Page 169 of Quinlan

My palm hovers over her ass. “Why?”

She sighs, tilting her head. I push it back down. “I want to help.”

“You hate the thought she’ll find out about the pain. About how deep it went.”Damien’s words come back to haunt me. Taunt me.

I’ll tell her. I’ll tell her everything. Soon. She’s just started to get used to us. To me.

Time is running out. I’m aware. I’m also not ready to face her rejection. To go through more days of her locked up in her room.

She’s already heard of my plans to murder someone. I basically admitted to it when I was all up in her face. She hasn’t run from me yet. Hasn’t called me a monster.

What happens when she learns it’s them you’re after?

Well…

Quinlan’s sweet. So sweet. Not that sweet, though, because she believes in revenge as much as we do. She offered to kill Aria. Demanded it.

Would it be that horrible to tell her the people who were supposed to love me the most did everything to ruin us? That I fantasized about the day I get to kill them?

Worse still, would learning it’s these people do it to her? Would the pity start then?

I don’t know. And between having her lock herself up in her room or feel sorry for me, I’m stuck. Nothing good will come out of this.

Better wait. Better hold back until I have to come out with it.

Here and now isn’t it.

“It’s late, Quinlan.” One quick swoop and her stomach is pinned to my shoulder again.

I’m on a mission to get us back home. Not to captivity. Not to herprison. Home.

I don’t bother with finding my T-shirt. They can donate it or throw it away for all I care.

“Please, Rome.” Her hands aren’t busy punching me this time. They’re splayed on my back, rubbing me. Comforting me. “I want to belong. I want to help. I’m here.”

“You’ll still be here tomorrow.” At the elevators, I nod at Cody, the building’s security on this floor. He nods back, like me carrying a woman over my shoulder is the most normal thing in the world. “And the day after, and the day after that.”

I smash the button for the elevators. Wait.

“You’re horrible.”

“You’re adorable.” I skim my palm over her ass as I step into the elevators, away from Cody’s eyes. She’s ours. “Sweet too, for coming to look for me. I appreciate it. And we will talk.” I’m finally breathing. Finally, I’ve been around her long enough thatI’m less of an animal, more of a man. The man who wants her so bad it hurts. “For tonight, be quiet and let me tuck you back in. Where you’ll stay. I’ll join you after I shower.”

“I’m not a child,” she groans on our way up to the penthouse.

She isn’t. It’s the starved kid in me that’s fighting her. The kid wasn’t sure he’d survive some days. Who couldn’t protect Anne.

But I can protect Quinlan.

Of her past, of heartache, of any fucking thing.

I will.

Like I’ll get over myself and tell her everything.

I. Will.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

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