Page 18 of Cartel Viper (The Cartel Brotherhood #2)
I unlock the door and hold it open for her, and she steps inside.
The moment I have the door closed, she’s back in my arms. I want to devour her, taste every bit of her, touch every part of her to convince myself she’s really okay.
But the last thing I’m going to do is take advantage of a traumatized woman.
I didn’t do that when we were in high school, and I won’t do that now.
“Javi, just hold me, please. Don’t let me go.”
Her voice is little more than a whisper, but I hear every word as though she’s yelling. Our mutual need for me to protect her sharpens all of my senses.
Her arms wrap around me, and I don’t bother trying to keep them away from the gun holstered at the small of my back.
When I’ve been involved with other women, whether it’s casual dating or subs, I’ve always made sure I leave my gun and holster somewhere they’re unlikely to find it, or I’ve ensured they never discover it by wrapping their arms around me.
But Maddy’s always known who and what I am.
It’s a relief I don’t have to hide that from her.
She’ll never know the extent of what I’ve done and what I can do, and what I inevitably will do.
I will always lead a double life, but at least there are a few secrets I don’t have to keep from her that I would if it were any other woman, since I have no interest in being with a Cartel daughter.
None of our men have daughters I’m interested in, and I’m wary to let a subordinate’s daughter have that much access to my family.
I never want to question whether the woman’s into me or into my position.
Since I’m the worst possible choice for Maddy, I definitely don’t fear she’s in it for a bad boy or to ingratiate herself into my family.
She’s already known us her entire life. I don’t fear she’s somehow a spy for Maks, since I burst into her life, not the other way around.
When she tilts her head back, I gaze into her fathomless green eyes.
They’re that translucent shade that’s almost gray, not the deep emerald all those fuckers in the O’Rourke family share.
The way she’s looking at me only increases the temptation to kiss her.
Apparently, that sentiment is just as strong, if not stronger, in her.
She rises onto her toes and brings her lips within inches of mine. Our gazes haven’t wavered.
Her offer is clear, but she’s not taking control. She’s letting me decide whether I accept her offer. I lower my lips to hers, and the rest of the world disappears. It’s as good as it was in the car, except now we don’t have a steering wheel in the way.
I reach back to double-check I locked the office door.
Pablo won’t interrupt—at least not without knocking.
I guide her toward the sofa in the office.
It’s the most uncomfortable one Tío Enrique could find.
It’s barely more than a plank. The desk chair is high-end, cushiony, and ergonomic.
That’s for my family. The bench sofa is for anyone unfortunate enough to be called before us for an interview.
But it’s the only place short of clearing off the desk where we fit.
I scoop her into my arms and sit. I’ll deal with the planks of wood under my ass rather than let her be uncomfortable.
The kiss continues as she clings to my shirt with one hand and cups my jaw with the other.
I stroke her back with one hand while the other holds onto her ass.
It’s both comforting and possessive. It seems to be exactly what she needs.
It’s definitely what I need.
When we come up for air, I kiss her forehead. “ Chica , you know I need to know what happened. I won’t push you to explain everything now, but it has to all come out.”
She nods, and her body remains relaxed against me, but my sixth sense tells me she’s in no hurry to reveal everything she should.
For whatever reason, she doesn’t trust me enough or isn’t ready to rely on me completely.
I know I could interrogate her, demanding answers with rapid-fire questions to trip her up, but I won’t do that, even if it means I’m giving her time to come up with excuses or lies.
I’ll sort that out because I don’t want her to feel like I’m backing her into a corner to get what I want.
That’s not how I want any type of relationship to begin.
I’ll always hold more power than she will, so anytime I can make her feel like we’re equals, I will because I want her to know she can truly depend upon me. I never want her to doubt that.
“Javi, can your men take care of all of that before anybody finds out who they are?”
“Yes, it’ll already be done by now.”
“Really?”
“I know it’s only been a few minutes, Maddy, but you can guess this isn’t the first time.”
“Nor will it be the last.”
She finishes what should have been an unspoken thought, but there’s no point in denying it when I’ve just told myself to be open with her.
“Thank you for everything. Coming to my rescue. For dealing with all of this. For sheltering me right now. I didn’t know what would happen once I got to you, but I just knew I had to.”
“You can always come to me for anything, Maddy. I’ll always be here for you.”
I go quiet, silently encouraging her to share what happened before I found her near her hotel. My silence is met with hers. I don’t think she’s being awkward. I think she’s not ready to speak. Maybe she’s still gathering her thoughts.
However, as the moment drags into a couple of minutes, I realize some of this is stubbornness. Despite not wanting to interrogate her, it looks like I’m going to have to prod a little if I want to learn what’s really going on.