Page 62 of Dark ’N’ Deadly

“My turn.” When he sat on the mattress, she rolled onto her back again. Bright green eyes locked with his, and she gave him a hesitant smile. “Morning.” He rested his hand on her belly, then leaned over and captured her mouth, sinking his tongue between her lips for a deeply satisfying kiss that reignited his need for her. As much as he wanted to pick up where they’d left off last night, there were a few things they needed to discuss first. Pritchard, for one.

Reluctantly, he drew back, soaking in the energy glittering in her bright green eyes. Maybe she was right after all. Maybe people really did radiate a life force—an energy as potent as a drug. Hers is, anyway. It wrapped around him like a warm towel.

“Morning,” she said, swirling her fingers at his nape.

Goose bumps paraded down his back, bee-lining straight to his groin. Oh, man. His dick twitched like a garden hose filling with water.

He grazed his knuckles along her temple, nudging one curl to the side when it began to fall in front of her eyes. A thin white scar ran from the edge of her hairline. With her thick curly hair, he hadn’t noticed it before.

“How did you get that scar?” He traced the line deeper into her hair. It was longer than he’d first realized.

Her smile faded and the smooth skin at the bridge of her nose wrinkled. “My stepfather hit me,” she answered after a moment.

His fingers stilled. Any man who would hit a woman was a piece of shit that deserved to be locked away in a deep, dark cell. One with fungus, and mold, and rats the size of beach balls.

“It was a long time ago.” She shut her eyes, but not before he glimpsed the gathering of tears.

The sight of her beautiful, expressive eyes so pained made him want to ram her stepfather’s head into the wall. He hadn’t meant to fuck up the mood. “You don’t have to talk about it. But if you ever want to, I’m here.”

“Thank you.” She gave him a brief, forced smile. “It’s in the past.”

Is it? From the look on her face, it didn’t seem that way. Physical scars were one thing. I ought to know. The less obvious emotional ones could embed themselves in a person’s soul and never let go. He, better than most, also understood that if someone didn’t want to talk about their grief, there was no forcing it out of them.

He clenched his jaw. He was a shithead of the highest order for putting her anywhere near a guy like Mark Pritchard. It tore at his guts like a jagged knife. After getting a glimpse of her childhood, it ripped at him even worse.

“Tess, we need to talk about what happened yesterday.” She stiffened visibly. “I realize Alabama’s a big state, but I have to ask. Did you know any of those men?”

“No.” She quickly averted her gaze, which only made him feel guiltier.

“The man who touched you—Mark Pritchard—he’s trash. If I’d known he would be there, I never would have allowed you to make the delivery. I would have found some other way to make it happen.”

Her eyes widened, and she sat up. “You know his name? This—this Pritchard?”

“Yeah, I do. He’s a goddamn child molester. A rapist.” He shoved a hand through his hair, staring at the wall as he remembered every twisted, sordid detail of the man’s criminal record. “Along with Harley Gant, Pritchard’s right at the top of the ATF’s shit list. Back then, he preferred young teenage girls, but no one ever pressed charges and stuck around to see them through. Apparently, he’s added women to his list. The way he touched you… You’ll never know how sorry I am about that.”

He drew in a slow, calming breath. Sorry didn’t cut it. If anyone tried to hurt her again, he’d kill them.

She rested her hand in the center of his chest. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“The hell it wasn’t.” He clasped her hand, drawing it to his mouth and kissing her fingers. “Is there anything else those guys said to you that would help us figure out what their plans are?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I swear I would tell you if they had.”

“I do have some good news,” he said. “Because of what you did for Jesse yesterday, the prosecutor won’t be filing charges against him. He can leave as soon as he’s well enough to travel.”

His heart sank. The beatific smile on her face meant his fears would be realized.

When Jesse leaves, she’ll go with him.

“You know,” he said, catching a long, curly strand of her hair between his fingers, “you and Jesse could stay here. While he recuperates,” he added quickly, not wanting to make it seem as if he was asking her to move in. Would that be so bad?

Christ, he didn’t know. Yeah, I do. It wouldn’t be bad at all. It would be fan-fucking-tastic.

“Think about it.” He nuzzled the curve of her neck. “You’ll have the house to yourself most of the time. I won’t be here much until we figure out what Pritchard and Gant’s target is.” He lay next to her, skimming his hand up the curve of her waist to cup her breast. She sighed as he blew in her ear. “Gant may be heading to Jersey to meet Pritchard, which means I’ll be working even longer hours. I promise I’ll find time for us.”

Tess’s body stilled, and her eyes widened. “What did you say?”

He frowned at the shock on her face. “That I’ll be working long hours for a while.”