Jacked (Trent Brothers #1)(93)

I may be in his blood but he was my air.

He palmed my ass and lifted my leg, impaling me on his newly formed erection, connecting us from the inside out.

I should have cared that he wasn’t wearing a condom, but I didn’t, needing him just as frantically.

Just when I thought I’d be broken again, left to fall apart and wither to dust, Adam put us back together again.





IT’D BEEN A long time since I felt this type of peace, this semblance of serenity. The soft tick, tock of the clock in my bathroom seemed to match the cadence of the heart beating steadily against my side.

Erin’s cheek was pressed to my chest; her arm was draped over my abs. I was twisting a piece of her long blonde hair around my fingers, feeling every muscle in my body finally relax. The index finger of my other hand was busy circling the tiny freckles on her upper arm. If things kept up at this soothing rate, I could make a career mapping out each dip and swell of her body, kiss every fine nuance of her skin.

This morning, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this woman lying in my arms. My mind had gone round and round in an endless circle, making up reasons why it would be best to keep her at arm’s length. Letting her in meant I’d have to break down some of my walls, but history showed that leaving the fortress vulnerable never worked out for the inhabitants.

Earlier when she broke and told me all the things making her sad, I felt like a complete bastard. Here I thought she’d just gone out to get f*cked up. Boy was I mistaken. Years of bad experiences had me jumping the gun, letting the shit poison my mind.

Erin nuzzled in deeper and let out a soft, contented sigh. Without thinking, my body responded, holding her tighter. She was settling in, giving me her trust, her affection, and after the grief I’d given her over the last week, I wasn’t sure I deserved it.

But there she was, patching the holes in me without even knowing it. I thought she was the broken one but it was actually me that needed saving.

Erin’s mouth moved over my chest, breaking our silent moment. “Adam?”

I dipped my chin. “Hmm?”

Her fingertip glided over my bicep, following the path of my ink. “Did all of this hurt to get?”

“What, my tats?”

Her finger trailed down my arm, sending tender sensations right through me. “Yeah. They’re so intricate. Must have taken a while.”

I rolled my arm. “Took a couple of sessions. I think I have about nine or ten hours in so far. I have a bit more to go yet ’til it’s finished.”

She looked up at me, squinting her eyes. “Was it painful?”

Compared to some of my past pains, it wasn’t even close. “It hurts a little. You get used to it after awhile. Why you asking?”

Erin shrugged. “I always worry that I’m hurting people when I have to inject them. I think it’s one of the things people fear the most about doctors. I can’t imagine having to do it repeatedly.”

“It’s not so bad. And you did a fantastic job when you worked on my hand. Why, you thinking of getting one? I’ve searched your entire body, so I know you’re a blank canvas.” I squeezed her in my arms. Just hearing her playful laugh made me smile.

“Maybe. One day.”

In a flash, I thought about tattooing my name on her ass. “I hear women have a higher tolerance for pain. I’m sure you’d be able to handle it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You do that.” I envisioned her getting a pretty butterfly or something hanging off the “A” in my first name that I’d have inked on her luscious behind. Maybe put a warning back there too that says “If your name isn’t Adam, I’m gonna kill you for attempting to f*ck my woman.” That might be too many words though. “Property of” might work.

“Why the rope?”

“Hmm?”

“The rope? Just curious as to your choice of artwork.”

I shifted underneath her, not sure how to explain the lengths I’ve gone through to keep myself together, whole. “It’s a reminder. Hard to explain.”

Erin propped herself up on my chest, giving me her full attention. She didn’t ask me to go on. She didn’t prod or make faces at me either. She just studied me, silently assuring me that I’d be safe if I shared my reasons. I combed her hair back, finding myself unable to deny her much of anything. If she only knew how hard this was for me.

“I understand. It’s okay.” She kissed my chest right above my heart, cracking the last bit of my stubbornness.

I blew out a breath. Naked and vulnerable were never a good combination. “I’ve been a cop for over ten years, Doc. I’ve seen things, horrific things, just as I’m sure you have. Kids, drugs, violent crimes, violent criminals. I thought… I thought once I became a cop I could put an end to it, ya know? Make a difference. But no matter how hard I try it’s like pissing in the wind. That accident you and I worked together? That was just one of many I’ll never be able to forget.”

Erin’s head tilted, spilling her hair over her shoulder. I twisted another lock around my finger, concentrating on how soft it felt instead of the unrelenting demons that plagued my mind. “Sometimes I can still hear the gunshot.” A phantom pain flashed over my temples. I’d never admitted that to anyone; not even during counseling. “Back then, after I… after Tom was killed during that traffic stop, I stopped caring about a lot of things. It took me a while to realize that that was an empty, lonely road.”