Page 19 of Swerve (Boosted Hearts 1)

Keeping hold of my wrists with one hand, he dropped the other to my ass and hauled me higher against the elevator wall, pressing me into it. His lips parted over mine on a snarl and his tongue delved deep, spiking into my mouth. I started to tremble as lust shot through me, kissing him back just as hard. His kiss was rough, hungry, wild, and my head started to spin out of control. I dug my nails into his shoulders, thighs tightening around his hips, arching against him, against the hard flesh digging into me with enough force to cause pain. I wanted more. He started to grind against me, against my swollen clit, and I groaned against his lips, into his mouth.

He tore his mouth from mine. “This what you wanted, baby girl?” He started sucking the skin along my jaw to my ear. “This what you wanted from me? Why you devote so many hours to fucking with me?”

I had no answer for him, barely registered what he’d just said. Words, logical thought, had abandoned me. All I knew was Neco was kissing me again, that I’d die if he stopped.

If he moved back a fraction, I could reach his zipper, slide it down, free that huge, hot, hard flesh pressing into me. I could drop to my knees in front of him . . .

“Or is screwing with my head enough to get you off?”

The anger in his voice penetrated, hit like a bucket of ice water being dumped over my head. He wasn’t kissing me anymore; he was looking down at me, breathing hard, ice forming over the heat in his eyes. I was breathing hard, too, my lungs squeezing tighter the longer I looked into that hard, unflinching stare.

“You say you’re done with me,” he growled. “Baby, we will never be done.”

“Okay, so how about you tell me what the hell you want from me, Neco? After this.” I held his stare. “What happens next?”

He flinched, like he’d suddenly come back to himself, like he’d come back from wherever he’d gone just now. His mouth worked while he tried to find the words, hesitating, too long.

Instead of answering, he lowered me to my feet, his hands slipping away from my overheated body, giving me an answer without words.

And I got it, loud and clear. I stepped back, putting distance between us, then hit the button to open the elevator doors.

He watched me, arms crossed over his monster chest, jaw tight, eyes searching mine. Finally, he said, “I’m not your Superman, Ruby. I’m not even close. I’m not that boy, and you’re not that girl, not anymore. We can’t do this.” He cursed. “This has to be over.”

I just stared at him, shock rocketing through me like I’d just suffered a head-on collision.

His eyes dropped to my belly and he gritted his teeth. My shirt had been pushed higher when he had me against the wall, exposing some skin. I shoved it down, humiliation slapping me in the face with force. I opened my mouth, but nothing would come out. He meant it; he meant every word. Oh God.

I straightened my spine. So done with this, with it all. “You’re right. This does have to be over.” I looked up at him, let him see I meant every word. “I’ll give you what you want. And you . . . you stay the hell away from me.”

Then I spun and ran from the elevator, ran to my apartment. He’d kissed me, and what? He wanted me to think it meant nothing to him? That after all we’d been through together, that he could use my feelings for him, a kiss, to teach me a lesson, and I wouldn’t see right thought it? He wouldn’t give in to what was so obviously between us, fine, I got that loud and clear. But the punishment didn’t fit the crime.

My Neco would never intentionally hurt me. He could lie to himself all he wanted, but he couldn’t lie to me.

But no matter how much I wanted him, I couldn’t force him to take a chance on us.

So, for once I agreed with him, no matter how much it hurt.

It was over.

* * *

Neco

Who knew it was possible to miss someone’s eyes? It sounded fucked up, even in my own head. But I did. I missed Ruby’s. The color, the shape. The way I felt when they were on me.

She’d come in to pick up some things she’d left at the office this morning, so she had everything she needed for her new fucking job, and she still wouldn’t look at me. Three days had passed since I acted like a giant asshole and delivered words I knew would create the most damage. It worked. I’d hurt her. I’d pushed her as hard and as far as I was capable.

Letting her walk away had damn near killed me. But I did it for her, to protect her. I had to keep telling myself that. Ruby came first always.

Jesus, I could still taste her.

And now I was sure she hated my guts.

Mission accomplished, motherfucker.

Hunt was talking to her now, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The streak in her hair was blue today, to match the blue skirt she was wearing—the kind that was tight all the way down to her knees but hid nothing, cupped her round ass in a way that made my mouth water. Her shirt was white, an old Red Hot Chili Peppers Concert T, and had “Suck My Kiss” written in red across her tits. I hated how much I wanted to suck what was under that shirt. Jesus, I could already feel her hard little nipples in my mouth.

My fingers curled into fists. The way she’d kissed me back, feeding me those sexy little whimpers, her husky groans. I lost it in that elevator. I’d almost done a hell of a lot more than kiss her. The need that had risen in me at that moment had scared the shit out of me. We’d only kissed and I wanted to lock her in my apartment and never let her out of my sight. The warning bells had started ringing in my head. Kissing her was bad enough, but if I got her under me, all bets were off. Stopping, saying what I had to, was the hardest thing I’d done in my whole damn life. But it was the right thing to do. If I hadn’t put an end to it, I would have given in. It would have only been a matter of time before I broke. I would have taken her, made her mine in every way a man could claim his woman.