Page 70 of Hunted Temptation
When I feel his tongue slip into my mouth, he tastes me, and I slip my tongue into his, tasting him. We tangle our tongues together, tasting one another, and I feel desperate. I want him to fuck me on the hood of this car.
I want to feel alive.
I need to know that he’s okay, that he’s whole. And at the same time, I’m ferocious. Only when he releases me and takes a step backward am I somewhat tamed.
“We need to get into Boden’s car,” Vaughn announces.
My eyes are focused on his, but he shifts his attention down to the ground at his feet. My gaze follows his, and I know that I should gasp at the sight of a dead body, but I don’t. I smile.
“Does this mean someone is getting paid soon?” I ask.
Vaughn chuckles, and my attention shifts to him. My eyes meet his. His lips are curved upward into a cocky grin.
“I think that’s exactly what it means, but for us, it means we’re going home.”
I cup his cheeks. I don’t make a move to leave. I can’t, not until I speak to him. “I thought something bad had happened to you, like, really bad. I couldn’t breathe. I went for a walk around the block, and that’s when he grabbed me.”
My words come out in a rush, mainly because I need him to believe me. I need him to understand that I’m not stupid. I wasn’t taken because I was doing something wrong. I just needed a moment.
I just needed to breathe.
Vaughn dips his chin and shifts his face closer to mine. He presses his lips against my own before he speaks. Talking against my lips the way I absolutely love—the way I crave.
“It’s okay, Goldie. You’re safe now, and so am I. Let’s go home.”
“Home,” I breathe.
He hums. “Our home, Elodie. I love you.”
My heart swells so much, it’s so full that I think it might actually explode inside my chest. It doesn’t, but it feels like it might.
He loves me.
I don’t know if he really feels it deep in his soul the way I do, but I don’t care. I’ll take the words. That’s all I need to know that this is where I’m staying. I’m marrying this man. He takes a step backward, but I can’t do anything other than stare at him with my lips parted in awe.
“You love me?” I ask in a whisper.
He hums, his gaze never leaving mine. He’s connected to me, and I swear it feels as if we’re one person. He extends his arm, his palm facing upward. The moment I slip my hand into his, he curls his fingers around mine before he gently tugs me behind him as he makes his way toward a black SUV.
I open my mouth to ask him what’s going on when he reaches into his pocket, pulls out his phone, slides his thumb across the screen, then holds the device against his ear.
“Vaughn,” he announces.
He doesn’t say anything as the person on the other end of the line speaks. I can’t make out any of the words the person says, but I can hear their deep voice through the cell, so I know it’s a man.
“My place,” Vaughn snaps. “The safe house.”
He ends the call, tosses the phone into the cup holder, and then starts the car’s engine. Without a word, he backs out of thedriveway, though he has to drive on the grass to get around the PI’s car and body.
I look down at the lifeless body of the man who kidnapped me one more time and feel nothing. I don’t know if I should feel bad or sad, but I feel absolutely nothing at the sight of him. Not even pity, and even when I reach deep inside myself, there is nothing.
I’m not sure how far we’ve gone when Vaughn’s fingers grip my thigh, squeezing me gently as he pulls the car over to the side of the road. I don’t know how long we’ve been driving, but there are only a few tobacco fields and tall trees surround us.
“You good?” he asks.
Shifting my attention to him, I lift my head and meet his eyes. My breathing comes out in heavy pants. Squeezing my thighs together, I wonder if I should tell him that I want him right now. I’m not sure why the urge has taken over, but it’s consumed me without warning.
VAUGHN
