Carson swore under his breath the entire time, a steady stream of muttered curses. “This is ridiculous. This is—you’re going to break something. Not the car, I mean you. You’re going to—Jesus Christ, watch your elbow.”
I barely had one knee on the back cushion before Kreed hooked an arm around my waist. His hand splayed wide across my ribs, fingers digging in with reliable strength. He pulled me fully into his lap in one smooth motion, guiding me until I was settled across his thighs, legs draped over his.
His hands splayed over my hips as he buried his face in the curve of my neck, nose pressing against my pulse point. His breath was hot against my skin, coming in uneven bursts. “I need to hold you,” he murmured against my skin, the words vibrating through me. “Just for a bit.”
My chest went tight, constricting around something that felt too big to name. I curled my arms around his shoulders, hands sliding up to cradle the back of his head. I let myself sink into him, melting against the solid warmth of his body. After everything, the gunshots that still echoed in my ears, the blood that still stained our clothes, the betrayal and chaos and violence, after nearly losing him, and him nearly losing me…
Safety be damned.
Breaking a few road rules felt insignificant compared to breathing the same air as him again.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Carson groaned.
“Just keep your eyes on the road, pretty boy,” Kreed said, voice muffled against my throat. His lips moved against my skin with each word.
“I swear to God, if you two start making out in my back seat, I’ll—I’ll—” Carson sputtered, searching for words.
“You’ll what?” Kreed challenged, lifting his head just enough to glare at him through the gap between the seats.
Carson’s hands flailed slightly on the steering wheel before he caught himself. “I—I don’t know! Throw up.”
Kreed ignored him completely, his gaze locked on mine with an intensity that made my skin feel too hot.
“You’re not mad?” I whispered, searching his face for answers.
“I am. I’m furious,” he said, brushing his lips across mine. He slid a hand up my spine, fingers tracing the line of my vertebrae through my shirt. His chest expanded with a deep inhale, breathing me in. “But you’re alive. You’re here. You’re—” His voice caught, snagging on emotion. “You’re in my arms, and that’s the only thing keeping me from ripping the steering wheel out of Carson’s hands.”
Carson slapped the wheel with his palm. “Hey!”
“I was out of my mind tonight, little raven,” he said, forehead pressing to mine. Our noses nearly touched. His breath ghosted across my lips. “Don’t do that to me again. This is the last time you put yourself in danger. I can’t bear it.”
My fingers found the back of his neck, threading through the hair there. The strands were soft between my fingers. My own fear finally loosened its hold on me, uncoiling from around my lungs. “I hate lying to you, but I couldn’t give Rusty the chance to hurt you again. I was trying to save someone I love.”
His inhale was sharp as his face pressed into the crook of my neck. His eyelashes fluttered against my skin, a butterfly-soft touch. “I never dreamed of a future until you. I don’t just want tomorrow with you, little raven. I want forever.”
Carson made a gagging noise from the front seat. “I’m going to be sick.”
I smiled, truly fucking happy at least until Carson turned onto the main road leading back to the Corvo estate, the familiar iron gates of the Willows coming into view. The headlights washed over the stone columns as he pulled through.
My chest constricted, not with fear this time but with the aftershock of everything that had just happened. The adrenaline dump made my hands tremble in my lap. Kreed noticed. He always noticed.
When Carson finally rolled to a stop in front of the house, he put the BMW in park but didn’t move. He sat there for a beat, fingers flexing around the steering wheel before exhaling slowly, like he needed to calm himself before facing whatever came next. Then he climbed out.
I stepped out into the cool night air, my legs a little unsteady from the comedown. Carson stood a couple of feet away, awkward and unsure, like he wasn’t sure if he should stay or bolt. His gaze drifted to Kreed, who had exited the SUV behind me.
Carson rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I hug her, or are you going to hit me again?”
Kreed didn’t miss a beat. “Do you want to take the chance?”
“Kreed.” I shot him a look and didn’t wait for either of them to figure it out. I stepped forward and launched myself into Carson’s chest.
He stilled, but after a moment, his arms wrapped around me.Hesitant at first, then firmer. Familiar. Safe in a different way than Kreed.
“Thank you,” I whispered into his hoodie. “I couldn’t have gotten through any of this without you.”
Kreed cleared his throat behind us, loud and pointed. “Hug’s over.”
I snorted and stepped back. Carson rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward in a small, exhausted smirk.
