“That fucker isn’t going to jail,” he says. “How rich did you say his parents are?”
“Pretty rich,” Ev says with a wince. “They own hotels and restaurants.”
“Right. Well, if they care at all about their business, they’ll pay good money to prove him innocent, and money can get you anything you need.”
My fingers curls into a fist under Ev’s hand. Her eyes are wide, and I fucking hate the fear flickering in their depths.
“One more reason for me to bust his chops,” I growl.
“Calm down, cowboy. I’ve got this.” Rafe’s gaze is distant. “Nobody fucks with the Damage Boyz. I’ll take care of it.”
“How?” Ev asks.
“I’ve got connections. The asshat won’t bother any of you again.”
“You’ll kill him?” Ev’s eyes have gone rounder than before.
Rafe goes pale. “I don’t kill people. I don’t…” He sucks a deep breath. I wonder why he looks so shaken. “I’ll only make sure the jury and judge aren’t paid off at his trial. Let justice do the rest.”
Doesn’t sound good enough to me. Bastard deserves to have his balls chopped off and fed to him, but Rafe sends me a warning look, and I curse under my breath. I won’t let him down. If Zane is my god, Rafe is my fucking commander.
But if Blake comes anywhere near Seth or Ev again…
“I’ll be on my way now.” Rafe glances at me and nods. “Will you be okay for now, man?”
“Yeah, fine,” I bite out.
“Evangeline says she’s staying in case you need anything.”
“He means a doctor,” she says darkly. “Can I just call—?”
“No doctors. I’m okay.” I really am. That bastard who jumped me was an amateur. Rafe and Zane trained us well in self-defense. I bet he limped home in a much worse state than me. “It’s just my ribs. Nothing they can do about it anyway.”
“Those painkillers any good?” Rafe asks.
Taking stock, I realize they are. “Yeah.” The pain is muted, and as I relax a little, the world seems to slow. I take a deep breath, surprised my ribs aren’t killing me, and some of the tension seeps out of me.
“Only the best for you.” Rafe grins wolfishly, winks at Ev and leaves.
Somehow I don’t think he’s talking about the painkillers anymore, and that’s fine with me. I drag Ev down for a kiss before the door even closes and she kisses me back, smiling against my lips.
“So you’re staying?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” She sighs. “You keep saying you’re fine, so maybe you don’t need me.”
I’m not prepared for the sudden panic that hits me. “Please, Ev.”
She shakes her head, then laughs. “Are you kidding me? Of course I’m staying. As if I’d move from your side after what happened. Besides.” She’s quiet for a few moments. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
I resist the urge to clutch her to me, bruised ribs and all, make sure she won’t go. She’s here and I have to finally believe she’ll stay around.
Only the best for me. The strongest drugs. The most loyal friends.
The sexiest, prettiest, bravest… The absolute best girl in the whole fucking world.
My girl.
“Someone here to see you,” Seth says, appearing at my bedroom door and leaning on the frame.
“Someone, huh? Where is she?” Strange how just thinking of Ev makes my heart race.
“How do you know it’s a she?”
“Screw you, man. I swear, if you left her out in the rain…”
I try to see past him but he blocks the whole opening. It’s been a week since the attack, and the bruises on his face have faded to blue-green. The stitches still mar his jaw, a line of dark cross-hatching. He moves stiffly, but all said and done, he got off easy.
Voices. A female and a male voice, coming from the living room. Ev and a guy. Who is he?
Seth turns and beckons, and a tall, muscled guy fills my door.
“So which one of you is Micah?” he demands, glancing from me to Seth and back.
“Joel…” Ev appears behind him and tugs on his sleeve. “Stop it.”
“I’m your big brother. Whoever touched my sister will pay for it.”
Ev rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yeah.”
I get up from the bed, trying to keep my face neutral. My ribs send blinding jabs of pain through me, but I ignore them. “I’m Micah. Got a problem with that?”
Joel looks me up and down, eyes narrowed. “Depends.”
Now I can see some similarity with Ev, but not much. The guy is big-boned and more muscled than me. Ev is slender and graceful and goddamn pretty.
“Depends on what?” I’m as tall as he, and we are at eye level. I don’t have to fake the glare I’m giving him. He may be the brother of my girl, but he’s standing between us right now and all I want is to grab Ev and crush her to me. It’s been a long day without her.
“On whether you’ll swear to look out for her and protect her.”
“Joey!” Ev sounds horrified.
I don’t see any problem with that. “I swear.”
“Will you respect her and belong only to her?”
“You can count on it.”
“Will you…” He sighs and rubs a hand over his mouth. “Will you make her happy?”
I nod. “I’ll do my best.”
For her. For Ev.
“Good.” He grabs my hand and shakes it once. “Then I’m pleased to meet you, Micah. I made a mistake with Ev’s ex-boyfriend. I misjudged him. I guess I should trust her judgment better, and she told me good things about you.”
She gives me a smile, and I grin. “She told me a few things about you, too.”
Now he looks worried. “Don’t believe a single word. It’s all lies.”
Ev sticks her tongue out at him, and he snorts.
“I’ll leave you to your own devices, then.” Joel nods at Seth on his way out. “Glad to see you both on your feet.”
Ev is looking at me, golden eyes soft with happiness. Her sweater is long but tight, hugging the slight curves of her body. I take the few steps that separate us and slip my arms around her. She fits perfectly against my body, and when she tilts up her face I think I can gaze at her forever.
The sound of a throat being cleared breaks through my trance.
“I’m off to work,” Seth says, hands in his pants’ pockets. He looks amused. “Be good.”
“We are good,” Ev says.
“Good to each other,” he intones and laughs as he leaves the room.
Now where were we? Oh yeah. I look down at Ev’s upturned face, her hooded eyes, her parted lips, and all I can think of is taking her right there, against the wall, sinking into her and fucking her hard and fast. Her breasts press against my chest and she’s soft, so soft. A jolt goes through me and a certain part of me appreciates her softness by hardening.
That certain part throbs when she shifts, rubbing against me, and I walk her backward until she hits the bed. Her mouth opens in a soundless cry as she falls, and then I’m on top of her, kissing her again. Can’t get enough of her taste. Can’t get enough of her.
“I love you, Ev,” I whisper, and she gives me a brilliant smile, her eyes glistening as if she’s about to cry.