Page 13 of Revenant

I stalk down the hallway, pushing the cart of supplies, barely able to stifle the impulse to march into the office and beat the doctor until I receive the answers I want. I’m so distracted that I almost plow into one of the patients who just turned the corner. When I look up with a glare, everything inside me halts.

Rue…

I blink a few times, thinking my mind is playing tricks on me. She doesn’t even glance in my direction, ducking away as if to avoid drawing attention to herself. I follow her with my eyes like a lovesick fool, drinking in the sight of her after so long.

My heart feels like it’s beating for the first time again, now that I have her back within my sight. Her pink hair is just as lush, her skin shimmering slightly, just begging for my touch. When I get my first glimpse of her face, a growl rumbles in my chest, one I can’t stop when I see she is, once again, covered in bruises.

Though we spent less than a week together—the best and worst week of my life—I’m horrified to realize I have never seen her without some injury or another. My heart aches at the idea that she believes it’s normal. I’m torn between wanting to burn down the fucking world for hurting her and promising her that no one will ever touch her again.

It’s only when she slips past me that I wake up from my trance. Noting the surveillance, I grab my cart and follow her.Just when we pass a linen closet, I shove the cart forward and block her from the cameras.

Before she can react, I grab her waist, scan my keycard, then practically dive into the closet with her in my arms. Rue immediately struggles, her sharp little elbows digging into my ribs, her tiny feet smashing into my knees hard enough to leave bruises. She throws her head back, intending to break my nose… If only she wasn’t a foot too short. Instead, her head thumps into my chest. Pissed that her efforts haven’t gained her release, she wiggles in my grip until her gorgeous teal eyes turn to glare up at me.

Then she freezes so completely, she’s like a statue in my arms.

She doesn’t blink.

Doesn’t breathe.

I can’t help the smile that breaks over my face, my chest puffing up in pride that she would put up such a fight. My little spitfire. “When we get home, I’m going to teach you some techniques to take down opponents bigger than you. I’ll have Jameson teach you how to fight dirty. That fucker has no qualms about dick punching a guy, biting, and even pulling hair if it gets him what he wants.”

“Gunner?” Her voice is a raspy whisper, and my throat tightens.

“Yeah, princess.” I reluctantly set her on her feet, but it’s been too long, and I can’t seem to let her go, afraid she’ll vanish if she leaves my arms and I won’t ever be able to find her again.

I tuck her hair behind her ear and cup her face, studying the damage.

I’m so distracted that it’s not until my balls launch up into my body and my breath leaves my lungs in a rush that I realize she fucking kneed me. A glancing blow, but it’s enough. A guttural groan is torn from me, and I nearly keel over on my ass.

Her gorgeous little backside sashays away from me, and my heart threatens to explode in my chest at the thought of her leaving. I lunge for her, tackling her to the ground, unable to let her go now that I finally have her in my arms. I twist at the last second, cushioning her fall. The air leaves her lungs with a grunt at the impact, and she lands sprawled across my chest.

Right where she belongs.

When she begins to wiggle, trying to rise to her feet, I groan for a completely different reason. While my dick fucking aches at the damage she inflicted, it misses her more and partially rises to the occasion. “Baby girl, if you keep squirming, you’re going to see exactly how much I missed you.”

Rue snorts, then doubles down on her efforts to escape.

Done with her trying to leave me, I twist until she’s pinned under my weight, and my hand settles around her throat. She struggles for another minute before admitting defeat. She glares at me, her beautiful face full of defiance, her gorgeous chest heaving as she pants for air, and I can’t resist the need to taste her fire.

Before she can order me to release her, I drop my head and kiss the ever loving shit out of her. I have dreamed of claiming her like this ever since she disappeared from my life. I refuse to let the opportunity escape me again. Maybe I should feel bad for rushing her, but the need to reassure myself that she is alive and well is too much to resist.

The delicious taste of her has a groan catching in my chest, and my heart thuds against my ribs like it’s trying to beat out of my body. With her in my arms, my control is nonexistent, and I can do nothing but feel.

She doesn’t need to nail me in my balls to bring me to my knees.

Just being near her does that.

Her smoky floral scent fills my head with naughty thoughts, and my mouth waters with the need to spread her legs, bury my face in her cunt, and taste her on my tongue.

Then the little minx bites my lip hard enough to draw blood. My cock jolts at the aggression, and I reluctantly draw back, licking a drop of blood from my bottom lip. It was either pull away, or I was going to lose control and take her on the floor like a savage.

She has the audacity to glare up at me…and I fucking melt, too happy to have her back to punish her for being so maddening. Just the memory of being without her these past months has my mood darkening.

“I’ve missed you, princess.” My finger sweeps back and forth across the pulse in her neck, needing the reassurance that she’s here and alive. “Not a day went by that we didn’t search for you. I’ll never forgive myself for the way we treated you. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I plan to spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

Her face softens a fraction at my vow. Though it doesn’t erase her glare completely, I don’t expect anything less.

We fucked up, and we deserve her ire.

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