Page 270 of Redeemed

“Need what?”

“Need… to be yours.”

Colton lets out a soft breath, and his dark, possessive expression fades into something sweeter and near-pure. Like he can’t help himself, he lowers his body back onto mine and captures my mouth with his. It’s a gentle kiss, yet it banishes every thought from my mind. He’s saying so much without a single word, promising me that he’s mine as much as I’m his.

We fall deeper and deeper into each other, not pulling away when he slips his arms around me and rolls us over so I’m on top of him again. With one hand pressed to my back to hold me to him, he uses his other to thread his fingers through my hair. He’s so gentle, so unlike the man who brutally fucked my throat and locked me in a cage on Halloween night.

“I like this side of you,” I whisper against his lips.

When Colton pulls away to look at me, there’s an uncertainty in his eyes. It lingers for a split second before fading into pure, unbridled affection.

“I think I like it, too,” he murmurs. “I think I’ve… missed it.” And then he’s tugging me down again, his lips moving against mine like he’s trying to worship me.

I don’t think I’d mind that.

Eventually, we settle down. Colton pulls the sheets over us, and then the deep plum comforter. I wiggle closer to him, and I sigh happily when he slips an arm under me so I can put my head on his shoulder.

“You have a lot of purple things around your house,” I say teasingly. My fingers brush over the star tattoo on his wrist.

He twists one of the purple sections of my hair around his finger, his eyes locked onto it. “I do.”

Satisfaction curls through me as my suspicions are confirmed. It’s because of me. “Have you ever heard the phraseunhealthy obsession?”

His lips tip up. “Close your eyes, angel. Get some sleep.”

We both drift off, our sweaty bodies intertwined and pressed together at every possible point. I don’t wake until Colton eases his arm out from underneath me and slowly sits up. Rays from the setting sun are streaming in through his windows, and when I open my eyes, I groan in pain at the brightness.

Chuckling, Colton gets up and draws his black curtains shut. “Better?”

“Mmhmm.”

“You don’t have to get up.” He’s back on the bed again, sitting on the edge. One of his large hands moves down my calf. “I just have to make a couple calls.”

“About your dad?”

He nods.

“Please don’t leave,” I whisper.

His hand freezes halfway up my leg, and he’s looking at me with a mixture of disbelief and happiness.

“Stay right here.” I pat my hand on the empty spot where he was lying a minute ago.

A soft smile plays across his features. “Yeah, all right. I will.”

I close my eyes again, planning to listen in on his conversations, but I fall asleep. When I wake, he’s still in bed, his phone pressed to his ear, and I can just make out a woman’s voice on the other end of the line.

“I need you to get an organization-wide message out for me,” Colton is saying. “First, that Mark is in the middle of some kind of mental breakdown, and second, that any orders he gives are to be ignored until I say so. That includes any hit he tries to put out on Gerard or Brandon.”

“Of course. Is there anything else?”

“Not for right now, but I’ll keep you updated, hopefully soon.”

“Understood. I’m proud of you, Colton.”

He pauses, and some of the tension bleeds out of him. “Thank you.”

“Have a good evening.”

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