Page 33 of Savage Rule

I grab my phone and find some spam message that just came in. But that’s not what has me frozen on the spot. It’s the alert from the sensors I set down the hall, the only security measure I could place on the outside of the apartment that wouldn’t raise suspicions.

Motion Detected 12:25.

Then,Front Door Open 12:27.

That was twelve minutes ago.

Shit. How did I sleep through that?

Slowly, I bend down to my bra still puddled on the floor and from the little pocket between the cups, pull out the two-inch blade I keep there.

I step over my clothes and press myself to the wall. My heart is pounding in my ears and it takes a moment to calm it down so that I can hear.

There’s someone in my kitchen. The fridge door clearly opens and something is pulled out, a beer from the sound of a cap being taken off.

Cautiously, I make my way there, ready to strike the intruder.

But when I reach the doorway and peer inside, I’m so shocked all I can do is stare.

“How did you find me?” I ask.

“Maisie.” Gunn takes a sip of the beer he pilfered and sits in a chair too tiny for a man his size.

“She would never give me up.” I hate that it comes out small and unsure.

“Not willingly. But when given the choice between handing you to me or the alliance, she went with what she perceived to be the lesser threat.” He lets his gaze drop to the towel wrapped around my body and gives me the most wolfish grin I’ve seen on him. “Don’t blame her for not knowing any better.”

“You tricked her.” Of course he did. There’s no other explanation.

“Come over here.” He pats the round table in front of him.

I smirk. “What, you want to have a conversation before you try to kill me again?”

“That’s not what I’m here for.”

“Then why are you here?” I ask haughtily.

“I’ve got a raincheck to cash. Figured it would be best to do it before someone elsedoestake you out. So. Come. Here.”

I glance at his large hand still on the table, a table I don’t ever eat at but by the way his gaze has darkened as he takes me in, he’s the one about to eat.

Every cell in my body comes to full attention, alert and ready. He catches the flush that spreads over my skin, and grins. “Are you warm?”

“A bit.” As if of their own accord, my feet begin to move forward. I slide between him and the table and push my ass onto it. “It was very risky of you to come.”

“You want me.” He leans in, his fingers dancing just below the hem of my towel, skimming my knees softly. “That’s my safety net.”

“YouassumeI want you.”

“Don’t you?” His eyes lock with mine and I’m suddenly not just warm, I’m parched too. His brings his face so close to me, I can feel the tip of his nose graze mine. He moves to my right, his breath fanning my cheek, and my ear. “Don’t you want me, Scarlet?”

My hands begin to tremble, and I grip the edge of the table to stop them. “Do you wantme?” I whisper.

He chuckles, the deep rumble sending a throbbing pulse through me. “You know the answer to that.”

“Yes,” I sigh when he takes my earlobe between his teeth.

“Yes, what?”

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