The giant man sighs, dropping his shoulders while he thinks of a response. “Don’t fight me on this,” he grumbles.
Oh boy, was that the wrong thing to say. “If I gave up the first time I heard that, I probably wouldn’t have survived foster care. Are you going to tell me to calm down next?”
Instantly, Easton shifts. The strong yet gentle protector from a moment ago vanishes, replaced by a ruthless battlefield commander.
"We have to move," he says, a sharp edge to his voice. His eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that leaves no room for debate. "Now." We stare each other down, waiting for the other to break.
When I don’t move, Easton steps into my space and anchors me to his side, half carrying me toward the door.
"Wait, no," I argue, planting my feet as he struggles to get the upper hand. "I need to go back to my apartment first. My backup drives are there, everything I’ve built, all the data?—"
"You're not going anywhere near that building, Stella." His voice drops, a low, dangerous rumble that sparks a clash of wills between us.
"You don't get to dictate my life!" I snap, but my protests mean nothing to him. Easton doesn’t argue back, he simply scoops me up, bridal style, and loads me into the same SUV from last night. God, was that really less than twenty-four hours ago?
The stubborn man races to the other side of the car and hops in. His door slams shut, sealing us inside the tense silence of the vehicle. As the engine roars to life, the threat becomes more real. Coupled with my confusing feelings about Easton and why I love/hate his commands, and it’s enough for the final thread to snap.
Frustration bubbles over, sharp and ugly. "You are an arrogant, controlling brute," I lash out, the insults tearing from my throat. “One minute, you’re holding me while I fall apart, and the next minute, you’re kidnapping me.Again. Is this some twisted game to you? Are you even trying to take down the Shadow Syndicate? Maybe you just get off on manipulating people.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, a cold reflex takes over. I flinch, bracing myself, fully expecting him to hit me for crossing the line. I don’t really think he’s lying about theSyndicate, nor do I think he’s trying to manipulate me, but I can’t seem to control my mouth once I get too worked up.
Easton doesn't get offended, he doesn't yell, and he makes no move to slap me. He just watches me, taking my outburst completely in stride. I’m a huffing, puffing, red-faced lunatic, while he’s calm, quiet, and steady.
Slowly, deliberately, he reaches out. It reminds me instantly of last night when he gently tucked my hair behind my ear. But this time, his large hand cradles my face, his thumb brushing a soft path across my jawline. That simple, grounding touch sends my heart and mind pulling in entirely different directions.
“Are you done?” he asks softly. I nod. “I’m never going to hurt you, Stella. I won’t lay a hand on you in anger. Ever. You can scream and kick and insult me all day long, but the only thing I care about is your safety.”
My breath hitches. I know he means it. He’s been telling me the same thing from the moment we met. I just can’t seem to fully accept it. "I'm terrified," I whisper, the truth slipping out before I can stop it. "I’m losing control of my life and I don’t know who to trust." I can feel myself starting to spiral, the panic threatening to take over completely. “I’m sorry, I can’t… I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to trust someone even if I wanted to. What does that say about me? Am I permanently broken? Will I always be a lonely, bitter, distrustful–”
Easton silences my panic by cupping my jaw firmly and pulling me in for my first kiss. His lips meet mine, his tongue instantly seeking entry. Breathless, I open up for him, a soft moan escaping me when he strokes his tongue against mine.
His hand slides from my jaw to the back of my neck, where his fingers tangle in my hair. My head tilts back as Easton gently tugs on the strands, adjusting my position so he can dive deeper and give us both what we’ve been craving.
I fist his shirt, pulling him closer, closer, closer, until he’s nearly on top of me. My arms wrap around his neck, making him growl into our already intense kiss. My senses are filled with everything Easton, from his earthy, masculine scent to the minty taste of his mouth. Not to mention his wandering hands, taking time to caress each and every one of my curves.
I have to break the kiss to get some air, but Easton isn’t done yet. He trails his lips down my neck, nipping and licking his way to my chest. His large hand cups my breast, squeezing it and molding it and driving me wild with the unexpected spike of pleasure.
He scrapes his teeth against my bare skin, then pulls down my shirt and the cup of my bra, instantly latching onto my nipple. “Oh!” I exclaim as he lavishes attention on my tight little peak. “Ohhhh… god, yes…”
This earns me a dark chuckle from Easton, who proceeds to swirl his tongue around my nipple and then bite it. I arch my back, giving him more access to my body. Fuck, I’ve thought about this more times than I’d like to admit, but nothing compares to the real thing. I melt into him, my fingers combing through his hair as the raw adrenaline flooding my system transforms into pure, unadulterated desire.
“Fuck,” he rumbles against my breast, the sound vibrating through me and settling between my thighs. Easton’s beard scratches my sensitive skin as he kisses his way back up my neck and claims my lips once more. The kiss is heavy, desperate, a consuming fire that burns away the fear. “Fuck,” he says again, softer this time.
When he finally forces himself to pull back, we are both completely breathless. He rests his forehead against mine for a fraction of a second, his dark eyes burning.
"We aren't finished," he growls, the promise tingling against my lips before he shifts the car into drive and peels away from his home.
6
EASTON
The logs from the security perimeter flicker across my tablet in a steady stream of green code, but I’m barely seeing them. My mind is still back in the car. Still tasting the frantic, defiant heat of her lips against mine before I had to break away and get us to safety.
The safe house is buried deep in the treeline, a secluded cabin wrapped in layered counter-surveillance and dead zones. It’s impenetrable. Safe. But inside these four walls, the air feels heavy and completely charged with the aftershocks of that kiss.
For the last three hours, I’ve kept myself moving. I checked the window locks, reinforced the secondary perimeter, and inventoried the rations. Anything to keep from looking at her for too long. Seeing Stella fierce and unbroken, yet wrapped in a vulnerability she tries so hard to hide has completely shattered whatever restraint I had left.
"You're going to wear a hole in the floorboards if you keep pacing," her voice cuts through the quiet of the cabin.
