Page 70 of Hostile King

I’m hypnotized by her.

Truly, madly, ferociously in love.

“I’ve missed you too, baby,” I mutter into her mouth, then thrust my tongue inside and relish those soft lips I’m obsessed with, my roughness fueling her exhilaration to a whole new level.

She’d be helpless to fight against me, not that she does, we’ve sailed past the point where either of us pretend this isn’t real. My aching body dominates hers, angling her out of view so I’m buffering my girl with all that I have left.

I kiss her without control, aware my demons are poised to play should these fuckers try to come between us. I might be unsteady and bone-tired, however the ounce of lead that had tunneled into me couldn’t keep us apart and neither would they.

When her sexy little groan vibrates, it shocks my tired muscles, tugs at my gravity, and forces me to crush her curves hard against me. The closeness takes every last shred of self-discipline I have not to slam her ass into the wall and fuck the life out of her.

Rather, I fuck her mouth with my tongue, share her oxygen, and offer a ravenous promise of what we’d do in private.

The potency of our ruthless desire is interrupted by shuffled footsteps. It penetrates the lustful haze I’m not ready to surface from. The intrusion skims across my shoulders in a wave of prickles—a warning—animal sharp instincts kick in.

It’s time to figure out what these men want as payment for taking in a cartel kingpin. Of course, they know who I am.

Everyone does.

Once I’m certain she understands how I feel about her, I step back and stare down at her beautiful lips, left swollen and perfectly pink. My thick grunt causes her pupils to swallow me whole. Our kiss, a waxen seal securing her fate and anchoring Carina beside me for eternity.

I’ll never let her go.

Not now.

Not ever.

I slowly pivot on the spot, turning towards the bearded guy whose arms are folded. He stands on his own, hip dipped against a steel cabinet and his unforgiving gaze watching my every move. I hadn’t noticed the younger one leave, probably because the world ceases to exist when I’m touching her.

We face each other in a silent stand-off. He appears cold, impassive with no emotions on show. Instincts tell me that even though this guy had stitched me up, he’d just as quickly put a bullet in my skull. This isn’t a situation I’m familiar with—waking up in unknown territory.

I’m always organized, on the front foot, and most definitely never weak. So, the fact my stomach is burning, and my ribcage feels as though it was crushed in a vice, I need a second to process everything and a beat to determine if this guy is actually a threat. For all I know, he’s a rat—an informant who’s already given up our location.

“I’m guessing you know who I am?” I tilt my head, watching his shoulders shrug in a casual response. “I’m sure I don’t need to point out that this woman is off-limits.”

He chuckles lightly. “I know who you are, Souza, which is why I’m surprised you’re more concerned with pissing over the girl to mark your territory rather than hearing how you lost a section of your intestine, or how you have two bullet holes. An entrance wound and an exit. Or how about the fact you’ve ripped out the IV of antibiotics and pain relief. The longer you stand up, the harder you’ll fall. As for the girl, I already knew she was off-limits. And not because she’s fucking a guy like you. That one right there is more untouchable than any cartel scumbag.” My knees lock. “But I guess you already knew that.”

I narrow my eyes on his confusing smugness. “What do you mean by that?”

“Wait…” Carina slides her tiny hand into mine. There’s a hint of panic in her voice. An uncertainty that ignites all sorts of grisly emotions within me. “Enrique, you’re a vet right, and you did us a massive favor. We’re indebted to you.” She links our fingers and holds on tightly. The warmth of her body heat draws me in like a magnet. It’s taking all my strength to remain upright; the minimal energy reserves I have are depleting quicker than my temper.

“Tomás, once you’re up to it, we’ll leave here and let this man carry on with his life. It’ll be like we never met. He deserves hisprivacy,as do we.” When she stresses the last word, her eyes lock in on the vet.

“How do you know each other?” I ask through clenched teeth, my hooded eyelids difficult to keep open. Something isn’t right and I’ll get to the bottom of it.

Carina strokes the back of my hand with her thumb. I’m acutely aware of every dove-like sweep, the softness catapulting tiny thunderbolts up my forearm.

“I don't know him. We've never met before.” She palms my chest and angles herself into my chest, gazing up at me with pleading eyes. “Tomás, let’s go back to your room. You’re burning up again.”

I try to swallow without any saliva, adamant to stand my ground and not reveal how fatigued I’ve become, except the pain detonating from my abdomen is making me nauseous. I blow out a steadying breath and focus on her eyes like blazing comets soaring through the atmosphere.

“If you don’t know him,” I say on a rasped breath. “Then how did you know to come here?”

She blinks up at me and nips her pillowy lower lip between her teeth before confessing, “I phoned my big brother. He knows about you now—about us. He gave me the address of a guy who could help with your injuries.”

I frown, unable to piece all the information together when my brain is literally thumping against my skull with the force of a jackhammer.

“This guy knows Sal?”

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