Page 85 of Jump or Fall
“If you’d like,” Dawson said, “I could get her warmed up for you.” The sound of his belt triggered that familiar urge to step out of her skin. “After so many years, I know exactly what she likes.”
“No, sir,” Wells replied, his voice uncertain. “I’ve got it.” His presence shifted behind her, and she felt a trembling hand on her hip.
Gordon couldn’t shield her from this.
Think of something else.
A faint hum was coming from one of the monitors.
Focus on that.
The waistband of her pants tightened in his grip. Then she was yanked backward off the desk.
Her cuffed hands offered no protection as she slammed onto the floor. A cry tore from her throat, but the deafening crack of a gunshot drowned out the sound.
Disoriented, she searched for the source of the shot. Her ears rang violently, muffling the sounds of chaos around her.
Then she saw it—Wells had the gun and Max was down.
A rough hand shoved her onto her back. Dawson braced one arm across her chest, pinning her.
She squirmed, panic flooding her body as his claws extended.
“No!” she shrieked, desperately trying to break free.
Pain erupted across her face as he raked them through her skin. The world went dark—her eyes burning. Blood gushed over her nose, dripping into her ears as she screamed.
Everything was slipping away, the weight of her body lifting from the ground.
Gordon, please…
Chapter 28
Gordon
Gordon stared at the cracked ceiling, flipping the brass key between his fingers. He was going to be exhausted tomorrow. He had a few deliveries, but he needed to get his apartment in better shape. If Mara was moving in, he couldn’t subject her to his pathetic rebel lair.
I don’t even have a table.
He sighed. There wasn’t much he could do from Crux, but he wanted to stay here since it was closer to her. The rod jamming into his back was seriously making him consider putting the mattress on the floor, though.
His eyes ached and his muscles were tense yet fatigued. He’d stopped drinking as much, just in case she needed him. It was even harder to sleep now, but he had to change. Maybe it would get easier with her wrapped up in his arms. Then he wouldn’t have to think about that sick fuck touching her.
Gordon still couldn’t believe she wanted him. Every touch that he’d convinced himself was nothing had actually meant something.
“I thought I lost you.”
Those words repeated in his head on an endless loop. He hadn’t known what to do with them, only that he had to make a move—had to know.
He hadn’t expected to end up in bed with her that night—or anytime soon. If she never wanted to sleep with him, he would’ve accepted it. Being near her was enough. Seeing those haunting eyes light up oversomething that sparked her interest—it was more than he thought he’d ever get.
But she did want him. Somehow, Gordon was the luckiest bastard alive.
Still, he hadn’t been that nervous since his first time. Every movement was careful, the weight of everything hanging heavy in the space between them. The last thing he wanted was to remind her ofhim.
The way her eyes had gone vacant and her whole body rigid had scared the shit out of him. How could someone do that to her? And how the fuck was she so strong?
He closed his eyes and listened to the hum of the safehouse, trying to clear his head enough to drift off.
