“You okay?”
She nods shakily. “I’m sorry — I shouldn’t have left —”
“Stop.” My voice is rough, steady. “You did everything right. You called. You fought. You survived.”
Her grip tightens on my cut.
“I’m so fucking proud of you.”
She breaks then. A soft, broken sob against my beard. I hold her like I’ll never let go.
“You’re safe,” I murmur. “I’ve got you.”
I look over her shoulder at the wrecked street, the men Flores sent to drag her back into silence.
I won’t let that happen.
Not now.
Not ever.
“You’re mine,” I say quietly, for her and anyone listening. “And no harm gets to you. Not again.”
Chapter 9
Sage
Theshowerstrippedoffmost of the flour.
The whiskey he poured after took the edge off the fear.
But it’s not until Havoc locks the cabin door behind us, turning the bolt with slow finality,that I feel it settle in my bones: I’m safe. For now. Because I’m with him.
He crosses the room without a word, grabs me by the waist, and lifts me clean off the floor.
My gasp is swallowed by his mouth.
It’s not soft, this kiss.
It’s hard.
Desperate.
Claiming.
His tongue slides against mine, and I feel the groan vibrate deep in his chest. My fingers tangle in his shirt, pulling him closer. I can’t get close enough.
He walks us backward, never breaking contact, until my back hits the bedroom door.
“You scared the hell out of me,” he growls against my mouth.
“You didn’t come back,” I whisper.
He pulls back just far enough to look me in the eye. His stare is fierce, wild, like something barely leashed. “If I’d been a minute later—”
“But you weren’t.”
His jaw flexes. His hands fist the hem of my hoodie—his hoodie—and he yanks it over my head. I’m bare underneath. The air hits my skin. So does his gaze. It burns.
