“Thank fuck for small miracles,” he says against my lips as he steals my breath along with another piece of my heart.
How have I fallen so fast and so hard for this man?
He’s everything I said I wouldn’t love but somehow can’t resist.
It’s like God wanted to play the greatest cosmic joke on me and remind me that I’m not the kick-ass independent chick I always thought I was.
I used to think my mother was crazy as hell for putting up with my father, but now I get it. I understand her ability to look past his faults, of which there are many, and to focus only on his good.
Mammoth isn’t an easy man, nor is he a perfect man. But he is perfect for me and easier than most. I’ve had my fair share of bad relationships. “Toxic Tamara” could’ve been my nickname before, but the day I met Mammoth, everything changed.
I have a man who loves me. One who cares about me, my well-being, and my pleasure. I’ve hit the hottie badass biker jackpot without becoming an old lady. Thank God. I would’ve done a shit job at staying in the background, seen and not heard—no Gallo girl is ever good at staying silent.
Mammoth lifts himself up with his one good arm and stares down at me. “There’re still a few hours of sunshine left. I want you back on campus before sundown and ready for class in the morning.”
My frown is immediate and severe. “I’ll leave in the morning.”
He shakes his head. “I want you to get a good night’s rest and get your shit in order. I don’t want you fighting rush-hour traffic, frantic that you’re late, and tired as hell from a night here at the compound.” He pushes up, kneeling between my legs.
I gape up at him, my mouth opening and closing, ready to argue.
“And before you give me any lip, you know I’m right,” he says before I have a chance to speak.
I narrow my eyes, hating that he is, because I want nothing more than to lie in this bed, curled up in his arms all night. “Tomorrow’s Thursday. Maybe I should just skip it and start fresh on Monday.”
“You’ve already missed enough school, Tamara. We’re not going to have an argument about this.”
I pout, crossing my arms over my chest as I stare up at him. “I’m not ready to go.”
His facial features soften. “I’m fine. I’ll continue to be fine too. I’m breathing and don’t need you falling further behind just so you can stare at me. Get your ass up, and get on the road.”
I sit up and flatten my palms against the mattress, tilting my head. “Is that an order?”
Mammoth laughs, shaking his head, knowing I’m being difficult and already used to my bullshit. “It’s an order, princess.”
“One last fuck?” I ask, hoping to buy myself a little bit of time with my pussy.
“You can have some more dick in forty-eight hours.”
I grumble as he slides off the bed, making it impossible for me to reach for his belt and try to force myself upon him. “Fine. Fine. I’ll go,” I say, giving in to him. “But just so you know…” I stand near the edge of the bed and adjust my shirt. “I may not be in the mood on Friday.”
“The mood?” he asks.
“For dick, baby.”
His laugh is loud and immediate. “Still a shit liar. You’re always in the mood.”
That statement earns him two middle fingers. “We’ll see.”
He reaches out, gripping my hip with his massive hand, digging those fingertips into the flesh just above my waistband. “You know you can never say no.”
“I can too,” I say, but my voice cracks, betraying the hell out of me.
“You’re not going to get me to change my mind. The sun is on the way down, and if you wait any longer, it’ll be too dangerous for you to go. Eagle and Ginger will look after me while I’m here.”
I move as slow as molasses as I toe on my sandals. “I’m pretty sure those guys are already shit-faced.”
Mammoth stalks toward me until his shadow covers me and he blocks out the overhead light. “I’m just going to sleep. I’m exhausted after the last few days and could really use a good night’s sleep to get my head on straight.”
“You sleep so much better with me curled next to you.”
He smiles. “I love how relentless you are.”
“Only when it comes to you.”
“You’re dragging your feet, princess. It’s time to go. I’ll see you in two days.”
I wrap my arm around his middle and place my head on his chest, listening to the steady, strong beat of his heart. A few days ago, I was petrified he’d die. Even now, standing here, it’s my greatest fear. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise,” he whispers against my hair as I breathe in the scent of his T-shirt and memorize his warmth.
The heat of his body is gone a moment later. “Let’s get you in your car.”
“Can we go out the back door?” I ask him. “I don’t want to walk through the bar area and see the guys.”
I’m not in the mood, holding each of them partially responsible for Mammoth being alone and vulnerable when he was shot. I know they aren’t to blame, but petty is my middle name and grudges are something I can hold a lifetime.
“Whatever you want,” he says.
“I want to stay,” I mutter under my breath.
But in under sixty seconds, we’re standing in the parking lot of the compound, my ass resting against the driver’s door of my car.
“Call me when you get to your apartment and make it inside,” he tells me, running his knuckles down my cheek. “I want to know you’re safe.”
“Why don’t you just come with me? I have my own place this year.”
He shakes his head. “I have shit to tie up here before I can get gone for good.”
I sigh. “Then come to my place tomorrow.”
He wraps his fingers around my upper arms, squeezing me gently. “Baby, I’ll be a distraction, and I need to get my ass moving on the garage. By the time you graduate, I want the place to be remodeled, operating, and making money. I can’t lie around your apartment all day while you go to class. It’s not me. I wasn’t built to do nothing.”
“But you’d look so good on my couch.”
“How about this…” He strokes the skin on the back of my arm with his fingertips, giving me goose bumps even in the heat. “I’ll come visit you some weekends instead of you driving so far all the time.”
“No way. I can’t miss my grandmother’s dinner on Sunday, and I need to see my family too. So, while that’s super sweet of you, that’s a negative, sparky.”
“Sparky?” He furrows his eyebrows.
I shrug. “It’s better than baby. You look like a sparky.”
“Give me your lips before you go,” he says, his voice deep and gravelly.
Without hesitation, I lift myself up on my tiptoes and tilt my head back to offer him my mouth like I’ve offered everything else to him in the past.
One of his hands leaves my arm and moves to the back of my head, tugging on my hair. “I love you, princess.”
“Love you too, sparky.” I smile as his lips crash down on mine, stealing my breath again. I memorize the taste of his lips, the softness of his tongue, the forcefulness of his mouth.