Page 94 of Brutal Ice

Her heart drummed. Her head dipped forward.

His lips feathered over her forehead.

Then…down her cheeks.

Because she was crying. She hadn’t even realized the tears were trailing down her cheeks, not until she felt Royal kissing them away.

“Did I hurt you?” Gruff. “I’m sorry. I never meant?—”

“You didn’t.” The release had sent all of her emotions crashing into her. The feelings she’d tried to keep in check? Ha. There was no check. Pain and grief and fear battled within her. “I wanted to be strong like you. I wanted to hunt him. But I was so scared.”

His head lifted. “It’s because of me.”

“It’s because of me.” He was still in her. Getting bigger by the second. “I wanted to be able to stop him. I wanted to make the fear I felt end, but when I was in that garage, I was absolutely terrified.”

“Violet…”

“And I didn’t save her.” She didn’t want to keep seeing Simone’s bloody image. “Make it stop,” she pleaded.

“Baby?”

“Can you make the pain stop? And the fear? Just make it go away. Tell me it’s over.” Her hands dropped to his waist. She pushed her body up. Sank back down on him. “Make it go away.” Because it had gone away. In that blinding moment of release, she’d known only him.

She wanted that reckless release again. Pleasure swept away everything else, and in the moment of climax, she could be absolutely mindless. No fear. No sadness. No pain.

Nothing but Royal.

Them.

Nothing but…

“The damn car is slowing down,” he growled. Both of his hands had returned to her waist. “We’re at my place, sweetheart, and in a few minutes, Kai is going to be opening the back door. I’m not really in the mood to give him a show.” His eyes still glittered at her. “For future reference, I’m the only one who ever gets a show from you.”

Reality washed over her in a hard, cold wave.

What am I doing?

She’d jumped on him. In the back of a limo. With his friend driving in the front. With no protection. Simone’s body was in the morgue. Micah had been taken away by the cops in an ambulance.

She and Royal had spent so many hours at the police station.

And as soon as they were alone. She was…they were…

She scrambled off him.

He winced.

Violet grabbed for her clothes. Put the borrowed gear on as quickly as she could even as she was far, far too aware of the wetness between her thighs. “We shouldn’t…I shouldn’t…” Her eyes squeezed shut. “What is wrong with me?”

“Nothing.” Savage.

Her eyes flew open.

He’d already adjusted his clothes.

“Not a damn thing is wrong with you. Don’t sit there and feel guilty for taking pleasure.”

She was. Feeling guilty for having an orgasm that shook her bones in the back of a limo while Simone was cold on a slab.

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