Page 85 of Savage Hearts

I shook my head, but I didn’t know what I was saying no to.

He guided me back against the wall, and though his touches were firm and strong, they were worlds away from how the other man had done it.

Instead of feeling trapped and crowded and scared, I felt, oddly enough…

Safe.

Like there were all these bad things in this world.

And then there was his body in front of me, blocking it all out.

No one had ever stuck up for me like that. No one had ever gotten murderously mad on my behalf.

It shouldn’t make me feel warm inside, but it did.

More tears came down my cheek, soaking his hands, and he made a rough noise in the back of his throat.

“Don’t cry, little monster. My control is holding on by a tenuous thread. I want to go back there and beat the man to a bloody pulp.”

I grabbed his forearm when it felt like he was going to move away from me.

I shook my head, but I was out of words.

I didn’t want to leave the safe cocoon he created with his big body. I didn’t want him to leave me.

“Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe. I promise.”

No, I wasn’t.

I wasn’t safe. Not from him or his brothers, but I was in this moment.

What a beautiful lie.

And how badly I wanted to believe it.

I stood on my tiptoes and clung to his neck. He was so much taller than me. So much taller than any other man I had ever met. I wanted to climb him. I wanted to be closer to him.

I didn’t want to let myself go.

He leaned down to make it easier on me, and paused when he realized that brought his lips mere inches away from mine.

My breath caught.

I wanted to feel safe.

Just let me be safe.

Please.

I closed my eyes and ate away the gap between us.

The first touch of my lips against his waseverything. I’d tasted him before, but this was different. Our first kiss had been a lie. A sweet, beautiful lie, but a lie, nonetheless. This kiss tasted like the truth. It tasted like surrender.

And I wanted more. I deepened the kiss.

There was so much going on and I didn’t want to miss out on any of it, from his taste, to his scent, and even to the solid feel of him.

I kissed him harder, greedy for the very essence of the man. Then he groaned and I was…

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