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"Yeah, by risking what belongs tohis teary"

"Really, Grace? You can see why I’d be angry? I was fucking furious You don’t get it, do you? He took as mine He took as important to me and he used you He could have killed you And you see why I’d be angry"

"He betrayed you," she whispered

Rio rose up on his elbow, his eyes blazing "It has nothing to do with et it? I love you and he tried to suck the life right out of you Yes, he betrayed me, but I wanted to kill him because he nearly took you away from me"

She sed, opened her ive her another opportunity He slid his hand around to her nape and pulled her to meet his kiss

It was fierce and possessive She felt branded andher whole, devouring her and pulling her into himself

He turned her fully onto her back and then he was over her, pushing into her, hot and hard He slid into her body, locking the with eet it now, Grace? You’re mine I’ve never felt this way about a wooddamn crazy it h, taking hilad you find this so daer She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss

"Would it make it better if I told you that I’m just as crazy over you?" she whispered

"Maybe"

"Or that I’m pretty sure I love you just as rus around hi to find that warmth that burned fro the will to live after wanting to die is you?"

His eyes darkened and he went still above her For the longest ti to collect himself

He was still deeply eht around hih he hadn’t yet moved

"I don’t knohat to say," he said hoarsely "I’ve never mattered to anyone Not in this way No one has depended eth Discipline and determination No one has ever needed me for who I am Just what I am"

"I do," she whispered "I need you, Rio You saved me I’ve never mattered to another soul besides my sister No one has ever cared about me or about what happens to me Not until you I wasn’t just someone with special abilities to you You saw the real me, and you cared about her Not what I could do for the world or for someone you knew You looked inside and saw me"

He lowered his forehead to hers until they were touching "Say it Say the words, Grace I don’t just want to hear them I need to hear the her heart "I love you, Rio"

His nostrils flared and his jaent tight as if he were fighting to maintain his control and composure There was such vulnerability in his dark eyes, and she realized in that th and resolve, for how protective and possessive he was of her, he needed those sas from her

"I love you too, Grace Peterson"

He withdrew and then pushed forward again, ency he’d displayed when he’d first taken her

He kissed her lips theneach a kiss in turn Then he kissed her nose, her eyelids and each te in and out a

s he restaked his claiain

Slowly he ran his hands down her body, then underneath to cup her behind He held her in place, positioning her for his thrusts as he worked deeper

"Don’t ever risk yourself like that again," he admonished "You can’t save everyone, and I won’t lose you so that you can save one ive a daruffness of his tone because underneath was a layer of fear Fear for her Fear that he’d lose her She kissed hiasm rolled over her

She held on to hirasp more than once He’d protect her She had absolute faith in him How could she not? He’d faced death down for her and won

CHAPTEnada etersonR 29

"YOU better have sorowled into the phone "With what I’ you, you should have had Grace Peterson to o"

"I don’t respond well to threats, Mr Farnsworth You’d do well to remember that"

Farnsworth froze at the icy implication in Hancock’s voice He hated that this man intimidated him And he didn’t simply intimidate him He bloody well terrified him, and that pissed him off because he feared no one People feared him

Except this man who headed up Titan Farnsworth was certain there wasn’t a man alive that Hancock feared