who he was.
That was why I’d claimed her, right here, right now. If Zadie hadn’t been mine, Reno would have sunk his teeth into her so fast, she wouldn’t have known it had happened until he’d ripped a chunk out of her. He would have seen her as ripe for the picking—and he would have picked. A little power in him, and Reno had become insatiable. But beneath it all, he was still my brother, and he respected me enough to leave those who were mine be. That had only been Marco and Julien. Until now. I’d added Zadie to that list, whether either of us wanted it.
“All right, all right. Nice.” The corners of his mouth tipped. “Vanessa’s going to shit herself when she sees you with her.”
I scoffed. “Vanessa wasnevermy girl.”
Reno chuckled. “I fucking hope not, since I had my dick in her last weekend. That would have been awkward.” His eyes slid to Zadie. “Nice to meet you,mami chula. Take care of my brother, all right? I’m watching.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Zadie replied softly.
Reno grinned lasciviously at me. “Oh shit, you landed a shy girl?” He clapped his hands. “I fucking love it. Bet you she gets wild when you get her alone. I’m proud of you, baby brother.”
He wagged a finger at Zadie. “Let’s hope you’re Amir’s good luck charm so he can make bank for me tonight. I’m counting on you to do his body good, shorty.”
A few more words, and Reno was out, probably to make his way around to all the rooms to hold court like the king he saw himself as.
As soon as he left the room, I turned on Zadie, holding both her shoulders. “When I’m fighting, you don’t go anywhere by yourself. You need to stay with Marco and Julien. I can’t worry about you when I’m up there.”
Her head tilted, sending a mass of curls over her shoulder. “Why would you worry about me?” Her nose crinkled. “Don’tworry. I don’t plan on wandering around out there on my own. I’m smarter than that.”
Nodding, I let her go. “Remember that. Now, I have to get prepped for my bout. Take a seat. When I need you, I’ll let you know.”
Marco handed me a bottle of water and three painkillers. No matter if I won or lost, I was going to hurt later. Better to have some meds loaded into my system before I needed them.
Zadie watched the whole time I went through my rituals. The pills, pushups, oiling my skin, more pushups. I didn’t need her there, but her presence stoked the fire that always burned in my belly when she was around. That, I could use.
I’d take that fire to the man who thought it was wise to step in the ring with me and burn that motherfucker to the ground.
