Our movements increase, every thrust becoming harder, the pleasure growing more potent. I shake with the intensity, my body screaming for more.
His mouth devours my skin, the scrape of teeth and lap of tongue making me mindless.
“Sebastian…” I don’t know what else to say. His name on my lips is all there is.
I’m not me anymore. I’m not singular in heart or body or soul. Everything I know has been entwined with this man. We’re one. Never to be broken apart.
“I don’t want this to end.” I grip tighter to him and squeeze my thighs with his thrusts.
The thrill is intense. His affection becomes overwhelming.
“I wish I had the stamina to make this last all day, but you’re too fucking perfect, Keira. You always have been.”
I shudder, my limbs and nerves tingling until the vibrations culminate in my pussy and I fall over the edge.
I break apart, my neck arching with the euphoria as moans escape my throat. I close my eyes, clinging to this moment, savoring the bliss while Sebastian’s thrusts of release match the contraction of my pussy.
Flawless. Monumental. Intense.
I’m at the highest of highs, bathed in his tenderness and swimming in endorphins when everything begins to incrementally slow.
Our movements lessen. His kisses disappear. The pleasure dims while our panted breaths fade.
The warmth I’d been blanketed in seconds earlier becomes chilled as I open my eyes to the tortured man staring back at me.
“You’re everything, Keira.” His words sound like a goodbye. A whispered farewell.
“Good. Then don’t leave.”
He winces and buries his head against my neck. He falls quiet, not even his labored inhales heard over the pounding in my ears.
I don’t release my hold. I continue to cling tight, convincing myself he’s going to stay right up until his body turns rigid atop mine.
His emotional withdrawal is a living, breathing thing. I feel it escaping from between us, then in a rapid burst of movement he slides off me and shoves to his feet as if I’ve burned him.
“Sebastian…” I wait for his rejection, for the words that will call an end to all of this and shatter me into a million pieces. I don’t know how else to fight this. I’ve begged. I’ve pleaded. I’ve used my body like a weapon.
“Do you hear that?” He cocks his head toward the window.
My pulse spikes. “Hear what?” I remain still, trying to hear the elusive sound. “What is it?”
“Someone’s here.” He lunges for the pillows and pulls out his gun. “You need to hide.”
I scamper from the bed and spin in an anxiety-riddled circle, not sure if I should be looking for clothes or a weapon.
“Get in the bathroom and lock the door.” He stalks to the dresser and yanks out a pair of boxers, dragging them up his legs one-handed. “Don’t come out until you know it’s safe.”
“I’m not leaving you on your own.”
“Don’t argue with me.” He strides for the door. “You’ll only get in my way.”
22
Decker
I rush down the hall, mentally preparing for battle, and peek out the glass panels of the front door.
“Who is it?” Keira’s whisper travels from somewhere close.
“Peanut,” I grate, “for once in your life will you listen to me and go hide.”
“No.” She tiptoes toward me, pulling a fresh shirt over her head as she approaches in a pair of baggy shorts that hang from her slim hips. “I need to know what’s going on.”
I sigh and return my focus outside. “There’s a car coming up the drive.”
It’s a vehicle I don’t recognize, but I can already identify the stocky build of the man behind the wheel.
“Who is it?”
“Hunter.” He’s the only person who could’ve figured out where I am, and he’s too ego-driven to have given the information to Torian. My best buddy will want to be the victor in this situation.
She creeps up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “What will he do?”
That list is too fucking long to contemplate. “Who knows.”
He won’t kill me in front of Keira. At least I hope not. I need to start praying that he’s willing to take me back to Portland for Cole to deal with. That way, I’ll have a chance to escape on route.
“Sebastian…” She clings closer, her warmth touching every part of me. “I’m scared.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about. He’s here to take you home. It’s me he’s after.”
“That’s why I’m scared,” she murmurs.
I want to believe her. God, how I want to believe her, but there’s still the slightest twinge of doubt gnawing its way through my chest. “It’ll be okay. Stay inside. Hide at the back of the house.”
I grip the knob and turn, only to be stopped when she places her hand on mine.
“I’m not leaving you.” She squeezes in front of me, her back to the door, her chest brushing against mine. “I know you doubt me. I can hear it in your voice. But I’m here, Sebastian. I’m right where I want to be.”
“In the line of fire?”
“If that’s what it comes down to, then yes.” She spins, yanks open the door, and slides outside.
I wait for her to flee. To escape. To run to the man who pummeled my body to a pulp mere hours ago.
She doesn’t.
She flicks her gaze between the black Mercedes and the house, making sure she positions herself between us both.
“Jesus Christ.” She’s suicidal. I follow her outside, and she continues to keep me as her shadow, mimicking each of my steps to ensure I stay behind her. “Get out of my way, tiger.”
“No. I’m not going to let them hurt you.”
The car inches into the yard and circles to the front of the house. It’s then I notice Hunt isn’t alone. His trusty sidekick, Sarah, is in the passenger seat, her face impassive as they pull to a stop.
“Move.” I’m trying like hell to be patient, but having her in front of me feels beyond wrong. I want her at my back. I’m the one who needs to protect her.
She grabs my left hand and wraps it around her stomach, her touch comforting and soft. Then she yanks at my right, raising the gun to aim it toward her face.
“Fucking hell.” I pull away. “I’m not playing you as my hostage.”
“Please.” She turns to me, her eyes pleading. “He’s going to kill you.”
“I can take care of myself. All you’re doing is making this worse by distracting me.” I drag her behind me, ignoring her scrambling, scratching protests as I shield her with my body. “Or maybe that’s the plan.” I inflict the emotional blow in the hopes of diverting her attention.
It works.
She stops protesting, her pain at my accusation taking over her features as she blinks those baby blues my way. “You’ll never trust me again, will you?”
“How ‘bout I trust that you’re going to stay behind me and keep quiet while I handle this?”
She presses her lips tight.
I don’t wait for another response. I swing around to face our visitors as they climb from the car, both of them scowling at me, no guns drawn.
Sarah is the first to step away from the vehicle, which is surprising. I never would’ve imagined Hunt would let her breathe without permission in a situation like this, let alone allow her to walk toward me.
They know I’m armed. The weapon may be rested at my side, but despite my laidback stance, they both have to realize I’ll fire shots to lay cover for an escape. And yet she approaches, her stride determined, her pinched expression increasing, while he stays at the driver’s side door.
“What do we do?” Keira’s question is barely audible as I stand my ground.
I don’t move. Don’t even flinch.
Sarah holds my gaze as she reaches the steps, and I start to wonder if she’s the decoy to distract me from Hunter’s kill shot.
&nbs
p; “We went through your shit,” she says in greeting.
“I figured as much. You wouldn’t have found me otherwise.” I clear my throat, trying to ignore the build of adrenaline. “Is my place still standing?”
She shrugs. “It’s definitely not in the same state as when we arrived.”
I’d probably give a shit if I had any possibility of returning home. But at the moment, I’m not convinced they’ll let me make it through the day.
The thing that hurts, though, is what they would’ve done to all my research. All those years of searching. All those faces of innocent women. All those pictures of a sister I’ll never see again.
She takes the first step, still scowling, but those harsh eyes are different. They’re glazed. Glistening. Her nose scrunches as she takes another step, and another, coming to stand a foot away.
Regret hangs heavy in her expression, making me anxious as all fuck. Hunter knows I’d never hurt her. I couldn’t. Maybe that’s the beauty of their plan. He’s letting her take me down effortlessly.
“You should’ve told me,” she snarls. “I would’ve helped.”
I stare at her. At the emotion building in her features, the trembling lips, the liquid building in her eyes. I feel heavy—my chest, my limbs, my soul. Everything weighs me down under her anger.
I frown. “I don’t understand.”
“If I would’ve known what they were capable of, I would’ve stood by you, helping every step of the way.” She sniffs, her chin hitching slightly. “I would’ve found a way to kill everyone involved. Every single one of them, Decker.”
Keira sucks in a breath, and from my peripheral vision I see her stiffen. Sarah is talking about Keira’s family. Her father. Her uncle. Possibly her brother. No matter what they’re capable of, those words would be hard to hear when spoken from someone you considered a friend.
“Why are you here?” I ask.
“I want to show my support.”
I—singular. There’s no ‘we’ or ‘us’ or mention of Hunter.
“You’re not here to kick my ass for being the informant?”
The anger slowly fades into a sly grin. “Actually, I’m strangely proud of your deceptive ways. I never would’ve thought you were smart enough to pull this off.”
“Obviously, I’m not. Look where we are.”
“You had me fooled.”
I’m not convinced. This has to be an act. A scheme. But God knows why they’re dragging out the end game. Hunt doesn’t usually like to fuck with his prey. “Thanks?”
She steps forward. “Don’t mention it. Now, give me a hug, you manipulative prick. I can’t believe what you’ve been going through without me knowing.”
She casts her arms wide, and I brace for an attack.
Sarah doesn’t hug.
Ever.
This woman is the spokesperson for emotional detachment, so it’s more than likely she’s going to stab a knife into my back. And yet, I oddly crave the connection like a motherfucker.
I’ve allowed very few people into my life since Penny was taken. Three, to be exact. And those trio of souls are all staring at me, each of them capable of taking me down.
“Sebastian,” Keira warns.
“It’s okay.” I spread my arms, willing to sink or swim, as I drag Sarah into me.
I hug her, waiting for the betrayal, expecting the sharp bite of a blade. It doesn’t come. She rests into me, clinging tight as I glance at Hunter over her shoulder, his glare mutated to an epic level.
“I’m going to take a wild stab in the dark and assume your fiancé doesn’t have the urge to hug this out like you do.”
“Don’t worry about him. He’s still recovering from your scuffle yesterday. He can’t ditch his migraine.” She retreats, her hands falling to her sides. “But he hasn’t breathed a word of this to Cole. That in itself is a huge sign of support despite his unwillingness to voice it.”
Support? I’m still not buying it.
There has to be a catch. A hidden motive.
“There wasn’t a scuffle yesterday, Sarah. That fucking ogre tried to kill me.”
She rolls her eyes. “It sounds like you’ve both exaggerated your side of the story.” She turns her attention to Keira, her expression transforming to a snarl as her arms cross over her chest. “Did you know about the trafficking?”
I glance at Keira, getting caught up in the shock spread across her features. She’s traumatized by the harsh accusation. I have to admit, I am, too.
Sarah is usually the devoted feminist, slaying the dragons that enslave other women. But right here, right now, the only thing she looks eager to slay is an undeserving woman.
“No, she didn’t,” I answer.
“I didn’t ask you. I want to hear it from her.” Sarah levels her tone without quitting the glare. “Did you know they were selling sex slaves? Were you involved?”
Keira raises her chin in defiance and opens her mouth, only to snap it shut again. I can’t tell if she’s about to lash out or cry. I don’t want to see either.
“I said she didn’t know. And if I can believe her, you can, too.” I walk for the front door, despising every second my back is turned to the homicidal fucker in the yard. “Let’s go inside. This is going to be a long conversation that doesn’t need to happen out here.”
I pull the door wide and stare at Sarah, waiting for her to comply.
She takes her sweet-ass time, not hiding her animosity for Keira when she finally strides toward me and kicks off her shoes to leave them by the door. “It will take a lot more than your word to convince me she didn’t know. Especially when she’s the one who set you up.”
I don’t bite. I can’t afford to.
This outcome is far better than the bullet to the brain I expected. But the sight of Keira’s emotional struggle is far more punishing.
Those ocean eyes hold me captive, the pained depths ripping me apart.
“It’s okay,” I mouth.
She scoffs and turns her attention to the front yard. I follow her gaze, yet again finding the ire of one grumpy motherfucker bearing down on me like I encouraged a football team to live stream a group orgy with his mom.
“He doesn’t look happy,” she whispers.
“He’s angry at me. Not you. He’d do anything for you and yours. You know that.”
“That used to be the case.” She starts toward me. “Who knows how he feels now.”
She continues into the house on silent footfalls while I wait outside to see what the eye-gouger will do. Apparently, standing there scowling is all he’s capable of because he doesn’t budge an inch.
“Hey, asshole,” I call out. “Are you coming inside?”
His lip curls. “What was that? I can’t hear you over how stupid you are, you dumb fuck.”
I guess that’s as close as I’m going to get to a temporary cease fire.
I walk inside, locking the door behind me so I’m aware of when Hunt makes his next move. He won’t stay outside for long. He’s stubborn, but he’s also impatient. He’ll want to take action sooner rather than later, and although Sarah claims to be on my side, I’m not letting my guard down.
I make my way into the kitchen and find her at the sink, filling a glass with water from the tap. “Where’s Keira?”
She shrugs. “Don’t know. But it’s best if she keeps her distance for now.”
“Lay off her. She’s gone through enough.”
“Why do you believe her?” She shuts off the water and gulps from her glass. “She’s the one who set you up.”
“I’ve got my reasons.” And I’m too fucking loath to admit all of them revolve around intuition and attraction instead of evidence. “I’ve spent enough time with her to believe she’s innocent.”
“Forgive me if I’m not as easily convinced.”
“Isn’t she supposed to be your friend?”
Her eyes harden. “I’ve been fucked over by people far closer to me than her.”
I know that.
I wish I didn’t, but I’m well aware of the horrors she’s endured.
“Decker, we only found your information ten hours ago. I’ve spent every minute since reading through those pages. Even on the car ride here. I’m still coming to terms with all of this.”
“And so is she. You need to hear her out.”
She raises a brow. “Or maybe you need to stop letting your dick make decisions.”
I clench my teeth to stop a sharp reply. I breathe. I force calm. “If she’s guilty, then what about Hunter? You have to hold him accountable, too. He’s close as fuck to Torian.”
She narrows her gaze for a spite-filled moment, then turns away, focusing out the kitchen window.
“You know I’m right,” I say into the growing silence.
“Have I said Hunter is innocent?” she snaps. “This conversation is about her. Not him.”
I straighten with the dawning realization.
Now I understand why Hunt didn’t come up the drive with a barrel pointed at my head—she didn’t let him.
They’re fighting.
She’s taken my side when he clearly hasn’t. And like the lovesick fool he is for this woman, he doesn’t want to upset her by slitting my throat in front of her. Great. All he’s waiting for is privacy.
“Come on, Sarah. You can’t believe he’s in on this.”
“You said it yourself, he’s close to Torian. How could he be clueless?” She grips the counter, her shoulders slumping. “He always knows everything.”
“He had no clue about me.” I approach, moving to stand a few feet away. “He’s capable of some pretty heavy shit. But for as long as I’ve worked with him, he’s never done anything to anyone who wasn’t deserving.”
“I know.” She hangs her head. “I just…”
“What? You don’t trust him anymore?”
She glances over her shoulder, meeting my gaze. “I’ve been working with them, Decker. I’ve been helping a family who should be burning in hell.”
“Not the entire family, Sare. They’re not all responsible.”
She shoves from the counter in frustration. “How do you know?”
“A gut feeling.”
She gives me a look of incredulity. “Like I mentioned before, I think the body part you’re referring to is a little further south.”
Decker Page 23
