Page 38 of Unlawful Seduction

“Who is he, Doc? What does he want?”

“I don’t know him.” She was far too calm, detached.

Also not a good sign.

I had a firm grip on both her arms and instinctively knew if I didn’t, she’d either slump to the floor or against me. A single trickle of blood flowed from her wound. “We’re going to try this once again. What is your relationship and what did he hire you to do?”

“I’m telling you this one last time. I do not. Know. That. Man.”

She continued trembling in my hold and I sensed the armor locked tightly around her was slowly being corroded away. She wouldn’t be able to keep it up forever and when it fell, there was no telling just how much she’d end up freaking out, but that’s exactly what she’d do.

“He just surprised me. I came home and…” The furrowed look of her brow added another layer of concern.

“And what, Mallory? Tell me what happened.”

When she swallowed, her lower lip was trembling. “I, um…”

My actions gentler than was typical, I slipped a single finger under her chin, lifting until I was able to see her eyes all over again.

That was the moment her body gave way to the temptation of darkness.

CHAPTER 10

Mallory

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you warm.” The tone of his deep voice swept a dozen vibrations through me.

“You will?”

“Always. Until the end of time.” He brought my face closer as he lowered his head, tenderly rubbing his fingers across the base of my cheek. Every time he did, which wasn’t often enough, my core tingled.

Before capturing my mouth, he swept his tongue from one side of my lips to the other. His action was wet and… sloppy.

My eyes jerked open and instantly I was terrified. There was a huge blur covering my field of vision, a wild mountain of white hair. Hair? Wait. Was that fur?

“Jax, let her sleep. I told you she’d been through an ordeal. She needs her rest.”

His voice was deep, a little rough around the edges and definitely not holding the tone of passion that I’d experienced earlier.

In my twisted dream.

Beckett.

Bits and pieces of images started to float through my mind. Blood. A knife.

His face.

Shivering, I moved my arms and legs, ensuring both that they weren’t broken and I wasn’t tied down. I wasn’t. A huge blanket covered me, soft and warm. I’d been dreaming about Beckett. Again.

Jax swiveled his head toward his master and I heard the thumping of his tail. His front legs were directly on my chest, his toes flexing as he made the decision whether to obey the man who fed him.

He did, but not without another solid and very wet swipe of his tongue across my mouth and nose. He was a large dog, at least ninety pounds, so when he jumped off, the pressure off my chest was tremendous.

I remained exactly where I was, attempting to gather my bearings, unable to remember a thing except for coming home from the clinic and… What happened? Why was I here? Not that I minded a wet tongue licking me, but from an oversized pup?

A single sound captured my attention and I slowly allowed my eyes to drift toward whatever it was. Just the smallest hint of movement and my head throbbed. That’s when I remembered the gash on my forehead. My arm felt like a dead weight as I lifted it so I could touch the injury.

I expected to feel congealed blood, but other than a slight bump and the ragged edge of a cut, my skin was smooth.

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