A Dirty Business (Kings of New York #1)(103)

I moved, pulling her pants the rest of the way off, shoving mine down, and I lined up. I held still for one second, looked at her. She was watching me, biting her lip, and her eyes were dark, melting. The slightest of nods from her, and I slid inside.

Pushing.

I paused once I was deep, and we both started trembling.

I had to move. Had to.

Thrusting in, I began moving. She rolled her hips with me.

This was a moment in time that was a dichotomy. Slow and loving, but also frantic and rough. I kept moving in her, and she was clenching around me, her legs tightening their hold on my waist. As soon as I felt her body begin shaking, her own release, I let out a growl and began slamming into her.

She clutched at my shoulders, but she was pulling me to her. Her legs holding firm, and once her release had moved through her, she began meeting me, helping me.

God.

Please.

Damn.

I growled as my release pounded through me, and I held her, riding out the rest of the waves. I could still feel hers, too; her body was doing this little jerking movement. She lay fully out on the table, and I rose up when I could, looking down at her.

I couldn’t speak, but I touched the side of her mouth, where she’d been biting down.

Her chest rose, and she closed her eyes at the touch. A new tenderness came through me, one that was new to me even with Jess. Pulling out of her, I turned and saw her painting. It was propped in the corner, just in line of eyesight.

A little girl was in the corner. “What happened there? That night?”

A door was opening, showing the light shining on her. In the corner of the painting, an arm was opening that door.

The floor just rolled out from under my feet. I couldn’t look away from that painting.

“What?” Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“That’s you. I know that’s a memory. I know that night occurred. What happened after whoever that is came into your room?”

“I—” She choked off again. “I don’t remember.”

“What do you mean?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been painting in the last month, and I’m starting to have these memories come back to me. This one, I don’t know what happens, but I know there were two bad men outside my house. And I remember that something happened that night, something bad.”

The desire to murder whoever that was in her painting was fresh, rising up in me. It was swirling with all the other shit inside of me. Some of that was anger at her, but anger at myself too. “You’ve shut me out.” I dropped my voice.

“I was trying to do the right thing. Ashton—”

“I do not give one fuck what Ashton said to you. He’s my best friend. I’ll always love him, but right now I could twist his head off of his neck. He took you away from me.”

She jerked, her head flaring back.

It was that look again. The haunted look.

I’d put it there, but it wasn’t just me.

“Trust me, I am not okay with what he did.”

Her eyebrows moved together. A faint frown pulled at her mouth. “What’d you do?”

“I put him in the hospital.”

“What?”

“He’s out by now, but he was in there for a few days. We had words, and the words weren’t enough, so we went up a notch. He’s quite aware that if he ever fucks with my relationship again, there’ll be permanent damages.”

“Jesus, Trace. A punch would’ve sufficed.”

“No.” The same rage from that day came back, and it was the lethal kind. “It wouldn’t have. I’m sorry for what he did.”

The haunted look was there, but it shifted a little, looking more hollow. She ran a hand over her face. “That’s why I wanted to meet. Or kinda why I wanted to meet. Kelly called today. She said something happened. Justin is terrified of his family. She couldn’t get into it with me over the phone, but she said it’s not safe to meet. She was adamant that they’ve not done anything against you, and I believe her. I’d know. Kelly’s a lot of things, but she’s not a liar. She’s a horrible liar. She hiccups when she’s trying to cover something up.”

Hiccuping when you lie. That’s a tell that’s funny at times. Another day and I would’ve grinned at that. Not today.

I was beyond exhausted today.

“What do you need from me?” At her look, I clarified. “You didn’t call to get back together. Your best friend called. You need something from me?”

“Kelly asked if I knew someone who could help her and Justin hide? Leave town and basically disappear. She asked me, but the only person I know who could do that is . . .” Her hand spread out, indicating me. “If they need to disappear, I can only guess that something bad happened with his family. She wouldn’t call me if they needed to hide from you. They’d just go, probably to Mexico. You mentioned the 411 Network. Do you know someone that could help Kelly and Justin?”

“They don’t typically hide people from this situation. It’s where the person is getting abused.” She started to open her mouth. “But I’ll reach out. I have a different reputation from my uncle. They’ve worked with me already.”

She expelled some air she’d been holding back. “Thank you. I mean that.”