Page 21 of Rescued By the Convicts
“I’ll send Jayce in to retrieve it. You’re not leaving the bunker again, not until we know what’s going on. You shouldn’t have left here alone, Melina. You promised me you never would, for this very reason. You broke your promise.”
“I did not break my promise, Ivan!” she said with resolve. Melina wouldn’t lie to him, not about this.
“I was in the bunker when he took me. I’d finished dressing after a shower. When I headed to the kitchen, someone grabbed me from behind.”
Ivan’s eyes ripped up toward Reece. “Fuck. Liden has access to the bunker.”
* * *
MELINA
Liden hasaccess to the bunker.
Ivan’s words repeated over and over in Melina’s head. She couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt that hand grab her from behind.
The bunker was no longer safe.
Melina left her bed and tapped on Reece’s door. No answer. She opened it. The lights flicked on before she could hit the override switch on the panel. He wasn’t inside.
“Reece?” she called out, not too loud. She didn’t want to wake Ivan or Jayce, assuming he had returned. It felt late, but Jayce didn’t stick to a predictable schedule. None of them did lately.
A tapping led her to the steps. Reece sat at the top, hazel eyes watching her from the moment she stepped into view.
“Are you waiting for Jayce?”
He shook his head.
Zev wasn’t expected. Not for a long time, if ever. The man who always made her smile might never return, but she promised herself she wouldn’t start imagining all the things that could go wrong. That’s when she realized what Reece was doing.
“You can’t guard the door forever, Reece.”
With defiance in his eyes, he lifted his chin.
“Did Ivan assign you this duty?”
Another shake. This was Reece trying to maintain control in his life, trying to contribute because he felt like he didn’t measure up to the other men in their unit.
Melina climbed the stairs and wormed her way between his legs where she leaned back against his chest. She played with the ties of the leather ring he’d placed on her thumb. He’d bound her before the others, and that held a special place in her heart.
“I went to your room and found you gone. . . it scared me. I let my fears overwhelm me sometimes and losing you. . . There’s nothing scarier. It’s bad enough when you’re on a hunting trip, but lately, when you’re here it’s felt as if you’re avoiding me.”
His brows furrowed. Reece didn’t understand why. That made two of them.
She shrugged. “I guess I’m being paranoid. I thought you were mad at me for spending too much time with Jayce and Ivan.”
Large, brawny muscled arms lifted her onto his lap, turning her around to face him. He tapped his chest and then pointed to her.I love you, he signed.
Seeing him sign those words melted her heart. She should have trusted him more, confronted him earlier instead of allowing her doubts and fears to keep her from approaching him sooner.
Melina laid her head against his chest. “Come sleep with me, Reece.”
He stared down the stairs, toward their rooms. Was he doubting her? Or himself?
Melina brushed her lips over his, tasting the sweet man who’d claimed her in this very stairwell not so long ago. Like a storm rising out of nowhere, his hands gripped her face and locked her to him in a kiss that nearly overwhelmed her.
The man was starved for her attention. He rose, lifting her with him. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her down the stairs and into his room, kicking the door shut behind him. Was the heavy slam a notice to Ivan to stay away? She hoped so. She needed time with Reese alone to repair their relationship.
She slid off his body long enough to strip. Clothing flew in all directions and then she was on her back, with him hovering over her staring down as if he were afraid to do more.
