Destroy Me - Ella Sheridan Page 0,71
delicate looks had made her the perfect mother for a beautiful, expensive blonde-haired little girl. Mansa hadn’t counted on Elliot’s mother being as resilient as she was; the woman escaped with Elliot, only to be killed a decade later when Mansa tracked them down.
“You’ve been working on finding women Mansa kidnapped?”
“Yes.” The wonder in Fionn’s voice made her heart swell with something she hadn’t felt in a long time: pride. “They aren’t the only ones, but… Fionn, I had to do something. Mansa used me. He tried to hurt the people I care about. Even though he’s dead, I couldn’t let him keep on hurting other women.”
Fionn slowed the car and pulled into a gas station to fill up. When he was stopped at the pump, he turned the car off and twisted to face her. “I want you to know, Lyse, I’m finding there’s a lot about you to admire. You’re not who I thought you were. You’re not the Bat Girl without a thought in her head beyond her keyboard. You’re a smart, courageous woman, and I’m admiring that.”
She couldn’t resist teasing him. “You’re just saying that to get me into bed tonight.”
He leaned close, his smiling mouth coming to rest against hers. “I don’t have to convince you, thank feck.” Sharp teeth nipped her bottom lip. “Between the two of us, I’m the one who lagged behind. I’m sorry.”
“Maybe we both needed the time to grow up.”
Fionn rewarded her insight with a kiss that wiped away the residue of all the lonely nights, the times she’d forced herself to watch him with other women, the devastation of realizing she had to do something he’d never forgive her for. And yet he had. He’d forgiven her—and so much more.
Fionn finally drew away. “Hold that thought. I’ll follow up on it tonight.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lyse had made reservations for them at a hotel in the town nearest the estate that was big enough to maintain anonymity. By the time they’d had dinner, checked in, and gotten settled in their room, it was almost nine. He’d been up over twenty-four hours, but he wouldn’t be letting the time slip through his fingers, not tonight, no matter what time they were needing to be up. In his early days as a mercenary, mostly in places like Afghanistan and Iraq, he learned to sleep when he could, to be sharp on as little rest as possible. He’d be fine tomorrow; for tonight, he needed Lyse.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” she asked as she unpacked her bag. Fionn had never understood that, why women unpacked in a hotel. Grab what you need when you need it was his motto, but then, he never cared if his clothes were wrinkled, and since everything was in the black color family, he didn’t have to worry about matching.
Something low in his gut clenched when she pulled out her toiletry bag. “We’ll head out early,” he said absently. “Ferrina won’t arrive till almost dark. That gives us plenty of time to search.”
And then all this will be over, and she’ll be gone.
He shook the thought away. Now was no time for regrets, no time for sadness. It was time for them, and he wouldn’t give that up to emotions he would have to live with every moment of his life after she was gone.
Getting up from the queen-size bed, he prowled across the room toward her. “Shouldn’t you be asking me about the plan for tonight?”
She shot a startled look his way, a soft shade of pink sweeping up her cheeks. He loved that she still blushed, no matter how many times he took her. It had become a game, trying to provoke that color, the one he knew from experience spread to the tops of her full tits.
He needed this tonight, needed the haven, just the two of them together before tomorrow. Before…
Don’t be going there.
Lyse squeaked out an, “I—” When she didn’t get out more than that, he smiled. It was a predatory smile, he knew. He stalked her, and she backed away, swallowing hard. He knew exactly what this side of him did to her—it sparked wild adrenaline and that edge of fear she didn’t quite understand. He wanted her on edge, wanted her wild. Wanted to gorge himself on the beauty, the essence that was his Lyse, one last time.
He jerked his chin toward the toiletry bag still in her hand. “Time for a shower.”
Her eyes dilated. Satisfaction filled him as he backed her into