Page 77 of Reckless: Chaos

“Not this.” He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, letting me see the raw hunger there. “Never this.”

“Prove it.”

“Cayenne.” My name comes out like a prayer and a curse. “Don’t push me.”

“Why not?” I shift closer, practically in his lap now. “Afraid you’ll lose control? Afraid I’ll see the cracks in your perfect armor?”

“Afraid I’ll show you exactly why I’ve been holding back.” His other hand finds my hip, fingers digging in. “Afraid I’ll take everything you’re offering before you’re ready to give it.”

“Maybe I want you to take it.”

His laugh holds no humor. “No. When I take you—when I mark you—it won’t be because you’re pushing my buttons. It’ll be because you trust me completely. Because you’re finally ready to let go of whatever you’re planning.”

Ice floods my veins. “What?—”

“I told you.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “I see everything. Including the goodbye in your eyes.”

My heart stutters, but I force myself to hold his gaze. “Seeing things that aren’t there, alpha?”

“Am I?” His grip gentles on my throat, somehow more devastating than force. “You forget what I do. What I’ve always done. Tactical assessment isn’t just about battlefield strategy.”

“No?” I try for casual even as panic claws at my chest. “What’s it about then?”

“Patterns. Behaviors. The way someone’s pulse jumps when they’re planning something desperate.” His thumb strokes over that betraying pulse point. “The look in their eyes when they’re memorizing details they think they’ll never see again.”

“Pretty sure that’s just paranoia talking.”

“Pretty sure it’s experience.” He shifts, adjusting me more fully into his lap despite the serious turn of conversation. “You’re not the first person who’s tried to sacrifice themselves to protect others. Not even the first one this month.”

“Jinx?” I guess, trying to redirect.

“Theo, actually. Last week.” His free hand slides up my spine, somehow both comfort and cage. “Found him packing a go-bag. Thought if he left, the threats would follow him instead of the pack.”

“Did they?”

“Never got the chance to find out.” His smile carries edges. “Because that’s not how this works. Not how we work.”

“And how do you work?”

“Together.” He breathes the word against my lips. “Even when it’s hard. Even when it’s messy. Even when someone’s planning to betray us to save us.”

His words hit like precision strikes. He knows. Of course he knows. He’s probably known since the moment I started playing docile after the interrogation.

“You’re going to try to stop me.” It’s not a question.

“No.” His answer surprises both of us. “I’m going to let you make your choice. But first...” His hand slides into my hair, grip firm but gentle. “First, I’m going to show you exactly what you’ll be walking away from.”

“That’s cruel.” But I don’t pull away.

“That’s tactical.” His lips brush my temple. “Giving you all the information before you make a potentially lethal decision.”

“Using seduction as a strategy?” I try to make it sound bitter. “Thought that wasn’t your style.”

“This isn’t seduction.” He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes, letting me see the raw truth there. “This is me showing you that I see you. All of you. The chaos and the calculation. The need to protect and the urge to run. And I’m still here.”

“Why?” The question comes out smaller than I intend.

“Because some things are worth the risk.” His thumb traces my bottom lip. “Some people are worth letting go, even knowing they might not come back.”

---