Page 127 of Hunt for You

I came up hard against the wall, but he just stepped right up, pinning me against it, staring down at me,glaring.

“Is that it, Bridget?” he breathed, his nose almost touching mine now, his eyes flashing with anger and hurt and something else I couldn’t pin down. “You want some guy who’s going to mistreat you—does that give you athrill?”

I could hardly breathe. It was fucking fantastic.

“I don’t want… that,” I said, swallowing hard. “I just want a guy who treats me like I’m not breakable.”

He flattened my wrist against the wall, pinning it there with his clamped fist and leaning slowly against me until I felt him hard against my thigh.

My mouth opened a little because I was shocked—he’d been so careful with me. So… gentle before. This man in front of me didn’t seem like a not-priest. He seemed like a felon.

A dangerous felon.

I liked it.

I smiled at him and tipped my head. “Maybe what you’re mad about isn’t that I like it rough, Sam. Maybe you’re madbecause you like it that way too?” I breathed, reaching down with my free hand to tickle my fingertips up the inside of his thigh, intending to stroke him.

That light in his eyes became a gleam and his gaze dropped to my smiling lips. I was just about to close my eyes, certain he was going to kiss me, when he suddenly tensed, then muttered something under his breath and let me go, backing quickly away, shaking his head.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. That was completely inappropriate—”

“No, Sam—”

“—I should never have…God, help me.”He clawed both hands through his hair.

“Stop!” I snapped, stepping up closer—but then he almost tripped, backing away so fast, and suddenly I was following him in a parody of what we’d just done, only in reverse. “Stop looking at me like that!”

“You don’t want me to look like I’m sorry?” he spluttered.

“No! Like… like I can’t take it!”

Sam stopped backing away and I didn’t anticipate it, so ran into him, fell into his chest. He wasn’t breathing as he searched my eyes, his forehead furrowed.

“That’s not what I think at all,” he said quietly, deeply.

My heart slammed against my ribs. “Then what—”

“I think youshouldn’t have to,which is totally different. Bridget… abuse and adventure are really different things. But it seems like… it seems like you want both.”

I blinked, then relaxed. I took a step back smiling.

Sam watched me intently, his forehead still creased with worry, but his eyes never leaving my face.

“You know what, Sam? You’re absolutely right. Gerald was right. Youarewise.”

Then I took the bull by the horns, leaned up on my toes and brushed a soft kiss to his stunned and slightly open lips. Ipulled away quickly, started to turn. But he caught me, his eyes still searching mine, then pulled me back in, took my face in his hands and lifted my chin, turning that sweet, soft kiss into something much, much deeper.

When we broke apart a minute later I was gasping and his chest was rising and falling quickly under my hand.

We stared at each other for a long moment, then it hit me what I was doing, and I panicked. I blinked, then turned on my heel and ran out of his house.

40. Now Who Doesn’t Get It?

SOUNDTRACK:Crushby Saint Slumber

~ CAIN ~

I watched her car pull away from the priest’s house and almost went after her, but I made myself sit there and wait.

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