Page 150 of A Bond Beyond Blood

Chapter Forty-Nine

Vinny

It was nearly dawn when I finally stepped inside the gym and made my way to my apartment upstairs.As soon as I walked through the door, my girl’s scent overwhelmed me, curling into my nose and warming me from the inside out.A smile teased at the edges of my lips as I picked up on the second scent, the headier,masculinescent.

And the sex,fuck me, this place reeked of it.

My cock stirred as I swung my gaze around the room.

Had theyjustfinished fucking?

Gannon was perched in the gaming chair at my desk in the corner of the living area.He glanced up at me, then his eyes quickly widened as if realizing I could scent what he’d done with my girl.But then his eyes jerked down to the blood coating the front of my shirt and his brow furrowed with concern.

“It’s not mine.”

He nodded.“She’s asleep in your room.”

I stared at him for a moment, curiosity burning in my chest, but then he returned his attention to the combat game he was in the middle of and I made my way to my bedroom.Their evening with his mother was none of my business.As much as I hated the idea of him, the kid had begun to grow on me.And, like it or not, Jacqueline loved Gannon—and he obviously loved her very much, past mistakes aside.

And my girl deserved all the devotion in the world.

“You good, kid?”I asked.

He nodded, so I left it at that.We weren’t really on a ‘discuss our feelings and personal lives level’ yet—and I was cool with it staying like that.

As he’d said, Jacqueline was sound asleep in my bed, so no matter what happened on their date, I was the one coming home to her.

I closed the door behind me and listened to her soft breaths for a moment, then I stepped past her into the bathroom, closing that door quietly behind me so as not to disturb her.

I removed my shoes and socks, then unbuttoned my jeans and pushed them down my legs, smiling when the soft thud of her feet hitting the floor alerted me to her approach.She knocked on the door softly.“Vinny?”

“Come in,” I said as she pushed the door open.

Her breath hitched as she took in the sight of me.

“Hey, hey, it’s not mine.”

Her gaze flicked back and forth between my eyes, then down to the blood, then my hands, checking my knuckles for injuries.“I’m okay,” I stated firmly as I tugged the henley off and tossed it into the hamper in the corner.“I wasn’t in a brawl.”

I turned on the shower, twisted the nozzle to heat the water, then extended my hand.“Come ‘ere, little Fiorino.”

She slipped her hand into mine and I pulled her toward me, stopping her before she crashed into my chest.I wanted to remove the blood from my skin before Ireallytouched her.Instead, I slowly undressed her, even though seeing her in my clothes was something I wanted burned into my retinas.

“How was your night, sweet girl?”I tugged the old White Sox jersey from her body, then quickly followed with the sweats she’d found, pushing them gently down her sculpted legs.I trailed my hands back up, leaving goosebumps in my wake as I stood.

She chewed on her bottom lip and wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“No,” I said as I tugged her lip free, “none of that.”

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