Page 70 of A Heart So Savage

“What do you think I’m hiding? You know everything about me. You’ve seen all of me that there is to see.”

“We’ll discuss that later. When you are ready for it. Right now, I want to look at you. Fuck, you have no idea how torturous it was to watch you being waxed without touching you here. I wanted to grab the stuff out of Mary’s hand and do it myself. I would have, too, only that kind of wax is not my area of expertise. I might have hurt you without meaning to.” His finger moved until he was finally tracing the mound of her pussy. “You’re gorgeous like this. So plump and pink. Smooth. Silky.” He stroked her with just that one finger until Ava’s legs fell apart, exposing more of herself to his hot gaze. “I can’t wait to run my tongue all over this pretty cunt. To taste every part of you.”

Slipping between the swollen folds, he found her clit and gently brushed it with the pad of his middle finger.

Ava’s breath hitched, a whimper of lust rising in her throat. Every fiber of her being screamed that he touch her there harder. Faster. She wanted more than just this light, feathery touch of his finger. She wanted him deep inside her, healing the emptiness of her soul and solidifying that sense of belonging she found only with him.

“Remember, lamb. No sex. I’m only touching you. Nothing more.” Kingston’s tone turned rough, his own lust evident in the husky words. His gaze fixated on the junction of her thighs where his hand moved so, so gently. “But oh, how I want to do more. So much more that it scares me. I want to fuck you until I collapse from the pleasure of being buried deep inside you. I want you screaming for me. Begging for me. I want you to need me as much as I need you. I’m fucking obsessed with you, Ava. You’re all I can goddamn think about.”

Despite the tenderness of her swollen flesh, Ava did not want him to stop. She wanted to come with his clever fingers plunging her into dark, magical oblivion. “I feel that way, too.” The admission was a sob of frustration when his movements halted, the promise of sweet completion quickly fading away.

The deep blue depths of Kingston’s eyes softened as he stared down at her. Ava realized with abrupt clarity this was how he often looked at her now. As though she might be the most precious thing in his brutal life.

It confused her, this strange, fragile affection which had sprouted between them practically overnight. There was desire, of course, the sexual attraction that was always present, but somehow there was this now as well. This exhilarating, confusing new bond.

Is it real? Or am I just desperately searching for a connection with my kidnapper as a way of justifying my own needs?

“I do need you, Kingston. I needthis.You. Just you.”

But he was already withdrawing from her. Ava fought off a wave of disappointment. He wasn’t going to grant her the orgasm her body so desperately craved.

Was this a punishment for some unknown transgression? Or a gift she should be grateful for?

Kingston’s smile was a cross between anguish and terrifying victory. It strangled Ava’s heart. Filling her with fear that something awful was coming. Something she might not survive.

“Sweet little lamb. I’ve treated you so badly, and yet you cling to me as though I am your savior.” His eyes grew shuttered, hiding secrets from her. Ava quickly gripped his wrist, trying to trap him in place so he was still connected to her. “I don’t deserve your trust, but I want it anyway. I want all of you. Always.” With a deep sigh, he pried her fingers free and removed his hand from between her legs. Helping her sit up, he draped the robe around her shoulders like a makeshift shawl. Then he tugged her off the cot and onto her feet, enfolding her into a tight embrace.

Crushed against his suitcoat, Ava melted into the spicy familiarity of his cologne and the warmth of his leanly muscled body.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you, Ava.” Kingston sounded oddly tortured, a far cry from his usual coldly cynical manner. “You know that, right? You are mine. I am the only one who willeverknow the pleasure of seeing you cry. The only one who will experience the exquisite joy of watching you break into a million pieces.” The kiss he pressed to her forehead was hot enough to brand the skin, but Ava desperately wished it was her lips he claimed. When he pulled away from her, she hated the distance between them. “Now, let’s get you dressed so we can go home where I can take care of you.”

* * *

The limo waitedin the alleyway as Kingston and Ava exited the spa through the same door they’d come in.

Jack came jogging up from the end of the alley that connected to the main thoroughfare. Approaching the backside of the vehicle, he removed his dark sunglasses which were now unnecessary in the dim shadows. Before the driver could get out, Jack reached for the rear door handle and abruptly stopped.

“Boss… take a look at this,” Jack snapped in a hard voice, stepping aside so Kingston and Ava could see what had caught his attention. The bodyguard’s hand came up and rested on the butt of a firearm holstered at his hip. Tearing her gaze away from Jack, Ava saw what looked like a yellow sticky note on the tinted window. Something was written on it in red. She read it before Kingston snatched it down.

Whatever her price, someone will always pay more.

“What the fuck,” Kingston hissed, staring up the alleyway into the places where the shadows were much deeper and darker. “Jack, who’s been in this alley other than you and the limo driver?”

Jack shook his head. “Other than a homeless guy? No one.”

“Are you sure he was homeless?”

“Dressed in dirty clothes and pushing a shopping cart full of trash.” Jack opened the car door as he spoke. “He came through about five minutes ago. Can’t have gotten very far.”

“What do you mean to do, Kingston?” Ava asked, chewing on a fingernail. “You aren’t going after strangers now, are you? Over a scrap of paper? It’s nothing.”

“Get in the car, Ava,” Kingston ordered in a tight voice. He clutched the note in his fist as though debating the benefits of ripping it to shreds. “My driver will take you to the penthouse. I’ll meet you there soon.”

“No, come with me, Kingston.” Clutching his coat, Ava pressed herself against him. “It’s just a piece of paper. It doesn’t mean anything. I mean, the wind… the wind could have blown it down the alley and it just happened to stick to the window. Or maybe the guy was crazy, and he put it there as a joke. He might not even have known what he was doing. It’s just a coincidence.””

“Coincidence, lamb?” Kingston’s smile was grim. “There is no such thing.” With a jerk of his chin, he curtly addressed Jack. “Give me a minute here. Go check the end of the alley. Send out word that I want this person for questioning.”

Jack nodded, taking off toward the end of the alley just as a shot rang out. The sound echoed down the length of the alleyway accompanied by Ava’s startled scream. There was the sharp ping of a bullet ricocheting off something metal and answering gunfire. That most likely came from Jack firing at the potential assassin. A split second later, there was another loud retort. The bullet ripped through the fabric of Kingston’s suit, leaving a bloody tear in his outer bicep.

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