Page 19 of The Devil and the Dancer
“I told ye, Vivian is my sister. Nothing is going on between us. She’s a complication. She shows up every few years and wreaks a bit of havoc before she flies off again. I’m trying to explain—”
“The problem is, I don’t want to know.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Don’t you see, Gavin? That’s always been the problem. That’s why we haven’t been able to move forward.”
His chin jutted out. “Ye want me, and I want ye. Ye just need time. I’m giving ye time. I’m not some randy lad—”
“Gavin”—her voice cracked—“this was never going to work.”
The silence from him was deafening.
“You can’t be in a relationship with someone when you actively avoid knowing about their life. You need to know all of them. Not just parts.” Chloe plowed on, even as the tears started to form in her eyes. “It’s not your fault. It’s me. I’m not Ben. I’m not… Veronica even. You don’t tell me things—”
“I’mtryingto tell ye things. I’m trying to explain.”
“And I’m telling you I don’t want to know.” She felt the tears slip away from her. “I’m not built for this. I’m not brave.”
“Fuck yes, ye are. Yeare.”
“I’m not. At first it was exciting. But every night it gets deeper and deeper. And I’m not built for this. I’m not looking for adventure like Ben and Tenzin. I just… After everything that’s already happened, I want— Ineedto be safe.”
He angled his body toward her. “And ye don’t think I can keep ye safe?”
Chloe didn’t know what to say.
Gavin slipped off the couch and knelt before her. He put his hand on her cheek and forced her eyes to his. His gaze locked on hers. “Do ye believe I can keep ye safe, Chloe Reardon?”
She blinked away tears. “I don’t know.”
He wasn’t angry. His fingers were soft on her skin. His eyes were wide open, penetrating the thick wall of resolve she’d tried to erect. She tried to be immune to him, the hard planes of his chest, the vibrating energy she felt coming off him.
She wasn’t successful.
“No,” he said. “Ye dinnae know, and that’s my own fault. Maybe I should have made ye look more closely, forced ye to see all of me.” His voice hardened. “I’ve spent many years acquiring wealth and influence. Very powerful people owe me favors, and I’m very stingy about using them. But know this, Chloe Reardon, I protect the people I care about. The people who work for me are untouchable because I’m very smart and very strategic about the alliances I make. And when it comes toyou?”
Her heart stopped when Gavin took her chin in his fingers and tilted her mouth to his.
“There isnothingI wouldn’t do to keep ye safe.”
Gavin kissed her like it was the first time and the last time. He took her breath away. His lips moved against hers, searching for surrender. She opened her mouth to him, and he swallowed her needy cry.
He reached out, grabbing her hips and dragging her toward the edge of the couch, forcing her to grip his shoulders. Her fingers dug in, pressing him closer.
A low, guttural moan came from his throat as he drove his tongue into her mouth. Chloe felt the edge of his fangs nick her flesh and tasted the blood he craved. The hands at her hips moved back, cupping her bottom as he drew her closer.
She slid off the couch and onto his lap, riding the hard line of the erection jutting underneath the thin cotton wrap. Gavin’s hand gripped the back of her neck, his fingers playing with the curls that escaped her scarf. His arms were like iron around her, but nothing about them caged her. She didn’t feel crushed or wary. She felt… free.
Maybe it wouldn’t work out in the end. Maybe it would all come crashing down. But for tonight she needed him. She wanted him so much it hurt.
She pulled her mouth from his. “Take me to bed,” she said against his cheek.
“Yes.” He stood, and Chloe wrapped her legs around his waist. “We have to lock the doors.”
“Cara, lock roof doors,” Chloe yelled.
A polite, robotic voice answered back, “Locking roof doors. It is 3:17 a.m. Engage nighttime security protocol?”
“Yes.”
“Nighttime security protocol active until sunrise.”
