Page 27 of Riot

Then she did something I wasn’t expecting.Violet raised her hand to my face, cupping my cheek and stroking my beard a couple times.Then she leaned up and pressed her mouth to mine for a soft, lingering kiss.That simple touch of her lips against mine altered my world forever.Violet was mine.God have mercy on anyone who tried to hurt her, because I would have none.

Chapter Ten

Violet

This man.

This dangerous, shattered, wonderful man.

I felt him shudder around me when I kissed him.His arms tightened briefly, then he seemed to make an effort to relax.As for me?My world burst into a million pieces.Some of those pieces were emotions and emotional restraints I needed rid of, but some of them were so dangerous I was completely and utterly terrified.

I pulled back, trembling at the intensity of feelings this simple kiss had unleashed.How was it possible to feel so much for someone I barely knew?I’d spent my entire adult life in a marriage devoid of genuine affection, where every touch held the potential for pain rather than pleasure.Yet here I was, melting into the arms of an ex-convict I’d known for less than a day.

“Violet,” Riot whispered, his voice rough with emotion.His eyes searched mine, looking for any sign of regret or hesitation.He held me securely, but I didn’t feel trapped.One big hand moved in a comforting slide up and down my back, gentling me like he might a nervous filly.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” I said, but made no move to leave his lap.“I’m still married.And you’re --”

“I’m what?”he asked softly when I didn’t continue.

“You’re too good to be true,” I confessed.“Men like you don’t exist in my world.Men whoprotectinstead of harm.Men whoaskinstead of take.”

He laughed, a short, humorless sound.“Honey, I’m nobody’s idea of a good man.I’ve got blood on my hands and sixteen years of prison behind me to prove it.”

“And yet you’ve shown me more respect in one day than Doug has in our entire marriage.”I touched his face again, marveling at how he leaned into my touch like a man starved for affection.Maybe he was.“I don’t know what this is between us, but I know I don’t want it to stop.”

“It won’t,” he promised, his eyes sparked with fervent promise.“Not unless you decide you don’t want me.”

His words wrapped around me like a vow, and I found myself believing him despite all the warnings in my head.I’d been lied to for so long that I should have been immune to pretty words and promises, but something about Riot’s blunt honesty cut through my defenses.

“I’ve got a man with some power in this city after me, Riot.Are you sure you want to put yourself in his crosshairs like this?The very last thing in this world I want is for you to get hurt or get your parole revoked or whatever.”I let my fingers tunnel through his short beard, the rough, bristle-like strands a soothing sensation against my palm.I looked up at him and more of those vile tears slid down my cheeks.“You’re too good a person to go back to prison, Riot.You didn’t deserve to be there to begin with.”

“I absolutely deserved to be there, Violet.Don’t ever doubt that.I killed that motherfucker.Then I pissed on him for good measure since I knew I wouldn’t be there to piss on his grave.”

His declaration should have scared me, and maybe in a way it did.But there was a part of me -- a larger part than I was comfortable admitting -- that took great pleasure in imagining something similar happening with Doug.Just not with Riot or Caleb.I wanted to be the one to kill Doug.God knew I’d earned the right to end that monster.

“I’m married, Riot.I have a husband who’s not going to let me go willingly simply because, in his mind, he owns me.”

“No, he doesn’t.”His simple declaration was said in a rough voice filled with sorrow and anger.There were times this man was an open book.Other times, like at the court hearing, I couldn’t read him at all.“No matter what happens, there is no scenario where you go back to him if you don’t want to.Even if you wanted to, I’d have to be sure you knew Caleb was safe and not in danger because I know you’d walk back to him willingly if he threatened your son.”

I smiled up at him.“Seems you already know me.”

“I do.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, resting my head against his chest.His heartbeat was strong and steady beneath my ear, and I found myself matching my breathing to the rise and fall of his chest.

“For what?”His voice rumbled through me like a giant cat purring.

“For jumping into this situation the way you did.You didn’t need this complication in your life.I’m sure it brings up bad memories.”

“Honey, my whole life has been about those bad memories.Every fuckin’ day in prison, I thought about what I’d done.What I could have done differently.Everything I lost.Thing is” -- he looked over my shoulder, his brows knitting together --”I never regretted a single Goddamned thing I did.Not the first time I got the shit beat out of me in prison by a guy twice my fuckin’ size, just because he could.Not when the guards saw me as an easy target to work out their anger issues on.Not the first timeanotherguy twice my size tried to rape me.Not once.”Then he met my gaze and the intensity I found there took my breath.“Not until I met you and Caleb.”

“Riot.”

He shook his head.“You can always call me Riot.That’s kind of who I am now, I guess.But my name is Quinn Devereaux.You need to know that, because I want to claim you.”I opened my mouth, but Riot lay his fingers over my mouth gently.“Shh.”He leaned in and rubbed my nose with his and my heart pounded.Oh, God, what was he doing to me?“I want to claim you so that my club will be honor bound to protect you.That ain’t theonlyreason, but that’s the reason I’m gonna give Caleb.”

“What’s the other reason?”I was terrified of his answer.I knew in my heart there was no way I could resist this man.

For several moments, I didn’t think he was going to answer.Then he closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a pent-up breath.It was almost like he was getting ready to confess his worst sin and knew I’d condemn him for it.

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