Page 76 of Wild Hit
Miguel’s voice comes out like a feral growl, something I’ve never heard before.
And a flash of heat chases away the fear from my spine. My skin breaks into goosebumps. My knees threaten to buckle.
Some rustling follows after Henry’s creepy laugh. “Your wife? You want me to believe that you care about Audrey when you just married her for her inheritance?”
“Is that a self projection?” Miguel asks with that growly voice, sharp as a knife.
“Look at you, using big words when you’re just a trained circus monkey.” Henry’s condescending little speech makes Miguel’s back tighten even more. “But it doesn’t matter. You may think you won, but in the end Audrey will end up with me.”
“The hell she will,” Miguel snaps, his free hand balling into a tight fist. “Touch her and you die, asshole.”
Henry gasps. “What would your fans say if they heard you talking like that? And what about your daughter?”
I take a sharp breath.
Next thing I know, Miguel’s fist is coiling back.
“No!” I scream, throwing myself at him. I wrap my arms like velcro around his torso, hands digging into his body with all my force. “Stop, he’s trying to make you throw your career away!”
But Henry’s not done. He throws another mocking laugh. “See? She’s too smart for you, man. Why would she ever give you the time of the day when you’re so beneath her? The sooner you end this, the more embarrassment you’ll spare when I go to the press with the news.”
“Shut the hell up, Henry,” I shout into Miguel’s back, squeezing him tighter. “Shut up and disappear, will you?”
“Divorce him and I will,” he sing-songs back.
“Never.” I drag the r in a way that my roommates would be proud of. “Miguel is my husband. Suck it up.”
And then, I don’t know, I glitch—I guess.
In the grand scheme of events, this is absolutely not the wildest thing I’ve ever done. But I can only think of one way to put an end to this nightmare. I release Miguel, and just as he’s turning to check on me, I grab his face and bring it down for a kiss.
He draws in air and for a moment that feels eternal, Miguel doesn’t move. My fingers slide into his hair, grabbing tighter onto his powerful jaws, and it works. He’s finally playing along.
A tiny peep dies in my throat as his arms come around me, one hand holding the back of my head and the other at the small of my back as he tilts me back slightly. Our lips desperately latch onto each other, seeking taste and heat and closeness. More of each other—please.
He reads my mind again, and next thing he’s opening my mouth with his, and I let him, and our tongues meet in a silky brush that I feel all the way down to my toes. His jaw works hard under my hands, and the reminder of how big Miguel is, how coiled is the strength of his finely honed body, puts into starker contrast how tenderly he’s holding me. Like I’m delicate.
I would swoon in his arms if it wasn’t for Henry cursing and mumbling some garbage that I can’t make out while I’m busy, well, making out.
It takes herculean effort to come back down to earth. I don’t know what I’ll find when I open my eyes. When our lips part with a smacking sound, I bury my face in Miguel’s chest and hope for the best.
He’s breathing harshly, chest going up and down fast, heart beating violently. I’m not doing any better—actually, I’m completely out of breath. Miguel’s arms are still around me and I don’t feel cold at all, not one bit.
I feel him shift slightly, and then his voice wraps around me. “He’s gone. You’re safe now.”
I squeeze the lapels of his suit jacket and stay still, knowing full well that I’m safe because Miguel was here.
CHAPTER 28
MIGUEL
For a wild second that stretches into forever, I can’t tell where Audrey and I end and begin. I just know that this is what’s right and everything else is a half truth.
Then she’s pulling away, tucking her face against my chest while I just stand there, cold and broken when I have to face reality again. My eyes stay glued shut, a tiny rebellion against the facts.
She’s not really mine. That kiss wasn’t real, even though it sure as hell felt like it.
Slowly my mind reaches out to my senses. My skin is running on overdrive, tingling in an almost painful way everywhere, especially where she’s pressed up against me. My chest is working around the clock to catch some air, and my heart is competing for attention. I swallow hard when I find that my arms are still wrapped around her—tight.
