Page 56 of Promises in the Dark

She gave a small nod, barely enough to acknowledge it. “Yeah, I needed someone in a higher position to vouch for me.”

I should’ve knocked that sorry excuse for a man when I had the chance.

“That piece of shit,” I snapped, my eyes narrowing and my hands balling into fists so tight I could feel the blood pulsing in my knuckles. “If I see him again, it’s game over for him.”

I wanted to rip him apart, to make him pay for every bruise he had left on her beautiful fucking skin.

Red remained calm and rational like she had already run this script in her head. “It’s okay,” she rasped, her voice wrecked from crying. “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”

She was right, but that didn’t cool my rage—it only made it worse. The fury inside me was fucking volcanic, boiling up, choking me. I wanted to scream, hit something, hithim.

“It’snotokay. I’ll kill that piece of shit myself if he so much as breathes near you again,” I shouted, my throat tight with hatred.

I was fucking livid.

Livid that he hurt her.

Livid that he ever touched her.

Livid that he made her cry.

She just sighed, completely drained. Her eyes were swollen and red, still carrying that utterly broken look I couldn’t stand to see.

“You’re safe now,” I murmured, my voice softer but no less filled with conviction. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

I was losing it, spiraling, but there she was—looking so goddamn gorgeous, drenched and vulnerable. Her wet body pressed against me, her face framed by damp hair, was driving me insane.

She was right there, shoulder to shoulder with me on the cold, slick tiles, shivering but holding on. Every rise and fall of her breath against me made my own heart pound like it was trying to tear its way out of my chest.

Her eyes met mine, raw and bloodshot, like she was looking for something in me she could hold onto. The air between us felt like it could ignite at any second. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her face, her wet hair plastered to her cheeks, her lips swollen from biting down on them. She was fighting it just as much as I was, but feeling her body pressed into mine, her warmth seeping through that thin, soaked fabric—it was pure, agonizing torture.

Every shift of her hips, every brush of her thigh against mine, sent a shockwave straight through me, a fire spreading under my skin, ready to explode.

Then her hand slid up to my forearm, her fingers digging in like she knew exactly how close I was to breaking. Her lips were so close, breaths shallow, challenging me, daring me to see just how long I’d keep fighting. That tension was killing me, a spark between us about to go off, and all I could think was how badly I wanted her, how long I’d been fighting this losing battle.

I just couldn’t resist any longer.

I leaned in and tilted her chin up, capturing her trembling lips with my own. My tongue pushed past her lips, demanding, taking everything she had to give. I needed her, right then, like air.

I cupped her face, my fingers tangling in her damp hair, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. Her nails dug into my back, leaving these delicious scratches that only made me want her more.

The way she responded, her body melting against mine, told me she wanted this just as badly as I did.

“You taste so fucking good…” I moaned in between kisses, my lips sliding across hers.

I wanted more of her, I wanted to taste all of her.

My lips trailed down her jawline, leaving a trail of wet kisses along her skin. I nipped at her neck, savoring the way she gasped and arched into my touch.

There was no finesse in that kiss. It was raw, it was primal, a need to consume and be consumed. It was everything we had been holding back for way too long. I bit down on her lower lip, a growl escaping my throat as I claimed her mouth as mine. Because fuck it, in that moment, shewas.

I forgot about my mission, about the snitch. All I cared was the taste of her on my tongue and the ache in my chestscreaming for more. The world could burn around us, and I wouldn’t give a fuck.

“I need you. I need you more than I’ve ever needed anything.”

I lifted her off the wet floor, settling her onto my lap. Her legs automatically spread, giving me access to the space between them and my hands found their way to her hips, holding her in place.

Between breathless gasps, she responded, "We shouldn’t be doing this.”

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