Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 53361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53361 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 213(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
“Had to consider it.” Honesty seemed the only path forward now. “Wouldn’t have been the first time someone got close to learn club business.” Her face fell, and I realized my words sounded like I’d been suspicious of her from the start, like our connection had been built on wariness rather than attraction. “I never believed it,” I added quickly. “Not really. I had to be sure for the sake of everyone in the compound.”
She nodded, her gaze dropping to where my hand now rested on her knee. I hadn’t consciously decided to touch her, but there it was. My palm rested against the worn denim of her jeans, my thumb rubbing back and forth against the fabric. Her breathing quickened slightly at the contact.
I pulled my hand away, balling my fingers into a fist to keep from touching her again. “Sorry,” I muttered.
She shook her head quickly and snatched my hand back, lacing her fingers through mine with one hand and covering the top of my hand with the other. “I like it when you touch me. Even if it’s just holding my hand. You ground me.”
I nodded. “Your touch grounds me, too. I just need to comfort you.”
“You do.” She looked up at me with a watery smile.
“I know what it feels like,” I blurted out. “To do something you never thought you’d do because someone backed you into a corner. Don’t blame yourself for trying to survive. We don’t really know each other and haven’t built the trust you need to feel like you can come to me if you’re in trouble.” I shook my head. “No one here blames you for any of this. You’re the only innocent person in the whole mess. Me and Reeves both got blood on our hands.”
“I still betrayed you.” Her voice fell to a whisper. “I feel awful.”
“Reeves forced you,” I corrected. “Used you. There’s a difference.” When she dropped her gaze, I continued. “You’re the first person since Sarah who’s made me feel something other than rage.” The confession spilled from me unexpectedly, raw and honest in a way I rarely allowed myself to be. “First time I saw you, standing in that kitchen with Hannah, something… woke up. Something I thought had died with her.”
Cora’s gaze snapped to mine and her breath caught. “Marcus…”
“I came out of prison feeling like a ghost. And it didn’t have anything to do with the six years I spent inside. My wife was my world. I was adding to my world with the child she carried. When they were ripped from me, I thought I’d died with them.” I forced myself to hold her gaze, to face whatever reaction my words caused. Her eyes were wide, luminous with unshed tears, but not from fear or pity. I saw in her eyes a longing as intense as my own. “You walked into the compound.” My voice roughened. “And suddenly I was solid again. Real.”
Her mug made a soft thud as she set it on the table. Slowly, deliberately, she reached up, her fingers trembling slightly as they touched my face. I held perfectly still as she traced the scar at the edge of my eyebrow, then the lines at the corners of my eyes, then the edge of my beard along my jaw. Her touch was featherlight, exploratory.
“I’ve never belonged anywhere,” she whispered. “Never had anyone look at me the way you do.”
“How do I look at you?” The question emerged hoarsely, strained.
“Like I matter. Like I’m worth protecting.” Her fingers paused at the corner of my mouth. “Like you see me.”
The air between us grew heavy, charged with something more potent than desire alone. Her gaze dropped to my lips, then back up, a question that needed no words. I’d been careful with her since we met, but the look in her eyes now stripped away that caution, igniting something primal and hungry.
I leaned forward, one hand coming up to cup her cheek. Her skin was warm beneath my palm. Her eyes fluttered shut as I closed the distance between us. When our lips met, it wasn’t like our previous kisses. There were no gentle explorations and tentative beginnings. This was deeper, rawer, fueled by more than the truth we’d each laid bare before the other. Her mouth opened beneath mine, a small sound catching in her throat as my tongue slid against hers. I tasted the sweetness of the chocolate drink and the unique taste of the woman who had haunted my dreams since I’d met her. Cora’s eager need, as desperate as my own, made the blood surge hotly in my veins.
She gripped my shoulders, her fingers digging into muscle as she pressed closer. The careful control I’d maintained cracked. Each stroke of her tongue against mine, each small gasp she breathed into my mouth, chipped away at the walls I’d built until they crashed down around me with a defeated groan.