Defending My Mobster (BWWM Romance) by Tasha Jones, Interracial Love Page B

because she was just too close to form a response. She put her hands on either side of the edge of the tub, and her brown eyes sparkled as they bored into mine.
     
    “Because I didn’t want to push you. If I tried too early you would’ve hated me,” I told her. Glowering, Nia’s gaze flashed something fierce before she lifted her hand to my chest. It was the best answer I had, though, and I was sure she knew that.
     
    “Well I don’t think I like that explanation, Angel,” she said. 
     
    Then she pushed me, not hard enough to do damage but just to make me lose my balance. The shock of the warm water hit me and I was instantly soaked, shaking my head furiously. Turning my glare on Nia, I frowned deeply as she stood with her arms across her bust and a triumphant expression on her face. Oh really, I thought.
     
    Well two could play at that game.
     
    “You did that on purpose.” The accusation made her smile before she gestured for me to get up.
     
    “You deserved it,” she pointed out.
     
    Wringing the water from my shirt, I didn’t really have a response for that because she was right. I did deserve it. No matter how many times I told myself I wouldn’t touch her, tease her, it just ended up happening.
     
    “Alright, I have to go make sure everything’s okay. Don’t drown,” I finished. Turning off the tap, I stripped off my shirt and my soaked jeans. Since my boxers were wet too I just took them off. Besides, why should Nia be the only one naked? Smirking a little when I saw her triumph morph into a slightly slack-jawed, wide-eyed expression, I knew that the tables had turned. That always felt nice no matter the circumstances.
     
    It was hard not to like the playfulness of the situation even though Nia had basically just woke up from a coma. Hell, I figured it was probably the best way to wake up from a poisoned state. Something happy.
     
    “T...that’s not fair!” Hearing her groan when her plan had backfired made me chuckle and I could feel her burning ruts into me with her eyes even as I turned away.
     
    “All’s fair in love and war, bella,” I told her. 
     
    Sighing as I pulled on a fresh pair of jeans, I held my phone to my ear and dropped into a chair to wait for Marshal to pick up. He’d called twice, and I wanted an update anyway. The little distraction in the bathroom had been nice, but business was business. It always needed tending. Being gone for my trial had showed me if I did not tend to business, bad things would happen. Like pretty much everything now.
     
    “I found him. One of our brothers in New York saw your contract and gave me a call about an hour ago. He’s got eyes and I’m en route. Do you want me to take out everyone he’s with? According to Sergio he’s staying with family,” he asked me.
     
    “Good, and yes. You know the deal. Call me when you get there,” I told him. There were a lot of things I was comfortable doing, and Marshal even more so, but he’d never kill a kid. He had a few of his own, and it hit him right in the sweet spot. I just didn’t do it on principle, but I knew a few people that had before. Safe to say, they were the ones I called for dirtier jobs. Marshal was a good interrogator, but he was also an excellent marksman and had no problem shooting a high-powered sniper rifle.
     
    The man was just versatile. Yet another reason I relied on him.
     
    “What did he say?” The shout from the bathroom as I hung up made me want to laugh. Nia might not like it, but she was uncomfortably comfortable with what I was doing.
     
    “He found Mark already. That was fast, though, even for him.” It’d been only a few hours since Marshal had concluded that Mark was working with Travis Burton, and I got lucky this time. The pharmaceutical tanker was going to be dead before nightfall, and everything was going smoothly.
     
    “Tell him to kick him in the balls for me!” That did make me laugh. Nia was so fierce.
     
    Half an hour later, Nia