Page 78 of Empire of Savages
By the time I stepped back out in his room, Nick had returned with two cups of coffee and a plate stacked with buttered toast.
“Where’s Lucifer?” I asked.
He jerked his head toward the door. “Vox is out there with him.” His heated gaze drifted down my body briefly before he cleared his throat. “This was the best I could do,” he said, gesturing to the plate.
Taking a slice of toast, I said, “It’s fine. More than I usually have for breakfast in any case.”
He took a sip of his coffee, pinning me in place with the intensity in his green eyes.
Noticing he was only drinking coffee, I asked, “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Not hungry.” He leaned forward and kissed my bare shoulder, goose bumps chasing the feel of his lips. “I’m going to take a shower though.”
I watched him move around the bed and enter the bathroom, leaving the door open as he stripped off his sweats and let them fall to the floor, but when I caught sight of his back, I couldn’t hold back my gasp. Nick turned around at the sound.
“What is it?” His eyes darted around the room, looking for danger.
“Your back,” I said. “I didn’t realize you had that tattoo. How long have you had it?”
His mouth curled up into a small smile. “When I was made sergeant at arms.”
The Grim Reaper covered him from the back of his neck down to the bottom of his hips and spanned the width of his broad shoulders. In its hand was a double scythe, and even though the hood covered its face, I felt as if it was looking directly at me. “It’s terrifying. Beautiful, but terrifying.”
“Not as terrifying as I can be,” he replied, stepping back into the bathroom. A moment later, the water started, and I finished my slice of toast, then stripped off my towel to find something appropriate to wear. As I rifled through the clothes that had been hastily stuffed into my bag when Nick and I left my apartment, his door opened and a man I didn’t recognize walked in.
“Who the hell are you?” I asked, grabbing the first thing I could find and holding it against my chest.
He leaned casually against the doorjamb with a smug smile on his face, his eyes running over what he could see of my naked body. “Didn’t know we had any new club girls. Trust fucking Nick to get one of them though.”
“I’mnota club girl,” I replied through gritted teeth.
“Could’ve fooled me.” He stepped into the room and shut the door. He was dressed in a black shirt and jeans, along with his cut, which had the “enforcer” patch on it. “Nick is real good at sharing, though, sugar. I’m sure he won’t mind if I have a taste while he’s not here.”
My pulse skyrocketed as he stepped closer. “Don’t touch me,” I said, wanting my voice to come out strong, but it was nothing but a breathy whisper.
With my heart pulsing in my ear, I could hear nothing—feelnothing—other than an impending sense of doom.
“I’m not a club girl,” I whispered.
Grabbing me by the wrist and yanking me to my feet, he tore the shirt I’d held up to my chest from my hands, a glint of lust in his chocolate-brown eyes as he looked at my bared breasts.
“I’m not a club girl. I’m not?—”
“Take your fucking hands off her. Right. The.Fuck. Now.” Nick’s voice was unyielding and hard.
I peered up to find him standing in the doorway of the bathroom, his sweats back in place, and a look of murder in his eyes.
“Nick,” the other man said in a cajoling tone, drawing out his name. “You were holding out on me. When did this one come along?”
Nick stepped forward, grabbing the other man by the forearm. “Gunnar, you have exactly two seconds to take your hand off her or we’re going to have a problem.”
The man—Gunnar—grinned. “We’ve shared pussy before.”
“She’s not a club girl,” Nick replied. “She’s mine. Now, get your hands off her.”
Gunnar released my wrist, stepping back with his hands raised and a smile on his face. “Sorry. Didn’t know you had an old lady,” he replied. His dark eyes landed back on my face, his smile turning wicked. “If you ever want a bigger cock to fill you, come and find me.”
Gunnar left the room, throwing the door open so that it slammed into the wall behind it. Nick shut it, then locked it before turning around to me. A look of anguish was written all over his face as he approached me and pulled me into his arms.