I whimper as he pushes into me, my body slick but still struggling to take the width of him fully inside. Firmly seated, he settles for a moment, allowing me time to adjust. His voice is hoarse and strained when he speaks. “I want to come inside of you. Fill up that sweet little pu**y that’s mine.”

Pulling out almost fully, he wraps his arm tightly underneath my bent waist and yanks my hips back to meet every forceful thrust in. Each time rubbing against that sensitive spot inside of me, then pulling away just before it can fully send me over the edge. Dangling so close is torture, yet blissful at the exact same time. The intensity of his stroke increases, bringing us both closer and closer with each rhythmic plunge in and out. A loud moan escapes as I feel my body and mind heading toward the shoreline of the ocean that waits to wash over me. Pulling almost fully out, Vinny growls in response to my moan and, unexpectedly, his hand connects loudly with my ass, swatting me hard once before plunging deeply back inside of me. My body reacts to the forcefulness of his actions before my brain can even catch up. Pulsing wildly on its own, my sex clenches down on him as wave after wave of mind shattering throbbing takes over me in the most violent orgasm to ever claim my body. A string of curses leave Vinny’s mouth as he finds his own release. The heat from him spilling inside of me extends my own bliss.

Moments later, when our breathing finally slows and our sweaty bodies are still pressed against each other, Vinny reaches down and leans me back, lifting me into his arms, carrying me to the bedroom. I’m still in a daze as I feel him peel the rest of the clothes from my sweat drenched body. Clothes that we hadn’t cared were still on in our heated frenzy. Climbing into the bed behind me, he tucks the covers over me gently and pulls me back to spoon him, gently kissing my cheek from behind before I drift off to sleep.

***

The next morning I wake to the feeling of being watched. I’m sprawled across the bed on my stomach, the sheet tangled around my waist doing little to hide my naked ass.

I turn my head, expecting to find Vinny next to me, but the bed’s empty. Instead, he sits a few feet away in a chair, wearing nothing but sweatpants, drinking coffee that smells divine from an oversized mug.

“Morning.” He sips his coffee, looking well settled in his chair.

“How long have you been up?” Sleep coats my voice.

“I don’t know. Maybe an hour.”

“How long have you been sitting there?”

“I don’t know. Maybe an hour.” He grins.

“You’re just sitting there?”

“I’m enjoying the view.” A dirty grin on his face, Vinny’s eyes motion to my exposed ass.

“You’ve been staring at my ass for an hour?”

“It’s a f**king great ass.” Unapologetically, he sips his coffee and shrugs.

Reaching back, I pull at the sheet that I’ve somehow wrapped around my body like an angry snake about to crush its victim.

“Don’t.” Vinny stands and walks to the bed, pulling the small piece of sheet I was able to free from my hands. The bed dips as he sits, one arm reaches across the bed, hauling me closer in one swift motion that seems to have taken no effort from him.

“I love seeing my hand print here.” He swats my ass hard. Murmuring, his voice changes from playful to deep – sexy and raspy. His hands gently caress my backside. “Are you sore from last night?”

“No.” I feel my face flush just thinking about last night.

“Look at me,” he orders, his voice commanding.

“Are you okay with last night?” His eyes find mine and lock me into his gaze.

“Yes.” It’s difficult to admit for some reason, but it’s the truth. I’m more than okay with last night. I never would have thought I’d like sex a bit on the rough side. But I’m finding there are a lot of things about myself I didn’t know.

Vinny nods, accepting my answer. “Coffee?”

“Oh my god, yes.”

Vinny smiles, it’s genuine and I see his face relax. I hadn’t even realized there was tension there before. But it’s gone now. “I’ll get it, but that ass better be right where it is when I get back.” He leans down and playfully bites my ass cheek.

After a long, hot, thoroughly enjoyable shower we both dry off in the bathroom together. I clear the fog from the mirror as Vinny stands behind me kissing my shoulder.

“Go away with me next weekend?” His eyes find mine in the mirror

“Where?”

“I have an exhibition just outside of Washington on Saturday. Was planning on flying down on Friday morning, but if you can’t get off of work, we can go later.”

Outside of Washington, really? “I actually need to go down to Washington this week anyway. I have to do an interview. Could we leave Thursday morning so I can work Friday during the day in D.C.?” Staring into the reflection of his eyes, for a split second, I consider telling him what I need to go do. Just blurt it all out. Every day I find myself falling a little more for this complicated man. But the guilt of keeping such a personal secret clouds it, weighing heavily on my shoulders. I quickly reconsider, I can’t hurt him just to lighten my load. Especially when I’m not certain if it’s even true.

“Whatever you want. There’s always guys at the gym that will cover my classes for some extra cash.”

“Okay.”

Vinny turns me to face him. “Okay?” A questioning smile on his face, he looks so young and happy. Seeing him so stress free and light, it makes me feel like I’m doing the right thing. I don’t remember him even looking this carefree in high school.

“Sure, it sounds like fun. Do I get to see your exhibition?” I tease.

“You get to see me kick someone’s ass.” He plants a chaste kiss on my mouth before tearing off the towel wrapped around my body and hauling me over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking you back to bed.”

“I can walk.”

“I can carry you.”

“Maybe, but I’ll make it quicker to the bed.”

Chapter 27

Vince

“Don’t give Preach a hard time. He’s doing me a favor going down with you to D.C. since Elle can’t travel.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“That’s what you said the night before your first fight and I had to pick you up down at the police station at two in the morning.”

“I won’t be in a bar at two in the morning this time.” I jump from the chin up bar, landing in front of Nico. He stands his ground.

“You better not be.”

Picking up the jump rope, I don’t look in his direction as I speak. “Liv’s coming with me.”

“Liv’s coming?”

“Is there a damn echo in here?”

Nico laughs and shakes his head. “That’s good. She seems like she can keep you out of trouble.”

“I can keep myself out of trouble.” I whip the jump rope, turning at warp speed, two flicks of the wrist with each single jump. Nico has to back up to keep from getting slapped in the face as the rope begins to play a whirling song with each turn.

“Whatever, I’m glad she’s going.”

“Yeah, me too.”

***

Thursday I stop by my mom’s to check in before heading to Liv’s to pick her up and leave for the airport. She’s in better shape than most days, even sitting up on the couch and capable of having a lucid conversation.

“You look good, Ma.”

She laughs, assuming I’m pacifying her. “Thanks, Baby”

“Did Jason resurface and fix things with the two guys that were here last week?” I’ve started to ask around, the guy’s an even bigger loser than I first thought. And I didn’t think much of him to start.

Her eyes trained downward, she wrings her hands as she speaks. I know the answer before the words fall from her lips. “No, I’ve tried everything I know of to reach him, but he’s gone. Vanished.”

Shit, I knew that dirtbag was no good. Should’ve finished his sorry ass off when I had the chance the day I found him raising his hand to my mother.

“Ma, those guys aren’t screwing around. I asked around about them. They don’t make threats lightly. How much are they holding you up for?”

“Two hundred.”

“Please, please tell me that you’re kidding! Or that you mean two hundred bucks?” I begin to pace. What the hell has she done? Where am I going to get that kind of money? I figured the loser was passed out somewhere on a binge, but it’s been too long…the realization just starting to kick in that he’s probably hiding. Leaving my mother holding the bag just for vouching for him. Now I’m starting to get nervous.

“I’m sorry, Vincent.” She begins to cry. She drives me crazy, screwed up half of my childhood, and is probably responsible for my f**ked up relationships with women, yet I still can’t stand to see her cry.

I sit next to her, wrap my arm around her shoulder, and pull her close. “Stop, Ma. It’s gonna be okay.” I have no idea how, but it has to be. “We’ll find him, or come up with something.” Sobs rack through her. “I promise.”

Chapter 28

Liv

Vinny’s been quiet the whole flight down to D.C. so far. He said nothing was wrong, but I could tell he wasn’t being totally forthcoming. He seems preoccupied, I wonder if maybe the exhibition match he has Saturday bothers him more than he lets on. Or maybe he really doesn’t like to fly, although it’s been a smooth flight so far.

“So after I turn my hair blue and pierce my eyebrow, I was thinking we could go to Target and buy up all the shaving cream in their stock.” Vinny nods and smiles, still not listening to a word I’m saying, so I continue, “You know, we may need a lifetime supply of shaving cream if we get that flood they’ve been predicting. We won’t be able to get to the store for a while. Don’t you agree?”

Vinny turns to me, finally realizing I’m waiting for a response. He’s looking right at me, but doesn’t really hear a word I’m saying. “Ummm, sure.”

He’s still a million miles away, even though we’re sitting so close, so I take out the bigger guns. “Oh, okay, great. I didn’t think you’d mind. I mean, I agreed to go out with him before we started seeing each other. It will only be one or two dates, so I probably won’t sleep with him more than once anyway.”

“Wait, what?” Tension shows in his face as he turns to me, I have no idea what part he heard, but clearly something finally sunk in.

“Well, welcome back.”

“Did you just tell me you’re going on a date?”

“I told you I was dyeing my hair blue and piercing my eyebrow before that and you didn’t seem to care…so I thought I’d see how far away you really were.” I smile playfully.

“Very nice. But you know what happens when I even think about another man near you don’t you?” Vinny leans forward, a menacing face in place of the one that was millions of miles away just minutes earlier.

Startled, I find myself being lifted out of my tiny plane seat and reseated onto Vinny’s lap. My protests go completely unheard as he takes my mouth in a forceful kiss with little warning. Never one for a public display of affection, I’m surprised when my traitorous body gives in to him with little coaxing. Within seconds, I’m kissing him back with all that I have, my brain unable to think with my body achingly aware of being held so tightly by this unpredictable man.

I’m so consumed with the feel of his big hands holding my face in place so he can kiss the daylights out of me, that I don’t even hear the flight attendant’s first attempt at a polite interruption.

“Sir, she’s going to need to take her own seat now. We’re getting ready for landing.”