Page 173 of Saving Her

“You did. You left me.” This time, I don’t falter when I reach for his hand. I grab it tight, entwining our fingers. “With a psychopath and his doting sidekick.”

There’s a flash of a smirk that quickly fades. “Pen…”

“I need you, Luc.” I tug him, attempting to drag him closer. He doesn’t budge. “Are you going to make me beg?”

His nostrils flare as I keep tug, tug, tugging.

Finally, he stumbles forward, his foot sliding between mine, and we’re chest to chest, hip to hip. A growl rumbles in his throat as those gorgeous lips reclaim my mouth, this time in a kiss that’s slow. Controlled. As if he’s worried I’ll break.

I don’t.

I awaken.

I luxuriate in him, shedding another tormented layer of my past while in his arms. He helps me escape my mental anguish with gentle swipes of tongue and a possessive hand at my hip. He makes everything right. Yet, I can’t stop hearing the taunting devil on my shoulder. I’m tormented with his treacherous, haunting words.

This bliss won’t last.

15

Luca

Another hammeringof the front door reverberates down the hall.

Fuck.

I pull back to stare down at her, fucking besotted as I cup her face. “If we don’t stop, our next milestone will be my funeral.”

She nods. “Okay. We stop.”

The front door opens, the approaching footfalls siphoning my buzz.

“Shit. He’s coming. Stay in here.” I make for the hall, finding Torian sauntering toward me.

“Don’t have a coronary,” he drawls. “I ordered the others to go home. I thought you two could use the time alone.” He keeps walking, bypassing Penny’s bedroom.

“Right…” I give her a brief placating smile as I close the door and follow him. “That doesn’t explain why you’re still here.”

“We need to talk.” He turns into the living room, walks straight for the coffee machine, and starts to make himself a mug. “Could you have picked a more complicated conquest?”

“She’snota conquest.” I keep my distance for his safety’s sake, and rest my ass against the end of the nearby dining table.

“Fine. Fuck buddy. Piece of ass. Whatever you want to call it.” He grabs his filled mug and takes a sip.

“It’s been a long day, Torian. Don’t push me.”

He smirks. Slow and demeaning. “I seem to remember you telling me not to stick my dick in dangerous places not too long ago, but I’ll save you the reciprocated speech because there are more important things to discuss.” He starts toward me, taking the seat at the opposite end of the table. “I didn’t inform the others about the shooter yet. I wanted to get answers first.”

“What shooter?”

“She didn’t tell you? What were you two doing in there if not discussing the harrowing ordeal she just faced?”

“Cut the shit.” I grab the chair before me in a death grip. “What shooter?”

“It’s best to get the news from her. I barely know the details. What I do know is that she got pulled over by a local traffic cop, mentioned my name in an attempt to get help, and when the officer didn’t take the bait, she asked to speak to Agent Anissa Fox of the FBI.”

Shit.

I knew back in Greece that telling Penny about Anissa’s identity was a bad idea, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself.

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