Page 66 of The Hunted
He didn’t like this out-of-control feeling coursing through him. He knew it had more to do with how close he presumed the Reaper was to Silva.
Santino drew in a long deep breath, driving his shoulders into his ears and then slowly released it. He needed to push all of that aside.
At least for tonight.
Tonight was for him and Silva.
He didn’t fight the smile that tugged at his lips as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He was almost giddy at the prospect of spending more time with her. He couldn’t deny the desire licking up his spine at the idea they’d be behind closed doors and alone.
No interruptions.
Santino: Hey, I’m here.
He shot off the text and waited. She told him to message her when he got here because she still didn’t believe in phone calls and wasn’t sure she’d hear the knock if she was in the back by the locker rooms. It still made him twitch the way she texted, but he also found it oddly endearing. She was this ball of chaos when it came to communicating via the phone but a little more laidback in person. He wasn’t sure which side of her he enjoyed more, but he was becoming increasingly greedy for all parts of her.
“Come on, princess.” He looked down at the phone, waiting for a response. When none came, he knocked on the gym door and it popped open with a soft click.
He held his breath, trying to ignore the noise from the street and focus on the inside of the gym. The lights were on, but it was quiet inside, too quiet. Had Silva stepped out and accidentally left her phone?
But why would the door be open if she wasn’t here?
He wasn’t paranoid by nature but dealing with the Reaper had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. What if the Reaper had found their way to Silva and was going to use her to get to him?
Santino stepped inside, slowly placing his duffle bag down. He let the door close behind him, holding his breath, hoping beyond hope that it didn’t make any noise. He toed his boots off, knowing there were certain spots on the floor that creaked when people walked over them with shoes on, and slowly crept his way through the gym.
He tried to calm his heart rate and slow his breathing, but there was an unnatural urgency pushing him forward. He never felt this before, not even when he was younger. He remained calm no matter how close to being caught he’d been in his youth.
He peeked his head through the sparring room. He felt his pulse pound in his ears as he caught sight of Silva’s duffle bag. She was here—or at least should be. He wanted to call out for her, but if she was here with someone else, he didn’t want to give his position away.
Please be okay.
Santino’s legs moved faster than he wanted them to as he scoped out the rest of the gym. He checked the men’s locker room, his heart rate spiking when he kept coming up empty. He needed to focus and get himself under control but he couldn’t, even as he moved toward the women’s locker room.
He was worried for Silva. That’s what he realized he was feeling. He was fearful about what could have happened to her as a result of her proximity to him.
If the Reaper so much as touched a hair on her head….
Santino didn’t finish the thought. He heard the sound of a shower running and rushed forward until he heard her whimper, making him pause. The wordsfuck meleft her lips on a groan, and whatever blood was pumping through his body rushed straight to his cock.
She was safe.
The thought was a faint whisper through his mind. As much as he wanted to relax, the little sounds she was making made his heart race for a whole different reason.
He tried to force his feet to move back to the main room to give her privacy, but his feet took him farther inside the shower area.
Leave.
Be a decent person and leave.
He felt his body and mind tugging him in two different directions. His body—his dick, more like it—urging him forward while whatever good was left in him urged him back.
“Santino,” she whimpered his name and his body had gone rock hard. He didn’t breathe for fear his pulse was beating so loudly that he misheard her.
“Santino, please,” she groaned his name this time.
He heard something snap, maybe it was his control, along with his sanity, but he marched forward, ripping the curtain damn near off the hooks and found his newest obsession fully naked. She had one long leg propped up on the soap shelf, one hand wrapped around her throat, and the other in between her legs.
God, she was perfect.
