“Please—”

“Hold on.” I increased my pace and the ferocity of my strokes. Vanessa pushed up, riding me like a champ.

The telltale bolts of lightning shot down my spine. “Now, baby. Now.” It was probably arrogant to think she’d come on command, so I decided to make it a certainty. Grasping her hip, my thumb slid over to stroke and press down on her clit.

The scream that practically shattered my eardrums along with the clench of her pussy clued me in to the fact that she was rocketing toward orgasm. So I let go.

I woke up alone. Con had been gone a while—if the cold sheets were any indication. It took a few seconds before my synapses started firing, but as soon as they did, I bolted up in bed.

Shit.

It was Saturday, and I had a funeral to go to. I was just thanking God that it was for an old man and not a teenage boy. But either way, celebrating a life was on the agenda, and I didn’t have time to linger.

Spying my dress and underwear in a semi-folded pile on the chair, I reached for them and hastily dressed. Thank God jersey didn’t stay wrinkled for long. I found my shoes and slipped them on. Grabbing my purse, I slung it over my shoulder and tried not to let it bother me that Con had left without waking me. A brief flash of panic hit me as I wondered if his absence had something to do with Trey. I calmed myself with the rationalization that if he’d taken a turn for the worst, Con would have woken me.

Distracted, I made my way down the stairs to an empty Voodoo and out the door into the back alley. I checked the knob to make sure it locked behind me—shutting out the possibility that I could give in to my desire to head back up those stairs and crawl back into Con’s bed and wait for him.

But if he’d wanted me to stay, wouldn’t he have left some kind of note? I saw no sign of his bike when I climbed into my loaner, which was blessedly still parked in the alley.

I’d just twisted the key in the ignition when a loud rap on the window scared the ever-loving hell out of me.

Even though my glance out the window revealed a disheveled Con standing by my car, the sound was altogether too similar to the one made by the carjacker only a little over a day ago. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to calm my breathing.

I hadn’t gotten myself under control when my door was yanked open.

“What the hell are you doing?”

I held up a finger—the universal sign for give me a minute before I lose my mind.

Con was apparently not in the mood to give me a minute.

“You’re just fucking leaving? Not a word. Just gone. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

What the hell?

“What are you talking about?” I asked, pressing a hand to my still-thundering heart.

“You. Running off.”

“I have to get to—”

“This should be good, because it can’t be work, given that it’s Saturday. That’s the excuse you used last time.”

“Last time? What—” And then his meaning hit me. Yes, I was a little slow on the uptake this morning. But I was also totally confused as to why he was comparing this morning to that one.

“Guess I should’ve expected it. I mean, what the hell did I really think was going to happen? I got what I wanted; you got what you wanted. Why would you stick around?” Con pitched the coffee carrier he was holding across the alley, and the cups exploded when they collided with the brick wall. “Should’ve known.”

Mouth hanging open, I couldn’t even form words. I felt like I’d just been dropped into some kind of alternate reality. This angry Con was the one I’d known before.

“What are you waiting for? You got what you wanted. Just go.”

I could’ve gone. The twisted expression, accusing eyes, and bulging muscles covered with ink painted a foreboding picture.

But I didn’t. Because I wasn’t about to walk away from this encounter with absolutely no idea as to what had caused his behavior. Not even if I was running short on time.

So instead, I climbed out of the car. Hands on my hips, I stood tall and stared him down.

“What in the ever-loving hell are you rambling about, Con? You’re the one who left me alone in bed and disappeared.”

Con jammed his hands into his hair and shook his head. “Yeah, and it’s so fucking convenient that you jetted as soon as you got your hands on the deed.”

Now my confusion was complete. “What are you talking about? Seriously. Have you been drinking this morning already? I get that it’s five o’clock somewhere, but this is a little extreme… even for you.”

“The deed. The one you came in begging for, and the only motherfucking reason you ended up in my bed.”

Now that just pissed me off, and I finally was catching on to why he was throwing his little mantrum. “Do you really believe what you’re saying right now?”

“You tell me, princess. Why shouldn’t I believe it?”

“I don’t know, Con. I guess I thought I was in your bed last night because I wanted to be there. But right about now, I don’t think there’s anything I can say to make you believe that.” I looked down at my watch. I didn’t want our conversation to end like this, but Con didn’t look like he was in the mood for a reasonable discussion.

“You could tell me you didn’t take the deed and run.”

“I don’t think I need to. I’m pretty sure you can march your ass back up to your apartment and figure that out for yourself. Because if there was a deed to be had, it’s still there.” I got into my car and slammed the door, not waiting for his response.

Before I could buckle my seatbelt, Con ripped the door open again and invaded the cabin. “Oh, no you don’t, princess. Changed my mind. You don’t get to leave.” He snatched the keys from the ignition and shoved them in his pocket before lifting me out of my seat and tossing me over his shoulder.

“Put me down. I’m leaving!”

“You’re not going anywhere until I’m good and ready to let you go. I already made that mistake before. Took me two fucking years to recover from it. Not doing it again.”

“You’re insane!”

“And you’re the one making me fucking crazy, so get over it.”

I struggled, pounding on his back, probably looking like a cavewoman pissed off at the man dragging her back to his cave.

A heavy palm landed on my ass, momentarily stunning me into stillness.