Page 44 of Nitro

“Didn’t. We were in a storm-chasing bus. It could only go so fast. We’d just finished a late lunch and were driving through town. It hit around five-thirty p.m. Suddenly there’s shit flying all over the place. Cars are being tossed into houses like they weigh nothing. Three-hundred-pound parking stops anchored with rebar were ripped out of the ground and thrown across the street. It completely fucked up the St. John’s Regional Medical Center. They had to tear it down afterward. Too much damage to fix it.”

“Where were you when it hit?”

“Right under the fucker. I mean, maybe a block away, but it felt like it was directly over us. The bus slid off the road into a ditch. Then the storm picked it up. Like nothing. Like we were a toy. Hurled us clear across a field before slamming us into the side of a house.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t die.”

“Me either.” He laughs.

“Was anyone injured?”

“Yeah.” His face darkens. “A lot of people died that day. A lot. Well over a hundred. I don’t know why I lived.”

“Oh, Nitro.” I cradle him against my chest.

“Life’s fucking crazy. There were so many times I should have died.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I guess not.”

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

“Scar accused me of having a death wish.”

“Was he right?” I ask softly.

“Maybe. I don’t know. It’s just that…” He rubs the bridge between his eyes before looking directly at me. “It’s the only time I feel alive.”

“The only time?”

“That, and when I’m fucking someone.”

I scowl because the thought of him being with anyone else revolts me.

“Sorry, kitten. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No. It’s okay. It’s the truth.”

“I haven’t slept with anyone in two years.”

“Don’t start lying to me now,” I mutter.

“I’m not.”

“That’s impossible. A guy like you must have women lined up for days.”

“They can line up, but that doesn’t mean I’m bringing them home. I don’t bring anyone home. That’s why my place is such a mess.” He grins.

“Two years?”

“Not since the day I met you.”

My breath catches in my throat. He’s been waiting for me this whole time. I almost don’t believe it, but the sincerity in his voice and his calm demeanor convince me he’s telling the truth. He waited for me.

Joy explodes through me. I can’t contain it. I don’t even try. Instead, I grab his cheeks and plant the hottest, wettest, most erotic kiss I can manage on his lips. He growls and kisses me back just as hard. We’re about to eat each other’s faces off because we can’t get enough. He’s rough and demanding, thrusting his tongue into my mouth, claiming me in a way noone else has ever tried. And I’m all about it, gliding my tongue over his, tangling it with his until I’m high on his kisses.

“Take me,” I whisper.

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