Page 27 of Thirst in the Mountains

I glance at the bloodstains on his shirt and his cut-up knuckles. I don’t see any wounds on him, which means it’s probably all Angelo’s blood.

“Did you arrest him?”

He shakes his head as those simmering eyes lock on me. “No. We both know he would have gotten out tomorrow and tried it all over again. I couldn’t risk it.”

I swallow hard, wanting to know, but not wanting to know at the same time.

“Is he…?”

“I took care of him,” he says in a low deep voice. “I told you. I’m never going to let anyone hurt you, Lucy. I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe.”

But I need to know for sure. I won’t ever be able to relax if I know Angelo is out there somewhere, plotting and scheming.

“Did you kill him?”

He takes a deep breath as he watches me with those sexy simmering eyes. “I did.”

Tears flood my eyes as I stare back at him. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. No one has ever put themselves and their freedom on the line like that.

He’s all-in when it comes to me.

He’s standing there, blood on his shirt, knuckles torn, eyes burning like embers—and all I can think is,God, he meant it. When he said he’d do whatever it takes to protect me. When he said I was his.

Hemeantit.

I take a shaky breath and step closer, my fingertips brushing along the back of his hand. He’s still warm. Still tense. Still watching me like I might fall apart now that I know what he’s done.

But I don’t.

Instead, I look up at him through my tears and whisper, “You really would do anything for me, wouldn’t you?”

His voice is raw when he answers. “Anything.”

Something in me shatters. Not from fear. Not from shock. But from the sheer weight of what it means to belovedlike this. It’s the kind of love people write songs about. The kind of love movies are made of. The kind that’s red-hot and all-consuming.

I reach for his face and cradle it gently, running my thumbs over his beard. “Thank you,” I whisper, even though it’s not enough. It’ll never be enough after what he did.

He pulls me into his arms and I melt against his chest, breathing him in—blood, sweat, smoke, and everything I never knew I needed.

“I love you,” he says, low and rough against my hair.

My heart aches.

“I love you too,” I breathe. “So much.”

I may not be able to hunt down criminals and fight off dangers, but I can love him fiercely and unconditionally for the rest of my days. And maybethatwill be enough.

I look up at him and he kisses me hard, like he can’t hold himself back any longer. I run my palms up his powerful chest, tasting him as his hand slides into my hair, tilting my head back so he can kiss me deeper. His mouthdevoursmine—hungry, rough, and barely holding back.

When he finally pulls away, I slowly drop to my knees. His chest is heaving as he watches me with a hungry look. “Lucy…” he growls, voice dark and strained as I grab onto his belt. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” I whisper, my voice all shaky. It’s not shaking with fear, but withneed. I’ve never done this before, but I’ve neverwantedanyone so desperately like this before either. I want to thank him for saving me. I want to make him feel as good as he’s made me feel. I want to please him. I want totastehim and feel his long hard cock in my mouth.

His eyes flare, hot and feral as I pull out his belt. “Fuck,girl. You’re killing me.”

I drop to my knees right there on the kitchen tiles, my fingers trembling as I pull down his zipper. He watches me, jaw tight, hands clenched at his sides like he’s trying not to touch me—like one wrong move and he’ll lose whatever control he’s clinging on to.

I slide his pants down to his ankles, sucking in a sharp breath when I see how big and hard he is. His massive erection is jutting out from behind those gray boxer briefs and for a second I wonder how that monster is going to fit inside me.

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