Page 30 of Sinful Restraint

I felt my blood pressure increase, the heat rising up my neck, causing me to tug at the collar of my dress shirt.

I took another pull of my cigar, my eyes hardened as the silence stretched between us. Yet, it wasn’t that empty kind of silence. Instead, it was weighted and full of understanding because these men still had my back even if I ain’t like the situation. Meaning, I needed to have theirs and man the fuck up.

“How are you feelin’?” Storm asked, his voice laced with concern.

“Overwhelmed,” I answered honestly.

“I can schedule for us to kill some folks later,” Titan stated, his voice firm. “I know you need to let this information settle, but when you do, you let us know what you need.”

I nodded, working on my breathing since sometimes, my anxiety got the best of me. “I know I still got some moles in my crew,” I admitted. “I ain’t figured out all of ‘em yet, but I will. And when I do?” I let the words hang, the weight of the promise settling over the room. “I won’t hesitate to kill whoever is responsible.”

Storm clasped one of my shoulders while Titan clasped the other, both of their eyes brimming with pride.

“You ain’t in this shit alone,” Storm affirmed. “We got yo’ back.”

Titan nodded. “Whateva you need, we in this shit together. We’re all ready to let Rev rest in peace. We owe it to our brother to give him the justice he deserves.”

“For Rev,” I added, lifting my drink in the air.

“For Rev,” they both echoed, lifting their glasses with their free hand.

If Baarbie was the one who was responsible for Rev, I would show him no mercy. In fact, killing him would be the best thingI would have done all year because Rev was my boy. My best friend. I was sure I wouldn’t even be alive today without his friendship.

Yet, Storm and Titan didn’t have to go through the inner turmoil that I was currently going through. The guilt I was feeling since all fingers did point to Baarbie being the McAllister mole.

The fellas and I didn’t talk about it often, but they knew that when I moved to Miami it bought a host of folks into my life who I never expected.

Grandpa Raphael.

Cousin Mekhi.

And Baarbie … my half-brother.

chapter eleven

It had beena few days since Cruz had fucked me on the couch, but thanks to my platinum pussy as Gina would put it, I had convinced Cruz to teach me at least three self-defense classes. Today was the second one.

As usual, the gym that Cruz co-owned with Mekhi smelled like sweat and rubber, the air thick with the scent of iron and adrenaline. The fluorescent lights were buzzing overhead, and the place was pretty quiet. The gym was closing down and almost everyone had gone home except the two of us. Titan and Storm were on their way since Cruz teased them that they were missin’ out. While Storm had taken the bait, it didn’t take longfor Titan to say he was coming, too. I hadn’t fucked all three of them yet, but I liked that they watched us.

They’d did so again last night.

I swallowed hard as Cruz circled me, his predatory gaze tracking my every move. Hell, knowing Cruz, he was tracking my every breath, too. He was stripped down to a short-sleeved black compression shirt and black basketball shorts, his arms and legs inked with dark, intricate tattoos, with the ones on his neck being what stood out most without the collar of a dress shirt or suit jacket covering him up.

With years of knowing him, I understood that his body was a map of his life, with some tattoos representing his family, others violence, a couple for his brotherhood, and one that I had never seen before and hadn’t gotten the chance to ask him about. They were all beautifully intense, each one unique in its design. And right now, all that intensity was focused on me.

“Feet apart. Shoulders loose,” he instructed, his deep voice edged with danger. “If you hesitate, you die. Stay focused, and you’ll get a reward.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, but I obeyed. He moved in at lightning speed, gripping my wrist before I could react. A gasp ripped from my throat as he wrenched my arm behind me, pressing my body against his.

“You’re too slow,” he murmured, his breath hot against my ear. “Again.”

I hated how my body reacted to him, but only because it gave him the upper hand. The fire he lit in my veins, and the way my stomach clenched whenever he was in my vicinity.

Then, whenever I thought about him fucking me to sleep, the sharp ache between my thighs was undeniable. This was supposed to be a self-defense lesson, but nothing about this felt safe. Not when his fingers lingered on my skin. Not when he keptme pinned for just a second too long. And definitely not when his voice dared me to fight back.

“You’re enjoying this a little too much” I accused, my voice shaking as I twisted free from his grasp.

Cruz wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe.”

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