Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 20474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 20474 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 102(@200wpm)___ 82(@250wpm)___ 68(@300wpm)
“No, I killed him before his sentence was over. Aero was worried he’d come after her as soon as he got out, but Ramsey wasn’t in any condition for him to leave her to go after the guy. And stealth attacks don’t really work for grizzlies, so Keane couldn’t take care of it for him. So I did.”
“Oh, right. I forgot that I heard something about him dying while in jail.” My mind whirled at his confession. “I guess I figured it was another inmate or something, but you killed the man who hurt Ramsey?”
He nodded. “I did.”
“And the guy who came looking for her today?”
This time, he shook his head. “No, Keane took care of that guy. But I killed the friend he brought with him after we questioned him to ensure nobody else had access to the history on the tracking beacon. They should be the last guys who’ll ever come here looking for Ramsey.”
They’d killed two men while I hid in the bathroom. My gaze darted toward the small window to my left. “What about the bodies?”
“Keane’s bringing them to Artemis. His dragon’s fire burns hotter than a crematory. Their bodies will be burned to ashes in no time at all.”
My knees felt weak, so I shut the lid on the toilet and dropped down onto it. Rome grabbed one of the little paper cups I’d brought with us and filled it with water. “Drink this, baby.”
“Thanks,” I whispered.
He crouched down to watch me while I took a sip, and I realized he still had that man’s blood on him. I jerked my chin toward the shower and said, “Go rinse off. I’ll be fine for a minute.”
“Are you sure?”
“One hundred percent.” I understood why he was reluctant to leave me, but he really needed to get cleaned up before I puked because of the blood on his chest. And I’d only be a few steps away from him because I wasn’t going to be ready to walk out of here on my own anytime soon.
My answer must’ve been what he needed because he brushed a kiss against my forehead before padding over to step into the shower. It wasn’t until he was beneath the water that I figured out that the concern in his dark eyes masked a vulnerability that hadn’t completely disappeared. As I sipped at the water he’d given me, I tried to figure out what could still be bothering him.
From what he told me, the danger had passed. Having two bad guys connected to a shifter trafficking ring had to have tweaked his protective instincts, but neither of them had gotten close to me. He’d gotten me into the safety of the cabin before they could do anything, and then he’d taken care of the problem.
“Oh.” My lips formed a perfect circle as it hit me…he was scared that I would judge him for killing those two men. My sweet, silly man.
Understanding that he needed me to reassure him put some starch back in my spine and settled my nerves. I didn’t have time to fall apart when my mate was worried.
He was quick in the shower, in and out in only a couple of minutes. I waited until he dried off and hung the towel on the bar on the wall next to the stall. Then I stood and interlaced our fingers to lead him over to the bed. Pushing against his chest until he sat on the edge of the mattress, I straddled him and did my best to ignore his perpetual hard-on. He needed a heart-felt conversation right now. Sex could come later. And I had no doubt that it would.
Cradling his jaw with my hands, I stared down at his gorgeous face. “There isn’t a single thing you could ever tell me that would make me love you less than I do right now. My feelings for you grow bigger and stronger each and every day, and nothing is ever going to change that.”
“Fuck,” he groaned, dropping his head against my chest, his breath hot against the valley between my breasts.
I stroked my fingers through his hair. “Were you really that scared?”
“I just admitted to killing two guys. That’s a lot to take in,” he mumbled against my skin.
I tugged on the hair at the back of his head until he looked up at me. “They were evil men. Their deaths probably saved countless lives. Men, women, and maybe even children who didn’t deserve to die. Unlike them.”
His eyes were glassy—with actual tears from the man who claimed he wasn’t sweet—as he murmured, “I love you, pretty baby.”
Rome had done so much to show how he felt about me, but it was nice to hear the words. My lips curved into a satisfied grin. “Oh, yeah?”
“So damn much.”
“I know. Me, too.” I pressed my lips against his for a kiss that was supposed to be fast but quickly became hot and heavy when he took control. I was breathless and sad that we had to leave soon when he finally tore his mouth from mine. “Enough to hunt down an elk for me to bring back to the restaurant? Peppa would probably give me an extra day if I called to let her know the wild game up here is better than anything our suppliers can provide.”