Page 46 of Silent Heart

“I’m not trying to degrade you by saying this, but trying to explain,” I rushed to say. “I haven’t had the sense that you’re going to hurt me when we’ve been together during your…episodes.”

That turbulent blue gaze watched me. He was desperate to believe me, I could read as much in his look.

Don’t send me away. But I couldn’t say it. That was craziness. We didn’t know one another well. Hell, I didn’t know what he did for a living or when he’d be leaving. This wasn’t his house; he had a whole different life.

Not to mention the fact that I was going back to school.

But there was a part of me, buried deep inside my chest that couldn’t help the way it felt. It wanted to stay with this stray.

My stomach chose that moment to rumble.

I laughed in a burst of more self-consciousness. “We should either cook that food or put it away in the fridge. I, for one, would rather eat something.”

Kole rose, grabbed the detachable showerhead, and began to spray me off. “We could do that.”

I tipped my head to the side, hearing the hesitation in his voice. “Or?”

Kole continued to rinse off the soap.

“If you want me to go, just say it,” I whispered. “I promise, I won’t be mad.”

“Or you could teach me to make French toast.” Kole snapped the sprayer back in place, cupped my cheeks, and pressed his mouth against mine. A thrill, part pleasure, part something else, shot up my body. “I’m starving, Harley. I need…more.”

He didn’t have to say it. The more was me.

Chapter 19 – Kolya

Iscrubbed a hand over my face and glanced at the couch where Harley snoozed. Hours of peaceful rest had found the little water sprite while I spent the night in vigil, watching over her. She’d barely been able to keep her eyes open during the cooking lesson. If she wasn’t famished, her body making cute noises of protest at the delay, she would have passed out the moment we’d been done upstairs. Knowing how tired she was, how full her schedule was, and how precious sleep was to those who could indulge in it, I didn’t throw her on the formal dining room table and take the taste that I desperately wanted.

My dessert would have to wait for another time.

The thought of feasting between her legs again sent a rush of blood to my dick. He swelled and twitched.

This needs to end.The sigh that left my lips was a rough exhale. That unfortunate truth was the right thing to do.

Clicking back into a new webpage, I stared at the screen. The hunt was my life. I had no other purpose than to find and destroy. From the moment I started this venture, my future became a tightly defined path. There were demons out therepreying on innocents, those unable to defend themselves. And I was the only one who could help.

No…while Harley was a nice detour, choosing her over the greater good was wrong. Involving her in the fierce fight waging in the dark was equally as wrong. She was here and now, but this would end. It had to.

I slid a look to the couch.Then what is this tug in my chest?

Shaking my head, I clicked out of the screens on my laptop. It wasn’t like Harley was looking for something more with me. I was the rich boy from the city who intrigued her. And that was all I could be to her. She couldn’t know anything more than the front I presented. It was too dangerous.

In the kitchen, I stirred a pre-workout beverage in preparation for my morning routine. Dawn was already lightening the eastern horizon. There was no news in the back-end channels. It was looking less likely that my enemy was searching for me. Dimitri was waiting for a report on the situation. If the danger had well and truly passed, I would have no reason stay here. It would be time to regroup and take out the leader of the Southwest trafficking ring and shut down their operations.

To get close enough to take the shot on Karl Adler would put me in extreme danger. I couldn’t have any ties tracing me back to the underworld, let alone a civilian like Harley.

I sighed. Our time was likely coming to an end. It might be a few more weeks, but the deadline was there.

There’d been another encrypted email from the Cyber Ops. They were eager to meet the infamous Wraith. It had been a name I earned in the military, but now it was only used by my closest acquaintances. It was yet more proof that they knew someone close to me to know that name.

They knew me, and I didn’t know a damn thing about them.

Information on their operation was nonexistent. There wasn’t a single trace, not one reference to them. Either they werea newer group of vigilantes, or they were that damn good. It was probably the former that was true. If they were successful hunters, then more traffickers would be stopped. And there would at least be rumors as to the existence of their organization.

No, it was just me out there, fighting all on my own. While the government had official teams to battle the scourge, they didn’t strike where it truly counted, and their policies seemed to aid the rings rather than help the victims.

Fighting back the pull of exhaustion, I shook my plastic bottle, the metal ball clanking against the edges as it dissolved the powder. Pulling an all-nighter wasn’t wise, but I would nap as soon as Harley left. A rough laugh barked from my throat. Cuffing myself to the bed seemed appropriate. I couldn’t risk doing a zombie walk during daylight.

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