Rock Chick Rescue (Rock Chick #2)(41)

“Eddie…” I tried again.

He continued. “I already told you that you were my business but it’s pretty f**kin’ clear you didn’t understand.

I’ve been tryin’ to get your attention for months but you’re so busy and exhausted and whatever the hel else you are, it hasn’t worked. So I’l say, straight out, so there’s no confusion. I want to spend time with you, I want to get to know you and I want to sleep with you and it doesn’t have to be in that order.”

I didn’t even try to speak. I couldn’t. His words robbed me of the ability of speech.

“While that’s happenin’ and however long it lasts, you’re my business and I’l explain that too. I keep you safe and I keep your Mom safe, however that has to come about. And no one hustles you, not even your f**kin’ father, or they answer to me.”

I was not only speechless, my bel y was beginning to feel funny and that strange pleasant feeling was back.

“I know you have a problem with that, you’ve made it loud and clear, but I don’t give a f**k. I’m gonna keep coming at you until I wear you down. Do you understand me?” He paused and glared at me and I realized he expected an answer.

Since I was incapable of a verbal response, I just nodded.

“Good. Now, because it’s likely you not only have Slick after you but also Louie and Vince, you’ve got two choices: either I take you home and I stay there with you or I make a cal and plant someone at your apartment building and you sleep here with me.”

“Trixie’s at home, there’s nowhere for you to sleep,” I said.

“I sleep with you.”

Dear Lord.

“I’l sleep here,” I decided.

“I sleep with you here too.”

Eek!

“I’l sleep on the couch,” I told him.

“You sleep in my bed.”

“Then, wil you sleep on the couch?” I asked.

“I’l sleep in my bed with you.”

“Eddie…” I started to object.

“Nothing’s going to happen. Not tonight. I’m too tired and too pissed off.”

I tried to decide if I could sleep with a tired and pissed off Eddie.

I decided I couldn’t sleep with a tired and pissed off Eddie.

“Those two choices aren’t choices at al ,” I said. “They’re the same thing in different places.”

“They’re al you’ve got,” he told me.

“I don’t like it.”

“I don’t care. I told you not to go after your Dad. You did and you bought yourself a f**kload of trouble to add to the shitload you already had. If I gotta keep you safe, I’l do it how I need to do it and I want you close.”

“But… sleep with me?” I asked.

“You don’t get it,” he said, his brows drawing together.

“I think I do,” I was beginning to go from freaked out to angry.

He let go of my wrist but tightened both arms around me.

“Slick’s known for using that blade and not in good ways. I already told you what Vince is capable of. They come after you, I want them to get me first.”

Okay, so at that, the anger started to melt into that weird feeling again.

“You can’t do that for me,” I whispered.

“I’m not doin’ it for you. I’m doin’ it for me. I won’t get what I want out of you if your throat’s been cut.” Putting it that way, it almost made sense. But only almost.

“This is going too fast, it’s…”

Again, he didn’t let me finish.

He interrupted me by laughing. If you can believe, he actual y laughed.

His hands moved up my back and his head tilted toward me.

“Since I’m bein’ honest with you, Chiquita, I’l tel you I usual y play with what I want until I feel the time is right to move in. The time was right with you a long f**kin’ time ago but you’ve been so focused on your own shit, you gave me no opening. This hasn’t been fast. You want to see fast, we’l go into the bedroom and I’l show you fast but I’l show it to you slow.”

Oh… dear… Lord.

My stomach curled and that was a pleasant feeling too.

Regardless, for self-preservation, immediately I said, “I don’t want to see fast.”

His arms separated, one stayed up my back, the other one went low on my waist.

His mouth came to mine and I quit breathing.

With his lips against mine he said, “You’ve got one night’s reprieve. Tomorrow, I start movin’ in.” What did I do with that? I mean, I pretty much thought he was already “movin’ in”.

He didn’t give me a chance to do anything.

“I gotta make a cal and then we’re goin’ to bed.” Eek!

Chapter Eight

Eddie Fixes One of My Problems

The alarm went off and, as it didn’t sound like mine, I knew immediately where I was.

I took stock of my surroundings and realized the warm coziness I felt had a lot to do with being tangled up in Eddie Chavez.

My body tensed and I started to move away.

Eddie’s arms, which were wrapped around me, tightened (one of his thighs, incidental y, was wedged between my legs and my thigh was hooked over his hip not to mention one of my hands was pressed against his chest, the other arm wrapped around his waist, um… eek! ).