Page 127 of Under an Endless Moon

His chuckle was deep and sorrowful. “Only thing I ever wanted in this life was to take care of you.”

“And you have, and now it’s time for you to let part of that go.”

He nodded against my head, and I had to wipe away the tears that blurred my eyes when we both pulled back. “Now look what you did…you made me cry.”

“You deserve it after the way I panicked on my way over here,” he razzed, and I let go of a soggy laugh as we wandered back out to the rest of the group.

Otto, Theo, and Kane were speaking in hushed tones while Cash leaned against a workstation that sat along the wall, pretty much mute the way he usually was. Always outside the conversation. But I swore, there was something extra keen about him. The way he watched like he was decoding the situation.

A tiny drop of worry flooded my bloodstream when he lifted his chin as I approached. Immediately, his gaze flicked toward Otto and his expression hardened.

Was he on to us?

What we’d done?

Okay, it was ridiculous to even label it anus.

There was nous.

Otto had made it clear that it had been a one-time thing. I needed to stop getting my hopes up, but I wasn’t sure I could keep it at bay.

This buzz that hummed just below the surface of my skin.

Theo and Kane each gave me a hug and murmured that they were going to take care of things, then proceeded to go to Otto to give him encouragement of the same.

Cash hung back until Theo, Kane, and River had slipped out the garage door.

He didn’t hug me, not that I expected him to, he just angled in close as he passed by and muttered, “Both of you had better be fuckin’ careful. Don’t want your blood on my hands. Care too much for you both, just like the rest of them do, so don’t be fuckin’ stupid.”

Shock pinned my feet to the spot, and I swiveled my body at the waist to watch him lumber across the garage and push out into the bright sunlight that had taken to the sky.

What the hell was that about?

It wasn’t until I heard their motorcycles roar up the drive that I finally tore my attention from the door they all had disappeared through.

No doubt, shock marred my expression when I turned to look at Otto.

But something else entirely took me over when I saw what was written all over him.

Fury and desire.

Fear and desperation.

Hunger and rage.

And he was coming straight for me.

THIRTY-FIVE

OTTO

The second thediscordant brawl of engines roared into the distance, there was no stopping what came over me.

The overpowering rush of protectiveness and possession.

A need so fierce there was no way to deny it.

I let go of the foul words scrawled across the paper as I stalked Raven’s way and took her stunning face in my hands.

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