Page 57 of The Last Promise You Made

A mere second was all it took for the surprise of my kiss to wear off and for him to take control. He nipped at my lips with more than just a love bite, and when I gasped, he thrust his tongue inside. And just like last time, there was nothing sweet or tender or kind about his kiss. It was all fiery punishment. Not only for me but for himself. For wanting to play with this flame when we both knew it could do nothing but leave burnt ash in its wake.

He tilted his head, seeking further access, exploring and licking in a way that immediately made my breasts ache and heat pool down deep. He hauled me up against him, the press of his belt buckle in my stomach adding a spike of pain that should have been another warning. That should have been enough to make me step back, and yet I found myself pushing in harder, the sting of it only adding to the longing growing inside for more.

His hips shifted so his legs caged mine, the bulge growing inside his jeans pushing as if it could somehow make its way through layers of denim and brand me. My hands went to his neck, dragging nails into the skin there, and he reciprocated with fingers digging in at my waist.

I’d never been one to play games with sex. I’d never needed ties and bonds to get off, but heaven help me, I wanted this man to tear the clothes from my body and take control. I wanted him to demand I follow his commands. I wanted to forget everything but his words, his taste, his feel. I could spend a lifetime lost in his touch.

That singular thought came down on me like rain on scorched earth.

A lifetime was not in my playbook.

I pushed his hands from my waist, untangled my legs from his, and stepped back.

His eyes were hooded and heavy, his lips red and slick, and a lock of hair dropped over his forehead that I wanted to push away. He gripped the counter, forearms straining, as if he was holding himself up or holding himself back from reaching for me again. And in that moment, fully clothed but straining everywhere for me just like I was straining in every molecule for him, Ryder Hatley became the sexiest human being I’d ever encountered.

Movement behind me broke our gaze. His eyes drifted sideways, and I whirled around to find Addy, fully dressed in some of her new clothes with the new Converse on her feet and her jaguar pressed to her chest. Her backpack was in her other hand.

Ryder stepped toward her. The heat from our kiss was replaced with a look of tenderness as he looked down at her, and I suddenly wanted that softness for my own. I wanted him to look at me with that same concern and affection. With a shock, I realized I was feeling jealous of a seven-year-old, traumatized little girl, and wasn’t that just beyond ridiculous?

He cleared his throat and said, “Good morning, Addy. Did you sleep okay?”

She shrugged, putting her backpack on the floor by the edge of the counter. I’d checked on her in the middle of the night. Had he as well? She’d been in the bed, flat as a pancake and almost invisible with the covers pulled over her head, but she’d at least stayed there. She hadn’t hidden. In a matter of days, he’d made her feel safe.

“I made breakfast burritos. Do you like salsa?” he asked. She nodded, and he pointed to the counter where there were three different brands and heat levels. “They’re not my mama’s homemade version, but they’re decent.”

She pointed to the middle one, and he motioned her over to the plates he’d been assembling before our argument and our heated kiss had distracted him. A kiss I still felt in every single part of me. I’d be feeling and tasting and thinking of it for months. Just like the last one.

He helped her wrap the burrito and got her some juice. I took my plate and coffee and sat at the island on the other side of Addy, using her as a buffer so my body didn’t spontaneously combust. It was quiet while we ate, tension drifting through the air that wasn’t good for the little girl, but I didn’t know how to defuse it.

Ryder pushed his plate back and looked down at her. “My work is at the ranch, and I have a lot I need to do there today. You didn’t get to see the kittens, so I thought you might want to come and see them?”

“Okay.” Her words were soft and whispery, but they felt loud because she spoke so little. Normally, if she agreed, she’d just nod. So, getting an actual verbal response felt like a huge step.

When my eyes met his, I knew he felt the same way. His jaw ticked before he said, “Gia needs your help with that sketch of the man in your hotel room first. Do you think you could work on that before we go see the kittens?”

She put her burrito down, looked at her hands, and then glanced from him to me and back down. Then, she let out a shaky little breath and nodded. I wished I didn’t need her help. I wished I didn’t have to ask her to live through those moments again. I wished I could solve this without her.

“Let me go get my computer,” I said, jumping down and heading for the bedroom.

When I came back out, Ryder was washing up. I rejoined Addy at the island, opened my laptop, and brought up the program I needed. We started with a general male face with short brown hair and brown eyes. Then, I asked whether his hair was darker or lighter, shorter or longer, curly or straight before moving on from there. It took us over an hour. I changed the square face to more of an oval. Narrowed his eyes, moving them closer together and thinning them out. Added a rounder, bulbous nose, and heavy brows. Step by step, we moved closer while Ryder joined us and watched.

Maybe because it felt a bit like a computer game, Addy seemed to take it in stride. She clutched Balam to her chest and swung her feet, the toes of her shoes quietly banging into the island. But she didn’t freak out, and she didn’t cry.

When I’d done all I thought I could do, I pressed the icon that would turn the image into more of a 3D model and then turned the screen to her one more time. She jerked back, and only Ryder’s quick move kept her from falling off the stool. She turned, pressing her face into Ryder’s arm, and he lifted her off the stool and held her to him.

My lungs forgot to breathe at the image they made wrapped together.

I forced myself to inhale and shifted my gaze back to the computer, saving the image one more time. I worked over the lump in my throat, and said, “Okay. I’ll send this off to the team, and see if we can get a bead on who he is. You did an amazing job, Addy. I know I told you this yesterday, but you really are the bravest little girl I’ve ever met.”

Her eyes peeked out from where she was tucked up against Ryder.

“You don’t have to talk about him any more today. But just know, the more you can tell us about what happened, the better chance we have of catching him.”

“Mama argue,” she said softly.

“They argued?”

“She say he not be there. He should go.” Addy breathed in and then continued, “He kissed her. Mama mad. Hit him.”

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