Page 154 of Sinning for Santa

I frown, confused by his words. By how I woke him up, when he was the one to wake me up. “H-how did I w-wake y-you up?”

“Fuck, baby,” he grits out. “You woke me up in every way imaginable.”

It’s then that he positions the cutters on the blue wire.

“Give us one last kiss then, love.” His tone is so cocky, just like that first night at St Catherine’s only days ago, and knowing this is my last moment on earth, I do just that, pressing my lips to his in a searing kiss as I wait for our world to explode.

Chapter thirty-four

Devon

The click of the cutters sounds as loud as a fucking gunshot, and it takes me a moment to realise the bomb didn’t explode.

“Shit, that was a gun.” Finn snaps from behind me, and a choked sob falls from my little mouse as she realises she’s still alive.

Air is trapped in my throat, and I pull back, taking in those blue eyes, still so fucking frightened as I clear my throat, trying to get my fucking lungs to work.

“Here.” Finn shoves his phone back at me. “I’ll go see what’s happening.”

I nod and grunt, not daring to drag my gaze from Jaxcen’s as another sob lurches from her lips.

Finn’s feet pound back up the cellar stairs, leaving us alone, other than the fact my little brother is still on the phone.

Fuck.

I owe him now.

“A-are we really a-alive?” Jaxcen stammers, her cheeks soaked from her never ending tears. “I-is it really o-over?”

Dragging my eyes from hers, I glance down to see the timer on the front of the explosive has stopped, but I can’t tell her it’s over yet, because it isn’t. Not until that thing is off her body and I can be sure it won’t explode.

“War,” I hiss at my phone screen as I hold it up to see my brother’s face. “The timer has stopped, but will it go off when I remove it?”

“There might be a trigger. You’ll have to check under it. Slide your fingers between it and the girl. If you feel something shifting in and out then there’s a trigger,” my little brother, who is an expert with explosives, explains.

My gaze lifts back to Jaxcen, her sobs quieter now, slowly running out of fizz, like a soda that’s been left sitting.

“It’s nearly over, little mouse. Hold this.” I hold out Finn’s phone again, and her trembling hand reaches up to take it. “I’m going to feel around the device, okay, beautiful?”

She nods quickly, taking a big gulp like she’s trying to dislodge a lump in her throat.

“Say hi to my brother.” I gesture my head to the phone, wanting her attention on something else as I do this. It could still go off at any second. I won’t be happy until it’s off her and a long fucking way from her or anyone else in this town.

Angling the phone her way, I watch as Jaxcen gazes at the screen, blinking and frowning a little before she pulls the screen a little closer.

“Well, hey there, darlin’. I’m Warrick.”

I roll my eyes at my brother’s cocky tone. He thinks he’s so fucking smooth with chicks.

“H-hey.” Jaxcen stutters and clears her throat. “Hi. I’m Jaxcen.”

“Hey Jaxcen. Are you one of my big brother’s rescues?” Warrick asks, and the moment Jaxcen’s lips twitch in a smile, I start running my fingers over the device strapped to her, between it and her body.

“No.” Jaxcen responds to my brother, but then changes her answer. “Yes. Kinda.”

Warrick chuckles. “A bit complicated, is it?”

“Yeah,” she responds, lifting the phone higher as I shift closer, wanting to make sure I reach every part of the explosive that’s attached to her.

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