Page 33 of Disarming Caine

Her chin dropped. “My what?”

I returned to her, reaching for the caramel-colored hair draped over her shoulders, not daring to touch a single strand. “The first bullet. I saw your hair move. It was so—” My throat closed over, catching the rest of the words. It was so close to her head.

Samantha nodded slowly, picking up speed as her eyes began to glisten. When her jaw quivered, she moved in to me, her head falling against my neck. “Yeah—I felt—in the air.”

I threw my arms around her, holding tight while she shook. “I’m so sorry, bella.”

She took a stuttering breath as her brave, stubborn facade crumbled. When the first gunshot rang out, a switch flicked inside her. Intense, focused, with her emotions tucked even further away than usual. She broke for only a minute, when she saw the blood on my back, until the switch righted itself, and she shut it all down again.

Now, she finally let go, and allowed me to see her most precious secret. That she was not invulnerable.

“This wasn’t the first one.” Her voice was so quiet I could barely hear it. “Saturday at the gallery… I wanted to tell you, but…”

I clutched her tighter. She’d said something Saturday night when I talked to her from the club—about her day being terrible—but I was so caught up in my own problems, my own anger, that she said nothing more than that. “Let it out, amore. I’m here.”

“All I’ve been thinking about since then was this.” She sniffled. “Your arms.”

What if she’d been at her hotel alone tonight, walking past the table she knew was there instead of stumbling into it? Would things be different? Would I be coming home for her funeral?

“Cuore mio,” I whispered.

And what happened Saturday? What other risks lurked in this town?

She pulled closer, shuddering as her tears fell, and we remained locked together for long minutes. Holding her tight, I absorbed all I could. All her pain, her fear, her sorrow.

This was what I had to offer her.

Once her sobs slowed, I put a hand to her face, kissing her salty cheek. “There was nothing I could do.”

She straightened enough to look at me, and I wiped her tears away. “You didn’t have to—”

“No, but I should have.”

“I can take care—”

Placing a finger against her lips, I shook my head. The finger drifted across her mouth, down her chin, and her chest heaved. I was her man, and I could provide more comfort than a simple hug. I could show her how much she meant to me, even when my words failed.

I pressed her against the wall, combing my fingers through her silky hair. Her powerful leg wrapped around my hips and she pulled me closer. She wanted the same comfort I did. The same reminder of how much we meant to each other.

Her skirt rode up, allowing me to grind myself against her exposed underwear, hardening against her hidden softness.

She tilted her head back, lips parting and lids fluttering closed. I captured her mouth with mine, my tongue seeking penance. We moaned in unison, our hearts pounding against each other. I dug my fingers into her leg, the sleek muscle of her thigh flexing possessively. Her arms wrapped around my neck, sending a jolt through my body as she hit the stitches. I winced, the pain a reminder I had protected her. I had not completely failed.

I broke from the kiss, taking my finger in my mouth, then slid it under her panties to explore her swollen sex. The heat in my cock intensified as she writhed under my touch, groaning into my mouth.

Her hands moved to my waist, undoing my belt, the buttons, the zipper, gaining speed as she progressed. When her hand wrapped around me, her tiny inner muscles clamped on my finger, and a guttural vibration echoed through my chest. She stroked my length to match the rhythm of my finger inside her, but only for a moment, before she nudged my arm out of the way with an elbow.

“Make me forget what happened.” She guided me to her entrance, and I moved her underwear aside to sink into her. We sighed as one as I pushed in slowly. Her walls stretched around my bare cock, and she tightened, sending a course of energy straight into my heart.

Heaven.

Her hands slipped under my jacket, raking up my sides. Shehadbeen scared, but true to who she was, she kept it buried.

“We’re safe now, bella. We’re together.” I pulled back slowly—excruciatingly slowly—stroking her emotions as much as her body.

She squeezed her eyes shut and our foreheads met, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I was so afraid he’d kill you.”

I moved gently inside her. “I’m alright.”