Page 47 of Emmy's Ride

Not for himself. For me.

Without a word, he grabbed my hand and pulled me inside straight to his room. The door slammed shut behind us, and before I could say a damn thing, he was locking it.

“You’re locking me in?”

Austin whirled around, eyes blazing. “Damn right I am. There will be no interruptions or running tonight.”

My pulse kicked up a notch. The anger rolling off of him was palpable, his entire body wound tight. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the room like a caged animal.

“Someone just tried to kill you, Emmy,” he bit out. “That’s not something I take lightly.”

“I know that,” I shot back. “But I can’t just be?—”

“Be what? Careless?” He stepped toward me, towering over me. “Because that’s exactly what you’d be if you left this room. You can’t go back to work, not even with a bodyguard.”

I glared at him, refusing to back down. “I have a life, Austin. A job. Responsibilities.”

“You almost died today!”

His words hit me like a bucket of ice-cold water. I sucked in a desperate breath, my throat constricting. I knew he was right.

I could’ve died.

Austin took another step, his features softer now. “I can’t let that happen, Em. I won’t.” His voice broke as he admitted, “I can’t lose you.”

My chest ached. Damn him. Damn him for making me feel safe. For making me want this—want him.

He was too close, his body radiating heat. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating. And God help me, I liked it. No—I hated that I liked it.

The way he looked at me, all fire and intensity, made my heart beat faster. Made me remember exactly what it felt like to be under him, to feel his hands on my skin, his mouth on mine.

“You can’t just keep me locked in here.”

Austin tilted his head, a slow smirk curving his lips. “You sure about that?”

My breath hitched as he reached out, his fingers trailing down my arm. The simple touch sent a shiver racing down my spine.

Damn him all to hell.

I knew exactly where this was going, and I should stop him. Push him away. Tell him that being with him was a mistake. When his fingers tilted my chin up and his mouth slanted against mine, every single reason flew out the window.

His kiss was punishing, demanding, and I kissed him back just as hard. I shoved at his cut, pushing it off his shoulders, and Austin groaned against my lips. His hands gripped my waist, lifting me as I wrapped my legs around his hips.

He carried me to the bed, dropping me onto the mattress with a roughness that sent a gasp from my lips, but I wasn’t scared. I was burning. There was no hesitancy this time. No careful consideration. There was only need. Desperate. Raw. Consuming. The kind that left no room for doubt. No space for second thoughts.

Austin was on me in an instant, his big hands tugging at my clothes, stripping them from my body without mercy. Fabric whispered against my skin as he ripped me out of whatever barriers remained between us.

His breath was ragged, his chest rising and falling hard as he took me in. I should have felt vulnerable under the intensity of his gaze. But I didn’t. I felt alive. His fingertips trailed over my bare skin, slow at first, then rougher, more urgent. Every touch stoked the flames already burning inside me.

“You’re mine,” he growled, his voice low, the possessiveness sending a tremor straight through my core.

Heat rolled off him, the barely restrained hunger vibrating through his entire being. I wanted to push back. To challengehim. To tell him I didn’t belong to anyone. But the truth was that I was his.

Always had been.

My hands moved on their own, dragging him closer, pulling at his shirt until it was gone, until I could feel his skin against mine. Heat to heat. Pulse to pulse. His lips crashed into mine, and there was nothing soft about it. Nothing careful. It was fierce. Claiming.

He kissed me like he was drowning, like I was the only thing that could keep him above water. And I let him because I needed it too. I needed him everywhere.

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