Page 73 of Wicked Duty
I wish I could roll back time and punch myself in the face before I ever opened my mouth.
“Lucy, I’m so sorry.” The words come out stale. Useless. “I know there’s nothing I can say. But I promise you, I didn’t know. Or else I never would’ve said?—”
“You think I’m dis…disgusting.” Her voice warbles through hiccups. She’s still shielding her face behind her hands. “And I know it shouldn’t m-matter, but it does.”
My own actions damned me. She must think I hate her, when nothing could be further from the truth.
I tighten my arms around her. “I don’t think you’re… No, I’ve never thought that.”
“Don’t lie.” Her pitch wails higher. “I saw your face.”
I pull back. Gingerly, I reach for her hands and move them aside so I can meet her teary, reddening eyes. “When?”
“Last night.” She averts her gaze, pushes away, and folds her arms across her chest. “You were so repulsed by that photo that you didn’t even want me anymore.”
“No. That was because you looked frightened.” I swallow hard. I’m terrible at this. “I saw it in your face, and I was…disgusted by myself. Not you.”
Her eyes briefly flick up to mine, narrow and suspicious. Her lower lip trembles. “Why? I wasn’t scared?—”
“I thought I saw something when I looked at you. Then I got spooked.” I huff out a slow breath. “You’re supposed to be my job. Protecting you is supposed to be the only thing on my mind, but it’s not. You undermine my control, Lucy Marlow. You have from almost the first moment we met.”
Her eyelids rise as she gives me her full attention.
“I don’t think you’re disgusting. I…fuck, Lucy. I’m attracted as hell to you.” Admitting it, finally, to myself and to her releases the vice around my chest. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. I’ve been trying to fight this attraction from the start, but nothing’s worked. All I’ve managed to do is panic and act like an asshole.”
“Really?” She almost sounds hopeful.
That hope stabs me right in the heart.
I nod. “I meant every word I said the other night. I admire you. You’re incredible at something you’re passionate about. Even when you destroy sets and fall from the sky, you’re still excellent. You’ve been through hardships most people can’t even imagine, and you haven’t let any of that stop you from pursuing your dreams. And now that I know…”
Her lips pinch together.
A lump forms in my throat. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.” A downpour of guilt threatens to sweep me away, and I take a beat to recenter myself. “I’d do anything to take your pain away. But I can’t go back in time and murder them all, so we’re going to have to come up with something else. Tell me what I can do to make up for the way I’ve been acting.”
She studies my lips and huffs out a bit of air. “Will you kiss me again?”
Should I kiss her? No. It’s a terrible, unprofessional idea, but I’m not about to reject this woman. Not if she needs me.
Not when I want her more than I can remember wanting anything.
My fingers clasp her chin, tilting her face up to meet mine.
Tenderly, I touch my lips to hers. Instead of attacking her like a savage creature, I cherish her with my mouth.
This kiss is even softer than our first. Her tears salt the taste, but that does nothing to subtract from the warmth of her lipsagainst mine. Her skin is soft beneath my hand as I cup the side of her neck.
After a few seconds, Lucy shakes her head and clutches my shirt. “Don’t treat me like a porcelain doll.”
Well, shit. I slide my hand over her cheek, into her hair. “You’re sure?”
Her eyes bore into mine. “I promise I won’t break.”
With a groan of frustration, I give in. I release the tethers keeping my lust in check and kiss her for real, displaying all my hunger. I bite her lower lip, and my hands trace the slope of her back down to her waist, where I yank her against me and slip my tongue into her mouth.
She whines a little, her arms moving around my neck and clinging tightly. Her mouth opens wider, and I tease her tongue with mine, coaxing it into a dance I lead that she eagerly follows.
I want more. Her taste, her smell, the silky sensation of her hair through my fingers…
