Page 92 of Royal Pain
He was wearing a tight black tee shirt that hugged every muscle perfectly, reminding me just how insanely built he was. The suits he wore hid so much of his gorgeous physique. While I knew the right attire was necessary in business, he needed to dress this way more often. Including the skintight black jeans and shit-kicker boots that made him look even more badass. All heneeded was a black leather jacket and no one would recognize him.
Then again, there wasn’t a person in the group who wasn’t dressed similarly, although the men who were true soldiers with military backgrounds had dark fatigues on. I hadn’t known they made them in anything but green.
“The truth is, before I met you and all this happened, I took life for granted. I know that sounds trite but it’s true. I didn’t have a shitty family, my mother sweet and loving, two built-in brothers that while giving me shit when I was younger, took me under their wings. Being a ruthless businessman came easily for all three of us, the resorts just an offspring that might have been about boredom more than anything, although we make money hand over fist. You can only take hearing a woman pontificate about ensuring her late husband’s wealth is fully utilized and invested wisely while she holds and strokes a Pomeranian so many times.”
“That isn’t the truth,” I laughed.
“Yep, it is. It was the first time in dealing with a client I had difficulty keeping my poker face.” There was such fire in his eyes, as if he’d been thinking about this. God knew, he wasn’t sleeping well. Neither was I.
“Okay. I know what is driving you crazy in life. What do you want?”
“When we had the ice cream the other day and walked on the beach, there was a sense of danger that I couldn’t ignore but at the same time, I enjoyed the moment. It was as if for the first time in my life I was able to be just me. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to ignore the blessings I have in my life. Not at all. Butthere are more important things in the world and they’re simple. You brought that to me. You had a light surrounding you from minute one that couldn’t be ignored.”
I couldn’t help myself, brushing the stubble on his chin with my knuckle. “I like your beard. It makes you look a bit unruly, dangerous.”
“Oh, I get it. You like dangerous men.”
“I think I do, especially when they become my strong, virile protectors.”
“Virile, huh?” he teased. “I’ll show you just how virile I am later when we’re successful.” He didn’t give me time to fall back into my despair, kissing me like this might be the last one we shared.
His lips were so soft, meant for kissing for hours. He wrapped one arm around me, pulling me as close as the position on the couch would allow. I was floored by how incredible it felt in his arms, even now. And as he swept his tongue from one side to the other, the taste of whiskey burning my tongue, it reminded me we were both very much alive.
With so much to lose.
He allowed the moment of intimacy to linger, pulling away but licking my lips before dragging his tongue from one side of my jaw to the other. The feel of him this way, almost desperate yet still so passionate, set my world on fire.
Strong.
Invincible.
Determined.
Dangerous.
What could be a better combination?
“What time are we leaving?” I asked, trying to sound casual, as if my heart wasn’t in my throat.
“Around seven. Everything is in place but we’re going to go over it again.”
“Jeff bought me some dark clothes. He’s kinda cool.”
Gage grinned. “Yeah, he is. You’re going to stay in the background until we find your son.”
“I want a weapon.”
He seemed almost startled by me asking. “I can’t allow that to happen.”
“I know how to use one. I might have mentioned, after leaving the bastard, I took self-defense courses plus I went to the gun range, paying an expert to teach me all the basics until I became very good at shooting. Only then did I purchase a weapon of my own. Don’t worry. Damien had no chance of getting to it.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Alright. I’ll give you a weapon, but I’ll also provide you with a piece of advice. Allow the experts to handle members of the community. No matter what happens, you don’t need to ruin your life because of any of them.”
“Understood but I promised myself I wouldn’t become a victim again. I mean it.”
“God, woman. I adore your resolve.”
“I hope you adore other things.”