Page 58 of Beautiful Killer

I opened my mouth, closed it. “I didn’t think . . . you, um . . . you don’t usually come over ’til it’s late, usually the middle of the night. I didn’t think I needed to . . .”

“You need to,” he growled. “Until we catch this guy, you tell me where the hell you are.”

Oh yeah, he was angry. “Hunter and Neco were there and so was Ruby. By all accounts she can kick ass with the best of them.”

He was looking straight ahead, jawline hard. “I don’t give a fuck.”

Were we . . . was this our first fight? I thought it might be, because he wasn’t the only one getting pissed off. “I’m not used to answering to anyone, Zeke. Reporting my whereabouts. I do what I want when I want . . .”

“Get used to it,” he bit out

Whoa. “I beg your pardon . . .”

“Woman, you will be begging, soon as I get you home.” His voice was low and extremely rough.

I shivered at the dirty promise I heard. No Sunny. Be strong. This, his attitude, was not cool. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re overreacting. I was fine.”

“I was going out of my fucking mind with worry. I only found out where you were ’cause Nec texted me. Then I get there, and you look like that.” He flung an arm toward me. “Dancing, guys watching you, desperate to get under your fucking skirt. Didn’t make me happy, Sunny. Not one fucking bit.”

Oh my God.

“You’re jealous,” I whispered.

“Who are you fucking?” he said, voice nothing more than a rumble.

I swallowed. “You.”

“Exactly.”

Then he said no more. Like that was an actual answer to the insanity, the confusing as hell words, he’d just thrown at me.

“Just because we’re having sex doesn’t mean you get to be all bossy and controlling.” I owed him a lot, but I didn’t get this. He’d told me more than once he didn’t want more from me than sex. Why would he care that other men were looking at me?

“You’re my responsibility.”

Ouch.“I’m so sorry for being such a huge burden,” I fired at him. “I never realized what a chore it was for you to spend time with me.”

He growled. Apparently, I’d pushed him past the point of actual words.

I bit my lip, because I got the feeling he wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore, and honestly, neither was I.

But then he said, “You might not get this, ’cause it’s pretty obvious you grew up in a way that was seriously fucked up. But this needs to sink in.” He glanced at me. “I care what happens to you, Sunny. I don’t get out of your bed in the morning and forget you exist.” He thumped a hand down on the steering wheel and cursed. “I need you to goddamn get that.”

I sat there, stunned. Not sure what to make of what he said and unable to think of a single thing to say.

He drove me home in charged silence, and as soon as we reached my house, he was out of the car, rounding it, and tugging my door open.

I looked up at him, expecting to see more anger, but what I saw instead, the look in his eyes, had me swallowing. Hard.

Zeke

The woman thought she was a burden.

Jesus Christ.

She had me by the balls . . . shit, the throat. I was consumed by her, obsessed. I wanted her all the time and she was never out of my goddamn head. I’d fucked up, badly. And apparently, I was still fucking up, because there was no way in hell I could walk away from her yet, even though it was the right thing to do. When Nec texted me, telling me Sunny was at the club, I was relieved. She was safe, she had people I trusted with her, watching out for her. Then I got there . . .

Another growl teased my throat, but I bit it back, and held my hand out. “Let’s go,” I said to her.