Children of Redemption (Children of Vice 3)

“Say it,” I demanded, staring down into her brown eyes while pinning her hands on either side of her.

“Say what?”

“The same three words you used to bring me to my knees in front of you.”

“I was drunk remember—”

She inhaled deeply when I squeezed her wrist, her chest rising from the bed toward me. If only she knew how beautiful she looked right now, wild, how sensual…it was better she didn’t know, or I knew I’d never be able to say no to her again.

“Say it,” I demanded again, leaning in to kiss her. Her head rose to meet me, and I smirked, my lips hovering over hers. “Say it so I can say it back and kiss you.”

Her eyes went wide like she wasn’t expecting that. But I didn’t know how she couldn’t have known. “Helen, I’ve been so in love for so long I couldn’t even see it…not until you told me how you felt. So say it…not like it’s a bad thing…something you regret…something you never wanted to happen…say it…say it like we’re the best love story ever told.”

A tear threatened to fall from her eye, and all I could do was kiss them.

“I…I love you, Wyatt.”

And this time when that feeling came…like everything else was falling away, I leaned in and not away. “I love you, too.”

Her arms wrapped around my neck and her legs around my waist as my lips met hers, and despite my efforts—to be sweet, to go slow, to be a gentleman—I couldn’t. The more passionately she kissed me back, the more I wanted to dominate her…to have part of her, to make her ache and beg for me.

“Stop holding back,” she said between our kisses. “Never hold back.”

Yeah…I was a motherfucking goner.

HELEN

He held onto my hand when the elevator doors opened on the bottom floor. I tried to let go, but he just held on tighter, placing his fingers between mine. As serious as he had ever been, he looked at me and said, “I’m not hiding you. We aren’t going to sneak around. We aren’t doing anything wrong.”

“Try explaining that to my father.”

“I will,” he said, pressing hold on the elevator doors to keep them open and lead me out. And I never knew walking across the white and gold marble flooring would mean so much to me.

It all felt like a dream.

I wanted to pinch myself I was so happy.

“Have a good day, Mr. Callahan. Ms. Callahan,” the lobby man said to us, and even though he didn’t mean it that way, it still felt like we were together. Husband and wife.

“You too—”

BANG!

Suddenly everything was a blur. My eyes only just barely caught the sight of the chandelier as it shattered into a million pieces of crystal, which rained down on top of us. One moment Wyatt’s hand was in mine and he was holding onto me, and the next he was pushing me back with all his might…and I was on the floor. I was up against the marble desk.

There was throbbing, and I reached up to touch the back of my head…and then everything went silent.

“Wyatt.” I called out, but I couldn’t even hear myself.

Looking up, I saw him, the guns he’d put on under his coat now in his hands as he fired out the broken glass doors and window. Not just one, or two, or three had come—but a dozen. At least a dozen…too many for him alone.

Help.

He needed.

Help.

I turned to see both the guard and the lobby men on the ground. Their blood crawling over the marble toward me. The guard was the closet. His gun the closest. I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn’t move.