Page 33 of Ravaged Hearts
“Only if I’m not allowed to touch you.”
Her hands reached behind and clasped the nape of my neck. “You can touch me.”
Not needing another invitation, I cupped one full breast, and Hope arched into it. She whimpered when I squeezed gently and made circles around her nipple with my thumb.
I licked the shell of her ear. “Woman, keep making sounds like that and I’ll have you impaled on my cock in a heartbeat.”
“Do it,” she said breathily, and it made my dick throb.
“How many times must I remind you that when we’re naked, I issue the orders?” I gave her nipple a firm pinch before reaching for her hands at the back of my neck and relocating them to the side of the bath. “But there are some things we need to discuss before I lose myself in you.”
She made a cute disgruntled sound.
After snatching a cloth from the shelf behind me, I dipped it in the water and gently washed Hope’s shoulders. “We haven’t spoken privately about this plan of yours yet.”
“What’s left to say?”
“That we’ll find some other way to catch your father, and you don’t need to do this. I mean, come on, Hope. You want to go back to him as much as I want to return to that tunnel in Venezuela.”
The muscles in her shoulders tensed. “Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it.”
“Goddammit, Hope.” I took out my anger on the washcloth by crushing it in my fist, then pitching it against the tiled wall.Water sloshed over the sides of the tub with my sudden movement.
“Hey.” She spun fast to face me with narrowed eyes. “I’m no damsel. Don’t forget whose blood runs through my veins. My dad’s a piece of shit, but at least he passed on his tenacity and grit. I’m tougher than you think.”
“I’m not questioning your courage.” My jaw tightened as I held her stare and a dread-filled heaviness settled on my chest. “It’s that I don’t know how to let you go.”
This was killing me. The thought of sending Hope straight into the clutches of Carlos fucking Espinoza made it hard to breathe.
Her expression softened. “You’ll do it because we have no other choice. You’ll do it because that’s what I need you to do.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose before dropping my hand. “I wish we had more time.”
“So do I.” She rested her hand on my cheek and stared into my eyes. “Carlos won’t hurt me. I don’t want to see him or step into his messed-up world again, but he won’t allow any harm to come to me. Just remember that.”
I nodded because what else could I do? Nothing I said would talk her out of this plan.
“We fly out of here tomorrow night?” Hope asked.
“Yeah. Just so you know, I’m not letting you out of this room until Brandon nags me to get organized for the op.”
A knowing smile formed on her lips. “I can live with that.”
“Turn around. Hands on either side of the tub again,” I ordered.
“Yes, sir,” she said in that insolent way of hers, but still did as I asked.
If my little brat wanted to play, we could play.
Hope sucked in a sharp breath when I wrapped my hand around her throat and caressed my thumb along the smooth column of her neck. “Don’t test me, Gatita. I’ve a mind to cuffyou to the bed, turn you into my fuck toy, and keep you so distracted that you stop trying to throw yourself in harm’s way.”
Her pulse escalated, and her throat shifted under my hand as she swallowed.
“Spread your legs for me.”
Without protest, she dropped her knees wide, and I watched over her shoulder as those pretty pink lips came into view underwater.
“Fucking beautiful.” And she was all mine.