Page 98 of SINS & Riley
“Can I come back?” My voice trembles. “What if I…”
What if I love you?
Shit, Riley—don’t say that.
“What if I… want to see the kids?”
His gaze darkens, his expression suddenly charged with something too raw to name. “You want to see… the kids?” he snaps.
My knee bounces with nerves. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. “Of course I want to see the kids. They’re… wonderful. Why wouldn’t I want to see them?”
“No reason I guess.”
“Then, I will.”
“Fine.” His voice is rough, the edges sharp enough to shred. “They’ll be right here. Feel free to visit them anytime you like.”
Our eyes lock, electricity sparking in the space between us—strange, charged, and so volatile, neither of us moves.
He’s letting me go.
And suddenly, I can’t breathe.
Why don’t I want this?
His arms sweep around me, strong and steady.
I don't know if it's an embrace or what, but instincts take over. I wrap mine around his shoulders, butterflies erupting in my gut.
For one dizzying heartbeat, it feels like he’s lifting me onto a pedestal.
Instead, he sets me gently on my feet.
And then he takes a wide step back. “You’d better go.”
I nod, though my body feels like it’s splintering apart. My heart slams against my ribs. “I just…”
The words die on my tongue.
Don’t be an idiot, Riley. The nice psychopath is letting you go.
His dark eyes pin me. “You just… what?”
I shake my head, forcing the lie. “Nothing.”
With Da’s knife in one hand, and the necklace in the other, I make my way to the door.
His palm presses against the small of my back, scorching, leaving a delicious print on my skin.
“There’s just one more thing I need from you, Pom.” He says it like an afterthought.
“Anything.” Why did I just say that?
The tension between us draws tight as barbed wire. His hand cups my jaw, dragging me closer. “One kiss.”
The words splinter me.
It's always been his price. Since that first night. The night he saved me.
