Page 31 of Bound By Valor

“Use my shoulder blades.” She scoffed, a harsh laugh breaking through her controlled exterior. “And when will you stop controlling my life?”

“Leora—”

“No!” The word sliced through the air. “When will you stop dictating what I should or shouldn’t do?”

Her reaction cut deep, laying bare the core of her frustration. She stepped away from the punching bag, her movements bristling with anger, and strode towards the long table at the center of the warehouse. With a sharp gesture, she ripped off her gloves and slammed them down.

I followed her, my own frustration mounting but my voice remained steady, “Why, Leora? Why is joining the squad so important to you?”

“Why?” she echoed, her tone laced with exasperation. “Because I want to know what it’s like to be needed, to do something that makes others feel safe.”

“I get it—”

“No, Zarek, youdon’t.” Her interruption was sharp, and she looked up, her eyes softening despite her anger. “I’ve been dealt shitty hands over and over.I’venever felt safe. I need this. I need to feel capable, Zarek. I can’t sit around and let people dictate my life. I have had that life before. With Adriano. You know all about him, don’t you?”

I closed my eyes in frustration. “I don’t know everything.”

“There’s not much to tell. Just a series of bad decisions because I was too naive to see that when others impose their will, dictate your life, it leads to nothing but trouble. When they assume they know better, they’re not protecting you—they’re fucking sentencing you.”

Her words hit hard, and an uncomfortable silence fell between us. I struggled to keep my composure, my fury raging. “Are you saying I’m likehim?”

Her eyes met mine, fierce yet filled with a pleading for understanding. “Zarek, every time you try to decide what’s best for me without listening, it feels the same.”

The torrent of emotions swirling within me was almost unbearable. Leora’s comparison of me to that vile ex of hers triggered a volcanic anger inside me, and I couldn’t see past the haze of red clouding my vision. I stalked toward her, my strides deliberate and menacing, trapping her against the edge of the table with a ferocity that mirrored my inner turmoil. My voice was a low growl. “You want me? You want this squad? Have at it, woman!”

Her eyes met mine, a fiery determination burning within them. “Yes, I want it,” she whispered, her voice steady despite the storm around us.

In an instant, my lips crashed against hers, our mutual fury transforming into a desperate, searing kiss. I lifted her effortlessly, setting her on the tablewithout breaking the kiss, her fingers weaving through my hair while her other hand explored the contours of my bare chest.

When we finally broke for air, her hands fumbled with the drawstrings of my sweatpants. My response was immediate and primal; I yanked at the fabric of her leggings, ripping them apart at the seams, thankful in that reckless moment that she wore nothing underneath.

She deftly pulled my sweatpants down, her gaze locked on my hard length with an intensity that matched her earlier fervor. She aligned me with her, and with one forceful thrust, I was enveloped in her warmth. “Fuck, baby,” I rasped, my forehead resting against hers, overwhelmed by how she was squeezing me, “you’re so fucking tight. Two years, huh?”

“Two fucking years, Zarek. Nowmove!”

I smirked against her lips, starting with slow, deliberate strokes that soon quickened into a relentless pace. As I lavished her neck with kisses, her moans filled the air, vibrating against my lips. My hand found her clit, teasing and pinching, driving her towards a climax.

The world seemed to shrink to the raw, visceral connection between us. Her climax was fierce, pulling me deeper into her as her body clamped around mine.

I lost myself in her warmth, watching as a vivid blush spread from her cheeks down her neck, tinting the skin visible above her camisole. She was breathtaking, completely undone and beautifully spent.

Driven by her response, I chased my own release, which overtook me with shattering intensity.

Blinking through my dazed haze, I kissed her,hard. As we both came down from the high, reality began to seep back in. “Fuck, I didn’t use—”

“I’m clean,” she interrupted, her smile wistful. “And I had a shot recently.”

I exhaled in relief. “I’m clean too. Not much action on that front with all the missions,” I said.

“What, no other women you stalked?” She asked, her eyes gleaming with playfulness.

But then the gravity of what just happened hit me. I knew I couldn’t have this.

Why the hell did we do this?

This was a mistake. Despite the intensity of what we shared, I knew it was wrong. She was a civilian; I couldn’t let her be dragged deeper into my world. She had to remain safe. She could still go back to her old life.

Keeping my eyes shut, perhaps too cowardly to face her reaction, I finally spoke the words I knew would make her loathe me. “This shouldn’t have happened, Leora.”

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