Page 99 of Stolen Sun

I’m too relieved to have her back in my grasp to care much about her attitude. She doesn’t need to know everything I do to keep her safe.

“If I had known that fucker still walked this earth, I would’ve handled the problem before it became one. For that, I am sorry, Noel.”

Her lips part as she sucks in a breath, and I find myself staring at her pretty mouth. Her tits rise and fall with another deep breath.

Then she whispers, “I can’t unsee all of those pictures, Declan.”

She looks up at me with a face full of pain, and I pull her into me.

“Look at me, Noel. They were nothing. Just a distraction. A way to dull the pain while I waited.”

“One of them was timestamped just a couple of weeks ago,” she says in misery.

Taking her hand, I walk her over to the Tahoe to see Leah has already made it back to the vehicle.

“Get out,” I tell her.

She looks between me and Noel before getting out to join Isaiah and Veronica in the other vehicle. I help Noel into the backseat then climb in behind her.

“Isaiah’s father, Jeff, still watches him and the club. Girls aren’t supposed to leave with men, but I needed to hire Leah. The only way to do that was to make it look like I was using her,” I pause waiting for her to understand.

I wish I didn’t see the doubt in her eyes, but I can’t blame her considering all the other pictures she saw.

“So the elevator was fake?” She asks, fidgeting with my fingers in her lap.

“Yes,” I answer, simply.

“He wanted me to hate you.” She looks into my eyes again.

“Considering I haven’t touched a woman besides you since his accident, I’d say he has been planning this for a long time. You must’ve given him reason to believe you still felt something for me.”

“He found my journals,” she mutters.

“What journals?” I ask.

“I kept journals of us from high school. I never could bring myself to throw them out,” she says.

“When?”

“He said he found them years ago, but that’s why those men broke in. He wanted me to burn them today,” she explains.

“The only thing we’re burning today is whatever bullshit is left of him,” I grind out.

“I can’t believe I killed him,” she states in disbelief.

“I can. You’ve always been strong enough to slay your own demons, Noel.”

When I pull her into my lap, her eyes widen at what she feels beneath her.

“Everything you do fucking does this to me.”

I grab her ass to rub her over it.

“Mmm,” her little voice purrs, and she closes her eyes.

“And I love what adrenaline does to you.”

She smiles without opening her eyes, and I’m sure exhaustion is about to take her. I lay her down across the seat.

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