Page 52 of Four Cards Exposed

Today, he’d come back up from the laundry room to find her outside his flat, in the same spot where only last week he’d found Dom and his kitten.

She sat on his bed. She was wearing tight jeans and a black v-neck with the word Rebel stenciled in white. She looked pissed off and worried, both at the same time, and he realized he should be addressing that, but it was difficult to think of anything other than how much he liked having her here, in his space. He wondered what it would be like to have her in his life for real.

His real apartment wasn’t much—he hardly spent any time there—but at least it was newer and cleaner than this dump, and it had a killer view.

Susan placed one hand in the air and gestured around the room, a questioning look on her face.

“I swept for bugs this morning. We’re good.”

“Guerrero’s dangerous, James. We need to—we need to contact Lorraine and get out of here before that fight.”

James went very still, clutching the pair of shorts he’d been about to fold. “Did he …” he began, his mouth suddenly dry and itchy. “Did he hurt you, Susan?”

She shook her head quickly. “No. He’s always been a perfect gentleman. But I know what Lorraine told me about his time in prison. He’s dangerous, James.”

“We do have to speak to Lorraine,” James agreed. “But the fight should be the least of our worries. I spoke to a couple of Moore’s men last night, and whatever’s going to go down is going to be big. I think Mendoza’s going to be there.”

Susan gave him a confused shrug. “Of course he will. We saw him last night.”

“Not Miguel. Ernesto. That’s why Moore has such a hard-on.”

“You really think so?” She considered that for a moment. “Even so, it’s not worth your life, James.”

“Come here, sweetheart. It’s going to be fine. Last night was a controlled risk. I know what I’m doing.”

“You may think you know what you’re doing, James. But once you’re out there, in the ring, alone with Guerrero—“

He smothered her concern with a kiss. The moment their lips met, it was like fireworks going off in his mind, emptying it of everything except the pressure of her lips on his, the feel of her tongue as it swept out to taste him. She kissed him like she was in the desert and he was a glass of cool, cool water. It felt like their first kiss, all over again, except even better, because he now knew what her soft curves felt like pressed against the hard planes of his body—knew just how much they would complete each other once he got inside her.

Moaning, he pulled her in.

* * *

Susan

“Susan,” James mumbled, his voice a soft caress against her ear.

His lips were solid yet soft against her own. Hot. Or maybe she was the one who was running hot—hotter than she’d ever been before.

She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him ever since they’d last made love.

Had sex.

You had sex.

That was all.

It was difficult to think of what they’d done as just sex—when he’d touched her everywhere, it seemed, her body but also her very soul.

“James,” she whispered. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” Tears pooled behind her eyes, and she knew if she blinked, they’d fall. She closed her eyes to get herself back under control. And then he was kissing her eyelids, her nose. His touch seared her skin.

“Hey. It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “Come here.”

And then she was in his arms, her ear pressed against his heart.

She ran her hands against his back, loving how the thick, muscled ridges quivered under his touch.

He lay them both down against the bed, so they were staring into each other’s eyes. Her hand grazed the tattoo on his arm.