Page 63 of She Gives Love a Bad Name

The roller coaster of emotions slows, and I shove aside what remains of my anger.

“You are my responsibility, Quinn.” I pull the pillow from her embrace and gather her in my arms, pulling her across my lap. “I want to help you, but I can’t do that if you’re not honest with me.”

She curls against my chest like a content kitten and grips my lapel. “He’ll hurt you if I don’t pay him. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’re not going to lose me, baby.” I smooth the hair away from her face, and the words settle around my heart, easing the ache. “I promise.”

“Did you mean what you said earlier?”

“What was that?”

“When you asked me to stay with you?”

“Of course.”

A smile breaks through, brightening her whole face, and I’m caught up in the moment. I cover her lips with mine, chasing away the fear, replacing it with sweet, burning desire.

The torrent of need unleashes, and I’m swept away by the current. I deepen the kiss, determined to drive everything from her mind—her fear, her uncertainty, her pain. I’ll keep her safe and show her just how much she’s treasured. Loved.

Quinn is mine and I’ll be damned if I let anyone take her from me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Quinn

Finally.

Grant takes control, and I’m more than willing to let him have it. Relief consumes me. I’ve craved his touch, his kiss. He should be furious with me, should drag me down to the station and have them lock me away.

But he doesn’t. He cares too much.

My unexpected honesty stripped away the last resistance between us. He caught me red-handed yet continues to believe there’s something beneath my criminal ways. Some good locked inside of me. I can’t see it, but he can. That alone binds me to him on a deeper level.

I shift my weight until I’m straddling his thighs. His pants dig into my skin. There’s too much fabric between us. My arms encircle his neck, and I lose myself in the moment, drowning in his darkness.

His mouth drifts along my jaw, leaving the burn of his scruff along the sensitive skin. I want to feel it all over my body, the sweet sting caressed by the soft brush of his lips. I crave the delicious pressure of his tongue against my clit.

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