PURPLE HEART - Soliders Of Fortune [BOOK TWO]

Chapter SIXTEEN

Sunday 'Sunny' Santos

Sparkling sapphires sear right through to my soul, burning with an intense heat, while strong, warm hands curl in tight possessiveness around my waist.. "What are you doing?" I whimper, unable to tear myself from his powerful embrace.. Not that I even try..

No.. I like it too much to fight it.. It feels so good.. It feels like home..

"I'm keeping you safe-" Max leans closer, his intoxicating masculine cologne getting me drunk on his raw power, his protection and something else.. Something stirring deeper in my chest.. Something I have never felt before that I can't quite put my finger on.. "Because you are mine, Little Bunny.."

My lungs catch fire when fiercely passionate lips burn hot against my own and his kiss steals my breath, stripping away my every last defence to leave me fragile and exposed.. My soft body melts against his hard one, fitting together in perfect tessellation while his arms envelop me in a sense of security that sweeps me from my feet..

In his arms, I finally feel safe.
Somehow, Max feels like the home I never had..

"Do you really mean it, Max?" I whimper, helpless to his hypnotism as my head tips back and his kiss blazes a trail down my neck to caress at my collarbone.. I want so badly to trust him, to believe in him.. To give myself to him..

I want his words to be true, I want to be his..

"I mean it, Zayka.." He growls against my throat, vicious with determination and starved from desire.. "And I will kill any man who tries to take you from me.."

...

I wake with a startled gasp, the shockwave of an all too real dream echoing in my head, thumping so loud I almost don't hear the murmuring of hushed Russian whispers nearby..

"A chto naschet etoy gryaznoy Karrery?" (What about the Carrera filth?)

The disruptive sting of morning sunlight offends my eyes as it floods into the cavernous bedroom, shaking free of the amorous dreams that I know I should not be having..

Ignoring the throb of aching muscles and bruises, I eagerly crack my eyes with a swell of anticipation, only to find the armchair across the room is empty.. Dull disappointment unexpectedly weighs on me as I sit up in the tangle of expensive cotton sheets.. Sheets that hold the enticing scent of Max's cologne, masculine and warm..

But where is he?

Rubbing at the stiffness in my neck and stretching out the kinks, I notice that the bedroom door hangs slightly ajar and it is from the hallway, I can hear the hushed tones of the Loan Shark's rumbling voice.. "Keep him on ice for now.. I'll take care of it.."

I wonder, is he talking about Javier?
Or perhaps there is somebody else?

I'm sure a bruiser like Max has a whole catalogue of secrets, and I suspect that he will likely never truly trust me with any of them.. Not that I can blame him, I can hardly trust myself anymore..