Darkness falls, and I reach for the mask, pulling it off. My skin is flushed, and my hair damp with sweat. It hits the floor somewhere beside me. I don’t care where.
I lie beside her unmasked. And for the first time since we were last together, I feel peace.
I brush her cheek with the backs of my fingers. “You don’t know how badly I needed to see you and touch you. To hold you in my arms.”
Her face brushes my chest as she nods. Her breath catches again, but not from lust. Something heavier between us.
My arm tightens around her, protectiveness twisting sharply beneath my ribs. “What happened today?”
Her whole body stills, but she says nothing.
“Tell me, Laurette.”
“A man came to see me. Someone tied to a case I’m working on.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“He used polite, measured phrases, soft on the surface but soaked in venom underneath. He spoke hypothetically, but his words weren’t innocent. They were threats dressed in civility. He wanted to scare me into backing down.”
My blood ignites and becomes a molten weight in my veins that slows time.
“Tell me who.”
She molds herself against me. “It’s something I can’t talk about. I’ll never be able to discuss my cases with you.”
Her oath and silence. I respect it.
But the name? I’ll find that out for myself.
I pull her closer and kiss her forehead. “Just so you know… I can handle anyone who threatens you. And I do mean anyone.”
She half-laughs. “What does that mean?”
“What do you think I mean?”
She stiffens. “Are you a cop?”
A low chuckle slips out, dark and amused. “Not even close, but I take down predators.”
Her voice shifts, softer now. “When will you tell me more about who you are?”
My fingertips trail up her ribcage as I kiss her jaw. “When you earn the next secret.”
“O… kay.” She squirms as my fingers move over her ribs. “And how do I earn the next secret?”
“More of this. Lots more of this.”
I wrap an arm around her waist, my other hand threading through her hair to tip her head back and expose her throat. I trail soft kisses along her neck, nibbling her earlobe when I reach it, taking my time.
“Do you feel safe right now?”
“With you, yes. Always.”
This is no longer about wanting her. It’s about keeping her safe and protecting what’s mine.
I’ll bleed anyone who threatens her safety.
We lie face-to-face in the dark. Moonlight spills in through the windows, faint and thin. Enough to prove the night exists but not enough to reveal my face.
