Page 81 of Greed: The Savage
Revenge against…?
“The duke.”
Her hips sank into the mattress.
A chill went through her; it banked the fire he’d set off within.
Everything hurt.
Which was a strange thing when Malric hadn’t even landed a blow.
She’d been wrong.
There’d been another piece for Malric to rob Addien of—her heart.
Chapter 21
Thornwick’s adversary had become his obsession.
Marriage made sense, for the both ofthem. He and Addien got along. They understood one another, when not a single person understood Thornwick. They sparred with wits and words and, hell, he’d even secret parts about himself he’d never shared with anybody.
Yes, Addien Killoran, spitfire and hellion, brave and bold, was unmatched in strength and will. The man who claimed her could not afford a single misstep—she would not allow it.
Unfortunately for Thornwick, he’d erred this morn.
Addien put her tensed fingers on his chest and gave a light shove. “Get off me, Thornwick.”
Thornwick.
Oh, yes, he’d displeased her mightily.
As much as his cock ached to bring Addien pleasure and then take his own, he eased his fingers out of her wet, tight channel.
Addien sat up quickly and edged away from him until her back collided with the makeshift headboard made by the wall.
Given how tautly wound she was, Thornwick was slower to follow suit.
“Here I thought you’d approve of such ruthlessness,” he murmured.
No warning chimes required; Great Tom couldn’t have peeled any louder.
Not when Addien looked at Thornwick like he’d crawled from a London sewer and into her bed.
“You think I want to be some pawn in a nobleman’s game,” she spat with a vitriol that made a memory of all the honeyed warmth with which she’d spoken to him last night.
Thornwick had worked a lifetime in roles in which a single slip in judgment could cost a life. Whether at the Home Office or now at the Devil’s Den, the rule was the same—mistakes weren’t an option.
No. Correction. He didn’tallowhimself to make mistakes. When another’s safety rested in one’s hands, every detail mattered. Faulty judgment, rash thinking, or careless words could be fatal.
It was the first lesson driven into him from his earliest days at the Home Office. He’d lived, slept, breathed, eaten, and existed on that truth alone.
Funny, against his most formidable, compelling adversary to date, he’d forgotten that vital lesson, blundered it beyond repair.
“I’d never trifle with you, Addien.” Thornwick turned his palms up, surrendering the battlefield to his Enyo. “I asked to wed you in deadly seriousness.”
Addien peered closely at his face.
No doubt she sought the lies, but she’d find none.
