Page 102 of Omega Tricked

His mouth still had a stubborn tilt, but his eyes flickered at my words. “I don’t think I should.”

“Please,” I whimpered. “Ineedyou there.”

His nostril flared, and he shivered. “What the hell are you doing to me?” he murmured. “Why am I so fucking spineless around you?”

“I’m the same with you.”

“You should hate me.” His voice was tinged with guilt.

“Maybe I should.”

He licked his lips and lowered his head, capturing my mouth again. This time the kiss was deep and slow, and his hands roamed over my body. I had little doubt of what he wanted, and I yearned to give it to him. “I should say no,” he murmured against my mouth.

I smiled against his full lips. “Ignore the voice of reason. That’s what I’m doing.”

He gave a gruff a laugh. “Promise this isn’t a trap and Charles won’t have the cops waiting for me?”

“This isn’t a trap.”

He sighed. “All right.”

Excitement rolled through me. “You’ll do it?”

“I can’t seem to say no to you.”

“Good.”

He straightened. “But Gabriele has to be allowed in too. Otherwise, I’m not coming.”

I grimaced. “Charles is probably going to blow a gasket at that.”

His expression was serious. “I mean it. Gabriele comes, or I’m out.”

“Charles will just think you want Gabriele there so you have someone to help you do your dirty deeds. He doesn’t trust you. He thinks you’re still playing me.”

“What do you think?”

I let go of him and took a step back. “I want you. I want you with me. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit a part of me worries. You saved me, but you also used me. And you were convincing too. I really believed you cared about me, and now I struggle with what was real and what was an act.” I frowned. “But you were so kind to me about Jacob and Ayden. I can’t believe those moments were fake.”

“They weren’t.” His eyes were darker than usual. “I swear they weren’t.”

“I feel like I need you with me. But I worry. I worry that you seem confused about why you saved me. You don’t seem to understand your own actions. That makes me nervous. Perhaps you’ll regret your decision to protect me, and that could endanger people I care about, not just me.”

“No. I won’t turn on you.”

“But you don’t really think you did anything wrong, do you?”

He hesitated. “I… I honestly don’t know how to answer that. I needed closure, and no one would willingly give me that. I had other people looking to me to act. It seemed right to do what I did.” He swallowed, his eyes apologetic. “But when I look at myself through your eyes, I don’t like what I see.”

“I like a lot of what I see.” I dropped my gaze. “And parts I don’t understand.”

He sighed. “I have no idea what happens next. I’ve never been without a plan. I’m scared that I’ve fucked up my life and Gabriele’s.” His frustration was obvious, but his gaze gentled as it settled on mine. “What I don’t have any doubt about is protecting you. I don’t regret it. I’ll never regret that. I’d do it again without hesitation, and fuck the consequences.”

My heart ached, and I hugged him. “Okay. That’s a good place to start.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Lex