Page 29 of Promises in the Dark

The way she looked at me—fragile, but full of fire—it fucked with my head. Every time she shifted in her seat, the brush of her clothes against her curves was a torment to my senses.

My body was screaming, muscles coiled tight with raw, pent-up hunger. The tension in the car was suffocating, thick with unspoken, filthy desires. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, muscles straining as I held back. Every inch of me was on fire, wanting to claim her, to fuck her senseless until we were both nothing but a mess of sweat and need.

I fought against it, clenching my jaw so hard it damn near broke. But fuck, it was a struggle. Every word out of her mouth, every goddamn breath she took, only stoked the flames inside me.I had never felt anything like it, this all-consuming hunger that messed with my head and drove me insane.

I didn’t get it. I’d had women—plenty of them. They were just a quick release, a way to ease the tension. But with Red it was different. It was fucking madness.

Her pain, her vulnerability, it woke something primal in me. The way she looked at me with those defiant, hungry eyes, it made my blood boil. I wanted to tear her apart, consume her, claim her like some fucking beast.

No other woman had ever done this to me. It was like she’d crawled into the darkest corners of my mind and unleashed hell. My usual control, my distance, was slipping right through my fingers.

I craved her. I wanted to mark her, make her scream my name until there was no doubt who she belonged to. The thought of her writhing beneath me, moaning, begging for more—it made me lose my fucking mind. I wanted to claim her in a way that left no question about it.

I tried telling myself it was just the lack of real women around here, that any guy would get twisted up with a woman like her standing this close, dressed like that, skin glistening with sweat. But every time I looked at her, it felt like a fuse inside me got shorter, burning hotter.

It pissed me off, too—this attraction that made no damn sense. We were in the middle of a war zone, hell practically spilling over outside, and here I was with my brain wrapped around the thought of how she’d look under me, skin against skin, feeling those soft curves pressing into me.

I’d barely met her, barely even knew her, and yet every time I caught a whiff of that faint scent of hers, clean and sharp even under the desert grime, it scrambled my thoughts in a way that was way past decent.

I slammed my foot on the gas, the engine roaring as I buried those wicked thoughts deep inside. Red’s vulnerability might ignite every dark desire in me, but I wasn’t about to let ittake over. She deserved better than a rough, fucked-up release on the side of the road. I wouldn’t ruin what little connection we had left with my raw, base needs.

I pulled the SUV over, the engine growling to a stop as dust kicked up around us. The fuel gauge was nearly on empty, and we were out of options. No way we could detour, and driving through the city meant the Talibans would be all over us.

“The car doesn’t have enough gas to go around the city and dodge the insurgents,” I informed Red, my eyes locking on her petite frame. “So, we need to cross Jalalabad on foot. It’s the only way we’ll have a chance of slipping through undetected.”

Her eyes welled with fear as she realized what this meant. “Are you serious?” she questioned, her voice rising with her incredulity.

I shot her a a pissed-off look. “Dead serious,” I bit back.

She let out a frustrated grunt. “Fine, let’s get this over with,” she mumbled.

I shook my head, eyeing her outfit. “You’re gonna get us both killed if you walk in there looking like that,” I continued, shifting my stance and crossing my arms over my chest.

Her jaw dropped as the words hit. “I never went outside the medical camp. What makes you think I’m carrying spare clothes around with me?” she mumbled, a bit of anger seeping into her timbre.

I sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of my nose. “We need to find you some clothes,” I said, my tone stern but not completely annoyed. “You’re gonna attract every predator in a hundred-mile radius.”

She shot me a withering glare in response. “Apologies, I didn’t bring my nun outfit because I was a bit preoccupied with, you know, escaping.”

She had to push, had to test me like she always fucking did. Her words were like a slap, stinging, cutting deep. I rubbedmy temples, trying to keep my cool, but the urge to grab her by the collar and shake some sense into her was overwhelming.

“For fuck’s sake, stop with the attitude,” I warned, daring her to challenge me again. “I don’t want to hear one more word out of you,” I added, through gritted teeth. “Is that clear?”

I yanked her arm hard, fingers digging into her skin as I shoved the door open. Didn’t give a fuck about her protests. She stumbled, smacking into me, tits pressed right against my chest.

My grip tightened, and she let out this soft little sigh as her body rubbed up against mine. Damn near sent me over the edge. The way she fit against me—it was like a drug I couldn’t quit.

“Stay close to me,” I said quietly, my eyes scanning the streets for anything that moved.

She just nodded, sticking tight as we crept through the filthy streets of Jalalabad. I kept my eyes peeled, every muscle tense, ready to tear apart anything that got in our way. The night was our only cover, but fuck, we couldn’t afford to fuck up.

Then my eyes landed on a clothesline, an abaya and niqab swinging in the wind. A wicked grin crept across my face as an idea took root.

“What are you doing?” Red asked, clearly not trusting my sudden change in mood.

“Don’t ask,” I said, offering no more explanation than that. “Just follow me.”

She raised an eyebrow at my cryptic response, but she kept her mouth shut. I made my move, snatching the abaya and niqab from the line, feeling that rush—same one I got from a good fight. Made my blood pump.

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