Page 31 of Savage Ruin
Mateo leans over me. “I don’t think our enemy understands the beast he’s unleashed. All three of us will go to war right by your side. Your death isn’t an option, minha linda. I refuse to even put it into the universe. The past doesn’t matter anymore. You’re strong and so are we. Zane and his team aren’t too shabby, either.”
“Ha, I dare you to say that to Cruz,” I challenge him.
He gives a mock shudder. “No way. Spooks are crazy. Have you taken a hard look at Cruz? And Raider?”
“They worked for the CIA?” I whisper loudly and snicker.
“Cruz did. Raider never said, but I don’t want to know his dark past. Even for me, some things need to stay buried,” he says with emphasis. “Enough about those two. What do you think about sharing my bed?”
I lay my head on his chest. “It’s nice,” I say hesitantly. “What was Grayson doing in here?”
His hand sifts through my hair. “Nice isn’t quite the answer I was looking for,” he states ruefully. “Fabulous, incredible, awesome, or something similar would be infinitely better.”
My hand glides across his chest. “It’s incredible, but it can’t last. You live here, and so do I—right now. When this over, I’m going to need to get my own place. Maybe you could come over and spend the night with me?”
His hand pauses. “Incredible. Exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you.” His hand strokes down my arm softly. “We don’t know what things are going to be like when it’s over, but we’ll find a way together. Let’s table that discussion for now, okay?”
He pulls my chin up. “Did you mind Grayson being here? He was worried about you, so I invited him to sleep in here with us.”
“Yes and no,” I return honestly. “He confuses me. One minute he’s rejecting me, and the next… He constantly blows hot and cold.”
“He’s working through a few things. Give him time,” Mateo urges me. “Did you like him watching us?”
I narrow my eyes. “You knew?”
“Grayson’s never slept that soundly in his life,” he says with a chuckle. “I wasn’t sure if he simply pretended to be asleep the whole time or if he watched. Based on your answer, I’m guessing you knew he was watching.”
“Yes, he watched us,” I admit. “And I—I liked it. His face… He seemed so focused and turned on just watching. It was… kind of flattering, I guess.”
Mateo leans down and gives me a slow kiss. “Thank you for being honest and telling me. I don’t want you uncomfortable. Ever. Remember, you call the shots.” He swipes a finger down my neck. “One more thing I want to talk to you about from this morning. We didn’t use a condom. Are you on the pill, or do we need to watch for a potential surprise?”
Surprised myself, I shake my head at my utter disregard of something I’d never forgotten. “I’ve never forgotten to use one, but I’m covered. I have the shot, and I received a new injection while I was in the hospital.” After I was kidnapped, I wanted something to protect myself, just in case, so I’m diligent about staying on it. But I love the way he asked me. I raise a hand and place it along his cheek. “You’re incredibly sweet and understanding, Mateo. Most men would have freaked out, but it wasn’t even the first thing on your mind.”
He flops back on his pillow and throws an arm over his face. “No, I’m not sweet. Strike that word from your vocabulary. I’m fine with geek or nerd, but not sweet. In high school, when a girl called me sweet, it always meant she wanted to be friends. Just friends.”
“I like sweet, but I definitely want to be more than ‘just friends’,” I murmur, gliding my hand down his body playfully. “Have you ever been in a serious relationship?”
He shifts uncomfortably, making me raise my eyebrows. “I was once in a relationship for five years,” he reveals, moving his arm from his face to my back. “I met a girl in California when I went out there to get my master’s degree from Stanford. Her name was Ashley, and we clicked easily. We both had plans to get our doctorate degree, so I stayed, and we moved in together. For the first few years, it was wonderful. We worked on our individual thesis and lived our daily life. But SEI started to need me more and more, and as I got involved with the research and development of new products, I found I enjoyed the real-world application more than the theoretical. I’d lose myself for days in the work and our relationship suffered. We drifted apart. When I was ready to go back to Miami, we broke it off. I hear she’s a professor at a university, married with two kids now.”
I think about the normalcy of her life and envy her for it. Would that have been my track if my stalker hadn’t decided to derail my life?
He flips us over until he’s on top. “I can’t promise I won’t immerse myself in my work, but I already see a difference in myself when I’m around you. You make me more aware of the world and the people I care about in a way I’d never considered. I want to change. Not just for you, but for me and for Thiago and Grayson who’ve always had to pick up the slack. I want you in my life, Henley, front and center, not on the sidelines.”
I push a swath of hair out of his face and look into his serious eyes. “If… when we come out on the other side of this war, I promise…” I grin when I see the look of shock cross his face. “Yes, promise, to give us a chance. You push me out of my comfort zone, too. And I like it. I like you—very much.”
His warm brown eyes shine with happiness. Pouty lips descend on mine, demanding and needy, making me want him. His hands grasp my shirt and strip it off me. Subconscious, I cover the worst of the bruises and part of my small breasts. I’ve always been so self-conscious of my flat chest.
“Move your hands, Henley. I want to lick and kiss every inch of your body, and they’re in the way,” he orders me.
I slide them to his shoulders, and he bends down and places a light kiss on the worst bruise. He moves to another and does the same. Over and over again.
The feather soft touches make me shiver and not from the cold. My body opens beneath his lips, luxuriating in the sheer admiration each kiss conveys. My nipples harden, and he switches his attention from my bruises to my breasts. His mouth hovers over my breast, nibbling and licking my nipple until I’m writhing beneath him. In a sudden move, he covers it completely and sucks hard. Need arrows through my body, making me cry out.
When he switches his attention to the other one, I’m murmuring nonsense, only to hear him chuckle. “I’m taking my time. Being in the present. Remember? You’re so beautiful when you’re aroused, Henley. Are you sweet, though?” He scoots down on the bed between my legs.
I nearly come off the bed when his mouth latches onto me. My fingers clench the sheets, needing something to hold on to while he takes his time tasting me. I’d only had someone do this once before, and I wasn’t that impressed. I honestly thought it was a waste of time. Until now.
My body spirals tighter and tighter. “I need you inside me,” I plead with Mateo.
