Page 86 of Savage Wilder (Sinners and Saints 4)

“Hey.” Fox grasps my wrist and cups my nape, bringing our foreheads together. The waves of anger subside a little as he focuses on me. “Stop thinking for a minute.”

“How do you know that’s what I was doing?” I whisper.

“Because you’re shaking.” He soothes his hand down my arm and rubs until the trembling passes. “It’s okay. I’ll keep you safe.”

It’s the most he’s managed to say to me since the danger descended on us, like he had to work through everything clouding his own head too.

I close my eyes and slide my nose along his in a gentle nuzzle, taking comfort in his protective nature when it comes to me.

“Are you cold?” he asks in a low voice tinged in the shadows of his anger. “You could go into shock.”

“No. I’m good.”

Fox puts his big hands on my back and smooths them up and down every inch of my exposed skin. I can’t help the way it makes me arch against him, a tiny sound catching in my throat. He keeps up the slow touches, stroking the curve of my spine with his calloused fingertips. My skin isn’t cold, it’s the opposite—I’m burning up inside and each tender touch nudges me closer to a cliff edge I feel like I need to dive off.

A strange hunger eats at me, one unlike any I’ve ever experienced. I’ve always had a healthy sexual appetite, but it’s never been like this. My mind fills with images and I scrape my teeth over my lip, pushing aside the wish for Fox to pick me up by my thighs and toss me down on his bed.

“We should see what Ethan gave us on the flash drive,” I say instead of entertaining the fantasies.

I move to go fish it out of Fox’s pants, but his hold on me tightens, keeping me in place. Leaning back, I peer at him curiously, but he doesn’t let me get far. He adjusts on the stool and pulls me onto his lap. There’s so much conflict swirling in his dark gaze when he cups my face and brushes his thumbs over my cheeks.

“I think we should stop,” he finally says.

“Stop?”

Fox sighs heavily. “This is dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt.” He pauses, throat bobbing. “That’s the last thing I want now. If I have to choose between you and my revenge on this town, I choose you. My parents are dead, but you’re alive and I’m not letting you go.”

My heart cracks open and my breath hitches. I grasp his wrists as tears sting my eyes. Hearing him ready to give up on everything makes me ache, but at the same time hearing that I mean more to him than anything else makes me happy.

“Fox,” I whisper. “I…”

His gaze pierces mine. It seems like he’s holding his breath, waiting for me to confess how I feel about him. He has to know I’m in love with him, right? I think I always have been, since we were little kids.

“You said you’ve been searching for these answers for so long,” I say.

“I know.” He forces out a breath. “It’s driven so much of my life, but it doesn’t matter. I’d rather let it go if it means keeping you safe.”

He’s saying he’s giving it up, but his body is wound tight, like it hasn’t caught up with his head. He might be ready, but I’m not. He’s pulled back the veil that shrouded my life and I’m done with the complacency. What’s going on in this town is wrong and I want to see the consequences come down on them all.

“What if I say I’m not done?”

His brow wrinkles. “Maisy…”

“I’m serious. I think we should still keep going.” I sit up straighter in his lap and set my jaw. “I’m not afraid and I want to see this to the end with you.”

Fox studies me for a long stretch, cupping my shoulders like I’m something precious to be cradled and cherished.

“Are you sure?” His hands drop off my shoulders and skate down my back, stirring the heat in my center. The deep rumble of his voice is its own seductive and sensual temptation stroking my

skin. “We could just leave. Follow the road wherever it takes us.” Leaning in, he places an open-mouthed kiss on the column of my throat that makes my thighs clench. “Just you and me.”

God, I want that. It’s been my biggest dream for as long as I can remember. Damn him for dangling it in front of me.

We’re so close to uncovering the truth, though. I can feel it. Fox needs that closure to be able to truly move on with his life.

I purse my lips. “I’m sure. We can’t let them keep getting away with it all.”

He stares at me for another moment, then nods. “The minute you’re in danger again, we’re stopping. Chasing ghosts isn’t as important as you are to me.”

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