Page 61 of The Shadow Sanctum

“Right now…” Sawyer swallows, a glint flashing in his eyes. Worry. Vulnerability. “Me or Thorne.”

My eyebrows smooth as I release a deep breath, hands finding Sawyer once again. I run them from his chest up to his face and hold his jaw steady. “You.”

He narrows his eyes. “Don’t just tell me what I want to hear. You have to mean it. If I wake up tomorrow⁠—”

“Sawyer.”

His mouth closes, but he looks no less skeptical.

I don’t make a habit of laughing. In general, I wouldn’t say my sense of humor is what defines me.

But staring at this man now, this man who’s haunted my every waking thought for months…

Who’s poisoned my brain until I’ve committed crimes against my own people…

Who’s made me feel things about another person, about myself, that I didn’t realize were possible…

Now, I almost laugh.

I settle for a short huff, a subtle shake of my head, and a curve of my thumb over this beautiful man’s flawlessly tanned cheekbone.

“It’s not even close.”

The lines between his eyes vanish.

He kisses me. Ferociously. Eagerly. With his hand gliding down my spine and his penis hardening through his jeans.

I gasp when his hand squeezes my rear and yanks me against his pelvis.

He breaks from my lips to kiss along my jaw while pushing my chin to the sky. “By the way…” he starts between kisses. “Mr. Sanchez’s name is Angel. He’s Liberty’s husband and my ex-business partner.”

My eyes widen, but when I go to open my mouth, Sawyer’s palm presses up harder into my chin. My neck strains, jaw clenched shut. He plants a kiss on my neck.

“I reconfigured the DNS settings on the modem to direct traffic through an external server, bypassing the VPN so Angel could track the IP address…” Two more kisses, headed for my ear. “By the time I told you about my plan, it was already in place. Shitty, I know. But it’s done. And I can handle it.”

He finishes the trail to my ear, his hold on my chin no less firm. “You know you’re going to forgive me, so let’s skip the anger and go straight to making up. ‘Kay?”

His tone isn’t arrogant, but the statement is so heavy with it, it makes my nose wrinkle. He lets go of my jaw and weaves his hand up my neck and into my hair to tilt my head back down. His lips find mine so fast, it couldn’t be clearer that he has no desire to hear a response.

My mouth is too tight to kiss him back this time, so he retreats to my neck instead, kissing me sloppily while massaging the nape of my neck. His free hand snakes around my waist so his thumb can rub along my hip bone.

It feels nice.

But he couldn’t possibly think it could be that simple.

“I killed Aubry.”

My hair tugs as he makes a fist. Pulling back, he looks at me with wide, shocked eyes.

“Well, I… I had her killed,” I clarify, as if it matters. “It was the right thing for my people.”

There’s a pinch in my scalp as his fist tightens. “You promised me⁠—”

“Aiden’s dead too.” I adjust myself in Sawyer’s lap while he glares an itch into my arm. I lift my hand to scratch, only to lower it to my thigh. “They both got caught trying to escape, and I…”

A puff of white fogs in front of me when I blow out a shaky breath. “Sometimes I have to do things that I don’t want and that you don’t like, so I’m … sorry.” I look him up and down. “But you know you’re going to forgive me… So let’s skip the anger and go straight to making up. ‘Kay?”

Seconds pass while Sawyer seems to mentally commit murder. Forgiveness is a pleasant thought for those who’ve not been wronged.