Page 12 of Fast Vengeance

When his tongue touched her lower lip, a tender, sliding caress, Victoria sucked in a breath and opened for him without hesitation. Touch me.

Finally, those incredible hands came up to frame her face as he dipped his tongue under her upper lip, between her teeth to stroke the sensitive roof of her mouth. Her head spun. She forgot how to breathe, forgot everything except his endless kiss and what he made her feel, gliding her tongue against his, savoring the sensation of being protected and savored.

She was lost, her entire body alive in a way it hadn’t been in more than a year, maybe ever, when he sucked at her lower lip one last time before raising his head. Feeling a little drugged, she opened her eyes and struggled to find her bearings. His eyes glowed with arousal, a faint flush on his cheekbones. She was glad to know she wasn’t the only one affected by this.

Running his thumbs across her cheeks one last time, he dropped his hands to his sides and straightened. “You okay?”

Okay? Dizzy, breathless, and wanting more. Needing more, her entire body pulsing with arousal. She would have laughed, but she couldn’t find the energy and he was dead serious. She licked her lips. “Yes. You?”

He cracked a soft laugh. “Yeah.”

Every nerve ending in her body pulsed with heat and…unrelieved need. God, the man could kiss. She’d never experienced anything like it. And when they finally moved on to even more pleasurable things… Something somersaulted deep inside her abdomen at the thought of those hands and wicked mouth on other parts of her body.

But then she thought of her scars, of the look on his face when he saw them, and the heat was doused by ice.

She cleared her throat, checked her watch. God, she’d had no idea so much time had passed. “I should go. I need to call my detail.”

Brock didn’t argue or try to persuade her for more, simply stepped back and handed over her purse. Her continual awareness of him was heightened to the point of distracting as he stood close by while she spoke to the U.S. Marshal who would come up to get her.

“Okay, see you in a few minutes.” Hanging up, she hopped off the counter, a little amazed that her legs were steady enough to hold her up. “He’s coming up now.”

“Okay.” Brock went to the door and got her coat for her, held it out so she could slide her arms into it.

Shrugging it on, she turned to face him, unsure what to say. Thank you? I can’t wait to do this again? “Are you still okay with this?” She would have worried that she’d coerced him into this, except Brock wasn’t a man who could be coerced into anything he didn’t want to do, and the heat she’d seen in his eyes wasn’t fake.

The only thing she couldn’t deal with was his pity.

He arched a dark eyebrow, the contrast of it and his lashes startling against the unique color of his eyes. “What do you think?”

I think it’s a good thing I’ll be leaving before I can get any more attached to you than I already am.

She was a little scared, to be honest. It would be way too easy to get emotionally involved with him, even fall in love with him. Good thing the arrangement was finite, and that she would begin a new life in a new city under a new identity once her role as a government witness was over. Soon. “I hope you’d tell me straight out if you weren’t.”

He nodded. “I would.”

She relaxed. “I believe you.”

Leaning a shoulder against the wall he crossed his ankles, slid his hands into his jeans pockets, the muscles in his arms flexing with the movement. She could spend hours running her hands over them. “Big day coming up for you later this week. How are you feeling about it?”

He meant Ruiz being sentenced the day after tomorrow. Finally. “I have mixed feelings, but mostly I’m looking forward to it because I just want it all to be over. No matter what sentence he gets, it won’t bring my family back.”

“No. But after that day, you’ll never have to lay eyes on the bastard again.”

Relief poured through her at the thought. “Yes.” Though she would continue to see him often enough in her nightmares. That part wasn’t going away anytime soon.

Blocking that thought before it could take root, she put her hands into her coat pockets to avoid the temptation of touching Brock again. She’d never forget the way he’d kissed her tonight. One taste of him and she already wanted more, could easily become addicted to him if she wasn’t careful.

But if she’d learned anything since the night her life was shattered, it was to be cautious and protect herself. “When can we see each other next?”

“What about after the sentencing hearing? Any day where someone like that gets sentenced seems like a good reason to celebrate.”

He was right. No matter what the judge decided with the sentence, it was cause for celebration. In a way, it marked her freedom for the first time in a year. And there was no one she would rather share that moment with than Brock. “Okay.”

“Then it’s a date. Tori,” he added with a sexy little smile that made her heart flip-flop. She liked the way the name sounded coming from him.

An answering smile tugged at her lips, a shiver of anticipation working up her spine as warmth spread through her. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him again, see where the time would take them.

A knock at the door signaled the marshal had arrived and Victoria hid her disappointment.

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