Page 69 of Queen Of WildCards

Itrailed a finger up her leg, over the curve of her hip, pleased when she let out a little moan of approval at the touch.Myhead lay against one of her thighs, hair fanned out beneath me, tickling the soft skinI'djust peppered with kisses moments ago.

"Howdid you find my laptop,Mallory?"

Ihadn't taken to calling her by her name, andIcould tell the change of pace set her on edge, like she'd been given something she didn't expect, and it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Shesighed, closing her eyes again asIwatched her.Hidingfrom me. "Ilaid on the bed and felt a lump, soIwent snooping."

"Andyou just—"

"Whatkind of criminal mastermind leaves his computer unlocked?"

Ismiled against her skin, my fingers moving over the soft swell of her stomach, dipping as her abs did in the center. "Onewho's trying to catch a nosy doctor in the act."

Herbody tensed. "Youplanted it to see whatI'ddo."

Iheld up my hands as she shoved off the pile of pillows, her face screwed up in a vengeful rage. "Now, wait a minute,Ididn't plan—"

Shewas already withdrawing, closing herself off again, shutting down, putting up the wallsI'djust worked to shatter. "Youleft it unlocked for me so you could see ifI'dcall the cops, is that it?"Herbackpedaling had ended in her running into the headboard, and there was nothing nearby for her to save her dignity with, so she crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes, knees bent to hide her gorgeous, enticing core from my view. "Well, good news,Cassanova—you don't have to worry.Whenyour boss kills me, there will be no missing person report, no need to worry about anyone missing me.I'vebeenMIAfor days, and not a single personIknow cares enough to notice!"

Isat up while she sobbed into her hands, the grief she'd been hiding behind the lust taking center stage, ripping her iron self-control and bending it until she was a mess of a human.Ireached out to touch her, but she launched herself from the bed and into my bathroom beforeIcould get a grip on her, and the slamming door, followed by theclickof the lock, was like a door in my heart closing, a nail in my proverbial coffin.

Fuckinggreat.

Withouteven trying to,I'dbroken the good doc, and now allIhad to show for it was the taste of her lingering on my lips, the smell of her cunt on my fingers, and the sadness and guilt roiling in my gut, fighting for dominance.

Myfeet carried me to the door without another thought, the urge to comfort her rising from a placeIhadn't visited in a long time.

Waterran on the other side, but there was no telling if she was actuallyinthe shower or not.Andunfortunately for me,Ididn't have a key to the bathroom.

Ididn't think she'd try anything drastic, like killing herself, so the only thing left to do was wait her out.Icould handle that, no problem.

* * *

Afteran hourof the water running nonstop,Idecided maybeIcould use some help and some fresh air.Whichis howIended up in front ofBlackJack'sroom, my hand raised to knock on the damn barrier between me and the mysterious, quiet one.

Threeknocks was all it took, and then three locks turned on the other side of the wall, telling me to back up.Iretreated two feet and waited patiently, a sheepish smile on my face asBlackJack'sgrim countenance peered out of the dark abyss beyond.

"What?"

Ibounced on the balls of my feet. "I, uh, need you to pick a lock?"

"Isthat a question or a statement?"

Myfrown deepened as his words rolled over me. "Listen, asswipe,Ineed some fucking air.I'vebeen waiting forMalloryto come out of my bathroom for an hour, and the water's still running, so—"

Hisdoor yanked open, and he nearly ran me over in his haste to cover the short distance to my room.Icould barely keep up, and whenIrounded the corner to my room, his shoulder was bent, and he was two steps away from my door, using himself as a battering ram.

"Jesus,BlackJack,Isaid pick the lock, not break the door down—"

Thewood splintered as his big body slammed into it, but he didn't even stop, and it buckled around his form as he plowed right through it and into the large bathroom.Heflung the wood away as he spun in a circle, wild eyes looking for her, the urgency in his movements starting to concern me.

"BlackJack?"

Hedarted off in the direction of the shower asIneared the door, and much to my utter horror, he yanked the glass door off the fucking hinges and stepped into what had to be frigid water pouring from the overhead fixture, crowding overtop a figure curled up on the floor, her skin deathly pale, soaked to the fucking bone.

"Fuck,"Iwhispered, hands carding through my hair nervously asIjust stood by and watched the man with the immobilizing dislike of physical touch lift her from the tile floor and check for any signs of life.Hislips brushed hers briefly, and a relieved sigh left his lips when he found air escaping between them.

"Whatthe fuck did you do?"

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