SIX MONTHS (A Seven Series Novel)

I heard the glass break when Reno threw them to the side and filled the doorway. “Get out of my way.”

 

 

I swiftly rose to my feet. “Don’t you dare threaten my best friend. Trevor is a brother to me, and if you put one little finger on him, then I’ll…”

 

Damn, girl, you’re on a roll! Threaten him with something good! my inner voice cheered.

 

I glanced around and grabbed the nearest thing I could find.

 

A spatula.

 

“I’ll cut you up.”

 

My eyes slimmed down and theirs widened.

 

Reno’s lips twitched and Trevor tried to contain his laugh beneath his pissed-off face, but it slipped out and he turned his head away.

 

“April, I need to know you’re safe. You broke out of my truck and I’ve been searching the streets for hours.”

 

Trevor sliced me with a cold stare and I shrugged. I knew he didn’t like the idea that I’d been running the streets, especially after two glasses of wine.

 

“Can we talk?” Reno wasn’t looking at me, but Trevor. He was asking permission to speak with me. “April has a right to make her own decisions. You’re looking out for her, and I respect that more than you know. That’s why I’m asking if we can settle what’s between us once and for all.”

 

“It’s okay, Trevor,” I said, tossing the spatula on the counter.

 

He threw up his hands and sat down on the couch, angrily grabbing a magazine and snapping it open.

 

“Come inside and we can talk it over,” I said.

 

“Not here. Neutral ground where kitchen utensils are not within arm’s reach,” Reno said with a handsome smirk.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 17

 

 

“Where are we?” I asked, cupping my elbows as I stood behind Reno on the front porch of a rural house in the dark woods.

 

Reno slid his key in the lock. The hinges stubbornly creaked when the door swung open. I took a breath of stale air and warmth touched my skin.

 

“This was our old house before we moved into the big one. Austin’s keeping it around as a retreat,” he said, flipping on a light. “We’ve still got power.”

 

It was semi-furnished, as if someone still lived there. Reno closed the door behind us and hung his key on a nail that had the letter R below it. When he kicked off his shoes in the corner, I did the same and followed him around the wall and into the living room. While he went into the hall to adjust the thermostat, I checked out my surroundings. The walls were bare. Aside from a ratty maroon recliner and an old sofa, the room was empty.

 

“Thirsty?” His voice reverberated off the walls.

 

Reno walked around a built-in bar on my left, which connected to the living room. A light clicked on and he bent down, pulling out a few drinks from the short fridge. He handed me a can of soda and I cracked it open, grimacing as the carbonated soft drink burned my throat.

 

Reno threaded my hair away from my face with a single sweep of his hand, centering his eyes on mine. “Tonight was rough. Are you hanging in there?”

 

“I didn’t mean to jump out of your truck and worry you like that. I was scared to go home by myself and too embarrassed to tell you after what happened at dinner. I needed to find Trevor.”

 

“You think I haven’t seen what people will do when their ass is on the line? You’re mixed up in some serious shit and I want to help. People who steal money and bolt out of a truck into a busy street are running from something—or someone. If you owe someone money, I can help.”

 

“No, Reno. I can’t stay in this vicious circle of owing people; that’s what I’m trying my best to fix. I owed a man and I paid him off—the one who hurt Trevor. It’s done.”

 

His chocolate eyes were pensively searching mine. “Are you sure about that? Say the word, April, and I can make your problems go away.”

 

“That’s not a promise anyone can make.”

 

He took the soda from my hand and set it on the floor. Then his thick hand slipped around my neck and he stepped close. He smelled intoxicating—a mixture of cologne and his natural scent.

 

Reno backed me up against the wall and slipped his hands beneath my shirt. He cupped my breasts through my thin bra, placing his thumbs on each nipple and rubbing in slow, methodical motions. I gasped, every nerve awakening as I struggled to suppress a moan. Reno ignited my body with his skilled touch, one that left me desiring more.

 

His knee abruptly slid between my legs, forcing them apart, and his lips brushed against my mouth as he spoke. "I wonder if I could make you come like this."

 

I was certain he could.

 

His mouth lingered against mine with just the lightest contact of skin. He didn’t kiss me, but pressed his thumbs sweetly against my nipples until I moaned from the delicate friction. My breathing became erratic and he abruptly stepped back and dropped his arms. "Take off my belt,” he said in a throaty voice.

 

An electric buzz ripped through my body at his command. He lightly held my wrists and guided my hands to his waist.

 

As he stood there watching me, his eyes hooded. I tugged at his belt until the metal prong came free from the hole.

 

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