“I don’t have time to panic about it. Nash needs my help, and Lash has agreed to protect me providing I help him.” She’d do anything for Nash. Kate knew the truth of her feelings and spent a great deal of time taunting her about it.
“It’s more than that. You’re in love with Nash.”
She didn’t say anything to him. Speaking of her feelings would never be good for her. Kate made her life a misery because of her feelings. She remembered the time Kate brought him home and f**ked him in the next room. Every time she saw Nash after that she’d been unable to look him in the eye.
“You don’t have to say anything to me. I get it.”
“I do love him. He’s been good to me, and he was good for my sister.” She turned to Zero. “I’m really sorry that Kate brought drugs into his life.”
“It’s not your fault. Nash should have stopped. He knows the rules, and this is entirely on him. You’re not to blame no matter what you think.” Zero reached over, squeezing her hand.
“Are you all this nice?”
Zero laughed. “Not many people would say we’re nice.”
She smiled. “You’re being nice to me, and that’s all I care about.”
He pulled up outside of the apartment block, and she climbed out. Zero followed close behind her. She blanked the people who were watching her. It wasn’t anyone’s business with Zero being near her. She ran up the stairs with him close behind her.
Grabbing her set of keys out of the bag, she tried to put the key into the lock. Her hands were shaking so bad that she couldn’t get it to fit. Cursing, she tensed as Zero took the keys from her.
“Thank you.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. Stop thinking I am.”
She pushed her way into her apartment and went straight to her bedroom. Sophia grabbed the case from inside her wardrobe and began to fill it with her clothes.
Zero stood in the doorway.
“Nash helped you to move, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, he did.”
“What happened between you two?” Zero asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“So you agree that something went down between the two of you.”
She paused in putting clothes away and glanced at the tall man. Zero was a large man with plenty of muscles. His hair was cut tight to his head. She saw a tattoo coming out of his shirt and circling his neck.
“Nothing really happened. He was with Kate, and I told him I couldn’t be with him.”
“Is that bullshit I smell?”
Sophia didn’t respond and started to put some clothes into a case. “He kissed me, and I freaked out. It was good, and I couldn’t handle the thought of him being with my sister. I’d heard them plenty of times. It’s wrong. I shouldn’t have feelings for the guy my sister was with.”
Shaking her head, she walked into the bathroom.
Zero followed her into the bathroom. “What are you doing?” she asked. He closed the door behind him.
His hand went to her hip, and he spun her to face him. “I was never with your sister. She was too f**king easy, and I thought I’d catch something.”
“Do you think your feelings have something to do with Kate?” he asked.
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.” Sophia nibbled her lip. Zero was too close to her.
Zero pressed her up against the counter. “What do you think I’m trying to do?” He invaded her space. His hand rested on her hip, pulling her in close. She felt the hard ridge of his c**k pressing against her stomach.
Her heart was racing, and she didn’t know why. There was no answering pulse in her groin, and she didn’t feel turned on. If anything, she felt like this was going to be a big mistake.
“Don’t overthink everything.”
“This is not right.”
He caught her lips underneath his. Nash’s kiss, what she remembered of it, had been sweet and gentle. Nash had taken his time, opening her lips to receive him. Zero plundered away. There was no effort to his technique. He simply took what he wanted without waiting for her.
In no time at all his hands were wandering over her body, and she hated it.
Pulling away, she shook her head. “No, stop. I don’t want this. This is not what I want from you.” She pushed at his shoulders. Zero stepped back immediately. He didn’t look offended or upset.
“If you want some advice, honey, stop pushing the boy away. Otherwise at the end of all of this, he’s going to find a woman who really wants him and doesn’t keep pretending she doesn’t.”
Sophia waited for him to leave before she got her shampoo and conditioner. She chanced a look in the mirror and winced when she saw the marks on her face. Kate never came home looking like this.
Pressing her hand to the glass she walked away, finishing her case. Zero had packed her fridge up and was eating a slice of the chocolate cake she’d baked the night before.
“Did you make this, or is this one of the shop bought crappy ones?” Zero asked.
“I baked it.”
“You’re a damn fine cook.”
“You’ve not tried my food yet. A cake is not a good thing to judge on.”
“If you cook like this then you’re all right by me. I might even put a good word in for you with Tiny.”
She snorted. “I doubt he’ll want anything to do with me. He’ll probably hold me responsible for one of his men going off the rails.”
Zero finished his slice of cake, taking the whole thing with him. “You’ll be surprised. Tiny wouldn’t hold you responsible at all.” He walked toward the door. “Any man who becomes a Skull has to take on the job of being strong enough to handle what anyone throws at them. Nash needs to be strong no matter what bitch stands in his way. What’s the point of having men who can’t fight when their pu**y’s being difficult?”
“Do you have to speak like that?” she asked.
“Get used to it, baby. We’re not here to make everything a fairy tale. We work hard and party hard. We f**k who we want and don’t give a f**k about what people think. You want Nash then you’re going to have to start playing by their rules.”
She was close behind him as he made his way out of the building. Sophia noticed him holding the butt of his gun on the way to the truck. “Do you expect us to be attacked?”
“If word spreads about Nash enemies could think we’re weak. I’m not about to be jumped for the kid making a mistake. He has serious issues, but what Lash is about to put him through is going to be hell.” Zero pushed her up in the truck.