Defining Darkness - K E Osborn Page 0,88

be okay?” I whisper.

Void takes the ice packs from me, gripping my bicep. “He’s tough, Chiquita. He’s been through far worse than a beating. With you by his side, he’ll be good as new by morning.”

I glance at Nerve for confirmation.

“He’ll be fine. Just needs rest. The guys out there will be partying it up tonight. Keep him calm in here, and if you need anything, come get me, okay?”

I nod, walk over, and sit on the edge of the bed. “I can’t believe he did this for me.”

Nerve places one of the icepacks over Nycto’s ribs, then another on his swollen face. “You’re his Ol’ Lady. It was the only way. It’s meant to be.”

I reach out, grabbing Nycto’s hand and loop our fingers. He’s fast asleep, so he doesn’t tighten his fingers in mine. The blood staining his skin is a reminder of what he’s done for me.

Tonight, it’s my turn to make sure he’s taken care of because I’m his Ol’ Lady, and he is my Ol’ Man, and that means more to me than anything I thought ever could.

***

I hardly slept all night. I kept checking to make sure Nycto was breathing. I was so worried that he was so badly concussed he was going to leave me. I couldn’t handle that at this point, the thought alone is enough to disarm me completely. This man, this gorgeous man, is a part of me now, and that’s never going to change.

Lying on my side, I run my hand up and down his chest lightly. I’ve been hesitant to touch him all night, but I need the contact.

Nycto’s eyelids slowly flicker, even in their swollen, bruised state. My heart leaps into my chest as I stare at him. Eventually, his eyes open, then squint like he’s feeling immense pain all over again. He exhales with a slight groan as his hand comes up to his head like he’s trying to soothe an almighty headache. “Fuck me!”

I weakly smile. “Good morning.”

Nycto’s eyes flick to me, and the corner of his lips turn up ever so slightly. “The only thing good about this morning is you, Chiquita. Everything else is fucking shit.”

I shrug. “I dunno about that… I’m your Ol’ Lady now. Andrés is gone. Your punishment is over. We can get on with our lives together now.”

His hand caresses my cheek. “You’re fucking amazing… and right. I’m focusing more on my embarrassment than the good shit—”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Nycto—”

“I took a beating in front of my club. Don’t think they will respect me after the presidents’ retaliation.”

I look deep into his eyes. “You took punishment for doing something you believed in. For taking a stand for your Ol’ Lady. If they don’t see that you fought for something, stood for something, then they don’t belong in the Tampa Royal Bastards MC.”

This time his grin is wide, his face glows with pride. “I knew… I knew from the second you fired sass back at me you were going to be a kickass Ol’ Lady. Right here, right now, you just proved it to me, Chiquita.”

“I really wanna kiss you right now,” I tell him.

He chuckles. “You don’t ever have to hold back from kissing me, Eva. You wanna kiss me, you fucking kiss me.”

I narrow my eyes. “But your lip looks so sore—”

Suddenly, he leans up, his lips pressing hard against mine. The second our mouths collide, that intense fire lights and burns inside of me. There’s something about Nycto that turns me into an insatiable wreck. He ruins me. He completes me. He is everything I didn’t know I needed. I kiss him back, trying to be careful, but it’s hard to control myself when he’s so fucking irresistible, so I deepen the kiss showing him as much enthusiasm as he’s showing me. That is until he whimpers in pain.

My eyes shoot open when I see I’m leaning on his ribs. I shoot up instantly. “Shit, sorry! Are you okay?”

“Better than I have been in a long time… just sore.”

I wince, taking in his nose’s crooked form and point to it. “I think it’s broken.”

“It is… I heard the crack.”

“I get it, you know…” Rolling my shoulders, I exhale. “Why they did it that way.”

He raises his brow like he wasn’t expecting me to understand.

“I didn’t love it. It killed me to watch, but you broke the rules… and other than killing you, that was the next best thing. That was their only form