Heartless Savage (Angels Halo MC Next Gen 7)

“What, my heart?” I rasped. “What do you wish for? I swear I’ll make it reality.”

“I wish you hadn’t forgotten this on the plane. I wish the agony of the past month hadn’t happened.” Her chin trembled, and her words were rushed together as she whispered, “I wish you would kiss me and never stop.”

There was nothing I could do about the first two. They were in the past, and no matter how much I wanted to fix that mistake, I couldn’t. But there wasn’t a force in the world that could stop me from fulfilling her last wish.

Cupping the back of her head in one hand, I forced myself to keep the kiss gentle, knowing if I devoured her mouth the way I craved, things would get out of hand far too fast. The first soft brush of my lips over hers caused her to whimper, and she tilted her head, silently imploring me to deepen the kiss.

Without lifting my head, I snapped the box closed and shoved it back into my pocket before grabbing her hip and jerking her against me hard. Nova made an approving noise in the back of her throat, arching her body into mine, her hands tangling in my shirt, lifting it until her slightly chilled hands touched my abs. At her soft touch, my already-hard cock turned to steel, threatening to tear through the seam of my pants leg.

Pressing her back into the stone half wall, I lifted one of her legs up over mine, angling her so my cock could press perfectly into her center. Thank fuck her dress had a slit all the way up her thigh, ending just below her panties. That slit would have gotten a few men killed earlier in the night if she hadn’t been wearing the long black

coat to cover it.

The sound of people counting down below didn’t reach my ears as I made love to her mouth. I didn’t see the flashing lights of the fireworks above us or hear the cheers and singing that followed. I could only see the one who owned my heart, could only hear our labored breathing and soft groans of pleasure. We were all alone in the world. Us and this moment that I would remember with complete clarity until the day I died.

28

Nova

Holding the two Russian rings between my thumb and index finger, I threaded them back and forth along the chain around my neck. Playing with the charms gave me something to do with my hands as I sat beside Ryan on the jet flying me home. What I really wanted to do was get lost in another kiss like we had the night before. My lips, along with the rest of my body, still tingled from the memory of it.

I wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but the crowd below had been sparse when we’d finally left the Renaissance Hotel in the early hours of the morning. Our mouths had been swollen, maybe even a little bruised, and my entire body had been one big throb. Nardo and Pietro got us back to the apartment, and we’d fallen into bed, kissing again.

Sleep hadn’t been on our minds as we kissed until the sun came up. Then my phone went off, pulling us both out of the lust-filled fog we had fallen into. Emmie had wanted to know if I was flying back to California with her later in the day or if I wanted to take a commercial flight later in the week so I could spend extra time with Ryan and my family.

I needed to get back to Creswell Springs, but I didn’t want to leave Ryan yet. He’d taken the decision from me, however, along with my phone, and informed Emmie he would ensure that I got home safely. Reluctantly, we’d gotten out of bed and gone over to the compound to visit with his family for a little while before getting on one of the Vitucci jets.

It had always been hard for me to leave Ryan. After the magic of the last two days, the thought of saying goodbye to him when he returned to New York was more painful than normal. We weren’t even halfway into the flight, and I was already fighting tears.

I tried to hide it, but Ryan could read me better than anyone in the world. Taking my hand, he kissed my palm then placed it over the center of his heart. “Soon, we will be together every day. A few more months and you will be back in New York full time.”

His tone was soft, but he couldn’t mask the tension in his face. He was just as destroyed about leaving me as I was.

“Why do the months feel like years?” I whispered. “June feels like forever away.”

“I’ll be back before June.” Taking my hand, he tugged me to my feet and then down onto his lap. “As often as I can get away, I’ll be in Creswell Springs with you. Even if we only get a few hours at a time together, it will be worth it just to hold you.”

Clenching my eyes closed to keep the tears from spilling over, I buried my face in his neck. “What if you get tired of doing the long-distance thing? What if…you fall out of love with me?”

His arms crushed me against him. “Nova, I’ve loved you since I was eight years old. What I feel for you will never change.”

“But what if it does?” I choked out, voicing my biggest fear.

He grasped my chin and tilted my head until he was looking into my face. Blinking my eyes open, I looked at him through wet lashes. “Is that why you want to wait to get married? You’re afraid I’ll stop loving you?” He clenched his jaw, causing a muscle to tick in his neck for a moment before he spoke again. “Are you giving me an out?”

I couldn’t lie to him, so I remained silent, but that was all he needed for confirmation.

“Damn it, Nova,” he growled. “That’s bullshit.”

“Why?” I asked quietly. “I want to spend my life with you, but I also want you to have the option in case your feelings change.”

“You think you’re an option?” he demanded angrily. “This was never an option. It was written in stone the day I met you. You and I are destined to be together. There is no other ending but the two of us together until death takes one of us. And even then, I will continue to love you. In this life and the next, you are mine.”

“But what if—”

With a vicious curse, he attacked my mouth, effortlessly shutting me up. I kissed him back because kissing him was all I ever wanted to do. The way his fingers bit into my skin, the way his lips seemed to fuse to mine, he owned me with nothing more than an angry kiss.

When he lifted his head minutes later, we were both gasping for air. “There is no ‘what if,’ just as there will be no waiting. We’re getting married in November.”