Her grin turned sassy as she lifted her hand and held her finger and thumb an inch apart. “Maybe a little.”
“Just a little?” He grabbed her by the wrist, pulled her to her feet, and planted his lips on hers. Their tongues collided, and she melted into him. Her breasts rubbed against his chest, her nipples hard nubs he immediately wanted to put his mouth on.
Fuck, he’d never be able to get enough of her. The earth stopped revolving as his mind started spinning. She was his entire universe. His sun. His moon. His center. He didn’t exist in the world if she didn’t.
Without even being aware of her pull on him, she’d brought him back from the edge. Brought him back from the gray zone between the living and the dead, where nothing and no one mattered. She’d reminded him of who he was and what he stood for.
And he had no intention of letting her go. Couldn’t let her go. Ultimately, the choice would be hers. But for now, she belonged to him. His arms tightened around her waist, holding her to him.
Her body pressed against his, he felt her rapid heartbeat thumping against his chest as he kissed his way to her ear. “Want to know what I think?”
“What?”
He turned them and put her body under the warm spray, his hands smoothing down the skin of her back and over the curve of her ass, his fingers sinking in and holding on. “I think you enjoyed thatwaymore than just a little.”
Her sparkling eyes told him more than words could have, and the sassy little minx grinned at him before she tipped her head back to rinse the last of the conditioner from her hair.
Fuck she was gorgeous. Taking advantage of having access to the column of her throat, he ducked his head and left a trail of kisses to the juncture of her shoulder where he latched on and drew her flesh into his mouth.
She squealed and tried to pull away. His hand fisting into her hair held her in place, and head angled to the side, her throat remained exposed. Her delicate skin vulnerable to his teeth, his tongue, his lips.
He sucked hard, and she groaned, leaning into him. Yeah, by the time he was done, she’d be wearing one of his marks where she could see it. Evidence for her eyes only of who she belonged to and how much shereallywanted his cock inside her.
Not just a little. But a whole fucking lot.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-EIGHT
In the frontpassenger seat of Adam’s truck, Eve pressed her palms together to keep her hands from trembling as Grant and Cody boarded the private jet first. Per Adam’s order, the pair were conducting a security sweep of the interior before the rest of them left the safety of their vehicles.
“Standard protocol.” His attention focused on the area surrounding the plane, Adam took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “Nothing to worry about.”
Easy for him to say. A military trained black ops soldier in charge of an elite unit of military trained black ops soldiers, he was the best of the best when it came to covert operations. Hell, he was the best of the best period.
And if anything happened to him, Eve would never get over it. She loved him too much. Her heart punched against the bulletproof vest covering her chest while a sharp intake of air bruised her lungs.
She loved him. Oh God! What had she done? How had she let this happen? Her rescuer had become her lover. Understandable considering his sex appeal. But the man? He’d become her everything.
“Breathe, Eve.” His tone remained soft, but her body recognized the power he had over her, and she expelled the breath she’d been holding and drew another. “You okay?”
He glanced at her quickly, and she nodded, but couldn’t get the compulsoryI’m fineto come out of her mouth.
She wasn’t fine. About to come face-to-face with the monsters who haunted her nightmares, nothing about this situation could be classified as fine. Fucked up would be the term she’d choose.
To his credit, Adam didn’t suggest she stay behind. As much as she dreaded seeing Bryan and the judge, the obligation she felt toward their victims meant she had no choice. She’d made them a solemn vow, and she intended to keep it.
At the reappearance of Grant and Cody, Adam let go of her hand. “You two wait here.” He opened his door and exited the vehicle, leaving Eve and Davis behind. A man on a mission, his stride ate up the ground as he crossed the short distance to meet his men at the bottom of the stairs.
A brief conversation later, the three of them approached the middle SUV, and she turned in her seat to watch. Chase stepped out, followed by Gray who immediately disappeared amidst a fortress made of muscle.
They moved across the tarmac as one, and in no time, Gray and Chase were on board. While Adam made his way back to her, Grant and Cody met the second group. Surrounded by his teammates, Jay also boarded without incident, and she wondered at the level of precaution being taken in both their cases.
She might have considered it excessive, until her turn arrived, and a spike of fear had her insides twisting. This was it. No more hiding. No going back. No more comfort and security of a remote Montana lodge.
Her first time out in public since Adam had found her, Eve’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese threatened to make a reappearance as her anxiety spiked to an all-time high. Her door opened, and a solid wall of male chests greeted her.
“Ready?” Adam held out his hand, and she took it, her fingers clamping on tight as he helped her down. Davis appeared beside her, and then they were surrounded. Anyone who wanted to come after them would have to go through six feet of pure unadulterated testosterone before getting close enough to do any damage.
And good luck to the bastard who tried.
