Grip Trilogy Box Set - Kennedy Ryan Page 0,245

a pass, though.” Mateo turns his stare on Bristol, too. “’Cause your girl’s fine as hell, Marl.”

He’s one of the few who never took to calling me Grip, which always irritated me, but not nearly as much as the fact that he’s still looking.

“Matty.” I lean forward to snap my fingers in his face. “Eyes on the cards and off my girl.”

“Awww, you skeered I’ll take her from you?” The bastard blows me an air kiss.

Mateo, half Black, half Mexican, hair loose and hanging down to his waist, is a good four hundred pounds. I have nothing to worry about, but his remark does make me crack a smile. We both laugh, but when she gets closer and his eyes drift over her long, tanned legs, the laugh clogs in my throat.

“For real, Matty, I’m gonna fuck you up you keep looking at her like that.”

Our eyes connect again and I can’t even hold on to my ire, not with him. Second to Amir, he’s been my ace boom since diaper days. I’d trust him with my life. Growing up in these streets, I’ve had to more than once.

Bristol reaches us at the table and stands beside me. I capture her hand and bring it to my lips.

“You wanna sit?” I ask her.

She looks at the full card table, smiling at the other three guys playing Spades with me.

“There’s nowhere to sit.”

“As long as I got a lap,” I say, patting my leg, “you got a place to sit.”

She laughs, flashing the guys a self-conscious smile, but settles onto my lap and rests her back against my chest. Once she’s seated, I introduce the other two guys at the table and leave Matty for last.

“Babe, did you meet Mateo?”

“No.” She smiles. “Nice to meet you, Mateo.”

Matty inclines his head, grinning at Bristol over the splay of his cards.

“He grew up with Amir and me here in the neighborhood.” “One street over,” Matty says. “Just opened my business here.”

“What do you do?” Bristol asks.

“I own a tattoo shop right up the street.”

“He’s done every tat I have,” I say. “I wouldn’t trust anyone else.”

“Really? You do great work. Yours are beautiful, too,” she adds, nodding to his arms, brightly painted with everything from the Virgin Mary to Snoop Dogg.

“Thank you. I don’t see any ink on that pretty skin of yours.” Matty gives her an outlandish wink. “But maybe you’re hiding it.”

Bristol’s shoulders shake into my chest when she chuckles. “Nope.” She stretches her arms out. “Virgin skin.”

“Well if you ever want that cherry popped . . .” The ring piercing Matty’s eyebrow glints when he waggles it suggestively.

“All right,” I cut in. “You ain’t getting anywhere near her cherries.”

We all laugh and turn back to the game and this shitty hand I was just dealt. Bristol falls back to my chest and drops her head to the crook of my neck and shoulder. Her scent, fresh and clean—sham- poo, body wash, and just her—drifts up, filling the air around me. My arms frame her slim body as I study my cards, sad to see they’re still just as red. I’m tempted to toss it in and drag Bristol’s good-smelling ass out of here even though the other guys show no signs of stopping. I haven’t seen most of these folks in a long time, though. I can put my dick in check for another hour.

Maybe. If Bristol keeps squirming, maybe not. “What game are we playing?” she asks.

“Spades.” Mateo looks up from his hand, his smug grin telling me his hand is a lot less red than mine.

Bristol leans back and whispers near my ear, “If it’s Spades, shouldn’t you have some?”

When her “whisper” reaches Mateo’s ears, he snickers, anticipating the ass kicking he’s about to deliver and smiling gleefully. I toss my cards down and push an exasperated sigh into the hair at Bristol’s neck.

“Babe, you just told everyone what’s in my hand.”

“I’m sorry,” she says, but she and Mateo still laugh.

I grab her hips and pull her deeper into my lap until she feels my erection and squirms, rolling her ass over me. I barely catch the groan rattling behind my teeth.

“Keep it up,” I say low enough for only her to hear. “You’re gonna mess around and get yourself fucked in my mama’s bathroom, and we both know you can’t be quiet.”

Her not-so-subtle elbow dig into my ribs has me umph-ing and trying to catch my breath to focus on the game.

“Aw, hell.” Mateo’s partner glances up