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Just enough held back that I can still walk away.
I hope.
Reese’s scent doesn’t give a shit about my boundaries.
Hazelnut curls around me in a melting, chocolate hug, and his voice hits with the same silken roughness as the warm lips behind the beard I’m desperate to stroke. “You’re not what I expected.”
Because I’m not your girl.
I harden my voice and hopefully my will. “You need to leave.”
“Yeah. With you. Don’t worry, we have a plan. Jin says—” Reese tenses, a finger to his ear. “Shit. Cars on the way up the drive.”
“Nikolaj.” I swallow a plastic bubble.
Those thirty seconds of stupid hope were a trip, but I’ve always known better. Falling back to reality, I tie off Reese’s gauze. “It’s too late to run.”
For me, at least.
Not for him.
“Wait.” Reese cups his earpiece. Bishop and Jin scheme, but all I catch are tempting whispers.
I don’t need to hear the words.
I know the guys.
The way they cared for Reese when he was in the hospital, fought side-by-side against Bishop and Jin’s messed-up families, and stood with Dutch and his mom through their loss. Even the way they watched out for little baby Sol, trying to walk me home and kicking the shit out of my wannabe bullies.
They may have left behind a weird little tagalong beta, but they’d never ditch their real mate.
They’re ride-or-die.
So, I’m strapped in until they realize I’m just a placeholder for their real princess.
Now I have to conjure a believable reason to kick Reese’s stubborn, muscled ass out of this snake’s nest so I can get to work. “How much backup did you bring?”
Reese scratches his beard. “Just Bishop and Jin.”
Their names punch my lungs like a straw.
We need a freaking army of disposable soldiers, not three of the only four alphas on the planet that I can’t risk frying.
“We’re enough,” Reese insists, gripping his bandaged hand. “I’ll pick off the inside soldiers while the guys thin the perimeter.”
They’re not enough.
Not even if I go nuclear and smoke the mansion.
But all I care about is tricking Reese out of my blast zone. “Fine, but not until later. Security will be on point until the deal is signed. Let me handle Nikolaj. Wait for my signal to make your move.”
Ripped that one right out of the Fissure playbook.
Wait for the signal.
You know the one?
The one that never comes and probably never existed.
