“Lovely wine, just… the perfect amount of spice, don’t you think gentleman?”
I lifted my glass and stole another glance at Mo. Sergio was touching her hair—again.
And then he wiped something from her face.
I let out a growl and threw my napkin onto the table.
Nobody paid attention to me, but Mo saw the movement, so did Sergio.
I couldn’t make a scene, but I was about to. I was three seconds away from ruining everything because the bastard couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
The hour went by like slow torture, every laugh from their side of the table had me dreaming about murder, every touch drove me to the edge of insanity, and every time she looked at me with those hurt eyes, was like getting shot in the heart with acid soaked bullets.
“Gentleman.” Nixon stood. “Whiskey and Cigars are waiting in the billiards room.”
Everyone stood; myself included, and began filtering out the door towards the billiards room. When Sergio made his way around the table, I grabbed him by the hand, squeezing and whispered, “Make a sound and I’ll break your fingers, starting with your pinky.”
He rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. You know something’s wrong when threatening a guy inflicts irritation rather than fear.
The girls all walked by in oblivion—all except Mo.
“Sergio?” Damn the girl was observant.
“Is none of your concern,” I said smoothly. “We just need to have a little… chat. Man to man.”
Mo looked down at our hands and the awkward twisting I was inflicting on Sergio’s. She reached out as if to stop me and whispered, “Tex don’t hurt—”
I gently pushed her away and dragged Sergio down the hall where no one could hear the sounds of bones snapping.
“Tex!” Mo charged after me, her scent wrapped around my head making me fuzzy. Kill, I wanted to kill him for touching her, this was no warning, I would end his life if any part of his body grazed hers again.
“You do not touch her.” I spat in his face and landed a blow to his liver, not hard enough to kill him, just enough to make him hurt worse than if I’d just released a bullet into his skin. “You do not look at her.” I slammed him against the hallway wall and punched him in the jaw. With a curse he toppled over, spitting out blood. I picked him up by the shirt and lifted him against the wall again, this time, my knee met his stomach with a sharp jab. “You do not breathe her same air. She isn’t yours to take care of.”
Sergio grinned, his smile bloody. “What?” Blood spewed from his mouth. “And she’s yours?”
I dropped him to the ground and stabbed my finger in his chest, “Damn right she is!”
“No!” Mo shoved me from behind. “Leave him alone! At least he’s trying to comfort me when all you’ve done is make me cry!” She pounded at my back with her fists. “I hate you! Do you hear me? I hate you!”
Sergio held up his hands, his lips twisting with contempt, before storming off. Mo continued her assault on my back. Once the hitting stopped, she started kicking me with her heels.
With a curse I turned around and picked her off the floor. I was going to lock her in her room until she calmed down, the last thing either of us needed was for any of the Family to see her or me in our current state of rage.
“I hate you!” She wailed, still trying to kick anything she could with those spiky heels.
When I kicked the bedroom door behind me and set her on her feet she charged towards me again, fists flying.
“Mo!” I ducked and grabbed her wrists. “Stop it!”
“No!” She jerked against me, tears streamed down her face ruining her makeup. “You don’t get a say anymore! Not when you walk away! Not when you give up without a fight! You’re weak! And I hate you for it! I hate you!”
My heart surged with anger at her words. Didn’t she see I was saving her? Protecting her? With a roar I released her hands and picked her up again, tossing her against the bed, she bounced up once and wrapped her arms around me, maybe trying to choke me out, I wasn’t sure. We fell to the ground in a heap. I tried to get up, but she climbed onto my back and kept hitting.
“Damn it, Mo!” I finally pried her free.
Huffing with exertion she bent over.
And I freaking lost my mind.
It was the only way to explain why, instead of running, I charged towards her and slammed her tight body against the wall hard enough for pictures to crash onto the floor. Her mouth was already open for my kiss when I began devouring her. My hands pinned her wrists hard above her head—it wasn’t enough. With a growl I lifted her off the ground, she gripped my hair with both hands for balance and moaned as my teeth ripped at the front of her dress.
Everything inside of me snapped as my mouth watered at the taste of her—like an animal, I ripped the front of her dress down and set her on her feet only long enough to tug the infuriating piece of clothing away from her body.
She stumbled out of the dress and slapped me across the face.
I rubbed my jaw and smirked. “Do that again, I dare you.”
Her eyes heated as I gripped her wrist and jerked her against me, our mouths molded together, hot and needy. I reached for her bra and unsnapped it, Mo reared back, bearing her teeth.
“Bite me, and I’ll just enjoy it more.” I kicked her bra away from us and waited, my chest heaving with unchecked desire.
Mo’s eyes flashed and then her nails were digging into my neck, she scratched down to the collar of my shirt and with a rip tore it open, buttons went flying. I couldn’t have cared less. The woman freaking drew blood with those nails as my shirt was flung to the floor.
Her hands dipped into the waist band of my pants, tugging me closer to her. With at tilt of her head, our mouths collided again, this time slower, more tortuous. She licked my lips with slow languid movements; swear the woman was mimicking sex with her mouth. With her hands she was doing things at my waist, the feathery touch of her fingers trailing along my skin left scorching heat in their wake.
For the first time in days I felt—I felt everything.
All it once it was like an explosion ringing in my ears, I wanted to close my eyes to the feeling of it all—I’d been numb after meeting with Phoenix, and now I was alive—bleeding and alive.
Mo pulled back, and I realized she’d unfastened my pants. With a feral glaze in her eyes, she jerked them downward, flinging them to the floor. I stepped out of them nearly stumbling as I pulled her into my arms again, my hands digging into her hair and pulling so tight she winced.