Page 56 of Shattered Veil
“Come on.” I take her hand and lead her toward the elevators.
“Where’s Trace?”
“Having a beer with a wounded warrior,” I mumble.
“He seems like a good man.” She visibly tenses. “Even if he is a little terrifying.”
“Trace is deadly. But I trust him.”
“So do I,” she says with a smile.
The elevator arrives, but to my bitter chagrin, we don’t have the car all to ourselves. Families with kids who’d been in the pool pile in, wrapped in towels, dripping on the vinyl floor.
I never felt the need to breed, which allowed me to sink into the lazy habit of paying for sex. No one to explain a three-day work bender to fix a technical problem.
Ella wants to go back to her teaching job. All my brothers’ wives work in some capacity.
When a mom catches my eye, she says softly, “The pool tires them out.”
“I’ll bet,” I say and bury my face into Ella’s hair. “I know what will tire me out. Wet and dripping is part of my plan, too. In bed, with you moaning beneath me.”
At our floor, the hallway lights flicker. Spending the night in a hotel far away from Astoria on short notice is one thing. Losing power is something else. No Wi-Fi and no way to charge my phone is like rubbing my skin with steel wool.
Ella squeezes my hand, and if anything can get me the hell away from my phone for several hours, it’s her.
She makes me feel alive. The air moves differently when I’m with her, and it terrifies me. Because she’s not someone I can pay to get on her knees to suck me off and fuck me.
She can leave me, for good. She can’t be controlled with money.
“Good thing I’ll be here with you tonight.” I open her door and steer her inside. “If the power goes out, theelectronic locks won’t work.
Wryly, she flips the deadbolt. “Old school, right here.”
“Clever girl,” I growl.
The darkness makes her gasp, and it looks like they’re reserving power. “Wow.”
“Hang on.” I fire up my phone’s flashlight.
I bang out a text to Trace.
Me: If you have an extra piece with you, please drop it off to Ella’s room. The door locks might stop working.
Trace: 10-4
The deadbolts offer a decent amount of security, but nothing beats the cold steel barrel of a Glock should every other protection measure fail. Choking up, I see Ella’s ex being that maniac who would kick in a door.
Ella opens the drapes and a glow from the auxiliary lights outside floods the room. Snow reflects off the glass and drenches the room in soft shadows.
“There’s a balcony.” She pulls open the door and spins in the falling snowflakes, sticking her tongue out.
Christ, she’s beautiful.
“Too bad all the patio furniture is covered in snow.” She adorably twirls again.
I join her outside, the snow catching in our hair. “Then I need to get you hot and naked out here.”
“I can make snow angels and melt all the snow, you get me so hot, Balor.” She grips me and kisses me so hard, it’s like two electrical charges firing off.