Page 136 of Till Death Do Us Part

“Wouldn’t that have been something if it was Giganto and Argia?” The words slipped free.

“The carnivore and our girl?”

I nodded.

“I doubt it. They were not built for each other. He would have mated with her and then killed her. If he did not have her for dinner before that.”

“Too many differences,” I muttered. My heart sank like a stone. I knew they didn’t belong together, couldn’t be together, but for a second, it was a pleasant thought.

She gave me a strange look, then gazed at the marks again.

It didn’t matter what I was doing, or where I was, John manifested himself in my life. I was starting to think what he said about me never being able to run from him was more than literal. His eyes haunted me. I couldn’t escape them, and I didn’t want to. But not having him close was the worst of it all. To ache for someone so acutely, knowing they were only hours away—I shook my head.

And what he’d done at Babbo’s...my heart throbbed.

“Maggio!”

I whirled around at the sound of my name, keeping a hand to my head. I didn’t want to lose my sunhat. Two figures stood in the distance: another paleontologist and, next to him, a man dressed in a black t-shirt and black fatigues that didn’t hide his physique.

The paleontologist was pointing her finger gun at him, as if to say,he’s asking for you.

Beatriz squeezed my arm. “Who isthat?”

I could hardly breathe. Those intense green eyes were hypnotizing me from across the site.

“Roma?”

“Ye-Yeah. That’s.” Deep breath. “My husband.”

“No wonder you have been lovesick.Hot.” She laughed, then narrowed her eyes. “What is he doing?”

He slid one boot against the ground. Then the other. Making his own version of claw marks in the mud. He charged toward me with energy, almost knocking me over when he ran into me. He picked me clear up off the ground, keeping me pressed to him, our lips locked, making a show for all the other paleontologists.

“You fucking ran from me,” he rasped against my mouth. “You fucking ran from me. I thought—fuck. Roma. My little herbivore. My wife.”

“Tommaso—”

He didn’t give me a chance to finish. He held me against him with one arm, his opposite hand deep into my hair, keeping my head from moving back. I couldn’t move my lips from his. Until he broke the kiss to look around.

“There,” I pointed. “That’s my tent.”

“You’ve been sleeping in a tent for months?”

“Since we found most of her remains. At least now we have a portable potty.” I wiggled my eyebrows at him. “Fancy, I know.”

He shook his head and set me on my feet. He unzipped my tent, and we slipped inside. He had to duck his head to fit. It was dark and kept out most of the light. No shadows.

I stared up at him, and he stared down at me. He buried his hand in my hair again and set me flush against his body.

“John,” I whispered, fighting the desire to set my forehead against his chest and breathe him in.

“That’s my fucking limit.” He raked his teeth over his lip before he pulled me in for a punishing kiss. His dick strained against his pants, hard against my soft.

He walked me backward until my ankle hit the raised bed. I lost my balance and went to fall, but he caught me and sat me down. He removed his shirt, flinging it to the ground. He removed mine, throwing it on top of his. He took my boots and socks off, tossing them to the side. Then he unbuttoned my shorts, setting them on the growing pile. My plain bra and cotton panties came off next.

He took me in like he was seeing me for the first time. The look in his eyes made me arch toward him, already begging for him to touch me.

“On all fours.” He nodded toward the bed.

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