“No noise,” I reminded him. “Just us.”
He sat up on his knees and wrapped my legs around his waist as he plowed inside me. I twisted the comforter beneath me as I surrendered my body to his demands. His unwavering pace forced me to the cusp of pleasure. My stomach coiled into a feverish knot, shooting between my legs and exploding into a glorious climax.
“Milo.” I scratched at his thighs as I released all the stress and anxiety of being away from him. The dread was replaced with the hope of the future we were meant to have. “I…”
Before I could profess the sentiment in my heart, he collapsed on top of me, holding me so tight the breath couldn't escape from my lungs. His restrictive embrace proved to be more comforting than I would have imagined, especially when he moaned into my ear while he let go inside me.
“I need you,” he whispered. “More than you’re ever going to understand.”
He was wrong. I understood the need because it mirrored mine. We had to find a way to make us work.
He rolled onto his side and raised his arms above his head, gasping for air.
“Mmm…” I cuddled into him, draping my arm over his chest.
In the stillness of the room, my heart rate settled down and our breaths weren’t as erratic. A calmness entered my soul, but it wasn’t meant to be. His rigid muscles were tight against mine and he didn’t put his arms around me. The moment we shared dissolved into our jarring reality. I wanted to ignore it. But I knew better.
“I wish we could stay like this.” I breathed in his comforting scent. “It’s easier when there’s only the two of us.”
“As perfect as this was,” he said, “I need you to tell me who did this to you and why.”
Milo returned to business mode. He gave me what I wanted and now I was expected to live up to my end of the deal.
“You should let this go.” My futile attempts to keep us in this moment would go unanswered.
“You don’t need to protect anyone from me. They don’t deserve your compassion.”
“What if I’m not protecting them?” If Milo knew the truth, he would take revenge. There would be no stopping him. If he got caught, or worse, if Diego came after him, it would be my fault.
“You can’t stop me from doing what has to be done.”
“If I tell you, are you going to…” I glanced at his gun. “Um, kill them.”
“Don’t ask me questions you don’t want the answers to.”
That was the thing. I did want the answers to the forbidden questions. If I wanted to be with him, I needed to know what he was capable of.
“I’m trying to understand who you are and how all of this works,” I said.
“You need to decide if being with me, knowing who I am and what I really do, is something you truly want.”
“What if it isn’t something I can come to terms with?” I asked. He couldn’t change who he was or where he came from. I wouldn’t ask him to be something he wasn’t, but he had to accept that I had doubts that had to be addressed.
“If it isn’t, I’ll walk.” His voice was low, but I still heard the truth in his words.
“That seems to be your thing.”
SEVEN
Milo
I deservedSable’s resentment over me leaving her. I didn’t want to fight. She had been through enough today, but I had to force her to be honest with herself if we were going to work. If she stayed in the dark about who I really was, then she wouldn’t look at me with disgust.
It was one thing to suspect what I was capable of, but it’s something completely different to know. And I didn’t think she was ready to know. No matter how much she wanted to understand.
“Do you really want to do this now?” I sat up, trying with every fiber of my being to keep my rage contained. “Because I don’t.”
“I’m not mad at you for what happened at the cabin.”
