Page 38 of Hunted (Desert Island Duet #2)

Bower speaks next, but stays at my side, his hand on my shoulder as he speaks.

“If it wasn’t for her, none of us would have survived there.

We probably would have starved to death.

Lucky for us, Darla helped not only keep us alive, but keep us safe, dry and well fed, until Reece—Mr. Benson, was able to find us. ”

When he says my name, confirming my identity, the crown starts to whisper again, asking if I really am her. I close my eyes and try to take a steady breath. It’s my turn now.

“Yes,” I say loudly, trying to speak above the crowd.

Weston grips my hands firmly as I continue.

“I am Darla Danvers.” The press starts speaking again.

Luckily, they are more interested in what I have to say than asking more questions and they quiet down quickly when they realize I’ve stopped speaking .

“Fifteen years ago, I was in a plane crash near the island. My father and I survived, but the pilot and plane didn’t. My dad taught me how to survive there, how to find food, and how to build a shelter. We spent four months learning to live on that island until one day he was taken from me.”

I take a second to find my voice again and Kingsley places his hand on my left shoulder. Three of my guys are touching me now and it helps give me the strength I need to finish this.

“I survived the following fifteen years on my own until these three fell from the sky and onto my island.”

Reece steps forward before they can bombard me with questions. “And the rest, you know. Please direct any questions to Miss Young and we will do our best to answer them in any future statements. We appreciate your cooperation.”

Immediately, they start yelling questions at us. Mira tries to direct them to the side, but they all ignore her, wanting to speak to us.

“Darla, which of them are you dating?”

“Mr. Benson, is it true you were in a romantic relationship with Darla before she went missing? Are you picking things up where you left off?”

“Darla, how did your father die?”

“Darla, is Mr. Callahan your bodyguard? How do you feel about his dishonorable discharge?”

The sound of glass shattering behind us has everyone ducking. Weston pulls me in front of him as he bends over me, protecting me from whatever’s happening.

The security guards start yelling, and people scream. Quickly, I’m scooped up and carried inside, noticing the front door is completely shattered, glass covering the inside of the lobby as Weston’s boots crunch through it.

We follow Reece around the corner, behind reception to a small room.

“What happened?” Lisa asks, moving into the room with us, along with Mira and two security guards who plant themselves in the doorway.

“Someone shot at us.”

My eyes widen, and she gasps dramatically.

“Put me down.” I tap Weston’s arm, then start searching his body for any sign of injury. I spin him around to look at his back. “You’re not hurt?” I ask, glancing up at him.

“No, let me check you.” He spins me around, his eyes scanning my body, but I’m already looking at my other men.

At first glance, they look fine, but I need to check them over.

Bower is closest, so when Weston is satisfied I’m okay I start to pat him down.

He lifts his arms and places them behind his head, a smirk on his face as he watches me.

I roll my eyes and try not to smile. If he’s playing around, I’m sure he’s fine. But I still check… just to be safe.

When I’m sure he’s uninjured, I inspect Kingsley next, who humors me by turning in a slow circle as I check for bullet holes. As I’m finishing up my inspection, I see Lisa move close to Reece, and I narrow my eyes. She better not touch—

My thought cuts off when she gently places her hands on his chest as she stares at him with wide eyes. “Are you okay, sir? I was so worried you’d been hurt when I heard the gunshot!”

I grind my teeth, seeing red. That filthy little liar! She didn’t even know what had happened when we stepped into this room, and there was no gunshot. They clearly used a silencer .

Reece lifts his palms up like he wants to push her away but is afraid to touch her. When he takes a step backwards to get away from her, and she moves with him, I lose it.

I reach over and grab her by the arm, yanking her away from him, hard. “What—” she starts to ask, but I hiss loudly in her face, throwing her arm away from me as I step backwards, planting myself in front of Reece.

She stares at me like I’m a freak as I bare my teeth at her, my hands out at the sides, ready to attack her if she comes any closer. My chest heaves with each breath, adrenaline surging with my rage.

How dare she touch him?

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she finally yells at me, wisely not moving any closer.

“Lay a hand on him again, and I’ll break it off,” I warn, gritting my teeth as I try to stay calm.

My eyes quickly scan the room, and I see the guards looking at me with wide eyes.

Mira is watching us both, like she’s not sure what’s happening.

Bower is smiling at me like a lunatic, clearly enjoying what’s going on.

Kingsley and Weston look like they want to jump in but aren’t sure if they should, their eyes bouncing between Lisa, Reece, and myself.

“Excuse me?” Lisa asks, eyeing me up and down like she’s disgusted by what she sees. “Reece is a big boy, if he—”

“HE’S MINE!” I scream, my anger consuming me as I cut her off as I try to launch myself at her, but Reece wraps his arms around my waist, hauling me back against him and stopping my attack.

Lisa screams, and there’s a small commotion as she’s removed from the room by one of the guards. I don’t know where they’re taking her, and I don’t care .

I’m still struggling to get out of Reece’s grip, to go after her.

I hated hearing her say his name so casually, and seeing her touch him lit a fire under my skin.

I had no idea I was such a jealous person, and maybe it’s only because we haven’t defined what we are to one another yet, but seeing her touch him like that is something I couldn’t stand.

“Shh, it’s okay, darling. She’s gone. Calm down, I‘ve got you.” I realize Reece has been whispering into my ear this whole time, and when I finally listen to his words, I stop struggling and let my body sag against him, his arms the only thing keeping me up as the fight drains out of me.

He moves us over to a chair where he sits down and pulls me down to straddle his lap, facing him.

I place my hands near the top of his chest, watching my fingers dig into his deep blue dress shirt.

He uses the crook of his finger to tilt my chin up, so my eyes are forced to meet his. “Are you okay?”

“Are you ?” I counter.

“Me?”

“Yeah, she was touching you, and you didn’t like it.”

“You could tell?”

“Anyone with eyes could tell you didn’t want her dirty hands on you.”

His eyes bounce between mine for a moment before he asks. “Is that what all that was about? You’re mad she touched me without my permission?”

I clench my jaw as what I said starts to replay in my mind. I claimed him as mine in front of the whole room. My cheeks heat with embarrassment.

Why did I say that?

We hadn’t agreed to be anything more than friends .

But, clearly, I was interested in being way more than that with Reece Benson. I’ve loved him my entire life. Being away from him didn’t extinguish that flame. It’s just taken some time to adjust to the new versions of us.

He may no longer be that sweet, cheeky teen, but he’d grown into a protective, kind and intense man. One who clearly wants to be more than my friend. He even has my name tattooed over his heart.

Locking my eyes on Reece, I decide to be brave. “I don’t want her touching what’s mine.” His eyes widen a fraction, it’s a small movement, but I catch it, knowing my words surprised him.

His fingers tighten on my hips, his eyes narrowing into that intense gaze of his. “Are you ready to claim me as yours, Darla? Are you ready to admit that you belong to me as much as I belong to you?”

“Yes.”

“Say it,” he hisses through his clenched jaw, his fingers kneading my sides.

“I’m yours, Reece.”

He quickly slides a hand up to the back of my neck and before I can register what he’s doing, he’s pressing his lips to mine.

Sweet baby kisses!

He starts slow but the second I open my mouth to him, he presses his tongue inside, turning ravenous. I’ve kissed him before, when we were thirteen, and I thought that had been the most amazing kiss in the world at the time. But this? This is next level.

I start to grind myself against him as I get lost in the kiss. His free hand pulls me closer, and I moan against him.

When someone clears their throat, we finally pull back, resting our foreheads together as we try to catch our breath .

“I hope you know there’s no turning back now. You’re mine now, Darla.”

“Ours,” Weston grumbles from our side. My head whips in his direction, forgetting we weren't alone in here.

Crap shells .

I hope Reece understands that I can’t give the others up to be with him. I need all of them, even if that does make me sound greedy.

I turn my worried eyes to Reece, wondering how I was supposed to ask if he was okay with this. “Ours,” he agrees, nodding his head at Weston.

Letting out a breath of relief, I wrap my arms around his neck and relax against him while he holds me in a tight hug.

I can’t believe how lucky I am to not just have him in my life, but four men who I love, and who treat me like I’m the most important thing in the world.

If only we could put an end to the assassination attempts, living on the mainland might not be so bad after all.

“Kingsley?” Reece asks, while holding me firmly.

“Yeah?”

“Fire Lisa.”