“I’m not going anywhere.” He lowered his mouth to mine but didn’t kiss my bruised lip. “I was wrong for leaving you.”
“You were?”
“Is that a question?”
“I’m not blameless.” I pressed my palm against his cheek. “But I’m not letting you off the hook. You hurt me.”
“You shouldn’t forgive me.”
“Really?”
“I don’t want you to let me off the hook, but I do need you to let me protect you.” He brought my wrist to his lips and gently kissed it. “I can’t do that if I don’t know who did this to you.”
“We don’t need more violence.”
“Just because you won’t tell me doesn’t mean the storm isn’t coming. It only means I don’t know what to expect or how to make sure I’m prepared. If I’m not ready, we’re all in danger.”
“I can’t help you.”
“What happened to you was all on me.” He brushed his lips along my scraped palm. “I put you in this position. I should have made sure you had security.”
“We were together for a brief time. You can’t take care of me forever.”
“Yes, I can.” When his face contorted into a frightening scowl, I ran my finger along his mouth, softening his expression. “That’s my obligation,” he said.
“I can’t be your responsibility forever.”
“Do you want to bet?” He exhaled a frustrated breath. “Are you going to waste my resources and energy by making me pull the footage on the streets of the city to find out who assaulted you?”
“That’s impossible.”
“No, it really isn’t. Not when you have the hackers and security team I have. My resources are better than Homeland Security." He nudged me against the wall. “The problem is, if you make me work that hard, my mood isn’t going to be very agreeable. I’m going to become agitated, and that’s not going to be good for anyone.”
He untied the sash on my short robe and slid it open, exposing my black tank top and frilly panties. His fierce gaze streamed along my body, forcing a shudder to jolt my system.
“Don’t make me chase you.” He leaned into my ear as he skimmed his hand across my stomach. “This is the last time I’m going to ask.”
“And if I don’t tell you?” I smoothed my hands up his chest and to his shoulders, slipping his jacket from his muscular back until it fell to the floor. “What then?”
“Do you think you’re up for what I want?”
“Only one way to find out.” I loosened his tie and tugged it from his neck. “Can we forget about everything surrounding us and focus on the two of us? That’s what I need.”
I didn’t want to talk about Bello or Medina. I wanted to put the whole sex trafficking situation out of my mind and just be with Milo. I needed to lose myself in him.
“I’ve had a stressful day.” I unbuttoned his shirt down to his waistband. “A trying two weeks, really. I need this from you.”
“If I give you what you want,” he said as he tugged the robe from my body and tossed it on top of his jacket, “will you tell me what I want to know?”
“Is what I want what you want?” I swept my lips along his jaw. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’ve never stopped wanting you.” He lifted me into his arms and carried me down the narrow hall to the bedroom. “But I’m not certain I can hold back the rage I’m experiencing over what happened to you.” He set me on the bed. “It might be too much for you.”
“I’ve proven on more than one occasion that I can handle you.”
My heart skipped a beat when he smirked, because even as I tried to navigate this tough terrain, there were parts of him I recognized. The parts that I had ached for.
“I can be whatever you want.” I got up on my knees. “Whoever you want.”
