Page 33 of A Twisted Arrangement

“Yes, boss.” He’s smart enough to turn his gaze, facing the marble stone wall of the building.

I watch him until I’m sure he’s not going to turn around before reaching in and lifting Scarlet in my arms. She barelyweighs anything, even with the defined muscles I can feel through her clothes. I’m not surprised she spent the last several years working on her self-defense, not after how she was raised. My girl’s a fighter. Always has been.

Her fingers grip my shirt, tugging herself closer to me, and I hum in the back of my throat as her nails dig into my flesh. The need to meld her body to mine has been fucking painful for years. Even if it’s only in her sleep she needs to be close to me, I’ll take it. I know this is going to take more than a simpleI’m sorry, but one day, she’ll understand. Because I can’t accept any other future where she’s not my wife.

The doors swing open the second I start climbing the stairs, and a guard stands watch, gaze averted as I make my way in, precious cargo in hand. They’re all connected via earpieces, giving each other the heads-up.

My place is at least double the size of hers. I’d originally got it because I thought she’d like a second place downtown and did my best to match her style. It’s our other place that I’m dying for her to see. The one only my brothers know about. Not that they’ve ever understood why I had it built.

I take the curved stairwell to my room. She burrows deeper into my chest with each step, and I can’t help but slow down. Tomorrow, she’ll go back to not trusting me, but tonight, she knows she’s mine.

My room’s dark, only lit by the moon shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, the soft light casting across her face.

I set her gently in a seated position on the bed. “Little Sparrow, I need you to wake up.”

She makes a sound of disapproval, not even bothering to open her eyes.

“So fucking cute.” Keeping one hand on her, I reach into my nightstand dresser and pull out one of my T-shirts. It’s black,and I’ve owned it for years, making the fabric soft and so worn the fibers separate until it’s nearly see-through.

I kiss the top of her head, then drop my mouth to her ear. “I’m going to undress you.”

Goose bumps rise down the column of her neck, and I can’t stop myself from running my nose up her sensitive skin. Her scent rocks into me, driving the blood straight to my cock. Any other time, I’d have her laid out bare in front of me, but not like this.

Not when she’s only holding on to me because she’s wasted. Not when it’s unlikely she’ll remember in the morning.

When I fuck my girl, I want every single second imprinted in her mind until the only thing she can think about is how my cock fills her up.

The buttons of her shirt easily release from their slots as I make my way down her chest. My knuckles graze the path down her sternum, her soft belly. She moans, arching into my touch, and I bite down hard on my lip to prevent myself from devouring her. A few more days until I’ve met the requirement of her wish, and then I’ll have her laid out on this bed, begging for more.

I push the fabric off her shoulders, careful not to let her go, and swallow at the sight of her black-lace-covered breasts.

I reach back and snap the clasp with one hand, letting the sheer fabric fall down her arms. Rose-colored peaks over pale cream skin have me coming undone. This girl has no idea what she does to me.

I slide my shirt over her head before I can go any further, the fabric barely a barrier between us.

She makes a whining sound in her sleep, and I kiss her temple. “Soon, Scarlet. Just a little longer.”

“Now,” she pleads, and I groan low in my throat, barely holding my shit together.

I nip her ear and stroke my thumb over her taut nipple. “I’m not having sex with you when you’ll regret it.”

I guide her to lie down and release her pants, sliding them down her legs and dropping them on the floor. There’s moisture on both sides of her thighs. I rip myself away, taking several steps back so I don’t cave and bury my nose into her cunt.

The tip of my cock’s leaking, so fucking ready for her, but I push it beneath my pants’ waistband. I’m not giving up this opportunity to hold her, which means I have to keep my shit together.

Circling the bed, I get in beside her and tuck her into my side. She curls around me, heat sinking into my bones.

“Don’t leave me.”

Her plea is like a knife to my chest.

“Never again.”

Chapter 17

Scarlet

Metal warmsunder my palm as I look down the black barrel of my gun. The force of my shot reverberates up my arms and into my body as the loud crack echoes through the room, dulled by my earmuffs.

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