Hostile Territory - Marie James Page 0,92

works on a swallow as her eyes turn glossy. One single tear pools on her lower lash, but I kiss it away.

“I can’t promise you an eternity because my job is dangerous, but I promise to love you every night my head hits my pillow and every single day I’m granted the opportunity to wake up.”

“Deacon,” she says, her voice cracking, filled with emotion.

“Everything before you was smoke and mist, inconsequential distractions from what I really needed. I see you, Annalise Grimaldi, and I’ll never let anything make me lose sight of that again.”

“I never should’ve denied what was happening betwe—”

I press my fingers to her lips. “No going back. We’re only moving forward.”

She puckers her lips, kissing my fingertips before turning her head to press those same petal soft lips to the inside cuff of my wrist.

“I love you, too.”

I swear angels are singing, serenading us with joy.

“Yeah?” She nods her head. I pull her against me, leaning down so I can bury my face into the soft fragrant curls of her hair.

***

“We can go slower,” I pant the second I open her condo door, but she’s ravenous, tugging my mouth down to hers while tugging my shirt out of the stupid black pants I’m wearing tonight. I’ll never love getting dressed up in a penguin suit, but maybe one day, I won’t completely hate it.

“I don’t understand the question.”

I laugh, my hands going straight to her ass. The pull of her against my now bare chest isn’t exactly comfortable. The sequins or beads or whatever it is on the front of her dress abrades my skin, but maybe I deserve the bite of pain for staying away so long. I know I want to whip my own ass right now. Sixty-six days have passed since the diamonds were handed over to Petrovich, and I’ve counted each and every damn one because it meant lying down in my empty bed without her.

“You’re like a crazed animal right now,” I hiss when she tears at the buttons of my slacks to get to the hidden zipper.

“Calm down.”

I placed my hands over hers, clasping them until she looks up at me. Her face falls, and I wonder if she thinks I’m going to put a stop to this. For the record, there isn’t any way to stop this train. I’m simply trying to prevent it from breaking down long before it reaches the station. I haven’t had her in months, and even though I’ve only had her once, the memories of that glorious morning are imprinted in my head. I want to create a million more, starting tonight.

“You’re fucking gorgeous,” I tell her, one hand positioning her arms behind her back, and the other looking for the zipper of her dress.

She looks fucking bridal in all white with her tanned skin glowing. The sight of her from across the room earlier made all sorts of thoughts swim through my head, a couple of questions I plan to ask, but I think right now may be a little too soon for that, no matter if she told me she loved me.

“On the side,” she urges when I run my hand down her back for the third time. “Let me help you.”

I grip her just a little harder. I can’t have her hands on me right now. I’m barely clinging to my control as it is. Hell, if it wasn’t for the sake of her modesty and the threat of getting arrested, I would’ve laid her out on the damn floor at the gala and devoured her.

Anna breathes a sigh of relief when I lower the side-zipper on her dress, but I’m the one at a loss for words as the fabric pools around her feet. She was a fucking sight in the dress, but the devil-red lace remaining makes my mouth run dry.

“Fuck me.”

I take a step back, sweeping my eyes up her body, letting my gaze linger at the triangle of fabric between her thighs before lifting my eyes enough to notice her peaked nipples straining the lace covering her breasts.

“You are fucking glorious.”

“Take it off,” she urges, her hands reaching back to unclasp her bra.

“No fucking way.” I reach for her hands, but she’s faster.

I watch, torn between absolute awe and disappointment, as the strapless garment falls to the floor. The wicked gleam in her eyes tell me she knows she has the upper hand right now. She’s so much in control, I don’t realize she’s moved until the cool