I laughed. It felt so good that the giggling almost turned into full on sobbing. Tex hadn't joked with me in a year.

A freaking year.

And he was being his old self.

Funny, the gentle giant with killer instincts.

"Knowledge huh?" I prodded leaning into his warm body. "You sure about that?"

"Oh I'm positive." Tex nodded.

"What else would be in there to make it so heavy?"

"You want me to answer that or just leave it?"

Tex smirked and leaned in. "Is that your way of asking if I want you to taunt and tease me or are you just looking for an excuse to run your fingers through my hair?"

"Guilty?" I said a bit breathless.

He laughed again. My gut clenched.

I hated that it wouldn't last long.

I knew the clock was ticking-I wasn't sure if his good mood would leave as soon as I was healthy or if I was just being gifted with his smiles now because he was so terrified I was going to die.

With a grunt, I managed to turn on my side, I needed to look at his face- gain courage by reminding myself why I loved him.

"Tex?" I whispered, unable to tangle my legs with him because one was so huge it was probably its own planet, I managed to lay my head against his chest for a brief second before concentrating on his full lips.

"What?" His voice was ragged, his breathing came out in spurts like he was running a race and losing every second he didn't suck in enough air.

"Kiss me again."

"Mo-" His dark blue eyes heated to black within seconds. "This can't change anything. I'm not-"

"So it changes nothing." I shrugged, even though my heart screamed this changes everything!

"I won't stop." He leveled me with his glare, then his lips formed a sensual smile. "I don't think I have it in me.

Thank G.o.d the bullet only hit a vein making you bleed like crazy, but any closer to your artery and you could have died- would have died."

"So." I tugged his lower lip with my teeth. "Make it all better?"

"d.a.m.n it, Mo." Tex reached for my arms bracing his body above mine.

"You're injured!"

"Fine." I sighed, right like I ever gave up that easily. "Do me a favor then?"

"Anything," he vowed his hands cupping my face with such tenderness I almost burst into tears.

"Did they bring my shopping bags in?"

"Yeah, why?" His eyes narrowed.

"Get them for me?" I asked innocently.

With a shrug he got off the bed and walked over to the first bag, I lifted up on my elbows. "Not that one."

He lifted the pink Victoria's Secret bag into the air.

"That one." I suddenly felt nervous.

"I bought some new PJ's. Grab them?"

Tex brought the bag over to the bed and started rummaging through the tissue.

His hands froze.

He looked away, then back down at the bag, then away. With a curse he wiped his face with his hands and just continued to stare.

"Well?" I urged.

"Those..." His voice was a mere growl. "...are not pajamas."

"Of course they are!" I argued with a triumphant grin "The sales lady told me so."

He took a steadying breath, closing his eyes as he pressed his hands on either side of the bed, next to my feet.

"So?" I licked my lips. "Help me put one on?"

"h.e.l.l, no." He tossed the bag onto the floor. "Why would I put something on you that I'm just going to rip off within two seconds?"

"And you know how I hate it when you ruin new clothes."

He threw his head back and laughed. G.o.d I missed that sound.

"Right, I would hate to ruin anything for the Mafia princess. What type of husband would I be if I ruined all your clothes?"

"What type of husband would you be if you didn't give your wife what she needed?"

"Oh, so now you need me for my body?" Tex grumbled, still in good humor.

"No." I gripped his t-shirt and pulled him closer. "I just want you for s.e.x."

"d.a.m.n, can we put this in writing?"

He teased, his mouth nipping mine.

"If it makes you feel better." I gasped as his hands moved underneath my t-shirt inching up my sensitive skin.

"But-" His hands stopped. "Mo, I'm serious. This can't change anything.

I'm still upset."

"So pretend you aren't..." My voice shook. "Pretend for five d.a.m.n minutes that your hate doesn't match your love. Pretend you don't have ten mil on your head. Pretend I'm not Nixon's sister."

"I can't..." Tex sighed.

He was going to walk away. My body went rigid, waiting for the rejection.

"I mean, five minutes Mo? What the h.e.l.l? Since when have I only lasted five minutes?" He smirked.

I hit him as hard as I could in the shoulder, which wasn't that hard considering how weak I was.

His mouth met mine. And soon my shirt was on the floor.

He said it changed nothing.

But little did he know-it changed everything.

Because we were about to have unprotected s.e.x.

And I wasn't pregnant.

Not with his child.

Not with anyone else's. Thank G.o.d n.o.body had said anything about the baby, I was lucky they were so worried about me being okay-that they hadn't even thought to ask about a miscarriage.

So yeah, I was changing everything.

Playing by my own rules. I'd made this deal with the devil to begin with-and I was going to follow it through.

To save his life, like he saved mine? Yeah, I'd follow through.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

Chasing the devil isn't h.e.l.l. It's realizing that you're chasing yourself that's h.e.l.l.

Tex WHAT THE h.e.l.l was I thinking? Smooth skin taunted me, begged me to touch, to caress, to d.a.m.n near lick from head to toe and refuse to stop until Mo was so boneless that she could barely lift her head.

s.e.x with Mo had always been playful, fun, hot as h.e.l.l, but right now? It was scorching. My heart, you know the part that I still had, scolded me, told me to stop while I was ahead.

But my head?

My body?

Begged and d.a.m.n near pleaded for me to continue touching her. She was mine, after all. Not Sergio's, not Nixon's, not anyone's but mine. She'd always been mine d.a.m.n it, and I was going to make sure she never forgot that.

It wasn't even about love... what I was doing was pure need. Forget love. Did it even fit in our relationship? After the hurt we'd given each other, I had no idea. But what I did know?

No woman ever responded to my touch like Monroe Abandonato. In a smooth motion, I lie across her body, careful to keep my weight on my elbows so I could hover.

"Your shirt is still on," Mo said hoa.r.s.ely.

"Right." I looked down. "Odd, yours came off surprisingly fast for being almost dead a few hours ago."

Mo rolled her eyes. "Right, some barbarian just ripped it from my cold body."

"Not cold," I snapped, my right hand moving down her shoulder, stopping at her strap and then sliding it down her arm. "Hot, very, very hot."

"Are you complimenting my skin?"

She arched as I drew slow circles down her stomach and then tugged her other strap down.

"Yes, Mo. That's what I'm doing.

I'm complimenting your skin temperature because I'm a player like that, and that's my game."

"Game," she panted as my fingers slid behind her back and unclasped her bra, "needs work."

"Game," I mock repeated, "hasn't even started." With a tug I threw her bra onto the floor and stared my fill. In all my years of living, I would never get used to seeing her naked body in all its glory. d.a.m.n, she was topless and it was like staring at the sun-utter perfection that I knew she was allowing me to mar with my hands, taint with my bloodlines, I narrowed my gaze on her stomach.

"You're still so skinny." My thumb caressed her belly b.u.t.ton. I hoped the baby inside her, even though it wasn't mine, was okay. I'd asked Stephen and he said when she was feeling better we could run tests, but for the most part if she miscarried, there would be more blood. Her injury had been b.l.o.o.d.y and if we hadn't stopped the bleeding it could have been more serious-but as it was, she would just be really sore for a while.

"Tex." Mo hissed out a breath.

"Are we doing this or are we talking?"

"Oh." I reared back, allowing the thoughts to dissipate. "I'm sorry, are you tired of talking? Need a little more caressing?" I tugged her shorts down and cupped her a.s.s. "A bit more teasing?

Nipping? Tugging? Pulling?" I lowered my head to her hipbone, licking around in lazy circles as she arched towards me.

"d.a.m.n it, Tex!"

"Aw, baby you know I love it when you scream my name." I chuckled, fanned my breath across her stomach then replaced it with my tongue. Tasting Monroe Abandonato was my number one favorite thing to do in the entire world.

Her taste was unique, totally her, and I coveted it more than a sane person should. Then again, I never claimed to be anything but insane so there you have it.

Mo's fingers moved to my shirt, she tried to tug, but she was too weak from blood loss, which again reminded me that I probably shouldn't be trying to seduce her, but my body had other plans.