Page 15 of The Revenge Plan (Forbidden Descendants 1)

I shook my head and snorted. “Only you would know the name for that knock.”

“Shut up,” he growled, clearly aware how much I wanted to hassle him for being such a secret-agent geek. After someone in the background said something to him and he answered, he added to me, “Gotta go. Cannon, out.”

As the line went dead, my heart pounded hard with the challenge we were about to face. I shifted once more to put the phone back into my pocket and glanced toward Izzy. “Get ready to move.”

But my sister already had her shoes on and all three straps of her assorted bags hefted over her shoulders. She lifted her eyebrows mockingly, seeming to silently tell me she was more prepared than I was, so I ignored her and turned my attention to the girl in my arms.

“Hey,” I said softly. “We’re going to get you out of here now. Do you think you can walk?”

She didn’t answer. I glanced toward my sister, silently seeking advice. Izzy merely shrugged.

Fuck.

“Okay, then,” I decided on a nod. “I’ll just carry you. No problem.” She couldn’t weigh more than a buck twenty. I could handle that. But first, I had to get us upright. “Uh…” Mentally picturing all the places I’d have to touch her in order to position us, my body stirred.

Being attracted to her was going to make this so much more awkward than it needed to be.

Just do it already, Webster, a logical, impatient voice in my head growled.

When that knock came, we were going to have to move, no dicking around. Who knew how much time we’d have out in the open, undetected? I didn’t want her exposed any longer than she absolutely needed to be while she was stuck in this state. I would legit sacrifice myself before letting Nicholl set a single finger on her. So, I was just going to have to suffer through risking an accidental boob or ass graze in the process.

After blowing out a steadying breath, I moved, sliding a hand under her thighs—her warm, tight thighs that could probably wrap around my waist with ease—and the other around her torso, where I—yep—unintentionally slid my entire arm across her soft, giving breasts, and nudged her onto her side.

I tried to keep it as clinical as possible, but seriously, she was so fucking warm and curvy and female, things on me reacted without my permission. And she moved so amenably to my every prompt—trusting me to safeguard her—that it stirred the protector in me; made the beast swell its chest out in pride and purr over her complete faith and compliance. I liked helping her. I liked the way she let me help her. And I liked how our bodies molded to each other throughout the entire ordeal.

So it wasn’t any surprise to me that I had a straining erection digging into her ass by the time I’d managed to swing us around and sit upright on the bed with her in my lap, hugging my neck. But it was beyond mortifying, regardless.

I froze, certain she’d become offended and scurry off me or tell me in no uncertain terms what a jerk I was, but she made no move at all. The poor girl didn’t even realize my hard-on was there, insistently poking at her for attention.

Damn, her mind really wasn’t present at all, was it?

Rage infused my bloodstream. What the hell had Nicholl done to crush her spirit to the point of this kind of madness? I suddenly wished I’d hit him in the hallway a few minutes ago, after all. And hit him hard enough to leave a mark.

A knock sounded on the door: one slow, two quick, another slow, followed by a quick and a pause before it finished with two slow knocks. While Izzy jumped and let out a startled yelp after the initial knock, the girl on my lap did nothing. My anger at Nicholl mounted, and I tightened my arms protectively around his girlfriend.

He wasn’t hurting her ever again.

“That’s our cue,” I said, getting ready to stand, only to think I should give Haven one last chance to walk on her own. “You sure you don’t want to walk?” I asked quietly.

I started to let go of my hold under her knees in order for her feet to drape toward the ground. But she tightened her arms around me, buried her face deeper into my neck, and tucked her knees up snuggly toward her chest, letting me know, she didn’t want down.

“Okay,” I eased softly. “I got you. I won’t put you down.”

After sliding my arm back under her knees, I stood, and she nearly choked me with how hard she held on. Her added weight made me grit my teeth, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle, so I nodded toward Izzy, who raced to the door and pulled it open.

Bear’s hulking frame filled the entrance, causing her to rear back in surprise. But big teddy bear that our team’s nose guard was—hence the nickname—Bear merely gave her a respectful bow and greeted her with, “Little Web.”

All my friends called Izzy that, so she immediately calmed and hurried into the hall when he stepped aside to let her out. Then he turned his attention to me, only to freeze with his mouth half open and eyebrows arched high.

“Dude,” he said, blinking repeatedly at Haven until recognition set in. And just like that, his brow dropped low. “Hey. Isn’t that Nicholl’s girl?”

“Let’s go,” I answered, shifting sideways to fit us through the doorway and shouldering past him. “We don’t have enough time for me to explain.”

“Uh…” Bear shook his head and finally seemed to wake up. “Yeah, okay,” he murmured. “This way, man. Roark’s got Tyrell distracted in the stairwell and all riled up about the next game.”

I nodded, and Izzy and I followed him to the end of the hall, where he eased the door open and peered around the side. The voices of two guys talking shit echoed back to us as they argued about Northwest, the team we were set to play this weekend.

In front of me, Bear motioned with his finger, giving the all clear, before he stepped into the stairwell and positioned himself to help block us further from Tyrell as Izzy and I slipped past.

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