AllFreeNovel
Share Us
NICOLO
“Jesus, fuck!” She fights me, hitting out. But I don’t let her go. “It’s me, Avah. Nicolo.”
Like that, the fight flows from her, and she goes limp momentarily before suddenly pulling away and turning, hurling herself into my arms.
I engulf her, hugging her to me, her soft, sweet-smelling hair a river of pale gold in the lamp light, and I never want to let her go.
Avah holds me tight, and she’s shaking. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Your car locked?”
She nods against me.
“Good, come on.” I don’t want to stand here on the street longer than we have to. But she doesn’t let me go. She’s still trembling.
I want to fucking tell her she deserves it for running off, but I don’t because she doesn’t. I’m just so mad because . . . yeah, that scared me.
I don’t give in to things like fucking fear. I feel it, of course, I do. My job’s scary as fuck. But that always fades when I step into work. Even with Mia, Scarlett, and Blake—who Theo’s more than knocked up for the second time, as she’s pretty much ready to pop. I’ve been scared for them when they’re in shitty and life-threatening situations, but it always faded when it had to.
This wasn’t much, someone grabbing Avah, and I can still feel the fear that she’ll get hurt down there in my veins. The what-if questions push at me, things I never let in. And now they’re knocking on my door.
“Can you move?”
She nods against me.
I pull back, smoothing my fingers over her face. There’s a scrape on her cheek that’ll probably bruise if I don’t ice it. I most likely did that when I fucking flung her away from the guy. Fuck. Shit.
“Good thing I worked out where you’d be, Avah.” The words come harshly because that’s the only way I’m getting through this.
I grab her hand and start moving, and she’s slow. I look at her. There’s a wince of pain on her face, and she limps.
Fuck and shit. Again.
My car isn’t far, and I bundle her in, throwing her things on the back seat. I take off to my place, not stopping until we get inside.
Then I take hold of her and kiss her. Slow and lazy and borderline deep. There’s fear in that heat. A coldness too. I keep it up, just kissing her, not pushing, a tease. I dance with her tongue, and slowly, she melts, leaning up into me, kissing me back, her mouth opening more, lips sliding against mine, tongue there and ready for the slow dance of seduction.
That sliver of coldness melts and morphs into want, need, and answering, trembling passion.
And when she’s trying to devour, trying to push the kiss into dark and wanton territory, when she’s plastered on me and soft and whimpering, I let her go.
“Babe,” I say. “Sweet little,Tesoro. Fuck. I should take a belt to that ass.”
Stepping away from her, I point at the sofa. “Sit and take off those fucking jeans.”
Her body jerks, eyes dark, lust filled, and confused, the blue with hints of brown a twist in my guts.
I motion to her fucking right leg. “You got yourself a rip in your jeans, Avah. And there’s some blood. Now, strip those jeans, sit the absolute fuck down, and wait.”
In the kitchen, I put my hands on the edge of the sink, letting my head hang a moment as I breathe in, then out, pushing out the aftermath of fear, the anger at her and whoever did this. At myself for adding even though I rescued her.
Not with any sort of finesse, but she’s here.
Alive.
Breathing.
Mostly in one piece.
