Page 58 of Rivals & Revenge

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't realize he had changed course and was coming for me until he scooped me up from the chair and sat down, cradling me in his arms.

"I fucking need this," he murmured, his breath hot against my hair.

I melted into his touch, allowing his strong arms to soothe the nervous energy that simmered just beneath my skin. The note set us both on edge and while Ahren paced; I sat still, collecting fury until I imploded like a dying star. Different coping mechanisms, same end result. When the clock struck zero—BOOM.

He placed a kiss against my temple and raised my chin until our eyes met. "I won't let her hurt you," he vowed.

"Her?" I asked, my brain so lost in those honeyed depths it took an extra minute to realize he said her.

He nodded. "I got so distracted between finding Connor in such a state, and the messages, I forgot to tell you. Sorry, it's been an odd day."

"That's fine. So, tell me now."

He told me about the woman's voice, her taunting, and the camera he found. His story reminded him to snap a few pictures of the camera and send them to Jax to see if he could identify the camera. By the end of his story, I could hear a whisper of fear creeping into the edges of his voice.

I feathered my fingers through his hair and pressed my lips to his. "We'll figure it out." I lied. With our future shrouded in uncertainty, it was foolish to make such promises.

Rising from his lap, I pulled on his hand. "Go get cleaned up. I'll sit watch and you can take over when you're finished. That way, she's not alone."

He smiled a crooked half smile, his hand sliding up to cup the side of my face. "Thank you," he whispered, before pressing his lips to mine. He pushed his tongue into my mouth, caressing my tongue andexploring my mouth. I clung to him, my core clenching as I matched every slide of his tongue.

His fingers tangled in my hair, pulling me impossibly closer before pulling away.

My skin heated under his hungry gaze. An unspoken yearning, passing between us.

He pressed a lingering kiss on my lips, dragging his tongue across my jaw and down my throat, nipping at the sensitive flesh. His fingers dug into my flesh, and I knew my skin would bear reminders of this kiss tomorrow. A deep groan rumbled in his chest, and he pulled himself away.

His fingers ghosted across my collarbone, sliding up to briefly encircle my throat, the look in his eyes unreadable.

My fingers curled in his shirt, desperate to keep from dropping to the floor as my knees threatened to give way.

"Shower." he rasped, nodding his head. Slowly at first, then shaking as if shaking off our passionate moment.

He stepped away, my body immediately colder from the loss of him. "Hopefully soon you’ll be joining me for that shower."

My head bobbed in time with my racing heart. I wanted that too. But even though he knew how to liquefy my insides with the barest hint of a smile, I was still nervous about everything that came next. And though disappointment clawed at my insides, I was grateful he was being so considerate of my feelings.

I returned to the chair, pulling my phone from my pocket and scrolling the news sites. After a few minutes of scrolling through boring headlines about city council meetings and new chain restaurant openings, I pushed it back into my pocket.

My head dropped back to rest on the wooden chair back. Damn, this thing was so fucking uncomfortable. Another crack in the 'Ahren Rossdale is a monster' theory. He'd sat in this stylish torture device for days, waiting for me to wake up.

"Tierney." A soft, hoarse voice whispered.

My head snapped up, landing on Larissa's half-lidded gaze.

"Hey." I cooed, doing my best to mimic the gentle yet placating voice she used the first time we met.

"Almost thought you two weren't coming." She murmured.

My eyes watered. "You bet your ass we'll come for you."

She offered a soft smile. Then again, I'm not sure she was capable of a wider one at the moment, but she was awake, so I would take it.

"Ahren's in the shower. He'll be back in a few..." I rambled, trying to fill the empty space, but only succeeding in tripping over my words.

She nodded lazily.

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked, feeling stupid for not asking immediately.

---