Page 56 of Riot

“Anything else you need?” he asked, voice quiet.

I hesitated. The truth was caught somewhere between my ribs.

“Time,” I said. “And space. To figure out who I am now.”

His eyes held mine, dark and unwavering. “You’ll have both. As long as you’re here, you call the shots. Nobody owns you. Nobody touches you unless you want them to.”

That last part?

It landed deep.

And I saw the way he looked at me after that—slow, intense, like he was reading every thought I hadn’t said aloud.

He took a step closer, just one, but it made everything in me burn. My heart pounded in my chest as his hand lifted to brush a stray curl from my face. His fingers grazed my cheek, light as a whisper, but it was enough to send heat spiraling through my core.

My lips parted. His eyes dropped to my mouth.

The space between us vanished.

I could feel the warmth of him now, the tension that lived beneath his calm exterior. He tilted his head, just a fraction, and I felt his breath against my cheek. I closed my eyes, heart pounding, waiting?—

“Riot!” Madeira’s voice rang out from the patio door. “You’ve got a call. It’s Creed. Says it’s urgent.”

I jerked back, breath shaky.

Riot blinked, jaw flexing slightly as he turned toward the sound. “Yeah,” he called out. “I’m coming.”

He looked at me once more, like he didn’t want to leave. Like maybe the world could wait just a little longer.

But it couldn’t. Not yet.

He gave me a small nod, one that felt like a promise. Then he turned and walked back toward the house, his broad shoulders pulling the sun with him.

I exhaled the kiss that didn’t happen, lips still tingling, fingers still twitching with want.

One day, I told myself.

One day soon.

Chapter 16

RIOT

Our lips almost collided and that shit had my heart racing faster than a muhfucka. The gentleness of her presence brought me back to when I was just a kid. She had a nigga feeling like he was 17, falling in love the for the first time.

And that shit was dangerous. I was not in a place to be falling for someone. Besides, I barely knew the girl. She could end up being on some fake shit like Malia. But there was something in her eyes that let me know that wasn’t going to be the case. And I was more mature now. I’d been around the block and seen enough shit. I can sniff out when someone is on some bullshit, easily.

There wasn’t too much that got past me these days. Aside from all of that. I was just happy that I had gotten her out. And that those other girls were out without me having to run up on that crazy ass compound Boaz has.

But the problems weren’t over. I still had to kill him but I knew that once he got out of jail, he would be laying low in a more humble home. That one would be easier to infiltrate.

After ouralmost-kiss, my dick got hard, thinking about the things I wanted to do to her thick chocolate body. But I was going to be respectful. She was a virgin and I wanted her to choose me willingly. In fact, I wanted her to beg for it. I was not gonna put the pressure on her. I couldn’t live with that on my head.

What am I doing? We just fuckin’ met. I needed to give that woman space. I was so conflicted about it. I wanted her the moment I saw her.

I stepped out of the garden to answer the phone. Madeira had popped up like the fairy godmother of bad timing, and now I was walking through my own damn house trying to cool off like a teenager who just got caught dry humping on the couch.

She handed me my phone and mouthed sorry.

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