Page 41 of Pawn

The last thing I see before my eyes close is the officer running by, my mind warping again, my chest booming from the adrenaline. From Damien.

He makes me feel like I’ve taken a bucket of Quickbull to the dome and when his hands come to my waist, mine come to his chest.

He eases up when I press on his pecs, looking at me with furrowed brows. So I explain, “The officer’s gone.”

“So?” While that makes me feel better that this wasn’t only a getaway show, there’s still too much in my mind to stop my hesitation. He growls, “I want you. Now.”

“Now?” I scoff, hiding the fact that I want that very thing. Damien inside me. His fingers and tongue work magic but they’re never enough. Still, I fight it. “When we’re running away from cops, again? We killed someone, then we kidnapped someone else. Who the fuck are we? Bonnie and Clyde? I can’t keep this shit up if I want a good life for Willow. If I want a good life for myself!”

Damien’s jaw tightens, but he keeps his eyes on me. “Jesus. Keep your voice down, Rowland.” I can feel his heartbeat against mine, his chest as warm as my face, even with his jacket off. “I’m getting us out of this. Just trust—”

“Trust you?” It’s hard not to laugh like I’ve finally lost it. “Why the fuck should I trust anything you have to say? Why the fuck should I even listen to another—?”

“Because I love you.” His forehead meets mine, hand on the wall next to me.

“Word,” I finish the sentence, stunned.

Finally.

His forehead crinkles, his eyes an inch away and I’m drowning in them as much as I am in this feeling enveloping me.

“Word?” He sounds nervous. He never sounds nervous and fuck, it’s making me nervous. “That’s all you have to say? After all that? Geez, Rowland, you’re a piece of work, you know that?”

“No, I was finishing my sentence, you caught me off guard.” I know what he’s waiting for.

When my teeth sink into my lip, he presses his hip into me and that feeling only makes this as hard as he is.

His finger hits my cheek, and for once, he’s being patient, even though he won’t let up. Won’t lessen the pressure of his body on me. When another moment passes, his shoulders fall. “You serious?”

“What?”

“You won’t even say it back.” His forehead leaves mine and he looks down at my tits but it’s not in admiration. A look of disgust comes on his face. “Look at you. Were you bluffing this whole time?”

“No, I’m just—” Before I can finish my sentence, Damien’s grabbing me by my legs, throwing me over his shoulder in classic Damien fashion. “The fuck are you doing?”

“We’re settling this.”

Eleven

Damien

“A Ferris wheel?” Jo breaks her silence when our gondola approaches.

“Observation wheel,” I correct her.

She didn’t say anything when I bought the tickets, her body still flung over my shoulder. I’m surprised the guy behind the counter didn’t ask any questions either. For that, he earned himself a nice tip.

It starts to snow and Jo looks cute as fuck when a few flakes land in her hair. On her nose. When she pulls her jacket around her, I know she’s cold but in a few moments, I’ll warm her up. Our gondola arrives, a glass-windowed car with sliding doors, and in minutes we’re seated inside.

“Holy shit,” she says looking down.

A glass floor sits below us but I’m not here for the view. Not that one anyway. I don’t care about the Italian leather on the seats, don’t care about the Dom in the built-in cooler. All I see is her. There’s nowhere for her to run. That means there’s also nowhere for me to run either. It’s a slow, smooth ride, the city appearing beneath us before Jo looks at me.

“So what is this?” she asks. “You all of a sudden up for an amusement park ride?”

Dropping my jacket to the ground, my shirt comes off my head next, the air warm against my chest. “Take it off.” Enough of this shit.

Her brows furrow before they drop to my abs but I’m dead serious. “You want me to strip?” she asks, looking around the space. “Right here? In a glass room on a Ferris wheel? What if someone sees?”

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