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As I’d looked at her, lying with her dress hitched up, I knew that once I took her without reservation, there’d be no going back.
The problem: I had no idea if what happened tonight changed anything on Luna’s part.
Did she want more than just a friendship? Would she be open to considering it? Because as much as I hated handing my heart over to someone who could easily destroy it, my heart was taking on a mind of its own. Reaching for her.
We’d need to talk about this. But not tonight. Not when I needed to keep her safe. If I scared her off, she might move out of that cottage, might wander off into danger, just to get away from the man who breached her boundaries.
I couldn’t let that happen.
I needed to keep my feelings to myself.
And hope I could control this knot—its rope stretching for Luna, longing to tie her to me.
CHAPTER30
Luna
Istood at the podium, scanning the rows of expectant faces—reporters with their cameras and notepads at the ready, eager to capture my words. The murmurs of anticipation from the audience filled my ears as the scent of the mayor’s aftershave lingered near the microphone.
I was dressed in a maroon-and-black pantsuit, my hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, trying to keep my voice calm with an air of urgency.
The mayor stood to my right, his hands clasped after giving his spiel.
As I prepared to speak, I tried to focus on my next words instead of replaying that night on Hunter’s car—a fantasy that had gained permanent prominence, playing in my head over these last three days. In particular, Hunter slowly gliding the flat of his tongue up my center, my thighs around his head as he looked at me.
We hadn’t slept together, which had shocked me at the time. But looking back on it, it shouldn’t have surprised me. The moment Hunter found out I’d never climaxed with a man, all he wanted to do was pleasure me.
Which he did. Repeatedly, until I could barely stand.
I wasn’t sure what this meant for our relationship. Nothing had happened since, and I wondered if Hunter was feeling the same thing I was: that my walls were crumbling down, my heart unlocking from its cage.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” I began, reading my prearranged speech, forcing the romantic thoughts from my mind, “as many of you are no doubt aware, our city has been plagued by a dangerous vigilante. This person, who remains at large, has been causing chaos and destruction throughout the city, killing people in cold blood.”
I paused for a moment, letting my words sink in—the eyes of the reporters and cameras fixed on me.
“I know that you may feel a sense of security and protection from this individual, believing that he is keeping your communities safe because he targets people who have allegedly committed crimes. However, as a society, we must abide by the law and not take justice into our own hands.”
I’d be lying if I said my feelings toward the Vigilante hadn’t been confusing, but the law was black and white and someone’s personal feelings shouldn’t come into play with it. The Vigilante had no legal authority to carry out his brand of justice; therefore, I needed to push my own bias aside in favor of the law.
“The Windy City Vigilante may have started out with good intentions, but who is to say that he won’t cross a line and become a danger to you all? What happens when his moral compass becomes more twisted and he starts to come after lower-level criminals? Or people innocent of any crimes?
“I’m calling on the citizens of this city to be on alert. To watch for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to the authorities. We must hold those who break the law accountable, and we cannot allow this Vigilante to continue to act outside the bounds of our justice system.
“It’s time the Windy City Vigilante is caught and put behind bars.”
Out there somewhere, the Vigilante might be watching me declare war.
CHAPTER31
Luna
“So, you found nothing?” I asked Detective Rinaldi after wrapping up the press conference.
We stood in the corner of the room as folks began to disband. She’d been one of the people up there with us, and I couldn’t let her leave without pressing her again about the Franco situation.
“Dominic’s apartment is clean,” she said.
“He must have given the USB drive to someone,” I said.
