Wait For Me Read Free

wasn’t sure what the no was in reference to, but she closed her lips tight. He was a formidable man, and though he never physically hurt her, never would cause her harm, he damn sure excited her.
    He stopped in front of her. Up close, she could see he had fresh scars that hadn’t been there the last time he’d been home. His nose had been broken again, too. Ugly scratches and scrapes slashed the side of his neck along with a few jagged cuts leading to his collarbone. She’d even go so far as to bet her next paycheck that he had a new bullet wound or two as well.
    “ Vinny ,” she whispered helplessly. She didn’t know what else to say or do. He was silent as he loomed over her, gazing down with unblinking eyes. She reached out with a trembling hand, and with that lightning-quick reflex she had reluctantly admired earlier, he had her arm in a vise grip and her body slung over his shoulder. “Vin,” she protested, albeit weakly. “Put me down.”
    He kicked the workshop door closed and walked with unhurried, measured strides back to the workbench. “Nope.”
    “This is ridiculous,” she said into his back. “You can’t just go hauling women around like this.” Though honestly, she got a secret thrill when he manhandled her. It made her feel protected, cared for. Most women she knew would probably think it barbaric, and maybe it was, but it was one of his traits she loved most. She liked his He-Man strength and way of overpowering others. He was a physical man, strong and unbending. It was what had drawn her to him all those years ago and part of what kept her panting after him now.
    “I don’t haul women around like this. I haul you around like this.” He set her down on the workbench, but not before he gave her ass a hard, stinging swat. “There’s a difference. And don’t think I don’t know how much you like it.”
    “How?”
    “Because it’s me and you,” he answered with finality, and bracketed her between his arms. “I can smell your pretty pussy when you’re over my shoulder, too. Did you know that? I know it gets you all kinds of hot when I do shit like that.”
    Well, that shut her up. Figures he would know. “You’re crude.” It wasn’t much of a retort but it was all she had. The quirk of his lips told her it was on the weak side as well. She started to cross her arms over her chest but he stayed the motion. Most women would likely be embarrassed if a man said that to them, but she knew better than to try and play that trick. She liked it too much and he wouldn’t believe her if she tried to deny it.
    “You like me crude. Now, do you want me to answer your questions about my comings and goings, or do you want me to let you go? I won’t hold you against your will, but I won’t let you run if what you really want is to stay.”
    “Answer,” she whispered. And then…he started unbuttoning her shirt. Soft sleeveless denim and tiny white buttons slipped through his dirt-crusted fingers. “I don’t think this is a good idea, Vin. You don’t need to undress me.”
    “You want answers, you abide by my rules.”
    “But how can I do that if I don’t know the rules?”
    He lifted his gaze and raised his brow. “Really? You don’t know the rules? After all the years we’ve known each other? All the years we’ve been screwing, fucking, and loving? That’s the card you’re gonna play?”
    Fortunately or unfortunately, she did know the rules. She knew all the rules. She’d come to him, after all. She knew exactly what would happen the moment they so much as breathed the same air. That didn’t mean she couldn’t try being a little dumb in the hopes that her heart didn’t get broken again. “Stop teasing me,” she said with a conviction she didn’t feel.
    “Not teasing, but I believe I’ll need to remind you.” He looked down and traced the edges of her bra with his fingers. They stood out against her lightly tanned skin, and his touch left a trail of heat in its path.