Page 30 of Waging War
The admission stings.
He’s been in the hospital this whole time. I can only imagine how secluded and trapped he’s felt—probably just as much as me, if not more so.
I close my eyes, willing away all but one lonely tear tracking down my cheek.
“I was supposed to bring you supplies twice in the two weeks that Jackie would be gone. After that time, we planned to release you to Cooper and Kenneth during the annual charity rally the local clubs put on.”
I know the one. It’s the same rally I’ve been to every year since I was a young girl. The guys used to take turns driving me around on their bikes while I wore my best princess outfit and waved to the crowd like some sort of pageant girl.
“You’re keeping the rest from me. I know you’re not just going to hand me over. What’s the catch?”
Ben sighs heavily. “The chief of police won’t turn against Diablo without ensuring his family is protected. Your crew has arranged a meet up at the rally to help sneak them out of town.”
I mull this information over. “So, I was just collateral.”
His lips form a tight line. “Hazel—”
“Why did Jackie have you keep this from me?”
“We weren’t sure if you could be trusted.”
Anger nearly chokes me. “You mean, you weren’t sure I would becompliant?”
Ben’s silence is annoyingly aloof, and I shrug out of his hold. “Dammit, I’ve been such an idiot. How can I possibly trust you when you’ve been lying to me this whole time?”
“Do you honestly believe I want this for you?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.” I claw at the collar of my shirt, frightfully close to shattering.
“I was only supposed to visit you twice,” he reiterates.
“And what about the other times?”
Ben’s body finds mine, positioning himself so I’m facing his broad chest. The rain intensifies his natural scent, clouding my mind in a haze of arousal, and it seems our mutual anger only fuels that magnetic pull toward him.
He reaches for me, but I jerk away. If there was ever a chance in hell we would take a chance on each other, there’s no doubt it would always be like this—explosive and unpredictable. But there’s far too much ugliness coating the in-between parts.
“Look at me,” Ben says.
This time, I allow him to wrap his big hands around the base of my skull and tip my gaze up toward his. The pulse pounding in my veins is uncontrollable as I give in to this strange tenderness radiating through my bones.
“I found you here, and you looked exactly as I do every day. Beaten, tired, and hungry for something that no food could ever satisfy.” He waits three excruciating seconds before whispering against my lips. “Isawyou, Hazel. Just as I see you now, and I couldn’t stay away.”
The world tilts on its axis, taking me with it as his mouth crashes over mine. Ben steals the very breath from my aching lungs as I wrap my fingers in his damp shirt and yank his hard body against mine.
He releases a pained grunt, and I want to rejoice in the fact that our connection is as devastating for him as it is for me.
We’re ravenous, molding our lips together in a cadence that’s both generous and sensual. He doesn’t miss a single beat. Not when I brush his tongue with mine the first time, or when I take his bottom lip between my teeth and pull.
“I don’t want this,” I say against him, but it’s an ugly lie and we both know it.
Ben squats and picks me up so my legs fold around his waist. His solid muscle and height make me feel small is an oddly comforting way.
He repeats his earlier proposal. “Then tell me to stop.”
When I don’t, he chuckles before burying his face beneath my jaw and biting my tender flesh.
Liquid fire zings to my clit, and the moan that spills out of me could shake mountains.
