Page 60 of Too Late

She tries to pull my hand away, clawing at it with her fingers. I wrap my arm around her and force her to walk to the side of the house with me. She gets even angrier when she realizes what I’m doing, so she starts fighting me with all her strength. I hate having to use any force on her right now, but it’s for her own protection. When I finally get her to the side of the house, behind the protective shield of trees, I push her against the wall and keep my hand over her mouth.

“Stop, Sloan,” I say, looking her dead in the eyes. “Listento me. Be quiet and let me explain.Please.”

She’s breathing heavily against my hand, gripping it with both of hers. When she finally stops struggling, I press one hand against the house beside her head and I slowly begin to remove the other from her mouth.

She’s panting with fear by the time I put my other hand beside her head. I don’t even try to lie to her. More than anything, I need her to understand the truth. “Everything I’ve ever said to you, every look I’ve given you, every time I’ve touched you. It was never for the job, Sloan. Not once. Do you understand that?”

She doesn’t respond. She just looks at me with the same doubt she looks at the rest of the world with.

I wince, because I hate that I’ve put her in this position. I hate that she even doubts me. I hate that I’ve given her all the reason in the world to. And I hate that I don’t know a single goddamn thing I could say to make her believe that what I feel for her has nothing to do with a stupid job.

I wrap her in my arms and I don’t try to convince her with more words. I just hug her because I can’t stand to know she’s feeling what she’s feeling.

After several moments of being frozen stiff in my arms, she slowly begins to relax. Her hands come up and fist my shirt, and she begins to melt against me. She presses her face against my chest and starts crying, so I cradle her as tight as I can.

I squeeze my eyes shut and whisper in her hair. “You’re all I see, Sloan. Beyond the job, beyond right and wrong. You’re all I see.”

I press my lips to the side of her head, and I don’t attempt to excuse anything else, or deny that I’m here undercover. I don’t know how she figured it out, but at this point I don’t care about that. “I need you to know that no matter the reason I’m here, it has nothing to do with how I feel about you.”

She’s still crying when she finally pulls back enough to look up at me. “Promise me you aren’t using me to get to him.”

I’m surprised I can’t hear the crack as it makes its way through my heart. “Sloan,” I whisper. I can’t think of anything else to say because her pain is making it hurt too bad to think. I feel nothing but guilt. I kiss her forehead and then the side of her head.

She must be able to sense everything I’m feeling right now because she sighs like she’s momentarily relieved. She relaxes enough in my arms to let me know she believes me. When our lips finally meet, it’s as if she’s silently begging me to kiss away whatever doubts might return, so I do.

I kiss her with as much truth as I have in me.

I shouldn’t be kissing her, and she shouldn’t be kissing me, but neither of us chooses the responsible path in this moment. I move her against the wall of the house again to ensure our privacy, but I can’t find the strength to pull away from her. Every second that passes is a second that should never pass at all with my mouth on hers, but I can’t stop what’s happening. All I can think about is how I can get more of her.

When I press into her, she moans against my mouth, and that sound pushes away everything else. The anxiety, the common sense. My need for her completely takes over, and based on the way her hands are sliding inside my shirt, so does hers.

I’m in the fog and I don’t see myself finding my way out of it anytime soon.

Fucking hell.

“God, Sloan,” I whisper, dragging my mouth across hers for air. I lift one of her legs to my side. Then the other. “My car,” I whisper, wrapping her around me and turning to carry her in that direction.

It’s dark enough outside and the property is encased with enough trees that I’m not worried about neighbors seeing us as we climb into my back seat. The only thing I’m worried about is the fact that her fiancé is inside the house and getting caught would mean …

I don’t even want to think about that right now. Dalton hasn’t texted me yet, so we’ve got time.

I shut the back door and reach over the front seat, grabbing a condom out of the glove box. When I fall back against the seat, she’s sliding on top of me, mouth on mine, hands on my chest.

Down my chest.

I lift her bra over her breasts and work my mouth over her at the same time she frees me from my jeans.

Once I get the condom on, I grab her hips and position her on top of me while she pulls her panties aside. I lean my head back against the seat so I can watch her face as I enter her. We make eye contact and I begin to lower her on top of me, slowly.

Everything grows much quieter in the car. My eyes never leave hers the whole time she’s taking me in. When we’re finally skin to skin and I’m fully inside her, we simultaneously release a sharp exhale.

It’s the best thing I’ve ever felt—finally being inside her. It’s theguiltiestI’ve ever felt—knowing how much danger my lack of willpower is putting her in.

She leans forward and wraps her arms around my neck. “Luke,” she breathes against my lips. I fucking die.

She called me Luke.

My mouth finds hers again and I kiss her the way she deserves to be kissed. With conviction. With respect. With feeling.

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