Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,41

you okay?”

No, she wasn’t okay. She was mad at him, and now, she was mad at Steele, too. Ignoring his look of concern, his spicy scent, and the butterflies fluttering through her belly, she pulled from his grasp and continued her march upstairs to give Petal a goodnight kiss. Nope. No way. He didn’t get to treat her like crap one minute, then act all concerned the next.

By the time she made it back downstairs, he was gone. Anger turning to emptiness, she escaped to her room for a good, hard cry.

Later, while she was lying in bed and drifting on the edge of sleep, the door opened. At first, she thought it was Petal, but then she saw Alex’s silhouette in the doorway. Emotion lodged in her throat at the sight of him. So much had happened since this morning. Maybe too much. He closed the door. She heard a rustle; then the bed dipped with his weight. Suddenly, he was there. His hard, sculpted chest was inches away. Her fingers itched to touch him, but she was still mad—mad and hurt. Scrunching her eyes closed, she tried to get a handle on her emotions. She’d never been a risktaker. Hell, look at Gibbs. She’d stayed with him years longer than she should have, years longer than she’d wanted.

“I know you’re awake.” His voice washed over her, the sexy, deep tones making her core ache and her nipples stand at attention.

Tilting her head back, she speared him with a glare. “If you’re here to lecture me, don’t bother; Steele already beat you to it.”

“I’m not here to lecture. If anything, I’m here to apologize. I was a dick. Am I happy you married Carlos? Fuck no, but I get why you did it.”

A caustic laugh spilled from her mouth. “I’m glad one of us does.”

Warm fingers slid up her arm and into her hair, his hand cupping the back of her neck. “Hey, none of that.”

His touch felt good. Sighing, she dropped her forehead to his chest. “He hurt Aimee.”

“Aimee’s going to be fine.”

“And, I think he killed Emma.”

She felt his fingers flex on the back of her neck. “If he did, he’ll pay for it.”

“It’s my fault, Alex. You need to let me go.”

“Why, so you can run back to Carlos? Look at me.” She slowly lifted her eyes to his. “Carlos is a fucktard who gets off on beating and debasing women. Say you go back to him. Do you really think he’s gonna welcome you with open arms? Fuck no. You embarrassed him by running, and if you go back, he’s gonna punish you for it. You’re not saving us from Carlos, baby; you’re signing your own death warrant. Tell me you understand this.”

She tensed as his words slowly sank in. If she hadn’t run from her feeling for Alex in the first place, then none of this would have happened. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe he will kill me, but I’d rather it be me than all of you.”

“Stop it,” he growled. His hands slid to her back, and he pulled her tightly to his chest.

Tears sprang to her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. “Don’t you see, if I stay, he’ll kill you.”

“No one’s gonna die. Do you hear me? I love you. I’ve always loved you. I’m not going anywhere. Now, I want you to promise that you’ll stay here and let us handle Carlos.”

She kissed his chest. “I love you, too.”

“No more talk of running, okay?”

“Okay.”

She’d barely gotten the word out when his chin dipped, and his mouth crashed to hers. His lips were magic, his touch beyond pleasurable. As his tongue left her mouth and skated down her neck, desire shivered through her. Warm and wet, it danced across her skin, leaving ripples of fire in its wake. His bourbon-scented breath filled her senses as he sucked on her pulse. She inhaled deeply, breathing in his spicy essence. Hard muscles rippled beneath her fingertips as she snaked her hand between their bodies and eased it under the waistband of his underwear.

With a jerk of his hips, he pulled back from her grasp. “Clothes off,” he growled as he began stripping the pajamas from her body. He was reaching for a condom when she took him in hand. Slowly, she began to stroke up and down his velvety hard shaft.

“Christ, if you keep that up, you’re gonna make me come.”

He wasn’t the only one. She was on fire. “That’s the idea,” she panted.

The