Page 116 of Spark

“Hello, beautiful,” he whispered into her hair, his voice cracking her carefully constructed shield, and her tears began to fall. He kissed her tears away, his lips brushing her face softly, lingering on her skin.

Mia kept her gaze locked on him, terrified he would disappear. “Aurelio,” she murmured, catching his lips as his name slipped from her mouth. They kissed like it was the last time, his tongue pushing into her mouth, begging for her surrender. She let her hands roam over his hard muscles, the familiar feel of his body igniting a fire within her. Aurelio pulled her hips tighter against him, closing the space between them. He lifted her effortlessly, cradling her as she wrapped her legs around him, their mouths refusing to part.

Mia’s arms wound around his neck, pulling his face as close as possible. She closed her eyes, imagining they were back in the loft, the bed just inches away, moments from shedding their clothes and joining their bodies as they both craved. But then he pulled back, breaking the kiss, and Mia wasn’t ready for it. She yanked him back, crashing her mouth against his once more. Aurelio groaned, the deep sound vibrating through her chest.

“Mia,” he murmured against her lips.

“Shush,” she whispered, still kissing him. “Please.” Aurelio let her pull him to her again, their lips meeting hungrily. One hand slid up her back, fingers grazing the skin beneath her shirt. She felt him groan as he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“Aurelio,” she breathed, desire lacing her voice. He shook his head and set her down abruptly.

“No,” he said, stepping back. The radio crackled again, and Aurelio grunted angrily as he pulled it from his belt.

“What?!” he yelled.

“They’re here,” an older voice replied, calm and collected.

“Get here. Now.” The voice said. Aurelio exhaled deeply, the radio clipped back onto his belt.

“Mia, you need to leave.” He turned to push back through the bushes, Mac still watching them.

“Wait!” she cried, louder than she intended. Aurelio pushed her back, a finger pressed to her lips.

“Please,” he said, desperation lining his voice. “I can’t put you in danger like this.”

“You’re in danger!” she insisted quietly, grasping his arm. “Please, listen.” She pressed her lips to his, her mouth opening to him. He gripped the back of her neck, pressing them together. She broke the kiss, eyes pleading.

“Please, I have to tell you.” She begged.

Aurelio grunted again, torn between her and his responsibilities. “Fine, quickly.”

“The buyers are cops.” She spit it out quickly, Aurelio pulling back. “They’re here to bust this whole operation,” she said, Aurelio’s expression darkening.

“You called the cops?” he asked, pulling away in disbelief. “Mia, I—”

“It was me,” Mac interjected, stepping closer. “I’m working with the cops.”

Aurelio looked from Mia to Mac and back again, his eyes settling on Mia.

“Okay, thank you for telling me. Please leave.” He turned away, Mia pushing forward to grab him.

“No!” she cried again, throwing herself at him. Aurelio stood there for a moment before wrapping her in his arms.

“Please, beautiful.” He whispered into her ear. His voice betrayed him. “I need to finish this.” He pulled back to look at her. Bringing a finger to her face, he wiped her tears gently and kissed her. She felt the love, all the good parts and bad inthe kiss. She felt the goodbye on his lips. He pulled away, faces inches from hers as whispered.

“Why?” Her voice was barely audible as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

“To keep you safe.” He kissed her once more, then pushed her back, crashing through the bushes and down the slope toward the building. He glanced back once, just for an instant, but Mia caught the look he gave her—regret and sadness shining in his eyes as he disappeared.

Chapter Forty-Three

Mac had to drag her to the car, but once he did, she climbed in and turned to look back. All she could see were the lights from the building. Mac took off, speeding away before anything went down. As he drove, he muttered to Mia—or perhaps to himself.

“He’ll be fine; he’s always fine.” Mac was white faced, his knuckles gripping the wheel. She worried he would melt the plastic with how tight he held on. The car sped through the night. She blinked, and suddenly they were at the loft.

They sat in silence for what felt like hours, each in their own minds, unsure where to go from here. Suddenly, mac spoke.

“I need to go see Amy.” He looked to Mia, his eyes red and blood shot. Mia nodded, lifting a hand to open her door. She got out, her mind pulsing as she moved on autopilot. Mac gave her pleading look as she closed her door. She stood there, watching as Mac drove away.

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