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I would switch with Avery in a heartbeat if I could.
“Oh, my God.” Flipping the blinker, I pull off the
highway and onto the long stretch of road that wraps the ACPD building.
“What is it?” Colton is already collecting the files and the amended profile I hastily compiled back at The Lair.
I park in the closest space to the front doors, ignoring the posted, assigned name. I go through the motions of putting the car in Park and killing the engine, stuffing evidence into my bag, my mind on autopilot.
“Sadie?”
I find and hold Colton’s gaze, frightened of this realization. “He wants me, Colton.”
His expression shutters as his striking features pull into hard lines. “He’s not going to—”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “He wants me. Not Avery. The why or the for what isn’t important. Not anymore. I can’t waste time trying to uncover his delusion. But I can use it. I can make him believe he’ll get what he wants.”
“What the hell are you saying? That you’ll use yourself as bait? Fuck that… No.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time…and I’m trained. I have field experience and I’m the most qualified to deal with the UNSUB on a psychological platform. And—” I reach over and take his hand “—it has to be part of the reason why he chose Avery. He wants me to take her place.”
“That’s exactly why you are not doing it.” His voice is raw, grating against my resolve.
“I don’t have time to look for another answer. This is the only way to get her back alive.”
Our eyes stay locked, time seemingly suspended around us by this defining moment. I’m not asking his permission; my mind is already made up. I’m simply letting him know my choice. Hoping he will support me, regardless of what it will cost us.
“You’re not the only one he wants, goddess.” His hand cups my cheek, his palm rough, yet strong and comforting against my skin.
I shut my eyes. Feel his strength and determination. “I know. But he wants you out of the way. It’s not the same. His revenge for me goes deeper.” As I open my eyes, I’m decided. “I can save Avery.”
“And you will,” he says. “But I refuse to lose you—in any way, shape or form. Whether it’s physically or mentally…I won’t lose one single piece of you to him.”
He dips toward my knees and pushes the lever beneath my seat. As I’m propelled backward away from the steering wheel, his sure hands clasp my waist. In one swift, strong move, he has me over the console and on his lap.
“Colton…” I lower my chin, letting my hair conceal my face. “There’s no time—”
He palms my face, forcing my eyes to meet his intense blue gaze. “There’s always time for us. Especially when it comes to making you understand that I will never let you sacrifice yourself.” His lips crash against mine, stealing my breath and replacing my heartache with need.
My arms circle his neck as I pull him close, unable to sate the sudden, unbearable yearning to connect with him. Be a part of him. For him to chase away the fear, the fury, and protect me from the past reaching up from the corners of my mind to haunt me.
But I can’t be lost. No matter how badly I crave oblivion, Colton makes me feel. From the moment he first touched me, first branded me, I couldn’t ignore those overpowering emotions, despite how foreign they were. I am no longer teetering on the edge of two worlds—I am wholly and irrevocably his. I’m home.
I belong.
As he deepens the kiss, he grasps my nape, bringing me closer still. His hard want presses against me, ratcheting my desire. He moves to my neck, and I suck in a breath past the onslaught of sensations as his free hand travels under my dress, up my thigh, possessively caressing the ache between my legs.
He breaks away to whisper against my lips, “I need to hear you say it. Tell me you won’t do anything to put yourself in danger.” His heated gaze sears me. “Promise me, Sadie.”
I bite my lip, desperate to give myself over to him—to assuage the fear I feel drumming beneath my hand as his heart beats wildly. But it’s not a promise I can make. I don’t know where this will lead or end.
He expels a heavy breath, rests his forehead against mine. “This isn’t a request, goddess—it’s a demand. I need to know we’ll make it through this—”
“We will,” I say, gripping his shirt, my hand fisted so tightly around the material my knuckles ache.
His mouth seals over mine, coaxing the promise from me in his own way. I can feel his intent with each lip-crushing kiss. His tongue whispers his vow as he strokes the seam of my mouth, then dives deeper until our breath becomes one desperate plea between us.
“Come for me,” he says. “I need to make you come.”
