Can I be aggressive in bed? Absolutely. But I’m not into degrading women.
“He’s such an ass,” she growls, watching Turner over my shoulder while she still straddles my hips.
“When did Tanner get out?” I whisper in her ear so no one can hear us.
“Last week. Wish he’d go back.”
My brows arch. They used to be close since he was the one who ended up raising her. Their dad passed when she was thirteen, and Tanner took over the father role, but it was too late. She had already been groomed to be a whore and needed acceptance from any man she could get her hands on. But I don’t think any less of her. I’ve never been one to judge someone, and I’m not going to start now.
“Let’s go back to my place,” she offers, kissing my neck.
Fuck! I’m not sleeping with her now. Not after I slept with April. That’s who I want. That’s why I’ve been avoiding Lucy.
“No, he’s here to hang out with us.” Trey saves me. “So get off his cock and go do some work.” He slides the mirror covered in cocaine, razor blade and hundred-dollar bill over to me.
“Trey …” She starts to whine.
“You heard him,” Tanner barks at her. “Go get to work, Lucy.”
She glares at him over my shoulder, and that right there is why she wants him to go back to prison—he’s making her work. Probably serving drinks or taking bets down in the pit for the fights.
“Fucking bastard,” she hisses, getting off my lap and shoving her skirt down her thighs. Trey laughs at her as she storms out.
APRIL
I wake up with a pounding headache. Rolling over onto my side, I bury my face into my pillow and groan.
“That rough, huh?”
I sit up with a scream at the sound of another’s voice.
“Whoa.” Jasmine holds up her hands with her back resting against my headboard.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, placing my hand to my pounding chest.
She tilts her head to the side and frowns. “Damn. You were really drunk last night.”
I fall back onto the bed.
“I called you, and Grave answered, asking me to come stay with you. Something about you were drunk. He had something to go do, and he didn’t want to leave you alone.”
“Grave asked you to come over?” I look up at her.
She nods, shoving a flaming hot Cheeto in her mouth. “He waited for me to get here before he left.”
I smile and pull the covers up to my neck before I roll over onto my side to face her.
“Oh God.” She laughs.
“What?” I ask.
“I know that look. You like him,” she states matter-of-factly.
“I …”
“Like really, really like him.” She wiggles her dark brows.
I pull the covers over my head so she can’t see my cheeks turn the color of her Cheetos.
She rips them off and smiles down at me. “He needs someone like you.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, sitting up and pulling the covers with me. I dig my hand into her bag and take a chip.
“Grave can be a good guy. He just needs someone who is willing to straighten him out.”
That didn’t help me understand one bit. “Either I’m still asleep or I’m too drunk to make sense of your words.”
She sighs. “Grave isn’t one of those guys who hides his feelings. He feels more than anyone I know, and when I got here last night, I could tell he cares about you.”
My heart starts to race at her words. “Why? What did he do?”
“The fact that he didn’t leave until I arrived tells me all I need to know.”
“How well do you know him?” I don’t get to spend time alone with Jasmine, but I remember Grave talking about knowing her really well.
“I’ve known him all my life.” She eats another Cheeto. “After his mom passed, he …”
“Wait.” I place my hand up. “His mom died? When?” That was how I met him. He ordered flowers for his mother’s birthday.
“Uh, let me think.” She holds up her right hand. “I think he was eighteen when she died. May have been seventeen. We were in high school.”
I tune her out as I look at my wall, trying to figure out why he ordered her flowers if she’s dead. I mean, I know that people place flowers on graves of loved ones they’ve lost, but he never once mentioned that. He made it sound like she was alive. He even told me she loved them. Why would he …?
I close my eyes. I had written on the card. He left it blank, and I thought it had been a mistake. I was wrong. Shit! “Fuck!” I growl.
“What?” she asks.
I open my eyes and scrunch up my face. “I think I did something bad.”
“Oh.” Her green eyes get big with excitement. “Tell me. Tell me. I’m awesome at keeping secrets.”