Page 45 of Sweet Addiction
Pressure is a privilege.
—Killian’s Text to Rome
“You wifed that bitch up fast.”
In the time it takes me to grab Mick by the throat and pin him to the wall, I’m pretty sure the new guy just shit himself. “You want to try saying that again, you dumb fuck?”
“Sorry, Titan,” he gasps, clawing at the hand wrapped around his throat. “It was a joke.”
“Am. I. Laughing?”
“Put the kid down, Rome.” Hudson sounds bored as he walks by us on his way out of Crucible. Most of the team has already left for the day, but I figured I’d stick around. After all, tonight was Dillan’s hot yoga class, and I might as well drive my girlfriend home.
What I hadn’t planned on was how many of the guys would already know about my new relationship status or that more than one of them would be stupid enough to point out the perfection that is Dillan Ryan’s ass.
Thank fuck most of them are scared of me.
“You heard him,” Mick wheezes. “Put the kid down.”
I smile ear to fucking ear, like the goddamn Joker fromBatman. “Disrespect her again, and I’ll crush your windpipe. You got me?”
Mick’s eyes bulge, and a light laugh behind me soothes some of the rough edges winding themselves around me.
“He can’t talk, psycho.” Dillan rests a hand on my arm. “Put him down.”
Today’s sports bra is pink with white trim and matching bootie shorts. She looks like a dessert at my mom’s bakery. Bite-sized and ready to pop in my damn mouth. Even better, I know she’d be delicious if I let myself go there, but I won’t. Even this fucked up arrangement doesn’t change that.
And it’s absolutely fucked.
I drop the young shit to the floor and pull my hoodie over my head, then slide it over Dillan. She pokes her arms through with a huff and tugs it down. The white sweatshirt falls mid-thigh, covering her tits and ass and maybe giving me a small sliver of sanity back.
“What the hell, Rome?” She yanks her ponytail out of the hood and glares at me, her hands firmly planted on her hips. But she leaves the damn hoodie on, so I’ll take that as a win.
Eyes all over the gym are on us, and I step closer to her, tucking her into my side. “You looked cold,principessa.”
“Princi-whatta?” Mick asks, confused, and I almost laugh at the annoyance that flares in Dillan’s eyes.
“You might want to walk away while Rome’s feeling generous, Mick,” she challenges, a slight purr in her voice, playing her part to perfection. “He gets jealous easily.”
Truer fucking words... They shouldn’t be. Not over her. But damn, they are.
I fucking hated hearing the guys talking about her tonight.
Yes, she’s fucking hot. But no one in here should be looking.
They’re all lucky I let them walk away with their eyes still in their heads.
Dillan makes a shooing motion with her hands that pulls a hoarse laugh from my chest, and I wait for Mick to walk away before gripping Dillan’s hip. “You know Mick?”
“Yes.” She steps back, but my hand is like titanium on her body. “He graduated with Asher. He’s harmless. What did he say that pissed you off so much?”
I watch, waiting for him to disappear into the locker room, buying myself a minute to settle. Not liking the possessiveness I already feel around this woman. That I’ve always felt. “Nothing important.” I drop my hand. “How was your class?”
“Fine. You didn’t need to wait for me. I usually catch a ride with one of the girls.” Dillan’s skin is hot and flushed and so damn tempting. But temptation is a state of mind, and I’m stronger than that.
Mind over matter is one of the first things you learn as a fighter.
I control my mind. I control my body.
