Charming the Beast (Purgatory 3)

His eyes closed. “I can’t deny you.”

Her heart raced faster.

“I wish I could.” His eyes opened and they were glowing with power. “If Keegan makes one wrong move, he’s a dead man.”

Yes! He was going to help her. Chloe threw her arms around Connor and hugged him tight.

He lifted her up against him and held her, so close. So close.

Over Connor’s shoulder, she saw Eric watching them. His head had cocked and his gaze had turned calculating.

Uh, oh.

“Before this mission,” Eric murmured, “Connor, I’ll need a word alone with you.”

Chloe pulled back. She shook her head—

“Only a moment,” Eric said and he smiled. That smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I have to make sure that Connor fully understands the mission.”

It was a recovery mission. What more was there to understand? Even she got that.

But the others were filing out of the office.

“You’ll all be briefed soon,” Eric promised as he rose from his desk. “Every precaution will be taken. Every single one.”

Connor squeezed Chloe’s hand. “Wait for me in the courtyard.”

She nodded. Her gaze searched his a moment more, then she slid from the room. When the door closed behind her, Chloe clenched her hands into fists. She looked up and found Olivia staring at her.

“Are you sure about this?” Olivia asked her, worry darkening her eyes.

“Yes.” It had to be done. And she wasn’t going to just hide in the shadows and wait for someone else to save the day. She tried to smile. “Are you sure you don’t have another wish in you? Maybe one that makes me indestructible and lets me live forever with the man I love?”

Olivia hesitated. “I wish I could do that for you…”

Chill bumps rose on Chloe’s arms. Olivia had just used the big W word.

Olivia hugged her. “Be safe, my friend.”

***

“So…you’re done with the Para Unit, huh?”

Connor glared at Eric. “If Chloe is going on this mission, I’ll be at her back. But after this…yeah, the slate was supposed to be clean, remember? Chloe was my last case.”

“She’s more than a case, isn’t she?” Eric opened his laptop and flipped it around to face Connor.

What was the guy planning?

Eric tapped on a few of the keys.

“You’re willing to give up everything for her, aren’t you?”

Yes.

He’d realized that fact when he’d seen her fighting with Harris.

“What do you think she’d give up for you?”

His chin lifted as Connor crossed his arms over his chest. “It doesn’t matter.” She’d said she loved him. With every bit of his tattered heart, he wanted that to be true. But with all the sins on him, hell, why would she love someone like him? Chloe was good. She was risking her life for people she didn’t even know. She was—

“I’ve got something for you to see,” Eric muttered. He tapped on the keyboard once more.

Chloe’s image appeared on the screen.

“This is from my security cameras. It was taken earlier, you know, before all hell broke loose.” Eric sat on the edge of the desk. “That right there…of course, is Chloe.”

Connor growled.

“She’s got a key card. Tricky little wolf. I didn’t even see her swipe it from my office.” He paused and glanced around. “Huh, wonder if she took anything this time?”

Connor leaned toward that small screen. “She’s…leaving.” Leaving me. Because I said I wouldn’t go with her. He knew this had been right after Chloe told him that she could love him…and I didn’t say a damn word back to her.

“See…right there…she only has one more door and she’s free. Watch it, watch—yes, that door is opening now.”

Freedom was right in front of her.

“This is when the screaming starts.”

He saw Chloe whirl around.

Eric paused the video.

“She could’ve left then. Just headed out into the night and vanished. We sure had our hands full. It would have been a while before we could search for her.”

Connor shook his head.

“But watch this…” Eric hit the button to play the video once more. The camera had a perfect shot of Chloe’s face and the fear in her expression stole Connor’s breath. So much fear and—

“Ah, did you see it? She said something.” Eric rewound the video. “Let’s watch again.”

And he could see it. Perfectly. It looked as if Chloe was yelling something.

Connor!

He rubbed a hand over his chest.

“She was free and clear to leave. But she ran right back into hell for one reason,” Eric said.

When Connor looked over at Eric, he saw that the other man wasn’t watching the video. Instead, Eric was staring straight at Connor.

“Now you know what she’d do for you.” Eric’s gaze swept over Connor. “The question is…what would you do for her?”

“Anything,” he promised.

Eric smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Chapter Fourteen

The night truly was beautiful.

Chloe stared up at the stars. Bright and glittering. She didn’t see the moon, not yet, but she could feel it. A starry, moon-filled night.

Her arms wrapped around her stomach as she stood there. She didn’t like the silence. It was giving her too much time to think and to fear. To wonder…what if?

What if I die and don’t come back?

What if this is my last night with Connor?

What if we don’t have a chance at forever?

What if this moment is all we have?

The door opened behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Connor. His eyes gleamed in the darkness.

She turned toward him. Opened her arms. Tipped back her head.

When he kissed her, the what if’s in her mind finally quieted. She drank him in, loving his touch, needing him so much that her whole body ached.

So this is love.

She’d always wondered what it would be like. For some reason, she’d thought it would be sweeter. Softer. Kind of like a sappy song on the radio.

She hadn’t known it would be so hot and wild and consuming. She hadn’t known that it would twist her up in knots. That it would wreck her.

That it would make her stronger.

It had.

“We don’t have much time,” Connor said. “Baby, I need to be with you…please, let me have you again. Right here.”