Page 32 of Savage Hearts

A driver with more muscles than a bodybuilder stood in front of the car. He opened the door for us and nodded as we passed to get inside. I moved as far away from Maverick as I could in the small space, looking out the window and wiping away the tears that had fallen down my cheeks.

It didn’t seem to matter, though, because as soon as the door closed behind him, he reached for me and placed me effortlessly on his lap.

I met his unreadable eyes.

There seemed to be a storm brewing in them, and I didn’t want to be close to him when it finally hit.

I tried to pull away.

He tightened his arms around me.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He didn’t answer me. Instead, he cupped the back of my head and pushed it down to his solid chest.

His hands moved seamlessly down my back before moving it under my shirt.

He cupped his large hands around my waist and held me close.

I shouldn’t take comfort in the warmth of his touch. I should be fighting him. I should tell him not to touch me.

I didn’t do any of that.

I stayed where I was, trying to untangle the confusing mess inside my mind.

I could feel his heart beating through his black suit jacket and white tailored dress shirt.

I shouldn’t be surprised to hear it.

He was a man, after all. A powerful man at that, but a man, nonetheless. Yet the very idea that he was a man who could bleed just as easily as me was hard to fathom when I had thought of him as simply a monster.

He rubbed his hand up and down my back soothingly.

Was he?—

Was he trying to comfort me?

How rich.

I wouldn’t fucking need comforting if he hadn’t decided to take me out to cater to his fucking kink.

Because there was no mistaking what he meant when he said waxing.

I shouldn’t take comfort from his steady presence, from his strong arms, or even his alluring scent.

After all, the devil was often depicted as someone charming, but fuck me.

I was just so goddamn tired.

I didn’t want to fight anymore.

I didn’t want to think about what the future might hold.

I just wanted to take comfort in the arms of this brutal, savage man.

I closed my eyes and counted his heartbeat.

I just?—

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