Page 104 of Cruel Love

Lucy turns up a hand. “What’s going on?”

“They caught Myra,” I say.

Her jaw drops.

“Hello?”

“Archer,” I answer him. “How’s she doing?”

His voice drops. “Bit on edge, I’m afraid. Not sure how long I’m going to be able to keep her grounded. How far out are you?”

“We’re still in Moscow,” I say. “We have a job to do here and then we’ll be on our way. Keep her focused until then.”

“I will.”

“Send us the location. We’ll leave Russia as soon as we can. Until then, watch your backs.”

“I’ve got Sparky locking us down as we speak,” he says.

“Good.” I take a breath. “Thank you, Archer.”

“Anytime, mate.”

I hang up, lowering the phone to my side as my pulse spikes.

“Dante?”

I look at Lucy, her big, bright eyes locked on mine.

“This is good news, right?” she asks.

I don’t answer. Instead, I wrap my arms around her. She accepts the embrace, pulling me in and holding me closer. I instantly feel her soft kiss on my cheek and her little hands caress my back with comfort.

We’re so close, Elijah.

Soon you can rest in peace.

I pull away and Lucy cups my face, her touch soft and warm. It’s what I used to do for her. We spent weeks together after her father was killed right in front of her. I spent every night holding her until she fell asleep, wiping her tears and kissing her wet cheeks. Making love to her to try and make her forget the pain for just a few minutes.

“I love you,” she whispers.

My heart aches but it’s not time to break yet. I have to stay strong. For her, for me. For Lilah, for Elijah...

“I love you,” she says again. “Dante...”

I kiss her, crushing my mouth on hers to make myself forget. She parts her lips for an even deeper kiss as my hands glide down her back to grip her rear. I cling to her, lifting her little body up and turning around to pin her against the closed door. Her ankles link behind me, bringing us closer together as she slides a hand between us and opens my zipper.

“Lucy,” I sigh, nearly begging.

“Don’t stop, Dante,” she whimpers, shaking in my arms.

I don’t want to stop. I need her. I need to immerse myself in her. I need to remember how it feels to be the man behind the killer and to see the world with bright, vivid colors. Colors I’d long forgotten about until the night I first had her in my bed. I taste sweet beauty on my tongue. I sense pure, blissful pain from head-to-toe. Lucy. My Lucy Vaughn.

Why would I ever stop loving you?

Lucy strokes me in her palm and I yield to the blood pulsing through me to satisfy her. I look into her eyes, taking quick, steady breaths until my tip is throbbing for release. I hold her up as she slides her panties to the side and eases my tip between her folds. My mouth sags, pleasure instantly building in me as she lets go and I thrust as deep as I can.

She cups my face, holding my gaze while she submits, taking my cock over and over again. We let go of the last few hours and those to come. We forget about the flights across the world and airport abduction. We ignore the fear inside telling us all the ways this night could go wrong. We lose ourselves in each other, bodies and souls entwined, if only for a few, tender moments.

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