I lift it slightly to get a better angle. "I've had worse."
"Are you mad at me?" she asks, her eyes scanning my face for the answer.
"You could have stayed in the car like I asked you to. Like you promised you would."
"I couldn’t." She meets his eyes. "I knew she was in there, Yakov, I could feel it. And those women were scared. They needed—"
"They needed someone like you." I cup her face with my good hand, my thumb brushing over her cheek. "Brave. Strong. Refusing to break even when everything is falling apart."
"I'm not—"
"You are." I lean in closer. "Do you have any idea how fucking magnificent you are?"
Her breath catches. "Yakov—"
"I've never wanted anyone the way I want you." My voice drops lower, rougher. "Protecting those women, keeping them together in the face of danger. Seeing you fly at Kaiden and beat the living shit out of him like a wild animal. All I could think was mine. Mine. Mine."
I close the last shred of distance between us, my lips hovering just over hers. "I'm going to kiss you now, and not feel even a tiny bit guilty about it."
The moment Laney's lips touch mine, everything else disappears.
The pain in my shoulder. The blood on my hands. The bodies I left scattered across that warehouse floor. None of it matters. Nothing matters except her mouth on mine, soft and fierce at the same time, tasting like fear and relief and something that makes my entire body go tight with want.
I cup the back of her head, fingers tangling in her hair, and kiss her deeper. She makes a sound alost like a moan and it goes straight to my cock. I want to pull her into my lap, strip her out of those jeans, bury myself inside her until she's screaming my name.
"Fuck," I breathe, breaking the kiss.
"Yeah." Her voice is shaky. "That was..."
"Just the beginning."
She laughs, breathless and a little wild. "What happens next? With all the girls, I mean," she asks.
"They can stay here as long as they need." I reach over and take her hand, bringing it to my lips. "But you're staying with me."
She doesn't argue. Just nods, squeezing my fingers.
"You should get that looked at," she finally says, pulling me through to the living area.
The ground floor has been converted into a medical triage area. The women are scattered across couches and chairs, some being examined by the medical team I hired, others wrapped in blankets and drinking bottled water. Kaiden is coordinating everything with his usual efficiency, directing paramedics and keeping the atmosphere calm, albeit with an icepack pressed against his face.
The moment Laney walks through the door, every woman looks up.
Then Macy starts clapping.
It spreads, Faith and Laurie joining in, then the others, until the entire room is applauding. Some of them are crying. All of them are looking at Laney like she's a hero.
She freezes, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.
"You both saved us," Macy says, standing up. Her voice is stronger now, steadier. "But inside that container, when we were all panicking and had just about given up hope, you kept us together. You fought for us. You got us out."
"I didn't—" Laney starts.
"You did—" Faith cuts in. "You made us feel powerful enough to take back control after we thought it was gone for good. Thank you."
Laney's eyes are shining with unshed tears. "I'm just glad you're all okay."
Laurie appears from one of the back rooms, her arm in a sling, but moving under her own power. She comes over and pulls Laney into a hug.
