Page 108 of Heroes & Hitmen
“That I’ll screw it up somehow,” I blurt. “That I’ll get you killed. That… fuck, I don’t know, that maybe this is all a huge mistake that’s only gonna make things worse.”
He dips his forehead to mine. “Get out of your own head. I’ll be fine, and you’ve got this, baby.”
He makes it sound so simple, but it’snot– nothing about this situation is straightforward, and there are a million ways it could all go wrong.
“Youwillget out of Chicago,” he says, his tone both achingly gentle and so firm that it leaves no room for argument. “Say it.”
I want to resist– to hold onto this last, battered shred of control– but there’s something in his voice that makes me fold like a house of cards. He may be a cocky idiot, but he’smyidiot, dammit.
I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “I’ll get out,” I whisper.
His lips spread into a roguish grin. “That’s my girl,” he murmurs, brushing his lips against mine in a whisper of affection that only makes everything worse.
There are a million things I want to say to him–don’t let me go, come with me, just one more night– but all I can manage is to press my lips tighter against his, as if one more kiss might save my soul. It’s clumsy and desperate, more teeth than grace, but he answers it with everything he has.
He stretches my arms over my head without breaking the kiss, pinning them with one hand as he uses the other to guide the broad head of his cock to my opening. He enters me so slowly that I feel every inch of him, the delicious stretch stealing the air from my lungs until he’s buried to the hilt.
From the first thrust, I can tell this is different. It’s not the furious, frantic fucking we usually do–every movement is deliberate, a steady grind that borders on torture. He breaks the kiss to gaze into my eyes, his body molding to mine as he holds my stare, the intimacy of it all making my head spin.
“Even when you’re a thousand miles away, you’ll still be mine,” he growls with a harsh punch of his hips, burying himself so deep I cry out at the fullness while his words hit me right in the chest.
“Possessive asshole,” I choke, but it comes out soaked in affection.
“You love it.”
My heart stutters, then starts up again twice as fast.I do.
The way he fucks me is both reverent and relentless, his hands tangled in my hair, teeth grazing my collarbone, hips rocking into me with a rhythm that’s more like a plea than a demand. I losetrack of time, lose track of myself. There’s nothing but the weight of his body, the heat of his skin, the way his mouth keeps finding mine in the dark.
When I finally come, it’s like a shockwave ripping through my body, my back arching off the bed. I choke on his name, the word breaking apart on my tongue. He grinds into me, drawing it out, then pulls out and paints my inner thighs with his own release.
The full moon’s tomorrow, which means I’m likely ovulating. Better safe than sorry.
We collapse in a tangle of limbs and sheets. I press my face into his shoulder, sucking in huge, desperate breaths, trying to keep it together as his scent overwhelms me.
Ares cleans his mess off my skin, then rolls us onto our sides, wrapping himself around me like a shield. For a long time, neither of us says anything, the room quiet save for the sound of our labored breathing and the faint hum of the city outside the bedroom window. My eyes burn, but I don’t let the tears fall. Not yet.
Eventually, he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear and whispers, “Hey.”
I crane my neck, turning my head to meet his eyes.
He studies me for a long moment, then smiles, soft and sad. “You know I wouldn’t change a thing, right?”
I close my eyes so a tear doesn’t escape, nodding. “Yeah. I wouldn’t either.”
He kisses my forehead, then my nose, then the corner of my mouth. “Good.”
We drift off in each other’s arms, not quite asleep, but far enough gone that the rest of the world can’t find us. Tomorrow, I’ll put on my mask and do what I have to do. I’ll run, and I won’t look back.
But tonight, I’ll give myself this one last thing. I’ll let him hold me, let him make me feel safe, and let myself love him, knowing I’ll pay for it later.
CHAPTER 34
Miley
I thought leaving would feellike jumping off a building. Turns out, it’s more like standing at the edge with your toes curled over the concrete, the whole city spread out beneath you, and then just… not moving. The wind howls, the drop is right there, but you can’t let go. Maybe you just get used to the view.
Last night, I considered calling this whole thing off. As I lay awake with Ares sleeping peacefully beside me, his warm chest pressed against my back and his arm banded protectively around my waist, it was suddenly easy to picture forever with him. Morning coffees, nightly cuddles. I thought about how we could just show up to the ceremony, claim our bond before the pack, and make the lie real. Nobody would question it. Ares would do it in a heartbeat. Iknowhe would, and maybe I could, too. There are far worse fates than being tied to Ares Raines for the rest of my life.
