Page 60 of Beautiful Revenge
“Yeah, yeah. I’m forever your heroine. Don’t worry, I’ll fake your emergency like a rockstar. Maybe you need a cocktail to get through the day.”
“Maybe,” I mutter as I move forward in line but don’t tell her I don’t dare dull my senses. I need to be ready for anything. And even though I don’t want to break my communication with her and go back to the room, I say, “Thank you.”
We disconnect, and I place my order.
I need to get through today.
Then put every barrier I can between me and my fiancé.
And make myself safe.
Then I’m going to figure out what the hell is going on. When I do, there will be hell to pay.
Ishiver from the memory, and the crisp night air.
Devon’s hold on me is tight, and I’m brought back to reality when I feel his growl rumble through every bone of my body. “You being here tells me everything I need to know other than the why. We’ll get to that eventually. Soon, in fact.”
I don’t have a chance to say more, though I’m not sure what else there is to say. The fact I’m standing here being the biggest headache his manor has ever seen is proof enough that I escaped Albert to live another day.
And I managed to live out the rest of my engagement to set my plan into place...
To make sure the world knew I was done with Albert Humphries, III for good and exact revenge in my own way.
What I did not plan on doing is become entangled with an older man who was a secret agent in his past life.
His hand that was pressed low on my back fusing us together shifts to the side of my face.
His touch on my skin is warm and rough and possessive. His deep voice is no less any of those things as he has me ensnared in his gaze. “He’ll never touch you, Harlow. As long as you’re with me, you’re safe.”
My chest clenches with emotion because I haven’t felt safe since the day I left the Maldives.
I nod against his hand and lean into his embrace. “My life turned from pure bliss to a dark nightmare in a matter of moments. I haven’t felt safe in weeks, but ever since I got to Winslet, that changed.”
“You’re fucking right, that changed. I’ll make sure of it.” We’re so close, every word he utters is warm on my skin.
But that warmth is nothing compared to what he does next. Everything happens simultaneously.
One hand slides into my hair, the other shifts south to my ass, and his lips crash to mine.
It’s a shock to my system.
My lips part, and I taste Devon as he takes full advantage, sliding his tongue in to dance with mine.
He tastes like a new life. So much so, I don’t care what happens tomorrow, and I really don’t care what the world thinks of me.
I’m done with the past and searching for whys. I’ll get my revenge eventually.
But right here, in the strong arms of the man who I hardly know but for some reason I put my full trust in, I want nothing more than to live my life.
It stirs my insides and resuscitates a part of me I didn’t realize was dead.
Dead.
I grip the lapels of his jacket, push up to my toes to get more of him. For the first time in a long time, I allow myself to do something I’ve never done in my adult life.
I force away every tendency I have to make others happy, be who they want me to be, and throw away the hours of soul searching to figure out where I went wrong.
For once, I allow myself to be selfish.
