I’m trying not to let the thought affect me, but I can’t ignore the bundle of nerves tightening in my chest. Not only for myself, but for my sister who’s innocent in all this. I’ve seen Raife’s crazy side. And something tells me that’s only a glimpse of it. I don’t know how much more of him I’ll be able to take.
A shadow flits across Adam’s eyes when he takes in my expression. A second passes, his gaze running along my face, then he rakes a hand through his hair and shoves the file back in Raife’s drawer.
His grip is around my waist before I know what’s happening, and he’s lifting me off the ground so my ass is on the desk. I suck in a breath as he steps between my legs, his body warming mine through our clothes. He slides his hands beneath my dress and cradles my bare thighs, his thumbs stroking small circles over my skin.
“Is Raife your master?” he asks, leaning down so his lips almost graze mine.
“No,” I breathe, my fingers finding his biceps and pulling him closer.
He pulls my bottom lip between his teeth and sucks before releasing it. A shiver ghosts through my body, settling low in my stomach. “Who have you given permission to get under your skin and make youfeel?”
My eyes flutter shut. “You.”
A soft growl rumbles through his chest, and his grip digs into my skin. “Have you given Raife the right to own any part of you?”
With a thick swallow, I shake my head. “No.”
His touch disappears from my left thigh, and his fingers tilt my chin up. He brushes his nose against mine so gently I’m sure I’m melting into a puddle right in front of him. Then he slips his hand around my hair and tugs. Hard.
I open my eyes to find him staring down at me, his blue irises burning as deep as the delicious fire he’s dipped my soul in.
“Every emotion you summon or swallow back, every reaction you allow him to pull from you—it’s yours. He owns nothing. He controls nothing. You are yours to give, and yours alone.”
I choke back a wave of emotion that climbs up my throat. Do I really hold so much power? Images from my life flit through my mind—the neglect, anger, desperation, pain—and I’m not so sure. But when his thumb tenderly grazes my lower lip, and he’s looking at me like those are the truest words he’s ever known, I wonder if maybe he’s right. Maybe I do hold more power than I thought.
My body slumps against his, and a single tear slides down my cheek.
He inches closer, runs his tongue from the bottom of the tear to my lashes, and a shudder rolls over me. “Not everyone knows what to do when they come across a snowflake in the desert,” he murmurs. “You get to decide”—leaning into my neck, he breathes me in—“who gets to share you. And who doesn’t.”
“You, Adam.” I press my lips to his jaw, wrap my fingers in his hair. “You do. You already have every part of me.”
He leans in and bites down on my neck, making my thighs clench around his body. When he sucks, it’s like he’s trying to take a piece of me with him.
“I know,” he rasps.
When a knock taps on the door, I jump. He pulls back to glance over my shoulder, but he keeps me tight in his grip.
“Did you want me to wait?” Aubrey’s voice filters to my ears, and I wiggle against him so I can look at her.
She winks when she sees me, then returns her attention to Adam.
He holds my gaze for a second, like he’s deciding on an answer, before shaking his head. “No. We don’t have time to wait.”
He steps out from between my legs and pulls me off the desk. As I straighten my dress, I dart my eyes from him to Aubrey. “For what?”
Adam tips his chin toward her. “Aubrey’s taking you to my room. You’re going to stay there for a minute while I find my brother and shut this shit down for good.” I follow after him as he heads toward the exit, and he looks at me once more. “Stay together. And don’t leave my room. Got it?”
Aubrey and I nod our heads in unison.
Just as he leaves, I call, “Adam.”
He stops, looking over his shoulder.
“Why do you put up with him? Raife?”
He cocks a brow. “Because I owe him my life.”
