Free A Bad Man: Joey by Jenika Snow

knew she wanted to argue about him refusing to let her go until all of this was safe for her, but she didn’t comment on it. “What’s holding you back?”
    “I don’t have anything holding me back.” She swallowed on that last word, and he knew she wasn’t being honest.
    “Something is holding you back,” he said harshly. He cupped her face with his other hand, reveled in the smoothness of her skin, and felt like the world was crashing down around him. It was because of Marra Santos that he felt like he cared about something that didn’t have to do with the “family”. Joey might not have liked the idea of a woman as his, and his life being fulfilled with a goomah, but after the last year, and especially with Marra’s life nearly being taken right in front of him, things had shifted drastically.
    “ You’re holding me back, Joey.” She stared into his eyes, and he felt his heart plummet to his stomach. God, did this woman know the power she held over him. Fuck, did he realize the power she held over him?
    “I do want you, but I can’t be with you. And I know if I let myself feel these emotions they might ruin me.” She whispered the words, and although she spoke them, she also didn’t try to pull away. “You could ruin me, Joey, and it wouldn’t take anything at all. I don’t want to be a casualty in this lifestyle, and I can’t be selfish in thinking that nothing would happen if I didn’t give myself to you.”
    He could tell she was trying to rationalize everything to him.
    “I never thanked you for saving my life, but I am grateful you were there.” She lifted her hands and placed them on his chest. “I owe you my life, but I don’t ever let anyone get close. I never have, and starting now, with a man that holds so much power, doesn’t seem like the right move.”
    If she really knew him, knew more than just the rumors she heard about what he did, then she would have known he wasn’t going to let anything stand in the way of what he wanted.
    “It doesn’t matter what you say, Marra. You’re the one I want, you’re protected with me, and I’m not fucking letting you leave until I know you’re safe.” And just when he saw her mouth open, most likely to protest, he kissed her hard and deep. He had wanted to continue what they started last night, and he wasn’t going to stop until she was done denying this, and ready to sate both of them.

Chapter Seven
     
    Joey didn’t know if he could have stopped even if he wanted to at that moment, but it seemed it didn’t matter because Marra started kissing him back. She speared her hands in his hair, tugged at the strands, and made these small noises in the back of her throat. He swallowed the sound, needing more, and wanting her to surrender every part of herself to him. She felt good in his arms, really fucking good in fact, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to let her go. Once he had claimed her, fucked her and let her know she was his, Joey was not going to let Marra walk away.
    She broke the kiss and looked at him. Her lips were swollen, red, and wet from his ministrations. “There is a part of me that feels like I’m doing something wrong, Joey.” She looked at his lips, and he couldn’t hold back the groan.
    “Does it feel good, baby?”
    She nodded, moaned out softly when he moved his thumb along her cheekbones, and he didn’t stop himself from kissing her again. “Then if it feels so fucking good, how can it be so wrong?” he said against her mouth, and when she didn’t respond, just panted against his mouth, he knew she was giving herself to him finally. “The only thing that matters is the here and now. Don’t worry about the rest right now, Marra baby.”
    “But how can this work? How can being together, in any fashion, be the right thing?”
    “You’re gorgeous and intelligent, but all this rationalization and questioning is ruining the fucking mood.” He smiled, slipped his hand behind her head, and gripped the base