“How did he get here?”

“It’s not my story to tell.”

“Come on, Keiran. You have to give me something. You once said you wanted me to trust you. How can I trust you if you continue to keep secrets?”

“Why is it so important for you to know? You think you can fix me? Is that it?”

“Sometimes I don’t believe there is any hope for you.” She lowered her eyes as if she felt guilty for admitting to the truth. I fought the smile tugging at my lips.

“Smart girl.” I meant it sarcastically but knew it was the truth.

“Your past doesn’t have to define who you are today. It doesn’t have to define who you can be.”

“I don’t need a therapist.” I brushed past her to leave the room, hoping she’d take the hint and drop it, but I should have known better.

“At least tell me if you hate heroes so much why, did you save me?” she shouted.

“Because you’re the fucking exception, Monroe. Does that make you feel special?” I continued my retreat for the stairs.

“I swear if you don’t finish this, I will leave here somehow and you will never touch me again.”

I was prepared to ignore her, but her last threat stopped me in my tracks. “Come again?”

“You heard me.”

I quickly descended the steps once again and didn’t stop until I had her face pressed up against the wall and her back arched so that her ass pressed into my front the way I liked her.

“You want to play this game with me?”

“Just tell me what I want to know. Tell me the truth.”

“You don’t want to hear the truth. You want the fairytale. I want to ruin you.” I whispered the words against her ear and felt her body tremble against mine.

“So here’s your chance. Ruin me, if you think that’s what it will do. What are you afraid of?”

“We had this conversation before. I’m not interested in repeating myself.”

“Then tell me a bedtime story.”

“Fuck, girl,” I barked against her hair and released her. “You’re a pain in my ass.” She turned around with a self-satisfied smirk. That’s new. “You know I can’t let you leave me.”

“Then give me what I want.”

“Do you really want it?”

“Is that a trick question?”

I crowded her against the wall and grabbed her face between my hands. “I told you about that sarcastic mouth.” It was the only warning she would get that she had fucked up. My lips slammed down on hers, taking ownership of her every thought until she was only thinking of kissing me.

She was climbing up my chest by the time I made my point.

“Again… do you really want it?” When I kissed her, it was only meant to teach her a lesson, but I guess it backfired on the both of us because the next moment, I was ripping into her jeans while I bit down on her neck. I needed to mark her so when she left here, it would be with the reminder of who she belonged to.

“Keiran…” The moan that fell from her lips went straight to my dick.

“Two weeks. It’s been two fucking weeks since I felt you, and I’m not about to wait a second longer.”

“Keiran, we can’t.”

“Tell me yes,” I urged and shed her jeans. As she stepped out of them, I took my knife from my back pocket and sliced her panties in half.

She pulled my shirt up and dug her nails in my stomach as I unbuckled my jeans. I donned a condom and lifted her, wrapping her long as fuck legs around my waist.

“I fucking hate you,” she growled.

“Good. Then I expect you to fuck me as hard as you hate me.”

Her arms wrapped around my neck as she slowly impaled herself on my cock. Her throaty moan mixing with my groan nearly finished me. I gave her only a moment to adjust before I was gripping her hips and driving into her. I wouldn’t stop until I was tattooed on every inch of her.

When I felt I was ready to explode, I slammed her back against the wall and rammed into her almost brutally.

“I own you, Monroe.”

Once… twice… three times.

“And you still… don’t… fucking… get it!” I punctuated each point with a hard thrust of my hips, driving my dick inside her with an unrestrained ferocity. I was not to be tamed.

She clutched my ass in her hands and tried to hold on as she came around my dick, milking my own orgasm from me. I gripped her shoulder between my teeth, and her answering cry of pain was music to my ears.

We stood clinging to each other as we fought to catch our breath, and when we managed to regain ourselves, I finally let her go. She avoided eye contact with me as she dressed. I already knew without having her speak that she regretted it, and for some reason, it pissed me off.

When I took her home, I left her on her doorstep to face her aunt alone without a word or backward glance.

I’d officially become the evil bastard she knew me to be.

Chapter Nineteen

Keiran

“Keiran, this is my daughter. Diana, this is Keiran. He’ll be looking after you for a few weeks.”

A girl, donning a skintight dress that was entirely too revealing for casual wear, and sunglasses too large for her face, stepped forward. A lascivious smile spread across her lips as she looked me up and down.

Last night, when Dash had finally come over, Mario called to tell me that he would be bringing his daughter by in the morning, reminding me of the favor I had promised him a couple of weeks ago. Dash didn’t think it was a good idea, and I couldn’t agree more, but what could I do? Staying on Mario’s good side would get me what I wanted.

“Well, well, well, this little criminal getaway might not be so bad after all.”

“Diana, behave yourself. That is not why you are here,” Mario scolded. He turned his hard gaze to me, and I could see the clear warning in his eyes that said ‘Don’t touch my daughter.’

I snorted. After Anya, there was no way in hell I would ever touch another broad like her. Besides… Monroe already ruined me for all girls that weren’t her.

“Relax, dear ole dad. I won’t do anything he doesn’t beg me for.” She winked at me and licked her lips.

I did snort that time, and I even rolled my eyes. Big hair and too much makeup didn’t do it for me. She was pretty, but in an obvious way that said she tried too hard and cared too much about her appearance.

“Are we done here?” I was growing impatient and needed to be in place for Keenan’s transport back home. With all eyes on me, I needed to make sure he was guarded at all times. Speaking of which… I typed out a quick text to Quentin letting him know to be ready. No matter what happened to me, Keenan would be protected at all costs.

“Sure. Diana, give us a moment to talk, will you?”

With one last lustful look, she strutted away to stand by my ride. I shook off the warnings telling me this was a bad idea. I’d already agreed, and I figured this would be a sure way to keep Mario close.

“Another one of mine on the inside was found out. He’s running things tighter, and his trust is waning. We need to move faster.”

“No, we need to move smarter. The people you got on him are stupid and weak. He’s been in this business for a long time. He knows all the tricks.”

“He also knows I’m gunning for him just as much as he’s gunning for me, so he’s even more cautious.”

“Yeah, well, he’s expecting me to deliver you to him soon. I have to figure out a way to stall him a little longer. I’ve got too many eyes on me with the investigation and my uncle being in town long term now.”

“How is your brother holding up?”

“He’s surviving,” I answered simply. I wasn’t about to disclose any information about my brother to Mario. We may be working together toward a common cause, but it didn’t mean I trusted him.

“If he’s anything like you, then I’m sure he’ll pull through.”

“You don’t know me well enough to say that.”