Page 21 of Wild Card

It’s the one thing keeping me from completely losing my mind.

Lennox has been mine since the very first time I slipped inside her. I majorly fucked up by not coming clean to her about my assignment, but I know better now.

I came for her as soon as I was legally able. That has to count for something…

Right?

I fucking hope so.

“Sorry to tell you this, but I’ve moved on from mediocre quickies in the back room of the club.” She smirks, and those fucking dimples of hers pop in her soft cheeks.

“Is that right?” My hand flies up, wrapping around her throat. Her hair gets tangled in my fingers, but I don’t worry about that as I back her toward the glass wall that leads into the lobby. “I’ll bet they didn’t fuck you half as thoroughly as I did,” I muse, getting very close to her ear. “Is that it? You needed double the dick, and it still didn’t do it for you? Aww, kitten, I know you well enough to understand how much that must have pissed you off.”

She’s a bossy little thing, completely unafraid to demand what she wants. It’s one of my favorite things about her.

“I am going to knee you in the balls,” she snaps, slapping my back with her heels that are still held in her hand. “I’m over being someone’s secret.”

“Lennox…” I sigh, shaking my head. I get that she’s hurt, but she’s being purposely stubborn. She said she got it back then, but if she needs reassurance now, I’ll remind her. “You understand how that world works. If anyone had even an inkling of how much I love you, they would have used it against me. It would have put you directly in the line of sight to be used to punish me if I misbehaved.”

“Love me?” she scoffs. “I begged you to be real with me that night. You told me it was time I moved on and found a pack.” Her voice gets higher pitched with each word.

My shoulders slump at the pain radiating in her tone. “I thought it would take me maybe a few weeks, at most, before I could explain myself. Your phone was shut off, and no one would give me your new information. Even back to that night, Avan had cameras all over the club. It wasn’t like I could tell you everything; not without him hearing and getting it on tape.”

“If it was only a few weeks, then maybe I could have forgiven you,” she whispers. “It took too long. I grieved. I can’t do it again, Thorne.”

“You won’t have to,” I promise, staring directly into her glassy eyes. “I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere.”

The door next to us opens with a whoosh, and the guy who checked me in last night pops his head into the vestibule.

“Is everything all right here?” Rush growls. He seemed fine when we first met, but I’m currently regretting not being armed.

I’ve spent the last few years not taking shit from anyone.

There was no room to show any weakness.

My instincts scream that I need to teach him a lesson for interfering.

She’s mine.

He needs to see himself far away from her if he wants to live.

It’s irrational and not how things work in the real world, but being undercover fucked with my head in more ways than I knew until it was time to readapt as a civilian.

“Let me ask again,” Rush says with a growl. “What the fuck is going on here?”

I run my thumb over Lennox’s jaw and quirk an eyebrow.

“Everything is fine.” Lennox huffs. “I was politely telling my ex to scurry back to whatever hole he crawled out of.”

I snort and give her throat a little squeeze before stepping back. “I’ve got all the time in the world. I quit. The government no longer owns my ass. The entirety of my job now is to keep you safe while I earn back your trust.”

Lennox rolls her shoulders, stretching in the ridiculously large jacket. She gives me an unimpressed look and raises her hands, shooing me out of her way.

“I’m coming for you hard this time, kitten.” I take an additional few steps back, despite everything in me screaming to toss her over my shoulder and steal her away to my room. “I’m not going to stop until you’re mine. Permanently.”

“Ned dropped off your coat,” Rush says, holding out an arm for Lennox. “I’ll walk you up to your room, just to be safe.”

My jaw clicks as my teeth grind together.

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