Soulless (Lawless #2)(26)

I stood there, unable to move, and trying to catch my breath while he headed over to King’s truck like that moment never passed between us. When he noticed I wasn’t behind him, he growled and stalked back over to me. He grabbed me by the waist, his fingers digging into my skin. He lifted me up, my short dress bunching up over my butt cheeks and slung me over his shoulder like I was a rolled up rug.

Wack.

He slapped my ass with his open palm. Hard. The bite of the smack stung where I was sure he’d left his mark. He tossed me into the truck with a caveman grunt and slammed the door behind me.

I was confused as all hell.

I was so angry.

I was also elated.

I was in lust so hard that I was in physical pain.

I was really f*cking angry.

I was head over heels in love.

Motherf*cker.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN




Bear


I kept my mouth shut during the entire five-minute ride back to the grove. I was too f*cking angry to talk. The overwhelming need to both f*ck her and punish her occupied every inch of my being. I cracked the joints in my neck and shoulders, trying to find some sort of relief from the agony in both my mind and my aching cock before it was too late and I took it out on Ti… and her *.

When we got to the grove, I told Ti to wait in the truck while I went inside. Rage was rubbing her temples, I assume just waking up from the drug-induced sleep Ti had put her in. If I wasn’t so f*cking pissed off that Ti defied me and sought help from that cock-suckin’ cop, I’d actually be kind of impressed.

“Bear, don’t you f*cking start with me, this wasn’t my fault,” Rage said with a groan. “I didn’t know your f*cking girlfriend was psycho enough to drug me.” She stood and shook her head from side to side like she was trying to clear the fog. “On a brighter note,”—she stretched her arms over her head—“so that’s what sleep feels like.”

“I need some time with Ti. Be back tomorrow morning,” I barked.

“Tomorrow?” Ti asked from the doorway, again not doing what she was told.

Bear, Yo bitch be feisty! Me likey. Ghost Preppy chimed in.

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yes, tomorrow. I have shit to do and I need you here for one more night. Do you think you can listen to me for once and do that one thing for me, Ti, and just stay f*cking put?” I turned back around, but Rage was gone. The back door flapped against the frame.

I guess I didn’t need to tell her twice.

“Don’t bother, Bear,” Ti said, I turned around in time to see her lips form a straight line as she made her way back down the steps.

Fuck. My blood started to boil. This was not how I saw this going.

I caught up to Ti in a few strides, spinning her around and holding her by the elbows. “I’m on the f*cking edge of my control right now. If you stop acting like a spoiled brat for two f*cking seconds, I could explain to you why—”

“Why you’ve been out for two f*cking weeks but haven’t bothered to contact me? To come for me?” Ti interrupted. Her brows narrowed, the lines of her forehead marring her perfect pale skin. I paused, not realizing she’d known about my release being secluded out in the sticks. “Deputy Douchebag tell you that?” I asked. It wasn’t as if I wasn’t going to tell her about it. I’d come to her as soon as I could.

And now that I was finally with her, I wanted to choke her.

While my cock was inside of her.

“It’s okay, Bear. You aren’t under any obligation to me. You don’t have to protect me anymore. I’m fine on my own. If you don’t want me then…” She struggled against me, but there was no f*cking way I was letting her go as her anger turned to sadness. Her voice cracked. Tears sprang to her eyes.

“You think I don’t f*cking want you?” I asked. For a smart chick, she could be dumb as shit.

She nodded. “Why else would you—” I cut her off and although I knew she was upset, for some reason that only enraged me more.

“I don’t know, Ti. Maybe because I’m about to go to war with my old man and I had to meet with some of my old brothers who want to fight on my f*cking side. Maybe because I think the key to winning the war might be my dead f*cking mother who by the way showed up to visit me in County. Maybe because it wouldn’t look good if the first thing I did when I got released was go and see my girl whose parents I confessed to murdering so I thought a week or two to let that shit blow over was the best course of action. Maybe I felt like keeping you out from behind bars and in my sight where I could protect you was a little more f*cking important then my raging undying and motherf*cking overwhelming need to be with you!” I yelled. I seriously considered shaking some sense into my girl. Ti bit the side of her thumb.

“You don’t think it was f*cking painful for me in there? Not to hear from you? Not to see you? I almost caved and called you a million times, but when I thought about what harm that could cause you…I couldn’t,” I finished, searching her face waiting for some sort of reaction.

She twisted her mouth the way she does when she’s thinking. The redness in her cheeks faded to pink. Her tensed muscles relaxed under my grip. “Well, when you put it that way,” she mumbled, looking off into the grove and then up at me. “Your mother really visited you in jail?”