What Doesn't Destroy Us (The Devil's Dust #1)(74)

“Is it just me, or does it seem like he is purposely interrupting us”? I ask as Shadow slides me down his body to my feet.

“No, it's not just you.” Shadow looks back over his shoulder to where Rudy was standing a moment ago, his face dripping anger.

“I think I’m going to jump in the shower, babe.” He brushes past me, his anger vibrating off him. Thanks, Rudy; thanks a lot.

In the bedroom, I dig into my bag and find the green swim suit. The top is barely enough to hold the girls in place and the bottom is tight and snug. Maybe this will get his mind off of Rudy and onto me.

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I wrap the towel around my waist and shuffle out of the bathroom to find Dani. The weather is warm and humid as it blows through the double doors; it smells like rain. Since Dani and I arrived everything has been peaceful; no club, no junkie mother, nothing annoying except for this Rudy f*cker. He clearly has a thing for Dani as every time he’s around he just stares at her. It’s not lost on me that a guy like Rudy is probably more of Dani’s type, even closer in age. The mere fact of it pisses me off.

I want to make this trip meaningful for Dani; show her I can care for her at least. Trusting is a little more complicated, but even if it kills me, I'll show her I can trust her, too.

I find Dani sprawled out on a sun lounger; her body glistening with beads of sweat and the smell of coconut fills the air. She’s wearing a small bikini and f*ck me if I’m not hard as a rock. Her breasts are playing peek-a-boo with little green triangles, and the bottom is so tight I’m dying to see her ass in it.

“Fuck me,” I breathe out in admiration.

Dani’s eyes shoot open and she smiles devilishly.

“Why me, Dani?” I ask, the insecurities playing with my mind. Fuck Rudy.

She looks stunned by my question.

She looks out at the view then back at me, “Why not you, Shadow?” Her words make me feel like I’m just as good a person as any.

“Because of my lifestyle; because of who I am.” I sit in the sun lounger next to her.

“You haven't told me everything, but what I do know of you, I love.” She smiles. ”But most of all, it’s how you make me feel. You knocked down my walls of suffering, showed me how to live, helped me figure out who I really am inside and out.”

I fake a smile for her. Her confession is endearing, truly, but it doesn’t mean shit. Not until I tell her everything, then we'll see if she’s singing the same tune.

“The things I have done and felt since I have been here are all new to me, yet feel so familiar.” She looks back out at the horizon, the clouds of dark gray fighting with the sky of light blue.

“Shadow, since we're being honest, why did you push me away?” Her question knocks the wind from my lungs. I know why I pushed her away, but my explanation makes me sound like a *. What do I say; because it hurts more to be without you; that I was trying to prove I didn’t need you to live freely, to feel; that I was trying to protect you from the f*cking beast that pounds at my chest when it needs a fix?

“And why did you change your mind and bring me here?” she asks deeply.

“Because I’m selfish.” Her eyes go wide, then scowl. It’s the truth, though.

“If I cared at all about you, I would have pushed you away in the beginning. I wouldn’t have let you get involved with a guy like me, but I’m selfish. I want you to myself; I want to make you mine.” I bite my bottom lip in frustration. “Your innocence attracted me, your defiance tempted me,” I confess.

Dani straddles my lap, cups my face and kisses me passionately. “I love you and I’m not going anywhere.”

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After laying out in the sun for a few hours, thunder roars from above and dark clouds threaten to pour rain.

“Let’s get inside,” I tell Dani.

“Hey guys, looks like a storm is coming in,” Rudy says, stepping onto the patio. “Sorry about lunch. I forgot and figured you guys could make do.” He winks at Dani as he eyes her body in her barely-there bikini.

On top of him looking at my girl, his ignorance and shitty service have finally hit my last nerve. I want him nowhere near Dani. “Go home, Rudy, we don’t need your services anymore.” I throw my hand out at him, dismissing him, as we make our way into the beach house. Thunder roars above, the light around us dim from the dark clouds.

“Excuse me?” he asks, stunned.

I stop in my tracks and turn to glare at him. “I said f*ck off!” I say with force.

“You think you scare me?” he quips. Apparently this f*cker has a death wish. If he knew what I was capable of, he would be smart to be scared of me.

He puffs his chest out, “I saw the bruises on her ribs.” He points at Dani. “She deserves better than you.”

Reaching my limit, I stride over to him. The shithead trembles under my stare. I know I will never be good enough for Dani, but what really pisses me off is that this Momma’s boy thinks he is. He thinks he has the right to judge me.

“You're just-“ before he finishes his sentence, I slam my fist into the side of his mouth. The force drops him to the ground in one steady motion.

“Shadow!” Dani yells from behind me.

“Go inside, Dani.” I point toward the doors; she has to learn when to keep her mouth shut. If this was a situation within the club and she spoke out of turn, it could get her killed.