Page 75 of Talon

“First, we help them escape immediate danger. We assist them in leaving their homes, and we protect them during the process. That’s the most dangerous part of getting out of an abusive situation. Second, we keep them safe either at the clubhouse or at Nina’s place. It depends on who the abuser is. Some have more power than others, and the clubhouse isn’t safe enough for some of the victims.”

“How is Nina’s place safer?”

“More security. A huge wall. There are other things about her place that make it easier to hide people. Maybe one day, I’ll take you over there, and I’ll show you.”

“If it’s a secret, you don’t have to tell me. I know you’re just trying to protect people. I see why you do it. As much as I don’t like what you did to Hank, I guess it makes sense now.”

“Yeah. Everything that happened made me into who I am. It shaped me into the man you see before you—for better or worse.”

“Sometimes, our past experiences make us stronger. They show us what we’re capable of overcoming.”

“Maybe,” he gives me a tight smile.“But I need to be better than this. For you and those I care about.”

“Then let’s work on that.” I rest my hand on his forearm.“We can face whatever comes next, side by side.”

“You forgive me, then?” His glittering green eyes sparkle with hope and something else, something I’m afraid to name.

“I do. Just … don’t do anything like that again. Okay?”

“You know I can’t make that promise. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if a man ends up in our basement, he belongs there.”

“I understand, but in my case, since we don’t know who’s after me, you can’t just round up everyone I know and torture them.”

“No?” His lips twitch into a mischievous smile.

“No!” I playfully slap him.

He grabs my hand and pulls it to his chest. I splay my fingers over his heart and feel it beat with all the passion he has for me. It’s more than just protecting me. After the way he made love to me last night, I know it’s more. But I also realize we’re not ready to talk about that yet.

“Talon—”

“All I want right now is you,” he whispers before laying me back on the bed.“I’ve been through so much pain, but you’ve given me pleasure beyond my wildest dreams. I need you, Jess.”

As he slowly strips me, I sigh and sink into the bed. His hands are magic against my skin. Instead of being violent and terrifying, they’re soft and gentle. The man touching me right now isn’t the same one who beat Hank up in the basement. I have nothing to fear from this side of Talon, and now, I understand why he has two sides. Because of everything that happened in his life, it was necessary for him to become like this. It all makes sense now.

“I need to be inside you,” he murmurs, kissing his way across my throat.

“Mm,” I murmur as he parts my thighs.

When he surges into me, he fills me so completely I’m ready to die from the pleasure. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted. Maybe not in the nice, neat package I’d imagined, but he’s perfect, and he wants me just as much as I want him. I never believed in destiny before, but now, I do.

As he rocks his hips, I wrap my legs around his thighs. I grab the firm muscles on his ass and hold on for dear life. He pushes deep, rubbing against my clit and making me tremble. I arch my back, pressing my breasts to his greedy mouth. He sucks and licks my nipples until I’m moaning his name.

“Oh, Talon, yes.”

He growls, plunging into me over and over. We move as one, urging each other on until I can’t tell where he ends and I begin. Fused together, we rush toward our climax. I reach it a second before him, but he falls into ecstasy a moment later.

As I curl up by his side, I press a kiss against his eagle tattoo. He’s so strong and so amazing. A normal person would never have survived everything he went through. I don’t think he knows how amazing he is, but I do. It doesn’t matter that we haven’t caught my stalker yet. I’m confident we’ll figure it out eventually. But in the meantime, I’ll cherish every second I have with him because I’ll never know if it’s going to be my last.

Chapter 21: Talon

Sunlight slips through the curtains to caress Jessica’s naked body. She’s pure temptation, all curvy and sexy. I made love to her all night, but it wasn’t enough. Getting my fill of her is impossible. The more I have her, the more I want. I’m slowly losing my ability to think of this as a job anymore. It’s not. I’m falling for her, and I can’t do a damn thing to stop it.

As I stir, the weight of Jessica’s thigh presses against mine. This moment feels perfect, like it was meant to be. She’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted like this. No one else has ever come close. I can’t bear the thought of losing her. I want to hold on tight and never let go. After what happened yesterday, I’m lucky she still wants to be with me.

From now on, I’ll have to be more careful about how much she’s exposed to club life. In my haste to try to find out if Hank was her stalker, I kind of lost my mind. Grabbing an innocent man and bringing him to the dungeon isn’t a normal occurrence for me. I can’t even think of the last time that happened. Usually, Reaper’s the one who flies off the handle and kidnaps the wrong guy. Not me.

She snuggles closer, draping her arm across my chest. I caress her soft skin and sigh. My heart swells with emotions I can’t quite comprehend, and it’s overwhelming. I know I’m not her type; after all, she comes from a world of philanthropy and charity, while I live on the darker edge of society. But maybe, just maybe, I can find a way to make this work.

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