Binding Ties

Chapter Four

He absolutely couldn’t say too much – fuck, he basically already had! – But if the offices caught wind of what was going down right now with Nate and Jayden, they’d both be no more than gravel fodder.

But, he knew they’d been making progress – he knew that she’d been starting to listen – sort of.

He’d seen hope in her eyes, and even if all she was hoping for was chocolate, he wanted to fulfil it. And now he was watching her back – shifting slightly with every breath that she was taking. He couldn’t resist touching her – physically reaching for the brush of her skin against his fingertips – even as she arched away from it for a second – until that lightning between them became too much to bear.

He heard her heartbeat quicken – felt the moment she arched into his touch.

“Turn over,” he whispered, into the shell of her ear – his warm breath stirring her fine hair. Even closing her eyes against him – trying to steel herself, she couldn’t help the shifting of her own body, the rough sheets warm against her back as she looked up into his eyes.

She couldn’t be doing this – she thought, panicked – not with mob. She couldn’t be giving herself her mother’s life – not when they’d tried so desperately to run from it before.

His eyes fell over her every feature like a physical caress – even if he brought out all the poison in her family’s blood – even if he was bad through and through – he was looking at her so affectionately, so protectively, that she couldn’t push him away again.

Something inside her desperately clinging to the idea that maybe – just maybe – he could be the one to set her free. That forest green – the almost fluorescent intensity behind them – drinking her in – captivating her.

He laid his lips gently to her forehead – his nearness, his scent and intensity as she found herself staring at the pulse racing at the junction between his neck and his broad shoulder – mirroring her own – was overwhelming – her body burning in such proximity to his.

“I’m fucked,” he whispered softly, his words pained and profound, “My whole life has been made up of shit like this – running from evil until it caught up and consumed me. I won’t have that for you. Don’t fight against a hand that wants to open the gates and set you free.”

That couldn’t be the extent of this; she knew nobody in this world had an altruistic bone in their hard, ruthless bodies. What would he be expecting in return?

“Why do you care?” her eyes narrowed as though meeting his own – even though she couldn’t bear to tear her gaze away from those bronzed ropes of muscle that were straining against the thin t shirt.

Why did he care so much?

Jesus, that question was leading him to dark memories – demons he hadn’t faced, yet. His sister, his family – his past. He just didn’t want to see her on the same paths as he’d taken.

It probably wasn’t as simple as anything. Not just his sister – not just his past – not just the burning need to claim and protect her that roared through him – it was probably an amalgamation of all of those things.