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“That’s the plan”
For her, as happening between the Need for pleasure For
revenge “He’ll be enraged,” she whispered in his ear
He kissed her a second ti a passion that surprised and thrilled her “And he’ll make a mistake And when he does that, I’ll be there”
He kissed her hand again and then rose from the couch She led hiain, kissing her,but him
When they’d first nized the intensity in his gaze and mistaken it for Philip’s Alex possessed a darkness, but there was also tenderness in his soul, a need for truth and knowledge
She leaned in and kissed hi the buttons on his shirt When she pushed it over his shoulders, his muscles flinched, and she saw the swath of dark bruises that skiertips “I’m sorry”
“It’s not the first tiers to his lips and kissed the tips She stepped back, her gaze locked on his as she pulled off her shirt and exposed her naked scars to his gaze She tensed as she waited for hiaze settled on her breasts seconds before he cupped them in his hands “So pretty”
She arched into him, and all the self-consciousness evaporated in the heat of this moment
He traced the underside of one breast with his finger Energy shot through her body, and when he gently squeezed her nipple, she sucked in a breath
She gently touched the bruise on his side, tracing the reds and blues with her fingertip She knelt down and kissed the bruise
When she reached for his belt buckle, he hissed in a breath “Is this business or pleasure?”
He kissed her “All pleasure”
She unzipped his pants and slid her hand against him The moan that rumbled in his chest sounded part animal, and she knew under the cool exterior beat a primitive heart
When she took hiain heback his head She savored this womanly power
Soon, both were naked and on her bed She straddled above hiently over his bruised ribs He tensed but didn’t ask her to stop
His finger grazed the scar on her belly Anger flashed across his gaze, so quickly she wasn’t sure if she’d iot about shaave in to the sensation
He sat in the car, listening to the transponder His hands gripped the steering wheel as Leah called out another ht back to when he’d listened to Deidrein heat
He reached for the knife in his pocket, flipped it open, and jabbed the razor-sharp tip into the seat Leather tore as he slid the blade over the seat cushion When the blade reached the seatback, he lifted it and drove it into the seat again As it ripped, he iined it was skin and muscle
Chapter Twenty-Three
Wednesday, January 25, 6 AM
When Leah awoke, sunshine streah the s Her body was relaxed, liquid, and a strong sense of hope burned inside her It had been the worst day of her life four years ago, and today it was one of the best
When she rolled onto her side, she found Alex lying still as a stone on his back His breathing was slow, but a tension rippling over his ested he was not asleep
“What’re you thinking?” she asked
A sigh shuddered through him as he reluctantly surrendered the peace of therolled on his side to face her “I’ve been running through scenarios, trying to figure out what Philip will do So many unknown variables”
“He’s s time to plan”
Alex traced a lock of hair away from her face “He’ll make ahiood at what he did
“Philip won’t back down,” she said
He traced his pal over a scar “I’ainst her ear
She laid a hand on his cheek, wanting to believe that sohtmare with Philip would soon end She leaned in and kissed him The kiss quickly deepened, and he rolled on top of her, his erection hard against her The desire that had overtaken her last night had felt uncontrollable So much time alone, and then to feel a physical touch—it had been toolove to hi, but it also felt like a choice, not a pri to allow her heart to open just a little Choosing to feel
Having feelings for anyone risked everything as far as she was concerned And the risk, e of a cliff, scared her as erous But the idea of spending the rest of her days alone scared her more She wanted to feel To love
She slid her hands down his back and slowly opened her legs to him He kissed the hollow of her neck, her breast, as he moved inside her