Loving a Bad Boy (19 page)

“
Good.” He pulled her
closer and rubbed his hardness against her. She waited for him to
make a similar proclamation.

He didn’t.

Instead, he continued his assault on her
senses. His fingers slid down her slippery back until they reached
her round globes. He grabbed both and squeezed. Pam shuddered as
his lips grazed her forehead and then moved south to her hardened
peaks. He held her bottom tight against his front. She leaned back
as he suckled her nipples. Each hard pull sent small shocks of
electricity crashing straight between her legs. He bit and laved
the pointed peaks, managing the right combination of pain and
pleasure. She was in heaven. Never in a million years could she
have asked for him to handle her this way, but the wanton in her
responded to his roughness. It drove her wild.

He grabbed a fist full of her hair, pulled
her head back, and peppered her face and neck with kisses while his
other hand squeezed and pulled on her nipples.

“
Yeeessssss,” she hissed
as her legs buckled from sensory overload. He held her secure in
his palms while her back rested against the tile.

“
You like that?” he huffed
as he hooked an arm beneath her thigh. “I got something you’ll like
even better,” he said, right before he filled her tight
tunnel.

The suddenness of his entry took her breath
away. Mouth opened, she froze. The pads of his fingers stroked her
back, sending currents of warmth through her.

Streams of water beat against his back as he
waited for her. The tightness of his jaw drew her attention, as
well as the trembling in his arms. She ran one finger across his
forehead in an attempt to smooth his furrowed brow. Inhaling, she
threw her hips at him. He jerked as if hit by a live electrical
wire. His dark eyes met hers and she was struck by the wild, feral
look in them. She shivered at the level of intensity directed at
her; this was a man who did everything on his own terms. Eyes
locked onto hers, he thrust forward.

She cried out, her head fell backwards as he
took her with hard, powerful strokes. She couldn’t catch her
breath, his assault had been so swift, so deep, so damn-good. She
hung on, caught in the maelstrom of his fire. Instinctively, she
caught his rhythm and began moving in sync with him. Her movements
must have lit a fuse in him.

He pounded into her harder, faster, hitting
her spot. Her breath caught again as fire spread throughout her
body. The sound of slapping flesh was muted by the water. His
continued thrusts sent her spiraling higher.

A loud shout rent the air as he tensed
inside her. His body shivered and pulsed inside her, spasming as he
came, triggering her release. Her body shook wildly as she
plummeted over the abyss into a shattering climax. Tortured groans
escaped her lips as wave after wave of ecstasy rolled through
her.

Limp, without a thought in her mind, she
held onto him, the port in her storm. Never had anyone ever taken
her so high sexually. This could become addicting.

Gently he released her leg. “Here.” He
placed a soaped sponge in her hand, popping her idyllic bubble.
“I’m clean, so don’t worry.”

The way he made the statement, it sounded
like a question. She blinked, trying to bring her little gray cells
back online.

“
Okay.” She looked at the
sponge and then at him. A moment or two later, he took it, reached
around and washed her back. Her eyes wafted close at the sensation.
When he turned her, she moved without thought or question. The
pressure of his chest on her back sent currents of warmth through
her. For this moment in time, she would enjoy being
pampered.

Julio moved back, and using the showerhead,
rinsed all the soap off her body. Greedily, his eyes looked at
every nuance of her perfect body. She wasn’t slim or skinny. Nope,
Pam had a woman’s body, with curves in all the right places. He
stroked the small of her back with his fingertips, enjoying the
shiver coursing through her. That was one thing she had proven
wrong in his assessment of her. She was very responsive and
passionate in the sack. Thank God she liked things a little rough,
he’d been on auto-pilot, and hadn’t given any thought to when he'd
grabbed her tits and hair.

He wished he had time to explore more of her
tempting body, but he had problems that demanded solutions. He
needed to get his boy situated. Plus find out who ordered the hit
on Tex, who'd attacked his home, and finish the job for the Cartel.
There was no time or room on his plate for more than a casual lay.
And there was nothing casual about this woman.

The smell of home and monogamy were all in
her sweat. She held the temptation of Eve, but he was no Adam. Her
hips were made for loving and babies. Despite what his mom said,
that wasn’t on his agenda, not now, not ever, if he could help it.
His career choice was tailor-made for shallow relationships with
shallow women. Those types were in abundance. The woman in his arms
was rare.

“
We gotta get going. You
hungry?” He asked to break the silence. It took her a moment to
respond.

Clouded eyes met his and nodded. “Yeah, give
me a minute. I want to check on Tex, he’ll probably be hungry when
he wakes. The doctor wants him to eat if he can, to gain his
strength.”

Julio listened as she got out of the shower
and left the bathroom within seconds, leaving him behind, staring
at the door. Had he spooked her? Her eyes had widened slightly when
she'd looked at him, what had she seen? Taking his time, he dried
off. No matter how hard he tried to think about the business, it
eluded him. Instead, Pam dominated his thoughts. Didn’t she enjoy
sex with him? He knew she came, but for some women that wasn’t
enough. Her attitude surprised him. Should he mention what
happened?

“
Pfft! Hell no,” he
muttered.

When he entered the bedroom, he wasn’t
surprised to find her gone. He picked up his clothes and looked
around the room. Cream and baby blue paint adorned the walls in
alternating stripes. It was also the main color palette for the
linens and furniture. Even as it confirmed his theory about her
being baby mama material, he admitted the room had a soothing
calming effect. He’d slept better lying next to her than he had in
months. Still, she was off limits, and he needed to remember
that.

Dressed, he left to speak
with his partner. Once in the hall, tantalizing aromas filled the
air from the kitchen.
You need to get out
of here
. A few steps later he was in Tex’s
room. Elation filled his chest when Tex rolled his head to the side
and looked at him. For a moment neither of them moved nor
spoke.

“
She called you.” Tex
coughed. Julio strode to his side, picked up the glass with water
and offered the straw to his friend. Tex sipped hard a few times
before falling back onto the pillows. “Thanks man.” He waved Julio
closer. “I got shot. Some punks were waiting in the garage when I
pulled in.” He stopped, took a breath, and continued. “I didn’t see
‘em. May have been masked, I dunno. But… damn this hurts.” His face
tightened for a few seconds.

Julio had never felt so helpless. He stood
closer and grabbed Tex’s hand, silently urging his friend to take
his strength. Tex’s grip tightened and then loosened.

His breaths came in spurts. “I didn’t wanna
take 'em upstairs, so I hid for a while in the janitor’s closet on
the first floor.” He paused. “When I realized I was bleed’n, I came
to Pam. She’s a nurse.”

“
It’s all good man. I took
one of them out before I looked at the cameras. The other one got
away through the garbage shoot. By the time Miguel got downstairs,
he was gone. We got some men looking for him and his squad. Just
chill and get better.” Julio wasn’t surprised by the remarkably
crude gesture Tex sent him. He would’ve done the same.

“
Chill? Fuck that. I just
need a day or two of rest, and then I’m out.” His eyes had taken on
a feverish glare that dared Julio to disagree.

He squeezed Tex’s hand. They were too much
alike for him to disagree. His heart ached for his friend, but he
had to be the adult this time. “Miguel, Pete and a few of
Francisco’s men are gonna take you to the cabin in Georgia for a
few days, with the doc.”

Tex squeezed his hand in disagreement. “No.”
That one word held pain and disillusionment.

Julio stared at Tex. What the hell was he
supposed to do? No matter how Tex felt, he could not protect
himself right now. He needed to be sheltered and protected until he
was better. “Tex, listen to me.”

“
No. I don’t want to go to
Georgia. That’s gonna take…take away your resources.” He heaved
before continuing. “Send me somewhere I can still be of
use.”

Julio wondered what Tex could do from his
bed. Instead of answering, he nodded. “Let me think about it.” Tex
released his hand. Julio opened and closed it to get the blood
flowing again. “You almost broke my damn hand. Don’t feel like
you’re down.”

“
I’m not. Not really. A
few days and I’ll be up. Then I can do some computer work or
canvassing. I need to stay in the game.” The last sentence was
spoken in a soft plea that Julio understood.

Rather than comment, Julio nodded again.
“Hungry? Food smells good.”

Tex smiled. “Pam’s a good woman and great
cook. I knew she’d help me.” He gazed at Julio, a familiar teasing
glint returning to his eyes. “It’s a black thang, you wouldn’t
understand.”

“
Hmmm, you might be right.
Regardless, she’s got my thanks for watching your back. I gotta
think of a way to repay her. Any ideas?” He sat in the empty chair
next to the bed, his thoughts once again on Pam and their morning
together.

“
Naw, she ain’t like that.
Can’t buy her off or nothing. Just be polite, treat her like the
lady she is, and not try to make her one of your ho’s. Like I said,
she’s good people.” Tex stretched even as his face tightened in
pain.

“
Why are you doing that?”
Julio asked, irritated because there was nothing he could do to
help ease his friend’s pain.

“
I’m stiff right here and
I don’t like it.” He nodded to his side.

“
But it hurts when you do
that.”

“
I know. But I don’t like
feeling stiff more.” Tex shrugged, and then grimaced at the
pain.

“
Here’s something to eat.”
Julio and Tex turned as Pam walked in. Tex stared at the tray she
held in her hand. Julio watched her for signs of discomfort. She
smiled at Tex, and then him, as she placed the tray on the table.
“I figured you’d be in here with him, so I brought you a plate as
well,” she said, glancing in Julio’s direction without meeting his
eyes.

“
Tex, I’m going to take
your pressure and temperature before you eat.” She walked around
Julio to the other side of the bed. Her long fingers rested on
Tex’s forehead. She smiled really big, and longer than Julio
thought necessary, as she wrapped the device around Tex’s arm.
Julio crossed his legs as he watched the two of them talk in low
tones. A worm of anger slid through him. They had shut him out and
he didn’t care for it.

“
Everything okay?” he knew
his tone teetered on sarcastic, but he had just had sex with her
and she was ignoring him. It made no sense for him to act this way,
but he didn’t like the intimate scene in front of him. Perhaps it
was Tex’s “black thang” comment or the fact that she was not
responding in the manner he thought she should. A part of him,
which he had never met before, didn’t like seeing her so close to
his friend.

Her brows rose a bit. Her mouth opened and
then snapped shut. “Yes.”

Tex looked at him. They stared at each other
for a moment before the man smiled. Julio refused to return the
grin.

Tex winked at him.

He threw him the bird.

Pam walked over to the chart and wrote on it
without glancing in his direction. Now that she had moved away,
Julio felt like an asshole. He had no claim on her. It bothered him
that she ignored him and it shouldn’t. That pissed him off more. He
had a ton of shit on his plate and he was sitting here thinking
about why some woman didn’t look at him.

Pam placed the tray on Tex’s lap, and left
Julio’s food on the side table before she walked out. Appetite
gone, he stared at the plate, wondering what his next move should
be.

“
You hit that
already?”

Julio shook his head at Tex’s crudeness. “On
the tape, one of the men drug his right foot a little. It seemed
familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Any ideas?” He stood, and picked
up his plate. Bacon, eggs, and pancakes. His stomach growled as he
returned to his chair with his fork.

“
Don’t hurt her, man. I
meant it when I said she’s good people. I owe her my life and I
don’t take that shit lightly.” Tex stared at him.

Since he had no intention of discussing Pam
with anyone, he nodded. “Any ideas?” he repeated the question.

Tex ate in silence. Julio knew he was
thinking, and was glad to be off the topic of Pam. She had been a
bag full of surprises. In his line of work, surprises weren’t a
good thing. Strangely, he enjoyed teasing her, feeling the edge of
her temper and her passion. She was sexy, smart, and off-limits, he
reminded himself.

The scraping sound from his plate surprised
him. He had eaten on auto-pilot. Tex had finished and was gazing at
the ceiling. Julio took the tray from the table, placed their
plates, glasses and utensils on it, and headed for the kitchen.

Pam’s shoulder held the phone against her
ear as she typed on her computer. “How’s she responding to her
medication?” She paused. “That’s good. When’s the doctor going to
release her?” Her hand flew to her forehead. “Seriously?”