Make Her Mine

“Stop.” He pins me against the door, his gaze not even lowering when my towel drops and puddles at our feet. “Stop being so goddamn stubborn and just listen. You aren’t safe here. The fact your next-door neighbor let me in downstairs without even asking who I was is proof enough of that.”

“I can take care of myself,” I rasp. “I don’t want the man who fucked me to get close to my brother to—”

“That’s not what—” he starts but then his nostrils flare and he takes a deep breath before moving his face so close to mine our foreheads touch. One of his hands cups my cheek and the other finds the curve of my hip, drawing me into him. “That’s how I met you, yes. My boss—Rich Tomlinson, the guy from that letter—asked me to get his money back from Ian. Rich wanted me to get close to you, since you’re the only person Ian talks to.”

I fist my hands by my side. There was a part of me that wanted to hear this, that wanted him to admit to me his exact motives. But now that he’s saying it aloud, I’m not so sure I want him to keep speaking. I’m not sure I need him to recount the ways he used me and how easy it had been for him.

But when I open my mouth to protest, my throat is clamped too tightly around the lump inside of it. And when I try to move—try to shrug out of his grasp—my body gives up on me.

“Once I met you, Skye I knew right away that I never wanted to hurt you,” he continues, his blue eyes burning into mine. I can’t make myself look away from him, even if I could move.

“Everything I told you was true. You own me,” he says, his voice catching on those last three words. “I’m yours, Skye. I understand if you never want to hear from me again—if that’s what you want, I’ll leave.” I open my mouth to speak, but he’s not done yet. He raises a hand. “But only after you come with me.”

Stunned by his admission, I snap my mouth shut. “What now?”

“Only for a few days,” he answers, “only until this is over. Once the job is done.”

The job. The fucking job. Aka me. That does it. No longer caring that I’m completely naked, I shove him as hard as I can, which of course hardly moves him an inch, solid wall of muscle that he is. His hands reach up to clasp my arms, to steady me from the push, and I wrench free of him to slap his face instead.

He closes his eyes, a bright red imprint of my hand blossoming on his cheek. Other than that, he makes no motion at all.

“You’re a real piece of work,” I whisper. “And where exactly do you plan to take me, Stone? To your boss?”

“Never,” he growls, opening his eyes just enough to glare at me. “I’m trying to protect you. Rich is relentless, just ask your brother. He’ll stop at nothing to get that money from your brother and I’m not about to watch you get hurt. ” Stone reaches for me again, and I’m suddenly too tired to brush his arms off mine. I let him grip my shoulders tight, and try not to think about the electricity that spirals through my body at the sensation of his rough palms against my bare skin.

“He’s ordered his men to kidnap you.” When my head jerks up, Stone nods slowly. “Even now, he’s got his men trailing you. They’ve been staking this place out for days.”

I think about the tingle at the back of my neck. The feeling of being watched. The foot—I could swear it was a foot—I saw flash by the fire escape out in the hallway when Ian last came over.

“There’s one outside your apartment even now,” he adds in a soft voice. I try to pull away from him, to cross to the window, but he pins me against the kitchen counter, shaking his head, his hands still tight on me. “Don’t be a fool, Skye. Rich gave me five hours to bring you in. If he finds out I told you everything, he’ll pull me off the job entirely and make one of these guys do it instead.”

“So I was right then,” I say, my voice a harsh whisper. “You want to bring me to him yourself. Make sure you get the credit.”

He shakes me gently, just enough to fixate my eyes on his again. “I’m not taking you to Rich, I’m taking you away. Somewhere safe. Somewhere no one can touch you. If you want we’ll call Ian, tell him everything, but he’ll agree with me.”

“Then I can leave myself, and—”

He moves his face close to mine again so quickly it knocks the air out of my lungs. “I don’t care if I have to carry you out of this fucking building over my shoulder, but one way or another you’re leaving with me.”

I take a moment to catch my breath, digging my fingers into the front of his T-shirt. When I am finally able to breathe, I catch the familiar, intoxicating scent of him. The spicy deodorant he wears, and underneath it, that woodsy scent that drives me wild every time I inhale it. It sends me straight back to the bedroom, to the tangled sheets that smell of sex and him.

Shaking my head a little, I force those thoughts from my head, gritting my teeth because the throbbing ache deep in my core is undeniable. Only Stone. Only with this man can I find out that I’m in danger and still get absolutely wet by simply sniffing him. “How very caveman of you,” I mutter at last.

“Where you’re concerned, always.” Stone’s hands drop to my ass, pulling me into him possessively so that my breasts are crushed against his firm chest. It’s easy—too easy—to want to let myself go. To fall against him, so he can catch me. I don’t, but I do close my eyes and press my face into his chest, breathing him in more deeply. “We can call Ian to tell him what’s going on, but you’re coming with me. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to you, do you understand?”

“I hear you.” It takes every ounce of strength in my body to wrench away from him. I back away fast, like I’m tearing off a Band-Aid. Despite the fact I’m not wearing a stitch of clothing, he keeps his eyes on mine, steady and serious. Burning right through me.

Only once I’m halfway across my apartment, poised beside the couch, do I feel safe to speak again, without worrying I’ll fall right back into his arms. “

How long do I have to get ready?”

His eyes lock with mine again. It doesn’t matter how far I am, or that I’ve managed to put a whole room between us. Just his gaze makes my entire body go weak. “Ten minutes. I know these people, Skye. When Rich says five hours, he means an hour and a half—two tops.”

A long moment passes in silence. I know just how terrible an idea it is to let Stone back into my life, but he’s the devil I know. And when he looks at me like he does—tells me that he wants to keep me safe—I believe him. Despite all the lies, I believe that.

“Okay,” I whisper, “give me a few minutes.”

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