Page 18 of Bound by Adoration

“Fuck, I missed you,” I groaned low, wanting to pull her in the truck, push Screech out, and take Nyx far away, fucking her until we both couldn’t walk.

“Me too.” Nyx nodded toward the large garage.

“Fine, but he and I are gonna have it out,” I told her as she stepped back.

“That I have no question about,” she said very low as I left her, pulling the truck through the driveway and made my way to the garage where the door mysteriously opened when I got close.

The light came on, showing the empty space, and I pulled in, parked, and cut the engine.

“My man,” Screech started as my hand went to the door of the truck to get the fuck out. I stopped and turned toward the man in the passenger seat, raising my brow for him to continue. “Remember the heads-up so I can get Nyx out of the way before the fight.”

I rolled my eyes and got out of the truck. “Sure. Don’t think that shit’ll be planned one bit.”

“Probably not.” He folded out of the truck on a small groan that he tried hiding. I didn’t say shit. The guy didn’t want my pity. That much I knew about him. He might be quiet, but he knew who he was.

That I could respect.

Nyx was standing at the end of the truck bed when I made my way around. “I’m helping, and don’t give me grief,” she told me, reaching in for one of her bags.

I held my hands up in surrender and smiled. “You want to do the heavy lifting, who am I to stop you?”

She smiled back softly and rolled her eyes. “Stop being cute.”

“Come here.” My heart thumped hard in my chest as I said those words, but I needed to feel her in my arms. But part of me feared she wouldn’t. That the feelings we had once upon a time meant little to her. Or they’d disappeared forever.

Fuck, it felt like forever but was only moments before she came right to me, wrapped her arms around me, and tucked her face in my neck. I wrapped her up tight, closed my eyes, and breathed her in. The emptiness Nyx left inside me three years ago suddenly felt alive and rekindled.

I’d had to block that part of my life off because dealing with her loss was devastating. The open wound she left oozed and festered. I wasn’t the same without her. Never thought I would experience a connection with someone like I had with her. Then one day … gone.

Now, her warmth was filling me with so much happiness that I never thought I’d have again. I craved it like an addictive drug.

While I never wanted these assholes to come after Nyx, I was glad to have her back in my arms holding her close. Yes, this woman had fucked me up in so many ways.

My body, for the first time since she’d left me, relaxed. It was as if the weight on my shoulders disappeared, and it made me hug and hold her tighter. To know she was alive here with me. She was safe, for the most part.

“Fuck. You smell so damn good,” I told her, inhaling the scent of her hair again.

“I smell like shit, Liam. I need a shower,” she said in my chest.

“You smell like sunshine.” And Raid, but I didn’t relay that part. I pulled back as she looked up at me with those beautiful eyes that took my breath away.

Leaning down, her lips were calling me, and I took them. She only hesitated a millisecond then reciprocated, her hands feathering through the bottom of my hair. Heaven. That was what she was.

All the moments from our time together flashed through my head, and all I wanted was to take her away, protect her, and bury myself deep inside her body. Keep her for my own. Forever.

Fuck, this woman was everything. She lit up my life.

“I’ll fuckin’ kill you,” Raid said from behind Nyx. Opening my eyes upon feeling movement, Raid reached out to grab Nyx. I broke the kiss and pulled her behind me and out of his grasp.

“Fuckin’ try it, Raid,” I growled low in warning. He would not take her away from me. No one would again, dammit.

Raid lunged at me, his fist out and ready to connect with my jaw. I went to move, but my head bounced off of Nyx’s in a painful way. She groaned, but I had to block another punch from Raid and was unable to turn and check on her.

“Are you okay?” I called out, Raid coming at me like a man on a mission. That mission—take me down.

“Now look what you did!” Raid barked. “You hit Nyx! It’s bad enough your lips were on hers, but fucking hell!”

“Like I meant to. If you weren’t coming at me, I wouldn’t have had to back away, dumbass.”

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