Page 67 of The Price of Mercy
He sighs against my skin and drags his lips up the column of my throat. “I am serious, Mercy.”
My heartbeat stutters as his tone shifts.
Kissing a trail along my jawline, he hums softly. “I’m always serious when it comes to you.”
I stare at the screen as Zane clicks to enhance the image of the conference room. It takes a few seconds, but then the men at the twelve-foot long table come into focus. I only recognize two of them: Samuel Wright, CEO and founder of some of the largest corporations in the city, and a younger carbon copy ofhim. Dressed in a tailored black suit, brunette hair perfectly styled, summer eyes shining in the sunlight beaming through the window.
Sam looks like he’s exactly where he belongs.
But then he turns away from the room and faces the camera for one second, maybe two, as he takes a calming breath, and beyond the charming facade is a man whose eyes betray just how exhausted he actually is, down to the marrow of his bones.
“We have to help him.” My heart beats rapidly as I get worked up, my nervous system flailing in response to Sam’s distress. “What can we do?”
Zane nuzzles my neck and presses his lips to my fluttering pulse. “That’s the problem, Mercy.” He taps something on his keyboard to take a screenshot. “He walked into that wolf den on his own. Now it’s up to him to find a way out.”
I think back to what Sam told me before we separated. “He’s choosing to stay,” I realize, my heart breaking. “He’s not leaving, because he hasn’t found what he’s looking for yet. He’s trying to save me. Saveus.” My voice catches. All this time, I’ve been wondering if he’s finally realized how much of a burden I am—how much he doesn’t need me. When in reality, I’m still as much of a burden as always, and he’s going through hell to make it work.
Zane is, too, in his own way. I tear my gaze off the monitor and scan Zane’s face. The paleness of his complexion. The dark circles under his eyes. The way his bones jut out more than I remember. He isn’t taking care of himself, because he’s too busy worrying about everyone else.
“Let’s get some fresh air, okay?” I cup Zane’s cheek. It’s cold to the touch. “We can spend the day together. Just you and me.”
Something flickers in the depths of Zane’s eyes, like dying embers struggling to light. “Okay.” He licks his dry lips. “What do you want to do?”
I catch him off guard by pressing the barest kiss to his lips. His muscles tighten as his entire body goes stiff. Dragging in a breath, he bumps my forehead with his and closes his eyes, exhaling slowly. “That’s not fair,” he murmurs, sliding his hand into my hair. “I didn’t say you could kiss me.”
This man has never asked for permission to touch me, andnowhe has a problem when I touch him back?
“You’re a hypocrite.” I shake my head and his fingers snag in my hair. “You’ve been kissing me this whole time.”
His gaze flicks to my lips before returning to my eyes. “I like kissing you, Mercy.” Tilting his head up, he kisses the corner of my mouth. “Is that a problem?”
Warmth spreads through my veins. My heartbeat suddenly races. This feels important. Like we’re… testing a boundary, or creating new ones. I take a shaky breath. “It’s only a problem if I can’t kiss you back.”
A smile curves on his lips. “You want to kiss me?”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
He laughs, the sound rich and full of life. I find myself smiling alongside him. “Alright, Kitten. You can kiss me whenever you want.” His arm tightens around my waist as he pulls me closer. “Don’t hold back.”
Chapter 27
Kane
It turnsout that asking Mercy to take Zane to his appointment is the best fucking idea I’ve ever had, not only because the two of them are stuck together for half the day, but because it gives me unfettered access to Mercy’s father: the one and only Vinicius Morningstar. Every free moment I’ve had over the past few days has been spent under his direct tutelage. Learning about the machines and instruments in the morgue, watching him catalogue inventory and expenses, assisting him with heavy lifting when the time calls for it and, occasionally, catching up on his emails. Vinny isdefinitelystruggling to run the place on his own, and that’s exactly why he needs a guy like me.
Enthusiastic, funny, gorgeous—and head over heels for his daughter. I’minvested.It makes me the perfect right-hand-man.
While Vinny rubs the back of his neck at a lopsided table in the break room, I crack open a soda for him. He gives me a tired but grateful smile.
“Someone as young as you shouldn’t be cooped up in a place like this all day.” He slides the can towards himself but doesn’t take a sip. “I’m not naive. I know that you’re only here for Mercy’s sake. She asked you to keep an eye on me, didn’t she?”Vinny shakes his head. “I’m notthatold. I can take care of myself.”
I’ve seen how often he forgets to take breaks and eat a real meal, opting for packs of dry crackers or frozen breakfast sandwiches rather than eat the lunches Mercy packs for him. They sit in the fridge at the house until someone—usually Granny, I think—takes them for herself. That could be why he leaves them, but still. The man’s gotta take better care of himself or he’ll end up in one of the plots out back.
“She didn’t send me.” Sitting opposite him, I put on my most charming smile. The best part is that I don’t have to fake it. IlikeMercy’s dad. Ever since he held a shotgun to my face for allegedly making his daughter cry, I knew that I was gonna like the guy. Working under him during the day and sitting at his dinner table every night has been nice. He smiles when the table gets rowdy over a deck of cards before bed.
I think he misses having a full house.
“I’m gonna take the business from you, old man.” Rapping my knuckles on the table edge, I barely hold back a grin. Yeah,Kane Morningstarhas a nice ring to it. “I like it here, and I’d like to stay.”
