“What do you want, July?” he asks as his lips hover over mine. My eyes slide closed and I swallow, not sure how to say the words. “Look at me,” he demands, shaking me slightly.

My eyes flutter open and I whisper, “Please kiss me.”

I feel his breath against my mouth as one of his hands moves up my back and his fingers fist into my hair, causing a whimper to climb up my throat.

“Jesus,” he breaths against my lips, making me gasp, giving him the perfect opportunity to lick into my mouth. The first swipe of his tongue against mine causes my belly to dip and my hands to fist into his shirt, anchoring me to him.

His taste courses through my system as his hand in my hair pulls, causing me to tilt my head, opening me up to him while his other hand moves down, grabbing onto my ass between my cheeks. He pulls me tighter against him, allowing me to feel his erection against my belly and his fingers so close to my pussy.

His tongue swirls against mine, making me whimper and squeeze my thighs together, trapping his hand as I feel another rush of wetness spread between my legs. I follow his tongue moving mine in sync with his then slowly pull away, giving one last nibble to his bottom lip as he sets his forehead to rest against mine.

It’s not my first kiss, but it’s the kiss—the one that makes my soul light up, the kiss you wait your whole life for, the kiss that changes everything you thought you knew. I place my fingers to my lips, trying to memorize the feeling, knowing I will never have that again with another person.

“Ruined,” he rumbles, and my eyes open slowly and I blink, trying to clear my head. “I don’t even really know you, and you’ve ruined me.” He shakes his head and walks me backward until my back hits the concrete wall and his mouth crashes back down on mine again, this time stilling my breath as his body surrounds me. His hands go to my ass, making me moan.

“Wes.” I dig my fingers into his shoulders and lift up on my tiptoes, wanting to get closer to him as his mouth travels down my neck. The moment his name leaves my mouth, his lips come back to mine, and my fingers slide up the back of his neck and into his hair. I could easily become addicted to his kiss and taste.

“Yep, fucking ruined,” he mumbles, pulling his mouth from mine and looking down at me.

“Let me have some when you’re done,” I hear a deep voice say, and I rest my forehead against Wes’ chest, inhaling a deep lungful of air while trying to clear my head.

“Fuck off, Neo,” Wes growls, wrapping his arms around my back and holding me closer against his body.

“You always share, man,” the guy named Neo states, and I feel my body freeze and my insides twist with jealousy.

“Not her,” Wes says, and the guy mumbles something else before I hear him stumbling away, but my mind is still stuck on the fact that Wes shared women with other guys.

“You ready to go in?” he asks, and I pull my forehead away from his chest as my hands slide down his shoulders and come to rest against his chest.

“You share women with your friends?” I ask him, the words causing that feeling of jealousy to increase and wrap around my stomach, making it hard to breath.

“I did,” he says, and his thumbs slide into my jeans at my hips. “Won’t be anymore.”

I take a breath then nod and bite my lip before digging my fingers into his chest. “If we’re in a relationship, then there is no one else,” I tell him.

He pulls me closer to him using his thumbs in my jeans to drag my body flush against his. “Are you asking me to be your man?” He smirks, and my hands in his shirt fist tighter then release and drop to my sides.

“Take me home,” I tell him, and his arms tighten around me.

“I’m not taking you home,” he growls looking angry. Good, I’m angry too.

“I don’t play games, so if you can’t give me what I want then I’ll find someone else who will,” I tell him, sounding stronger than I feel, but I know I need to do this. He has me and doesn’t even know it.

“Do not ever fucking threaten me,” he rumbles as his hand wraps around my lower jaw and his face dips closer to mine. “And unless you want to be responsible for someone’s death, do not ever try to use another man to get back at me.”

I fight the urge to apologize as his eyes search my face. His face dips and his lips whisper over mine, “I’m willing to explore this thing between us, and willing to give you me while doing that, but I expect the same from you.”

“I don’t share.” I pause then lift my hands to fist into his shirt again, and lift my face closer to his. “Ever.”

“Me neither,” he says, and I raise an eyebrow. “Not you, not ever.” He shakes his head and kisses me once. “Now, are you ready to meet my boys?”

I want to say no, but instead I tell him yes and walk with him towards a door that is next to the gate. As soon as we pass through it, I scan the wide-open space. Two sides are blocked in by tall concrete buildings that look like apartments from the outside, with stairwells and walkways that lead from one door to another. Along the back is a tall chain-link fence with razor wire along the top, and a million cars piled one on top of the other. The area seems almost like a fortress, with large barrels with fires going in them all over.

“Harder,” I hear a woman moan, and my eyes go to a couch that looks like it had been picked up from the dump. The material is torn and shredded, and the foam from the cushions is coming out, but the fact the couch looks like a reason for a tetanus shot doesn’t seem to be stopping the couple on top of it, who are going at it. The woman moaning is straddling a man, her jean skirt pulled up around her waist. I couldn’t be sure, but if I had to guess, the guy’s pants are down enough for his dick to be free. My stomach rolls and I immediately feel out of place.