Page 45 of Deliverance

I squeezed her tighter to me. “But you did,” I said softly. I tipped her chin up towards mine. “I’ll forever be gratefulfor that,” I breathed against her lips. I wanted to kiss her desperately, but I wanted it to be her choice.

She didn’t make me wait long, surging upwards to crash her lips into mine. I groaned into her mouth, and she shuddered. I kissed her deeply, our tongues tangling as pleasure shot through me. I cradled her cheek and deepened the kiss, and she moaned. I could have kissed her forever, but the insistent buzz of her phone on the nightstand interrupted us. She groaned as she reached over to grab it, and I grinned at her frustration. Her body stiffened as she read the message, her face going white.

“What is it?” I asked, sitting up straighter.

She didn’t say a word, just handed me the phone. A message from an unknown number.

You made it in time. This time - KF

I cursed and drew her closer, my chin dropping to the top of her head. The text was a taunt, plain and simple. I was getting really sick of this cat-and-mouse game he was playing with us. We had gotten lucky today, but how many more times wouldluckybe enough? This woman curled against me was fast becoming my whole world, and the men on the floor above us had gone from strangers to brothers. The weight of what was at stake settled into my bones. How was I going to keep them all safe? How were we going to stay ahead of Kingfisher long enough to take him down?

CHAPTER 19

EVELYN

The warmth of the morning sun streaming across my face woke me. I blinked against the bright light, not immediately recognizing the room I was in. A warm weight rested on my hip, and I shifted slightly. Dominic. The corrupt police officers. Dominic getting hurt. The events of yesterday flooded back to me, and I sank back into the bed.

We had stayed up a bit longer cuddling. Adrian checked on us but didn’t linger, giving us time together without interruption. We lay in bed and talked, learning about each other like we were on a date, not recovering from an attack. While Kingfisher’s text message lingered over us, the time we spent getting to know each other felt like a little bubble against the outside world.

I turned to face Dominic, the warmth of the sun pressing against my back now. I closed my eyes, snuggling closer to him. He smelled like cedar and sunlight, and I took a deep inhale. How did I end up here? With five boyfriends? I never dreamed my life would turn out like this. Although I never would have dreamed I would be running a vigilante organization either.

Things with Dominic felt right, though. Like a piece I didn’t know had been missing was slotted into place. But still, doubtslingered. What would happen when this was all over? Would he go back to the FIA? What would that mean for us? For him, if we were dating? The work the Archers did wasn’t always legal, and I didn’t see that changing. Could he work for the FIA knowing that? But if he quit the FIA because of it, would he grow to resent me?

“What are you thinking so hard about this early?” His rough, sleep-drenched voice rumbled under my ear.

I lifted my head and tilted it upward so I could see his face. His brown eyes blinked sleepily at me. I don’t know what came over me, but I just blurted out everything.

“Are you leaving after this is over? Are you going back to the FIA?” I waited anxiously for his answer.

He stiffened slightly, then pulled me closer. I dropped my eyes to his chest, but his finger under my chin lifted my gaze back to his.

“I don’t know what my future plans are,” he said, and my stomach sank. “But whatever they are, they include you, okay? Once this is all over, we’ll talk it out and figure out what to do next. Maybe Alexander will offer me a position at SDS, or I’m happy to work with you and the Archers. However this shakes out, we’ll figure it out.”

Relief flooded me, and I stretched up to press my lips to his, trying to convey all the words I couldn’t find. I wasn’t ready to lose him. Dominic took control of the kiss, teasing my lips with his tongue until I opened, allowing him the entry he requested. My mind danced around the thoughts of forever with someone like him as our bodies pressed into each other.

It wasn’t until he rolled me onto my back and covered my body with his that reality set in. I pressed my hand carefully to his chest.

“Wait, I don’t want to hurt you.”

Dominic looked down at me. “First, there is no way you could hurt me, and second, if you think I’m stopping now, you are crazy.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as he pressed his hard cock into me. He held himself over me, placing kisses down my neck and pulling at my shirt with his free hand. I wiggled beneath him, letting him pull it over my head and was rewarded with a smile so big my heart fluttered.

His lips covered my breast, and I arched into him as I closed my eyes, giving into the pleasure. His hands and mouth on my body were the reassurances I needed to know this wasn’t the end of us, like I feared, but rather the beginning I had hoped for.

His hand ventured lower and teased along the waist of my shorts. “May I?”

The soft questioning of his voice undid me in ways I didn’t want to over-analyze. “Yes. Please.”

His fingers slipped below my clothing, and he found me wet and needy.

“Is this for me?” He groaned as he slid his fingers through my wetness.

I moaned as he slid two fingers over my clit and circled it gently. “Yes…all for you.”

Dominic shifted to lie beside me and pulled my sleep shorts down, discarding them to the side. He pressed my chest down and lifted my leg over his hip. I stiffened, worried I was hurting him.

“Relax, Evelyn, let me give you what you need.”