Page 107 of Manacled Hearts

“Finnigan, I—”

“You should go to bed, Evie darling.” His fingers are on my chin again, but only for a brief second, because in the next one, his hand is on the back of my neck, and I’m pulled into the most brutal, demanding, and hungry kiss.

I fist his bloody T-shirt, holding him to me like I’m scared he’ll dare break this kiss, but Finnigan has other ideas. His other hand goes to the small of my back, pulling me flush to his body, before his fingers snake further down, pressing into my ass. I moan into his mouth, following the vibrations with the frantic swipes of my tongue against his, and when his clear hard on presses into my lower belly, the urge to climb him like a tree threatens to make a fool out of me.

His previous rejections still stain my memory, but Christ… this starving kiss might just wipe it clean.

With one last bruising press of his lips against mine, he pulls away, that sly grin once again tugging at his lips.

“I wish this wouldn’t feel so right.”

I frown and open my mouth to spit back at him, but what would I say? Because I wish for the same thing.

“We can allow ourselves to feel right. We deserve as much. Even if there’s a time limit on it.”

“Time limit?” he asks.

I nod. “You know of my father. I like it here, but this is not about me.”

He doesn’t look too pleased with my answer, but doesn’t argue. “You may be right, we deserve at least a bit of rightness.”

He pulls me back to him, kissing me again, only this time the hunger is different. It begs and demands at the same time, it’s soft, warm, and intimate, and I find that I like this kiss even more than the one before.

* * *

Three hours I spent in the gym and training ring today. Madds pushed me so much harder, at my request, and taught me some more moves and techniques. Every muscle in my body aches, but it feels so good. I may not be ready to take on Frankie again, but boy do I feel like I could stand against the asshole.

Madds is still upset I jumped out of the car to get the guy who almost shot him, but he hugged me so hard the other day at dinner, I know he’s thankful. He’s just not the type to spell it out. And the fact that he’s eager to train me harder and show me more fighting moves and techniques says a lot. Moreover, I finally regained control of myself. Of my fate. I no longer feel so useless. Madds, The Sanctum, gave me something I never had before—strength. Not just physical, but mental and emotional. I’m more myself than I ever have been before.

“Is it my turn now?” Maya squeals from her seat on the wooden bench far against the back wall.

“You wanna train too?” Maddox asks, amused.

“Yup!” She drops her book and sprints to us. She tries to climb in the ring, but keeps falling on her ass, much to our amusement. She’s determined though, and Maddox chuckles as he goes and pulls her up.

“Alright then. While your sister goes and rests, I’ll train you.”

This man takes his role so serious, and sometimes I just want to cry at how amazing he is with her, with us. I never wished for another sibling, and even if I did, they would have paled in comparison to Madds.

He drops to his knees at her level since he’s so damn tall. “Show me how you make a fist.”

I chuckle and climb out of the ring, starting to unwrap my hands as I head to my gym bag. I don’t bother changing, I just pull a pair of joggers over my shorts and stay in my sports bra since I’m too hot. I’ll pull a sweatshirt over when we’re on our way to Vincent’s house. The guys are so worried about me, they keep an eye on me at all times and avoid keeping me in public places for longer than necessary. It’s a bit annoying, but then again, I’ve never felt so protected in my life. I can’t complain, not when all that matters is the fact that Maya is safe. Granted, The Fightclub is not a public place, but even the drive from here to the penthouse or Vincent’s forest house could be dangerous.

It’s been five days since the three raids, and they’ve all been the same—Finnigan’s, baking, gym, worry, sleep.

I could use a drink.

From what I understand, Carter’s been baiting the hell out of Frankie and Bartiste. Screwing up their operations, destroying leads and connections, and making sure those assholes aren’t welcomed in the underground of Queenscove. This is Sanctum territory, yet those assholes think they can just swoop in and do business here. They’ll soon get angry enough that they’ll come out and make a mistake. Bloody cowards.

“Hey, Madds? Is Midnight open now?” I raise my voice over Maya’s funny grunts as she hits his open palms.

“No. But Carter and Jian or Tina might be there. A bartender, too.”

Jian and Tina are two of the hackers from Carter’s team. They’ve been part of it and The Sanctum for years. Brendan is the other, but I rarely see him. He’s a proper recluse.

“I’m going to head up there. I need a drink,” I let him know as I head toward the stairs that lead up in the secure corridor.

A few weeks ago, Carter set my fingerprint on the access pads and gave me a code so I can go up whenever I felt like having a drink after workouts. He did make sure to tell me to only go if it’s not open, though. I didn’t ask why, but one can guess.

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