Page 4 of Savage Hunter

I’m helpless against the lingering effects he left on me and I want more, damn it.

I’ve tried everything I can think of to rid myself of the cravings his touch left behind. Short of throwing myself off the cliff or erasing my memory, I fear there’s nothing left to do.

Except the obvious, of course. Which gives me my answer, I guess. I can either wait to see what happens or go after what I want.

Since I can’t forget him or bleed him out of my system, I’ll need to satisfy my craving.

In order for that to happen, I’ll have to go searching for him and that means I’ll need to do the unthinkable—find and tempt the forbidden with my innocence until he can no longer keep himself from me.

Wicked and completely out of character for me. I gather the length of my dress in hand and slowly leave the balcony. I pass a mirror and I almost don’t recognize the blush on my cheeks or the glittering excitement in my eyes. I’m more of a quiet wallflower type.

But not tonight. For the first time in my life, I’m dropping my petals and showing my true self.

I inhale and hold the warm air in my lungs long enough to feel the thud of my heart calm before I slowly release.

Like I said, tonight is one of secrets and my mother isn’t the only one keeping something close to her chest.

Tonight, I will find him, sate my lust, and only then will I have the strength to banish this unstable hunger from my system.

Sounds simple.

A hunger only he can sate.

Wolfe Carter.

My mother’s bodyguard.

A man of deep secrets.

A ruthless protector.

A killer.

And the man I love.

I throw my hand over my heart and feel the steady beat against my palm.

Fuck me. Love? There’s no possible way I can love him. I roll the word over my tongue and let the emotions that come with it tease my senses. It carries so much weight and with it so many expectations.

Can’t I want someone’s body without needing to have their heart?

I refuse to entertain the idea. Not after a solitary kiss. Right?

Either way, I can’t lie. Not to you or to myself. I’ve wanted him way before he dared press his lips to mine.

I flick away the intrusive thoughts. Right now, whatever label I want to put on my emotions doesn’t matter. If this crazy plan works, maybe then I can get my life back. That is where my focus needs to be. I can only pray, because if my mother finds out I have a thing for the hired help, I have no doubt she’ll bury my existence behind a wall of ice and I’ll be dead to her.

I carry these thoughts with me across the vast manicured lawn and don’t stop until I come to a marble walkway opposite the illuminated pool. The sun set over the Mediterranean an hour ago. Purples and pinks gave way to inky blackness. In the near distance, waves crash against a golden sandy beach just beyond the cliff. Rumbling vibrations carry up the steep incline and serve as a direct line to my unstable determination.

I take in salty sea air. Release. “I need to do this.”

No one is around, and this is possibly the last time I’ll see him.

I slip off my three-inch heels with one hand and gather the ends of my evening gown in the other. In the mansion, they are perfectly safe to wear, but the mist from the ocean on the slick marble is another story.

My heart races and my pulse thunders just beneath the surface of my heated skin. I have an hour at most before my mother comes looking to gather me from my room. I have to hurry. I make my way deeper into the shadows in search of my greatest sexual fantasy.

The walkway cuts a polished path through the garden. Low hedges line either side and every few feet a lit torch marks the way.

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