Page 20 of Crystal Wrath
“You think this is a joke? That I showed up here because of guilt? Because I owe you something?” I step closer, pinning her against the door. “I could walk away right now and let Bennato take you out with one phone call. But I'm here. Because you're too stubborn to see what's coming.”
“I see it. I just don't scare easily.”
“Then you're a damn fool.”
We're chest to chest now, both breathing hard, the tension between us snapping like a live wire. I can feel the heat radiating from her body and smell that intoxicating combination of jasmine and defiance that seems to follow her everywhere.
“Why do you even care, Renat? Why does it matter what happens to me?”
The question cuts to the heart of everything I've been trying not to examine. Why do I care? Why does the thought of her in danger make me want to burn down half of Miami to keep her safe?
“Because I don't want you dead, damn it.”
“And what else?”
Her eyes are locked on mine, searching for truth, honesty, and something real beneath all the games, threats, and careful words.
I grab her by the waist, pulling her against me forcefully. Her breath stutters and her hands land on my chest, but she doesn't push me away. Instead, she fists her fingers in my shirt, holding on like she's drowning, and I'm the only thing keeping her afloat.
“This,” I growl against her ear. “You. The way you get under my skin like a splinter I can't dig out. The way you challenge me when everyone else just nods and agrees. I should have walked away after that first night. I didn't. And now I'm standing in your damn apartment thinking about how fast I can make you moan my name again.”
Her hands fist tighter in my shirt, and I can feel her heartbeat racing against my chest. “Then shut up and do it.”
My mouth crushes hers, desperate and unrelenting. She answers with a kiss that steals the breath from my lungs, furious and wild and completely without reservation. I back her against the wall, one hand threading into her hair, the other gripping her hip like a man starving for sustenance.
She gasps against my lips as I lift her, her legs wrapping instinctively around my waist. The taste of her floods my senses. Coffee and mint and something sweet. It makes me forget about Bennato and the danger. I forget about everything except this fire burning between us.
Her hips grind against me, and I nearly lose what's left of my control. My hand slips beneath her shirt, fingers finding bare skin that's impossibly soft and warm. Her head drops back against the wall, and a sound escapes her throat that has my restraint slipping fast.
But then she freezes.
“Stop.”
I do. Instantly. My hands still, my mouth pulls back, every muscle in my body screaming in protest.
Her chest heaves, her lips swollen from our kiss. Her fingers press against my chest, pushing lightly but firmly.
“Get out.”
“Elena—”
“Get. Out.”
The words are quiet but absolute. I step back, breathing hard, every cell in my body screaming in frustration and need.
She walks to the door on unsteady legs, opens it, and points toward the hallway. Her hands shake slightly, but her eyes are steel. Determined and uncompromising.
I pause in the doorway, looking back at her. “This isn't over.”
“No,” she says softly, her voice hitching slightly. “It isn’t.”
Then she shuts the door between us with a quiet click.
I stand in the hallway for a long moment, staring at the closed door, fighting every instinct that tells me to break it down and finish what we started. But Elena Martinez has made her choice, and I must respect it. Even if it kills us both.
7
ELENA
