Page 87 of Heroes & Hitmen
Miley tries to jerk away, but I don’t let go. Her pulse hammers beneath my fingers, matching mine beat for beat.
She lifts her chin to glare up at me, cheeks flushed, breathinghard. “You’re unbelievable. You just…. just…” She huffs, hands balling into fists as she struggles for words. “You make everything a game, but there are real consequences. If Alpha hears that someone saw two wolves and nobody reported it, he’ll sweep the entire fucking city trying to find out who it was. Whatthen?”
She’s shaking now, so furious that her whole body trembles, but I don’t interrupt. I just let her rant, knowing damn well this isn’t just about a couple of hikers in the woods anymore.
Miley’s not one for pointless dramatics. This is her fear coming through– for the time we’ve got left, for the plan we’ve concocted, for what happens after.
That last one’s the kicker. Because if she’s this spun out, it means she actually gives a shit about what happens tomeonce she’s gone.
“We shouldn’t have come here,” she spits, kicking at the ground. “Not in broad daylight, when it’s open to the public.” Her voice still has bite, but the fire in her eyes is fading, banked by exhaustion and the weight of what-ifs.
“You’re hot when you’re mad,” I remark, because it’s true.
“You’re an asshole,” she snaps, shaking her head exasperatedly. “You’re going to get yourself killed someday.”
I lean in, closing the space between us until she has to crane her neck to maintain eye contact. “Maybe,” I agree. “But not today.”
She frowns and tries to step around me, but I block her path. I’m taller, stronger, and I’ve got way fewer fucks to give about personal space.
“Move,” she growls.
“Not until you at least admit you had a good time out there.”
She bares her teeth, and for a second, I’m sure she’s going to deck me. Instead, she heaves a long-suffering sigh, shaking her head again. “Why do you keep pushing?” she groans. “What do you evenwantfrom me?”
“Everything,” I answer without hesitation. “But every time you start to let me in, you bolt the second it gets real. Why?”
She falters, averting her gaze. “Don’t turn this around on me.”
I reach out to brush a strand of hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. “It’s not a trick question, sweetheart,” I say, tipping her chin up and forcing her to meet my eyes. “I want you.Allof you. The part that sometimes laughs at my jokes, the part that triesto boss me around. Even the part that gets so fucking mad she could rip my throat out.”
She looks away, but I don’t miss the way her breath catches. “I can’t,” she rasps. “I can’t be what you want.”
My hands slide down to her waist, holding her there. “Yeah, you can,” I murmur. “You already are.”
“No, I’m not,” she grits out, eyes flashing with something I can’t quite read as they snap up to meet mine. “I’m not open like you. I don’t know how to…”
I cut her off with a kiss before she can say another word to tear herself down. Her body goes rigid with surprise, but then she melts. Her lips part, tongue chasing mine. Her hands fist in my shirt, dragging me closer like she needs the contact just to stay upright. Then, just as suddenly, she shoves me away, stumbling back.
We stare at each other, breath ragged, every nerve stretched to the breaking point.
“Why do you even care?” she demands, voice raw. “You got what you wanted. We’re already fucking. So why do you keep trying to push?”
I step in again, close enough for her to feel the low growl vibrating in my chest. “Because I care about you, Miley. And you care, too. You don’t want to, but you care so much it fucking kills you. You think I don’t see that?”
The words hit her like a punch. She actually rocks back on her heels, like I’ve taken a swing at her instead of just stating the obvious, eyes wide like I’ve cracked her armor straight down the middle.
Then she looks away, swallowing hard. “You don’t know anything about me.”
I scoff a laugh, stepping forward. She backs up instinctively, but there’s a tree blocking her path– and as soon as her back meets the bark, I crowd her in against it, bracing my hands on either side of her head.
“I know enough,” I growl, eyes locked on hers. “I know you’re not afraid of anything except actuallyneedingsomeone. I know you’d do anything for the people you love, even if it means getting caught in a shitstorm. I know you do everything by the book, but deep down, you hate it.”
She presses her lips together, blinking rapidly, but I see the truthin her eyes.
“You think caring is a weakness, but it’s not,” I murmur, lowering a hand to wrap loosely around her throat, stroking my thumb against her pulse point. “It’s what makes you powerful.”
Her breath stutters, heartbeat jumping beneath the pad of my thumb. “You just think you’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?” she scoffs.
