Page 69 of Malice and Surrender
“Damn, and people call me the asshole.” Roach held out his hand. “Gimmie one of those.”
I tossed a burrito at him and chugged the rest of my coffee before continuing. I hated to admit it, but my stomach seemed pleased with the addition of solid food, and my head hurt less.
“Point is, I don’t know what to do with this. She should’ve at least spoken to me before she named me as her attacker, but she was fifteen, terrified, stabbed, and left for dead. So…there’s that. Before you ask, I don’t know why I only got ten years. I’m thinking Raine had something to do with that, but I was too pissed to ask last night.”
We ate in silence, and I stared out the window. The sun shone like mother nature hadn’t just tried to kill us yesterday.
“Don’t get pissed with me for asking this…” He shrugged. “But do you still have a thing for her? Like not of the obsessive hate variety?”
I laid my head back on the couch. My first instinct was to yell no and tell him to fuck off, but the reality was, I didn’t know. No, that wasn’t true. The ache in my chest and the pounding of my heart at the thought of her told me I was trying to lie to myself.
“I think so,” I admitted. “But the hate for what she did to me, regardless of why, is as strong as any other emotion.”
“Oh, I love hate-sex. I’m in.”
I lifted my head to glare at Roach.
“I didn’t mean with her. I just meant that it’s one of the best ball-boiling, euphoric experiences,” Roach said, his lip curling up.
“That’s a mighty big word to be coming out of you,” I teased.
“Shut the fuck up,” Roach said and then looked out the window. The sound of a vehicle had him standing and pulling his gun as he did. “You know anyone with a little red car?”
“Nope.”
I managed to get to my feet and hobbled over to the window. Fuck, my head didn’t like that, and I had to grab at the wall.
“Damn, she’s hot. Who the fuck is that? Someone looking for directions, or is she lost? I would give her directions right into my bedroom,” Roach said, sticking his gun in the back of his jeans.
I reached the window and saw Raine bent over, talking to the driver. A moment later, the car backed out and disappeared. My heart stumbled in my chest at the sight of her. The sunshine bathed her like a little fairy in my yard.
“Fuck, that girl is fine. I’ll be right back,” Roach said, and I snatched his arm.
“That’s Raine. You go anywhere near her with your cock, and I’ll kill you,” I growled.
“That’s her? No wonder you have it bad. How the hell did she find you?” Roach asked as a soft knock echoed through the house.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled, releasing Roach’s arm. Roach walked to the front door. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Oh, I’m not staying here for this. I need plausible deniability.” He smirked as he whipped open the door dramatically. I saw Raine jump back like she’d just been hit. I couldn’t blame her.
“Um, hi. I was told Kai is here,” she said, and my traitorous cock stood at the sound of her voice. I couldn’t get my head to stop spinning, but my cock worked fine. Figures.
Roach stepped onto the porch, and Raine’s eyes swung from him to me.
“Hunt me down when you’re done. I have an errand I need you for,” Roach said as he looked over his shoulder at me. His look said it all. He would fuck her if I gave him even a sniff of an opportunity.
His eyes were filled with mischief as he stood beside Raine, and I realized just how small she was. The anger that started last night over her attack flared in my gut. In a flash, I pictured her at fifteen, lucky to weigh eighty pounds soaking wet, trying to fight off three grown men. My teeth ground together until my jaw cracked.
“Don’t have too much fun,” Roach said, smiling as he jogged down the stairs.
Prick.
I pushed the pain in my skull aside and stepped up to the door, and as I looked into her big blue eyes, I knew it didn’t matter why she was here. My fucking heart was in trouble.
She had her hands stuffed inside her sweatshirt pocket, but her back was straight as she stared at me.
“What are you doing here?” I looked around outside. “And how the hell did you find me?” It was a little annoying that she’d found me in less than twenty-four hours.
