Page 11 of Nitro

After Doc gets her situated with ice packs, I walk him out to the front porch. “How’s she really doing?”

“She’s beat up pretty badly. However, she’s a strong girl. She’s young enough that her body will recover faster than older people.”

“She’s twenty-five.”

“Look who’s robbing the cradle,” Doc teases.

“Hey, I’m only four years older.”

“Yeah, but after the shit you guys went through, you may as well be eighty. Be good to her. She’s in a very vulnerable spot right now. Not just because her ex is on the loose, but because she may have all kinds of crazy ideas about how this was her fault.”

“No fucking way. She’d never—”

“Nitro, I’ve been around a lot longer than you have. She’s got a lot of scars and old injuries that can only come from years of physical abuse. Who knows what that guy did to her mind. Abusers like her husband don’t just hit. They break their victims down until they can’t tell lies from reality. If I were you, I’d find her a domestic violence counselor, someone she can talk to about what happened to her.”

“She can talk to me,” I insist.

“You’re not trained for this. If you really want to help her, then put away your pride long enough to do the right thing. Trust me, in the long run, she’ll be better off. And maybe, if you’re not too crazy around her, you’ll get what you want.”

“Is it that obvious?” I brush my hand over the back of my neck and look away.

“You’re so far gone you may as well have anime heart eyes.”

“Ani—what?”

“Google it.”

“Get the hell out of here.” I chuckle.

“What about you? I haven’t taken a look at your injuries yet.”

“I’m fine.” When he arches a brow I add, “If it still hurts tomorrow, I’ll call you.”

“You’re so pig-headed. Fine, but I’ll be back to check on her in a few days.”

“Thanks, Doc.”

As I stand on the porch, watching Doc drive off in his truck, I mull over his advice. I don’t know if Holly needs a domestic violence counselor, but it couldn’t hurt to look into it. Matrix could find one quickly, but it just seems like too much too fast. I don’t want to overwhelm her. But it’s something I’m willing to keep in my back pocket in case she needs it.

Her recovery has to be about what she needs, not about what my dick wants. The sooner I can help her get out of the mess she’s been living in, the better. We can’t move forward until we deal with her disastrous marriage. Step one is to find her husband and beat his ass. Step two is to get her divorce papers filed. Step three, well, I don’t fucking know yet, but I’m going to figure that shit out.

Now that she’s mine to take care of, I’m going to do everything in my power to make things right. I let shit go on for too long because I didn’t realize how bad things were. I wanted her to come to me when she was ready, but she never did. Now I wish I’d crossed that line months ago. I can’t do anything about the past, but I can make her life as easy as possible going forward, so that’s what I’m going to do. It should be simple enough except for one thing—my dick.

Every time she’s near, I get so fucking hard that sex is all I can think about. I can’t focus on anything else. Jerking off only relieves the tension until I see her again. My overwhelming lust for this woman never goes away completely. I don’t think it everwill, at least not until I’m balls-deep inside her. Only then will I find some fucking peace.

Well, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. She’s in no condition, physically or mentally, to deal with my horny ass. I’ll just have to take care of my dick myself. It won’t be the first time I’ve jerked off while dreaming about her perfect, pink lips, and it won’t be the last either. Doc said she’s going to need time to recover.

Fuck.

Somebody call the Vatican because I’m going to need a whole flock of guardian angels to keep me from doing something stupid, like crawling into bed with her. I can’t do it. I won’t. She needs to rest. But damn it, that means I’m going to be in hell for the next few days, maybe weeks. I’ve lived through worse versions of hell before, and now I’ll have to do it again. But I’m willing to wait because it will be worth it. Everything I do from here on out will be for her.

Chapter 4: Holly

Everything hurts. I don’t even want to open my eyes because those hurt too. I just want to lay here and pretend my life isn’t imploding. I can do that because I’m finally safe. I trust the guys from Underground Vengeance completely. They will protect me the same way they protected Julia and Max. When the guys from the MC say they’re going to do something, they do it. Now that I’m in their clubhouse, I’m safe. They will make sure Jeff doesn’t get to me, which means I can breathe for the first time in years. I almost can’t believe this is happening, but it is.

I woke up in Nitro’s room, in his bed, which is also crazy, but at least I know he won’t hurt me. I have no idea how he knew I was in trouble, but it doesn’t matter. He’s been so sweet since he picked me up off the floor. I’m grateful for everything he’s doing for me. Without him, I don’t know where I’d be right now. I probably wouldn’t be alive.

Last night, before I went to sleep, Nitro gave me an extra pair of women’s pajamas, explaining that Julia had dropped them off in case I needed them. It was so nice of her to think of me. She’s Scar’s old lady and I’ve loved her from the minute she walked into the bar with Max. Julia’s a good person and a great mother. I’m so glad she and Scar found each other. They belong together. One day, I’d like to find a love like that. Someday, far, far into the future.

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