Page 33 of Twisted Empire

I’d come over to the kitchen island to offer to help, but Dexter was too busy ordering Logan and Slade around to give me any instructions. After he’d gotten Logan chopping one thing and Slade grating another, he finally looked at me.

“This is going to take a while,” he said. “Why don’t you get some rest? We’ll let you know when it’s time to eat.”

I wanted to protest, but it was hard to summon enough resolve. It wasn’t as if Dexter couldn’t handle himself in a kitchen. I wasn’t sure I’d actually contribute rather than ruining the ingredients.

Beckett, who’d been watching over the proceedings with a vaguely bemused expression, slipped his hand around my elbow. “I’ll come with you. It’s been a long day—you need a break.”

“Fine,” I muttered, but I couldn’t deny I felt a little relief being escorted up the stairs and toward his private apartment. I didn’t even want to sleep—just to lie down and take the weight off my feet even if I couldn’t remove the heavy burden pressing down on my shoulders.

Beckett didn’t bring me to the guestroom where I’d spent the previous night. Instead, he led me right into his part of the house to his own private bedroom.

I sank down on the bed, still upright, with the sense that he’d wanted to do more than make sure I got to a resting spot safely. Beckett sat at the edge of the mattress and turned to face me. His expression had turned so solemn that my heart lurched.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Beckett shook his head. “Nothing—not like that. I just—you know what you said at your house, about stopping Doom’s Seed?”

“Of course. I mean, obviously we have to.”

“Ihave to.” He reached out and grasped both my hands. “Maddie, I’m aware that you meant every word, but I want you to listen to me. You should walk away. This is my fight now, against people I was at least partly prepared to go up against. You’ve been through so much already—I don’t want to see you lose anything more.”

I frowned at him. “I’m okay. I can handle this. Seeing my house burned down was a shock, but that doesn’t mean—”

He squeezed my hands to stop me. “I’m not saying this because I think you can’t do enough. I just want you to let me handle the risks from here on out. I’m in a way better position to cope. I swear to you, I’ll put everything I have toward crushing Doom’s Seed. You won’t need to worry about him hurting you or the people you care about again.”

My voice softened. “I’ll have to worry about him hurtingyou.”

“That’s going to be the case either way.” Beckett held my gaze, his cool gray eyes fiercely determined. “Please, Maddie. Let me do this for you.”

My heart fluttered at the passionate devotion in his words. He really would do it—fight this entire battle on his own, on my behalf as well as his. The flare of protective furor in his eyes set off an answering heat low in my belly, stirring me out of my melancholy daze in a way nothing else had.

“Beckett, you know what I have to say,” I said, gently but firmly. “I’m as committed as you are to seeing Doom’s Seed fall. Iwantto have a hand in taking down the asshole who ripped so much away from me—I want to know I got justice for my family myself, not just sitting on the sidelines while someone else did the work.”

Beckett’s jaw tightened. “You’ve already done a lot to get us to this point. You’ve hardly been on the sidelines.”

“And I’m not going there now. I’m not letting you take all the responsibility after we’ve come so far.” I got up on my knees so I could look down at him rather than the other way around and rested my hand on his shoulder. “I’m strong enough to stand beside you while we fight this battle. That’s the only place I want to be.”

To emphasize those words, I gave him a push, and Beckett didn’t resist. I shoved him right down on the bed and pressed my mouth to his.

This kiss wasn’t gentle or sweet the way I might have kissed any of the guys before. I melded my lips to his with all the strength and desire I had in me.

He needed to remember that I was so much more than a victim, that I could take charge even with a man as powerful as him.

I ran my hands down his chest as I kissed him again. Beckett tangled one hand in my hair and trailed the other down my side to my hip, returning the kiss fervently but letting me stay in control.

I eased back just enough to peer down at him, pinning him with my gaze. “I’m capable of fighting my own battles when I need to. I’m strong enough to take on whatever enemies come my way. I don’tneedyou to take the reins, as much as I appreciate your help.”

He smiled up at me. “You already have that.”

“Good.”

I slammed my mouth into his again, need swelling through my body and condensing at my core. When Beckett squeezed my ass, I couldn’t help grinding against him through our clothes. He groaned against my mouth, and I devoured the sound with a whimper of my own, feeling the bulge that had already hardened behind his fly.

I could take whatever the world threw at me—and I could take him. I curled my fingers into his hair, rumpling the neat strands, and yanked his head back so I could claim his neck with my mouth as well.

When I nipped him with the tips of my teeth, he let out another groan, massaging my ass. “I think I like this. I should try to take over more often, just to see what comes out of you.”

“No, you definitely should not,” I muttered against his throat, and flicked my tongue across it. The hitch of his breath made me giddy.

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