“I’m not,” she shot back, lying instantly. Free—she had to get free of him. “This was a mistake. I know that now.” It wasn’t her first time trying to survive danger, and it wouldn’t be her last. She’d find the baby on her own. “Just leave. Please.”
“Too late.” His lip twisted. Was that regret or determination?
Oh God. What did that mean—Too late? What would he do? Even more awareness jolted through her veins. Panic shook her control. She opened her mouth to scream and had barely sucked in air when his mouth crashed down on hers.
She instantly groaned from a bombardment of way too many feelings. Shock, awareness, warmth, need.
His touch was too carnal to be called a kiss. She fragmented, splintering into pieces. Fire swept her, igniting her body even as her mind rebelled. Her nipples sharpened and her knees weakened, but alarm bells clanged throughout her head. The disconnect between her feelings and her thoughts nearly dropped her to the ground.
He held her upright and in place.
His touch, his taste, his smell were so familiar that her mouth moved beneath his, and her hands rose to his chest. Instead of pushing him away, her fingers curled into the leather jacket. It had beenso long. Her body separated from her brain as she kissed him back, tilting her head to take more of him.
Afraid, lonely, stripped . . . She stopped thinking and just felt.
He growled low, and the sound reverberated in her mouth and down her body.
Her abdomen rolled and clenched, need flaring through her so quickly she gasped. What was she doing? No. God. She had to end this. With a muffled sob, she wrenched her head to the side. “Stop,” she breathed.
He stiffened, his head lifting very slightly. Grasping her chin with a firm grip, he turned her to face him again, almost too easily controlling her. “No screaming.”
She gulped, and a tremble shook her.
“I won’t hurt you.” His eyes had darkened to the hue of a night sky right before the moon softened the darkness. Now lust glimmered there along with the anger.
She swallowed, trapped. Her lungs completely gave up the fight and stopped working. She couldn’t breathe. God, she couldn’t breathe. “Okay.” Tears filled her eyes.
“Noni.” His voice gentled to the tone she remembered. “I promise. You’ll be safe.”
Her mouth had gone dry, so she just nodded. Didn’t the devil have an angel’s face? Confusion numbed her.
“We have to go. Now. Tell me you get me.” His hoarse growl rumbled between them, his breath brushing her lips.
Go. That was good. He wanted to go, so at least he wasn’t going to hurt her and leave her. But what then?
A shiver took her, head to toe, while all the areas in between heated. “Where?” she breathed, not nearly as forcefully as she would’ve liked. He brought out a vulnerability in her that she had explored while in the safety of his touch, and then he’d left. The vulnerability had remained, and she tried to hide it. Had he just become the thing to fear? What did he mean that it was too late for him to leave? Her chin lifted. There was strength in survival, and, oh, she knew how to survive.
He jerked his head to the side, his attention focused on the door. His body stiffened, and he released her suddenly, moving back toward the window. “Get your bag.”
What had he heard?
The urgency in his voice propelled her toward the laptop and bag. Getting out of that room and finding some space was crucial. Her stomach cramping and her breath quickening, she grabbed her possessions and moved toward him. If she got outside, could she get away from him?
The window blasted apart with a loud shatter, spraying glass.
Denver turned and leaped for her, tackling her to the floor. She hit with a hard thump, struggling against him. Pain flashed from her hip.
He covered her, and the entire room exploded.
CHAPTER
2
Denver covered Noni’s head while levering up onto his knees, preparing to strike. A second projectile smashed through the broken window, and it took him nearly a second to realize it wasn’t a flash grenade. Two more bottles flew into the room, shattering on impact. Fire flicked up and engulfed the bedspread. “What the hell?” He jumped to his feet and pulled Noni along. “You okay?”
She blinked, her black hair falling in a wild mass down her back. Shock filled her dark eyes, and she retreated from the burning bedspread. “Yes.”
He lifted her chin to make sure he had her attention. She’d never know the importance she held in his life, in his heart, but he did. And he’d never let anybody hurt her. No matter what he had to do. “Trust me.”
