could have been. I have to stop thinking like that. Reckless and wild sound fun, but I’m still wise enough to know the consequences could be catastrophic.
“Can you put some of this on my back? It will help with the bruising.” He tosses me a tube of ointment.
I catch it and point to the sofa. “Lay down there for me.”
He does as I ask, walking to the sofa with the kind of swagger only a man completely comfortable in himself can have.
And why shouldn’t he be comfortable? He looks like the incarnation of every teenage girl’s wet dream and every cougar’s leading man in their late-night spank bank movie reel.
I wish I could say I’m unaffected, but the dampness between my legs begs to differ and I know the cocky asshole knows it too.
His back is toned and I want to scratch my nails down it. A little blood and pain would do him good. Leaning down, I see the purplish hue on his skin, the telltale signs that he will look and feel awful tomorrow.
“They got you good, huh?”
He makes a noncommittal sound, so I squirt some of the cream in my hand and smooth it over his heated skin. He moans.
“Sorry, I’m trying to be as gentle as possible, but there is not much here that isn’t going to hurt. It looks like you’ve been kicked, repeatedly.”
He doesn’t answer, but I never expected him to. He’s been quite tight-lipped about the whole situation.
I rub the foul-smelling cream over his back, smoothing it over his hard muscle and down to the waistband of his jeans. The more I touch him, the harder I find it to breathe.
“Okay, you’re done. I don’t know what this shit is, but it smells like dead fish.”
He laughs and climbs up from the sofa, reaching out to the coffee table for the T-shirt.
I avert my eyes when I notice he’s hard as a rock. Jesus, didn’t he just rub one out in the shower?
“I’m just going to wash my hands,” I mumble, heading over to the sink while he finishes getting dressed.
Snagging a set of keys from a little hook near the door, he slips them into his pocket before shrugging on a leather jacket from the larger coat rail beside it.
He takes in my hoodie and jeans, and the backpack I now have gripped tightly in my hands, before grabbing a helmet and another jacket like the one he’s wearing.
“Put these on. I want to take the bike.” He shoves the helmet in my hands and tosses me the jacket, heading out into the corridor as I drop my bag to my feet and slip the buttery soft leather jacket and the helmet on.
“Come on, Red, times a-wastin’!” he yells.
I shake my head, not bothering to protest that it’s me that’s been waiting for him and pull the door shut tightly behind me
Chapter Fifteen
Thinking better of it, I asked Kai to show me the division first, knowing it would mean he would need to stick around with me for a bit.
This was not because I wanted to spend the evening in his presence. The sooner I could put some distance between us and the crackling spark of electricity, the better. No, I planned to use him right now for appearance’s sake. I wanted the people of my new district to see their new leader and assume I’m in allegiance of some kind with at least one of the other division heads.
I think back to Leo, covered in blood when he offered me his hand in an unlikely truce, and wonder if that might be the way to go. Having others at my back will mean I’m not the easy target people will be expecting. I just need to figure out what they’ll want in return and whether I’m willing to give it.
“So this area here, all the way down to the docks, across the bay and over to the corner of 5th is your territory. The only person the people here will answer to is you, and the only person you’ll answer to is Zodiac, so you’ll pretty much have free rein. Eighty percent of all earnings made selling his product go straight back to Zodiac. But you are free to set up other side earners. Anything you earn from that is all yours. If you need Zodiac to provide you with anything beyond the product that needs moving, like girls or weapons, he’ll source them and take additional cuts. Otherwise, like I