Page 80 of Hunted Vengeance

Steppingout of the dressing room, I slide my hands down the front of the dress and face the mirror. It’s a simple black dress, nothing special. It clings to my body, stopping at mid-thigh. And I can’t help but wonder if it’s really me.

The platform sandals are an emerald green with a chunky heel and a strap around the ankle. They’re a little bold for me, but the sales girl assured me they were beautiful with the black dress.

I’m not sure I believe her.

I like the dress, though. It’s simple and plain, understated yet still sleek. I’m staring at my waist, wondering if I should size down. Because while it’s clingy, it’s still fairly loose. Then, a throat clears behind me somewhere.

Turning my head, I see Merrick leaning against the wall, his legs crossed at the ankles, his arms over his chest.

“Buy it all,” he announces.

I open my mouth but snap it shut when he shakes his head once. “It looks beautiful on you, Colette.”

I believe him. The way his eyes devour me as if he wants to take me into that dressing room and undress me right here and now. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since he was last inside of me. It could be ten minutes ago or ten months ago, and I want him just as badly.

I love this man, every damaged piece of him. I love the way he looks at me. The way he makes me feel. The way he protects me. The way he wants me for who I am, not for what I can do for him—now that my father is dead, that ship has sailed anyway.

Every time, I convince myself Merrick doesn’t want me. Doesn’t like me. Doesn’t want to deal with me. Then he looks at me the way he’s doing right now, and it’s the only confirmation I need that this is real.

So damn real.

Merrick chuckles, breaking me out of my roaming inner thoughts. “I need to go to the office,” he murmurs, closing the distance between us.

He lifts his hand and gently curls his fingers around the side of my throat as his gaze searches mine. I’m panting. I can’t control myself, and I even have to press my thighs together in an effort to dull the ache there.

Merrick’s next words, he says on a whisper, just loud enough for me to hear and nobody else. “If you’re a good girl, I’ll fuck you in my office.”

My body melts toward him, into him, whatever it is. I’m a gigantic ball of mush for this man. I want him to slide inside of me—every minute of every single day. Taking a step backward, I hurry into the dressing room and quickly strip out of my clothes and shoes before I put all my things back on.

Walking out of the changing room, carrying the dress in one hand and the shoes in the other, I head straight for the checkout counter. All the while, Merrick chuckles behind me. I’m sure he thinks this is hilarious, but I don’t really care. Any chance to be with him is something to be excited about.

I don’t pay attention to the price of the dress and shoes on purpose. I don’t want to know. I’m still feeling very uneasy about the financial part of this situation. But at the same time, I don’t know how to do anything about it or what I would do if I could.

So, instead, I stay in blissful ignorance until I can come up with something. Merrick wraps his arm around my waist and touches his lips to my temple, then murmurs that it’s time to go. I fall in step beside him, knowing that there is nowhere else I would rather be.

I can’t believe this is my life now, that this is my world. I’m not sure what to expect in the future, but the present is pretty damn good. I’m not sure I want any of this to end, at least not anytime soon.

He reaches for the passenger door, tugging it open as he dips his chin for me to sink inside before he closes the door behind me. With the bag in his hand, he’s walking around the front of the car when there is a commotion.

I’m not sure what I expect to see when I lift my eyes to the driver’s side of the car to take in what’s happening. But it is certainly not a motorcycle stopped in the street with a van behind it. The door is open, and Merrick is being shoved inside.

I open my mouth to scream but realize two things. One, it would fall on deaf ears because there is nobody around who would actually help me and two, it would draw attention to me.

As silent as I stay, it doesn’t matter. Because someone jumps out of the front seat of the van, opens the car door, and sinks down into the driver’s seat. He’s dressed like a biker with a vest, jeans, and boots on. He’s got a beard, unruly hair, and a clenched jaw.

When he starts the engine with the push of the button, then shifts the car intoDrivebefore he eases out behind the van, my whole body jerks. There are three motorcycles behind us as we follow the van.

“What the hell is happening?” I demand, my voice louder than I intend.

The man slowly shifts his head to the side, his gaze finding mine, and lifts his lips in a smirk. “Hey, babe. No worries. It’s all good.”

His voice is smooth, husky, and if I weren’t madly in love with Merrick, I would consider it sexy. But it’s scary as fuck. He’s scary as fuck. He’s got face tattoos, neck tattoos, arm tattoos and, if I had to guess, chest and leg tattoos as well.

Shaking my head once, I narrow my eyes. “Not no worries. I’m very worried. What is happening here?”

He chuckles, shifting his attention back to the windshield before he speaks again. “Ain’t gonna hurt you, babe, if that’s what you’re worried about. Sit back and chill.”

I open my mouth to ask more questions, maybe even pepper him with a million, because I want to know what the hell is going on. He extends his finger, punching the screen on the dashboard, roughly, I might add, then the music not only comes on, but it’s also turned up.

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