Page 53 of Wicked and Bound

“Fuck. Yes.” The rasp came from deep in his chest as the power surged on again. “I can’t stop it.”

She couldn’t, either. Her every sense reduced to him, her entire being alive and breathing for this man alone. The ecstasy wrenched her sensations into more than the culmination of pleasure. It exploded, and the wave of rapture took her heart with it into something beyond orgasm. Nothing mattered except him and the love they shared. This moment and this man had changed her life forever.

And as he shouted her name, erupting inside her, the power flickered off again, plunging them into darkness.

As thunder boomed outside their window, Nash held Haisley, savoring the cataclysmic satisfaction of their lovemaking. She felt so right in his arms, as if she’d been made to fit there.

The power cutting out left them in near darkness, save for occasional flashes of lightning that illuminated her beautiful, tearstained face. She’d cried after her climax, and he’d held her tight. No, she still hadn’t told him her secret, but she was going to. He’d seen that in her face, felt it in her touch. Somehow, the last wall between him and her heart had fallen, and he wished like hell they were anywhere else so he could hear what had been weighing on her. So he could finally understand what had torn them apart.

Nash tried to think of a time in his life when he’d been happier. He couldn’t think of one. Yes, shit waited for themoutside these four walls, but this evening, this moment, was theirs alone.

He didn’t want to move—ever. Slowly, he brushed damp strands of hair from her forehead and pressed kisses to her warm cheeks, reveling when she closed her eyes with a happy sigh, punctuated by a content little smile tugging at her lips.

“Happy?”

Her lashes fluttered up, and her stare was a two-ton brick to the chest, especially when her smile widened. “Hmm.”

“You look beautiful.”

“You don’t have to say nice things, hot shot. You already scored.”

He laughed. Haisley was always as witty as she was unpredictable. “That’s never going to stop me from saying them.”

“When we first met, I was convinced you didn’t have a charming bone in your body.”

“I probably didn’t.”

Her grin became a giggle that took his breath away. He had no right to be as happy as he was right now. But he wasn’t about to let Gray or Black Velvet or this investigation steal this contentment from him.

He pressed another soft kiss to her lips. The sat phone in his pants’ pocket buzzed. With a curse, he extricated himself from her embrace and rifled through his pockets until he plucked the device free and found a text from Kane:

Storm knocked out all power. Staff scrambling. Gray losing it. Surveillance down. Talk freely but stay alert.

Nash frowned. He didn’t want to interrupt this moment with Haisley, but business had to come first. Quickly, he typed back his reply.

Good time to call the office and make plans.

Not happening.

Came back Kane’s immediate reply.

Been trying. Storm is preventing connection to satellite.

That made sense, but damn it.

Good time for you and me to strategize on leaving this rock?

We can…but I think it’s better to make contact with some of my informants while no one is watching.

Valid point. Kane’s contacts might have intel they needed to bring this ring down for good—but he and the team weren’t ready yet. And while Nash would love to take advantage of this security lapse and leave the island, he had no plane. No boat. And no means of sidestepping this nasty storm. Besides, no way would he simply abort the mission now, not until they’d taken down every one of these assholes and ensured that they tasted the justice they deserved.

His thumbs flew across the keyboard in response.

Unless you need something, I’m staying with H. Keep me posted.

Kane sent back the saluting emoji, and Nash tucked the device away.

Heart thudding, he leaped onto the bed and drew Haisley to his side. “The cameras are down. We can talk.”

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