Page 95 of Auctioned Innocence
Then I shift, and his sharp intake of breath reminds me exactly why this is dangerous.
Other parts of him are definitely awake too.
“Sorry,” I mumble, starting to pull away.
His hand flexes on my hip, holding me still. “Don’t.”
There’s something in his voice that makes me look up to find his eyes dark, hungry, and completely focused on me like I’m the only thing that exists in his world.
There’s a heat there that makes my breath catch, a raw want that he’s not even trying to hide anymore.
His pupils are dilated, his jaw tight with the effort of restraint, and when his gaze drops to my mouth I feel it like a physical touch.
The way he’s looking at me—like he wants to devour me, like he’s imagining all the ways he could touch me, taste me, claim me—sends liquid fire racing through my veins.
My body responds instantly, heat pooling low in my belly, and my skin is suddenly hypersensitive everywhere we’re touching.
Which is everywhere, since I’m still pressed against him from hip to shoulder.
His free hand comes up to cup my face, thumb tracing my bottom lip the way he did last night.
But this time there’s nothing gentle about it.
This time it’s pure possession, pure want, and I can see in his steel-gray eyes that his legendary control is hanging by a thread.
A branch snaps outside.
We’re both moving before the sound fades, weapons ready.
Through the window, I catch another glimpse of movement in the tree line.
This time, I’m sure it’snotan animal.
“Movement in the trees,” Dante says quietly, scanning from the window. “Multiple positions. Professional spacing.”
My heart races as I look where he’s pointing.
Now that I know what to look for, I can see the signs—shadows that don’t belong, the way certain areas of forest seem too still. “
“How many?” I whisper.
“Hard to tell from here. At least three, maybe more.” His voice is stony. “They found us.”
“How?” I whisper, though I already suspect the answer.
“The rifle shots yesterday. Sound carries in these mountains. Or they tracked the motorcycle.” He’s already moving, grabbing gear. “Could be anything. We stayed too long.”
“Shouldn’t we run?” I ask, my mouth growing dry. This is all my fault. Just like being captured was…
“They’ll have the perimeter covered by now.” His hand finds mine, steady and sure. “Standard containment—they’re waiting for us to bolt so they can pick us off in the open.”
Another shadow moves between the trees. Closer this time.
“So what do we do?” I hate how pathetic I sound, my voice small and unsure. What happened to the return of the confident girl that I felt yesterday?
He scans the cabin’s defensive positions, his jaw set in a way that indicates he’s thinking.
“We make them come to us,” he finally says. “Force them into a chokepoint where their numbers don’t matter as much.”
