Page 24 of Finding Denver

“It wasn’t me,” she insists, searching my eyes. She looks so lost, but that’s fine, as long as I’m the one who finds her. “Do you think I did too much? Do you think I can’t handle this?”

No. I hate that you can.

I brush her hair back. “I made mistakes in the beginning, and I wish I could go back and change them.” I run my thumb across her bottom lip, watching her brow furrow further. “I can forgive your mistakes, but most will remember them, and that’s an issue. I’m not criticizing. I’m just looking out for you.” I pause, choosing my next words carefully. “You obviously missed something, and look what happened.”

The hurt in her expression has a war of regret and delight sparking in my chest.Delight. Fucking delight at my wife in pain over something I’ve done.

Pleasure licks down my spine as I kiss her throat. “Maybe you should take a break. Plan a vacation. Redecorate the house. Get another dog.”

“I don’t want to do that. I want to work.”

“But you want to do it right, don’t you?” My cock is painfully hard again, and I kiss her before sliding back into her. She gasps, her eyes fluttering closed. “Take a break, my love. Everything will be waiting for you when you come back.”

“A … a break—” She cries out as I slam into her, picking up my pace.

“Yes,” I purr into her ear, and I can’t believe how close I am to coming already. But there’s something about this vulnerability, the way she clings to me, the way she wraps her legs around my waist, growing weaker because of my words …

The power over her.

The power I’ve always had.

But now, I’m leashing a strong woman, and not the beginning of one.

“Ranger—” Her head drops back, and her breasts shake as I thrust into her. I’m wild. Frenzied. Catapulting into a kind of lust I haven’t experienced before. Every thrust into her tightness releases that wildness further, and I fuck her harder, faster, sweat coating my chest, my abs tensing.

She comes and I let out a groan, spilling inside her, the orgasm clenching every muscle in my body as I close my eyes. The pleasure keeps coming, endless ribbons of arousal circling my body as I come harder than I ever have.

I heave in breaths and almost collapse on top of her,stopping myself with my hand by her head. Tiptoes of pleasure ease across me and ebb away as Denver takes my face in her hands and kisses me.

“That was unbelievable,” she whispers. “Where did that come from?”

I smile against her lips. “I don’t know.”

I do. And I should hate myself for it.

But if I’m willing to kill for her, I’m definitely willing to twist my conscience.

“Maybe a vacation wouldn’t be a bad idea,” she says, running the tip of her finger across my jaw. “A break. A real break.”

That’s my girl.

I kiss her before getting up. “I’m gonna take another shower. Are you coming?”

“In a minute,” she says, and before I close the door, she calls my name. “Where should we go? Maybe Mexico? Or we could even go to New York. The leaves are turning soon. I’ve always wanted to see that.”

“Go with Lewis,” I say with a smile. “I have a lot to do here.”

She stares at me, and before she can respond, I close the bathroom door behind me.

Chapter 7

Denver

“Are you sure you want to do this today?” Lewis asks as I pull on my coat and step out into the fall sunshine.

Lewis may be my security, but he’s also my friend. Since I hired him after the wedding, he’s been vigilant with my protection, insisting I take self-defense classes at least twice a week and hone my shooting skills, too. He runs with me regularly, and I’m stronger, quicker, and better because of him. It’s also a bonus that he’s like a younger Stanley Tucci. Handsome, bald, and a great cook, too. It’s just a shame that Ranger doesn’t like him. He tolerates most people, but he has a particular loathing for Lewis that I don’t understand.

“Better to bite the bullet,” I say. “If this deal is over, I’d rather talk to Samuel face to face.”