“Is it?”
“Yes. If you wouldn’t have teased me so long with that giant dick, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“You don’t like having orgasms?” he asked.
“No!” I wailed. Then, realizing that was wrong, I said, “Yes!”
“Well, which is it, doll?”
“Of course I like orgasms,” I said, irritated. “But that wasn’t what I wanted.” I glanced up, caught a glimpse of his blue eyes, and looked away, shy. “I wanted you,” I whispered.
Suddenly, I felt entirely stupid and overly emotional. Maybe it was my injuries or the fact that someone tried to kill me. Or maybe… the orgasm. Whatever it was left me raw and vulnerable. I didn’t want him to see me like this. He’d already seen far too much.
God. I begged.
I started to turn away, but his hand stopped me. “I want you too.”
His words caught me off guard, and I turned to look over my shoulder. “What?”
Gently, he pulled me around until I was on my back and climbed on the bed over me. My legs parted instantly, making room as though they’d forgotten I’d just been trying to get away.
His weight settled, most of his upper body supported by his elbows, which caged me in. “I’ve never been scared before.”
Once again, the words caught me by surprise.
It must have shown on my face because one side of his mouth tilted up. “The fact that I have feelings surprises the shit out of me too.”
I blinked at him, completely captivated. I wanted to ask a million questions, but I also didn’t want to ruin this moment with the sound of my voice.
“I went to the Neon Reef. And then I went to your apartment. I saw how trashed it was, the bullet holes everywhere, the broken glass…” The muscle in his jaw jerked, and he looked off to the side.
Without overthinking it, I laid my palm against his face, gently guiding his eyes back to me. Just as I was about to pullmy hand back, he covered it with his, pushing closer and rubbing against it.
My whole chest fluttered. Pretty sure my heart levitated right there in my ribs. Probably floated all the way into my throat.
“I threatened your neighbor, found out you work at the club.”
My fingers jerked against his beard. “Rett?”
“You don’t work there anymore.”
“What?” I exclaimed. He couldn’t just quit a job for me, could he? “I need that job—” I started, but he cut me off with a simple, calm statement.
“I need you to be safe.”
Safe?My eyes bounced between his, asking questions I had no voice for.
“I couldn’t find you, and it scared the shit out of me. And then when I did, you passed out in my arms and wouldn’t wake up.” A faraway expression filled his eyes. “I’ve been in a lot of bad situations, seen things—bad things—that emptied my faith in humanity. But I’ve never really been scared. Not like this.” His eyes refocused, his attention so intense I saw my reflection right there in the blue of his stare.
“All it took was one look. One look at that doll face and everything changed.”
“What do you mean, Kieran?” I whispered, heart nearly beating out of my chest.
“You’re proof.”
My forehead wrinkled. “Proof?”
He nodded, his eyes shifting once again. “That there really is life after death.”
