His to Take (Wicked Lovers #9)(74)
Author: Shayla Black

Bailey believed him. As long as Joaquin watched over her and stayed one step ahead of the crazies of LOSS, she’d be alive. But would she have a life? “I’d love to, but I don’t think I have that luxury. Maybe you should leave the photo here with me tonight so I can study it.”

He hesitated, and his expression told her he didn’t love the idea. In the end, his logic prevailed. “All right.”

“Sean and Thorpe must be so worried about Callie.”

“I’m sure, but they’d move mountains to keep her from harm’s way.”

“They’ve done it before,” Bailey agreed.

“I’d do the same for you.”

She swallowed down a lump. “You don’t have to say that. I’m going to cooperate, so buttering me up isn’t necessary.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?” Thunder crashed across his expression, his dark brows sliding over his eyes that lit with anger like lightning.

“Your case hinges on me. It seems like common sense—”

“Baby girl, when it comes to you, I got off the ‘common sense’ bus a while ago. If I hadn’t, I’d still be interrogating you day and night. Sleep and food would be on the back burner. In fact, I’d be facilitating your exhaustion to see if it would loosen your tongue or if I could trip you up in inconsistencies. In short, I’d be doing everything I could to leave you unsettled and off balance in the hopes it could help my case.”

Instead, he was putting her comfort and mental well-being first. “None of that would make me remember the past any faster.”

“You might be surprised.”

She reared back. “You’ve employed those tactics before?”

“I’ve done things that would make you recoil in horror. I did them without blinking. Getting answers was my job. I did it. I moved on.” He sighed. “Then came you.”

“You said I had nothing to do with your job.”

“You never did. I wasn’t working this case for anyone but me and the people who’ve been slaughtered. I don’t really give a shit that the U.S. government fired me. It gives me more time and energy to keep you safe. There’s another job out there. But there’s only one you.”

Oh, goodness. He knew exactly what to say to make her believe that she mattered, to make it okay to want him. Bailey already knew Joaquin was more than she could handle. Her one experience in the back of a limo on prom night hadn’t prepared her for all his masculine aggression. He scared her even as he turned her on more than she’d imagined possible.

Bailey swallowed. Guard her heart or throw her body into the fire? What good in life had come from protecting her feelings? So, Ryan Fuller, the butthead who had taken her virginity, hadn’t really cared about her. She’d been more humiliated than hurt. She’d recovered. Joaquin might not be Prince Charming, but all the testosterone he exuded made it hard to refuse him. To be honest, she liked him more than a little. When it came to doing right, his moral compass seemed to be set to true north. His methods might be unorthodox, but he sought justice, even above his own career and personal relationships. Bailey had to admit she found that wildly attractive.

Besides, having a killer hunt her brought home the fact that tomorrow wasn’t a given. Or was she just rationalizing because she wanted Joaquin so badly?

“Really, you don’t have to say that to make me cooperate with your investigation.”

He dragged her closer. “Damn it, we’ve been over this. You know better.” His fingers tightened. “And if you can’t remember, let me remind you. Tell me to kiss you.”

Joaquin hovered now, so close his breath warmed her lips. His stare delved into hers, demanding, urgent. But his touch remained gentle. He checked himself for her. In fact, he’d revealed one of his deepest pains and shared it with her. That had to mean something.

Bailey pulled herself from his drowning stare, her gaze skating over the hollows of his cheeks and the firm angles of his chin. His lips, full and so close, waited for her.

God, she was probably going to regret this.

“Kiss me,” she panted.

Not even a single beat of her heart passed before he tumbled her back to the bed. The second her back hit the mattress, his fingers dug into her hair, fisting tightly at her nape. He angled her head to his liking and devoured her lips. His chest eclipsed hers. His hips wedged between her thighs, making himself at home.

Bailey couldn’t lie to herself and say she didn’t like it. As he drove his tongue deep and took command of the kiss, all her self-control and will to resist disappeared. He didn’t ease inside or test his welcome. No, he crushed her lips with his own and took complete command.