Page 58 of Savage Ruin
Tears slip silently down her cheeks. “But why did you leave?”
“I needed to get the bastard,” I tell her, my voice tight.
“Couldn’t you let someone else do it? Why did it have to be you?”
“Because I’m the one who keeps failing you,” I roar, unable to hold back the guilt weighing me down. Standing, I pull my pants up and face her. “With Diego, your stalker, our enemies. Not to mention the rest of my people.” I throw my hands in the air. “Marcos, Mateo, Jason, Roberto, and I just added two more to the list tonight. Melissa and Paul. Oh, and let’s not forget Agent Antonio. When does it stop?”
“Oh, Thiago,” she says softly, her anger dissolving. She yanks off the rest of her leggings and wraps the sheet around her body. “Nobody blames you. We’re at war. The only time we fail is if we don’t try. And I’m not sure if you noticed, but we have a hell of a lot of people on our side. It’s not just you on this battlefield. It’s Mateo, Grayson, me. It’s Zane and his team. And SEI’s new security team.”
She stands and lays her hand on my chest. “Everyone has a reason to fight. Blood’s been spilled everywhere. It’s personal for all of us. Don’t rob us of the chance for vengeance by trying to take it all on yourself. The only way we’re going to win is together.”
The need to believe her is there, but it’s slightly out of reach. Too many years spent trying to protect everyone. My thumb comes up and traces the lines on her face. “You looked so beautiful tonight. So carefree. I told you to let loose, let me take care of everything and look what happened.”
She scans my face. “Don’t leave me tonight.”
“I’ll be with you all night,” I promise her, laying my forehead against hers. “Let me grab a shower, okay?” I grip her chin and kiss her until she’s breathless. “I’ll be back soon.”
In the shower, the water turns pink with blood from where the shards of brick hit my arm, and I lean against the wall and watch it flow down the drain. How do I protect them against an enemy I can’t see? Tonight was bad, and it’s only going to get worse. I close my eyes and let the water wash over me, sending my sins and doubts down the drain.
When I return, she’s fast asleep, with a little furrow in her brow. Still worried about something, maybe everything. The chemistry is explosive between us, and I still can’t imagine how I’m going to share her with Mateo or react to seeing them together when we get back, but I’m willing to try. To be honest, my only priority right now is keeping all of us alive.
A low buzzing noise near the window draws my attention. I tilt my head, trying to pinpoint where it’s coming from, and walk closer to the noise, finally tracing it to the jacket I was wearing earlier. I’d thrown it in the chair by the window at some point. I lift it up and when I hear the buzz again, it dawns on me. Scrambling, I grab the phone from the inner pocket where I’d left it.
“Lo’,” I grunt, trying to sound like the guy I shot tonight.
“Is she dead?” the voice on the line asks impatiently.
Shock holds me hostage for a second. “No, but you will be soon,” I vow.
Click. I shut the phone and stare at it. It was a woman.
CHAPTER28
HENLEY
The warm hard chest beneath my fingers and the thump of his heart reassures me this is real. He’s alive and here, naked in bed, with me. It’s early, but it’s not pre-dawn dark, so I know he’s awake.
I tilt my head back until I can see him. Serious eyes drill into mine. Too serious. “What—no workout? I’m disappointed in you, Mr. Santos.”
His mouth quirks and in a flash, he’s on top, looking down at me. “You were asleep when I came to bed last night. I’ve been counting the minutes until you woke.” He scoots down in the bed, trailing kisses until he captures my breast in his mouth.
Heat rises and my body arches into his. “Mmm, Mr. Santos, are you throwing our entire schedule out the window?”
His lips trails across my stomach. “Hmm, I’m seizing the moment.”
The phone rings. I rise.
He moves between my legs and nibbles his way down my hip until he reaches the most sensitive part of me. “Ignore it.” His mouth settles between my legs, and I open without thought.
The tongue he wields with such wicked dexterity has me begging in minutes, but he refuses to give me the release I desperately need. “Thiago, please, stop teasing.”
“I’m exploring your delightful body, learning its curves and valleys,” he drawls huskily. “The depths.” His tongue spears into me, and my body clenches tightly. “The sensitive spots.” Lips close on my nub, and he sucks, making me buck up into his mouth. “The pieces made to fit my body.” Fingers slide into me and hook to caress the spot on the inside.
“What do you want, querida? Tell me and it’s yours,” he murmurs.
“You. I want you,” I cry out.
With his incredible strength, he easily moves us both until I’m sitting on his lap. “Lift up.”
