He pounded harder, prolonging her orgasm. Only after she’d wound down with a whimper did he press his face into her neck and latch on with his mouth. He didn’t bite her or break the skin, but his mouth was attached to her neck as absolutely as his body was taking hers. With a massive shudder against her, he stopped moving.
Her eyes opened, and she ran a soothing hand down his heaving back. God, that had been amazing. Her heart turned over.
All the way.
CHAPTER
22
Heath shoved his hands into his jeans pocket and hunched further down into his leather jacket as the morning threw snow at him. “You sure it’s safe to leave them?” he asked Ryker again.
Ryker glanced down the quiet street and continued walking. “The alarms are set, and the booby traps are activated. If anybody tries to break into the building, we’ll know it instantly. Plus, Zara is armed and out of bed doing some weird yoga-Pilates DVD.”
“Okay,” Heath said. “We have thirty minutes to shop, and then I want to check out the decoy offices.” They’d be back at the safe house within two hours. That was okay.
“Did you take care of the GPS tracker on Anya’s phone?” Ryker asked.
The mention of her name jolted his system. “Yeah. Last night after she fell asleep,” Heath said. “Didn’t want her to worry about it.” He’d left Anya sleeping peacefully in bed after their night together. After sex, she’d pretty much fallen into sleep immediately, which he’d appreciated. He’d never been good with the after-coitus talk. The night had been special and beyond his experience. Were there words for that? And how could he tell her that the second she was safe he would leave her to hunt down the people who wanted him dead? He couldn’t promise her he’d make it back. There was a good chance he wouldn’t.
Denver paused next to a jewelry store. “Wanna talk about it?”
Heath frowned, his body feeling heavy. “Talk about what?”
Den rolled his eyes. “Forget it.”
Ryker looked from one to the other of them. His eyebrows slashed down. “What? Heath? Oh, come on.”
How did Denver always know everything? Heath glared at his brother.
Denver winced. “Sorry.”
Yeah, he probably was. “Don’t worry about it, and I do not want to talk about it.” Right now, anyway.
“You slept with her. I knew you would.” Ryker sighed. He paused to lean against a brick building, his gaze darkening.
Heath straightened. “I’ve got it under control.”
“I’m sure you do.” Ryker stretched out his hands in his gloves, obviously looking for the right words. “I’ve been there. Hell. I’m there right now.”
Heath paused. “Where would that be?”
Ryker straightened. “Realizing that we have something great but that everything we love is under threat.”
Heath swallowed over a lump in his throat. “It’s not the same. I mean, as you and Zara.” Ryker was going to propose again with ring and bended knee. That was real.
Ryker lifted one massive shoulder, and snow slid down his leather jacket. “Maybe, maybe not. But Anya is special, and you know that, and there’s only one chance for you to even think of having a life with her. Hell, having a life at all. We can’t keep running.”
Realization slapped Heath in the face. Yeah. Ryker did get it. “We take the fight to them. To Madison and Cobb . . . after we finish the Copper Killer.” The wind slid beneath his collar, and his skin constricted. Facing monsters was something he could do. But monsters from the past? The ones who’d known him when he was weak and scared? He swallowed. “We can to this.” Together, they’d make it.
Denver nodded. “It’s time to stop running. We’re ready now.”
“Yeah,” Heath said softly, his gut churning. He wanted a life not only for himself but also for his brothers. They deserved peace. “It’ll be bloody.”
“Always was,” Denver said.
Heath studied his brothers. They’d gotten a raw deal from birth, and yet they’d found each other. They’d formed a family—and they weren’t alone. Not when they had each other. That meant something. In fact, that meant everything. That’s why they’d win. “Let’s deal with Madison and Cobb after this case. I’m not sure what to say about Anya, so let that lie for the time being.”
“Fine.” Ryker’s eyes crinkled but didn’t lose their worried gleam. “I’m here for you. Also, we need to talk about last night at some point. You could’ve killed Carl, and I’m not sure you would’ve stopped if we hadn’t been there.”
