Not having her by my side was torture.
Ridiculous or not, I would have rather been stabbed in the eye with a red-hot fire poker than face another minute without her.
Unfortunately for me, that wasn’t an option.
Between the gut-churning worry, volcanic anger, and never-ending heartache that constantly gnawed at me, something had to give. I couldn’t continue to live the way I was, which was with a chunk of my heart walking the city streets unprotected.
It was complete bullshit, especially when everything in me demanded that I get off my ass and go find her and the girls and load them into my truck, the consequences be damned. If the pimp came after us, then so be it.
I’d kill him.
Simple as that.
Except, it wasn’t.
One wrong step was all it would take for more than one person to die. And I don’t just mean Carmen and the girls. If I fucked-up and crossed the wrong people, ones who I may not be able to deal with on my own, they would come for my family.
Hendrix. Maddie. Grandmama.
Shelby. Lucca.
My unborn grandchild.
I’d already endangered the lives of those I loved once. I couldn’t make the same mistake again. As much as I hated it, I had to be patient—yeah fucking right—and bide my time until the moment we were all waiting for arrived.
It was my only choice.
Tap, tap, tap.
Thumbs massaging my temples, I didn’t bother to look up when someone tapped their knuckles against my open office door.
“Cap…”
Exhaling, I glanced up, eyes landing on Tuck as he leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. “What is it, kid?”
Rolling a toothpick between his teeth, he pointed to the security monitor anchored to the wall next to me. “You’ve got a visitor again.”
I groaned and leaned back in my seat, more than ready for our shift to be over with. “What the hell does the Crazy Old Biddy want now?” God only knew. “Swear to Christ, if she assaulted poor Beatrice and needs me to find her a defense attorney, I’m—”
Words dying on the spot, I froze, body growing rigid with disbelief, when I glanced at the black-and-white screen to my right, because standing in the back parking lot, her body half shrouded by darkness, was my pretty little pixie.
Carmen…
Hands shaking, my body moved on autopilot. Jumping up and out of my seat, I charged out of the office, blowing past a wide-eyed, laughing Tuck, and sprinted down the hall that led to the back of the building.
Heart beating so fast I feared it may combust, I burst through the exit at top speed. When my boots hit the sidewalk, I stopped. A second later, my eyes found her…
Mi salvacion.
Wearing the same yellow dress as the night I’d taken her to Mi Terra, she stood beneath a towering oak tree next to where my truck was parked.
Ratty fur coat, the shield she used to hide her shame, nowhere in sight, she shifted her weight between her flat-covered feet, gaze locked on me.
Filled with so much relief that I could’ve cried, I stood there, watching her from afar. The mere sight of her turned me stupid. I couldn’t think when she was near.
Hell, half the time I couldn’t breathe.
“Guapo,” she called out, voice laced with both amusement and impatience. “Are you just going to stand there like a gawking fool? Or are you going to come over here and kiss me?”
I said nothing.
Instead, I moved. Fast.
Hauling ass across the asphalt-covered lot, I reached her in no time. Chest heaving, I wrapped my left arm around her lower back and sunk my right hand into her thick hair.
Then, needing her lips on mine, I pulled her body into me and slammed my hungry mouth down onto hers in a possessive kiss that was the polar opposite of the ones we’d shared before.
Needing more of her, I tugged on her hair, arching her back over my forearm. Startled by the move, her lips parted the slightest bit, gifting me the silent invitation I craved with the ferocity of a starved animal.
Lost in her, I groaned into her mouth as her taste, the sweetest I’d ever sampled, exploded on my delving tongue, burning itself into my memory for what I knew would be forever.
Matching me stroke for stroke, my beautiful girl gripped my shirt, fisting it so tight she nearly ripped the thin fabric in half, something I’d wished like hell she’d do. I wanted to feel her hands exploring my bare skin as I returned the favor by slowly savoring hers.
But we had to wait.
At least until she was healthy.
Seconds later, a growl vibrated deep within my chest when Carmen ripped her lips from mine, ending the kiss I hadn’t planned on giving up anytime soon.
I could’ve stayed there all night, our tongues dueling as I held her in my arms, the safest place she’d ever be, and one I swore she would always remain.
Gasping for breath, she stared up at me, her glazed over eyes filled with lust and need. “Heavens, Guapo,” she murmured in between pants for breath. “Are you trying to kill me?”
I smiled.
She was starting to sound like me.
“No.” Running my nose along her cheek, I inhaled, pulling her natural scent deep into my lungs. I wanted her very essence to possess every inch of me. “Just giving you a taste of what’s to come.”
Cheeks flushing before my eyes, she blew out a breath. “Cristo, it’s no wonder I’m addicted to you.” Blinking, she tried and failed to shake her head thanks to the iron-like hold I had on her hair. “If you kiss like that, I can’t imagine what you can do with…” Teeth sinking into her plump bottom lip, which I wanted to bite, she blinked. “Ya know.”
I chuckled as heat flooded her cheeks. “One day you’ll find out.”
Releasing my shirt, she slid her hands up my chest,
