Page 61 of Toxic

“Someone has to look after you,” I sayfinally.

“Are you offering?”heasks.

I don’t answer because I don’t know. I’m quiet as I finish applying the new bandage, and the silence grows so overwhelming that I’m afraid tobreakit.

He must see it on my face because he opens his mouth to speak and then closes it when he decides better. His jaw ticks with indecision, and he gives himself ashake.

“Come to me when you figure it out,” he says and then pauses to kiss my forehead, the single most affectionate gesture he’s ever expressed, and it nearly cracks meintwo.

I suppose it’s progress that he doesn’t lock me inside my room, and then I almost laugh. For a moment, I have to fight a smile. How is it that a cage with Gracin is appealing? Maybe because within these walls, I found freedom, even if it was at the hands of mycaptor.

I clean up the mess and stow the supplies as my mind works through myoptions.

Gracin isn’t a good man. He’d be the first to tell me. He’s ruthless, bloodthirsty, and lawless. He lives by no one else’s rules but his own, and he doesn’t apologizeforit.

I can picture my life without him. It’s a beautiful one. I’d get a new identity, one that doesn’t have a warrant out for their arrest, and I’d eventually settle down with a man, get a house, a dog, and have a couple of kids. It was the life I wanted when I met Vic. The life I thought we’d havetogether.

Now . . . now I can’t imagine a life that doesn’t have Gracin in it. The lows are low, but the highs, the rush he gives me each time I see him? There is nocomparison.

I spin around to find him and nearly run right into him. “I thought you were giving me space,” I say,stunned.

His hands fist at his sides, his chest is stained with blood, and his face is already darkening with bruises. “I changed my mind,”hesays.

My teeth bite into the soft flesh of my cheek. “Youdid?”

He takes a measured stepforward. “Yes.”

“And what did youdecide?”

Gracin steps close enough that he can lift my chin with a finger. His expression is serious, and even though he can barely open one eye, his gaze is solemn. “I decided I was right when I locked you here so you couldn’t get away and get yourself into trouble.” I bristle a little, but he places a finger over my lips. “I wanted you here so I could make sure you were safe. Seeing you in the warehouse like that . . . it isn’t something I’ll ever forget. I realized when you came running into the room, and Danny turned the gun on you that I didn’t want to spend another day that didn’t have you in it. Letting you leave would be doing just that, so I’ll chain your ass to the bed if I must to keep you inmylife.”

“And if I said I still wanted to leave, you wouldn’t letmego?”

“No,” he says with vicious finality. “No, Iwouldn’t.”

He pauses to take my lips. I taste the metallic burst of blood from his split lip, but underneath . . . underneath there’s the intoxicating flavor of him and I sigh, stepping forward to press against him morecompletely.

“I wouldn’t let you go,” he says against my lips, “but I’d spend every day convincing youtostay.”

“How do you think you’d accomplish that?” I’m breathing more heavily now and my heart, which is still thrumming from the adrenaline of our escape, beatsdoubletime.

“How about I show you?”hesays.

I shiver against him as he tugs me down the hall. He presses kisses to my jaw and ear and then curses under his breath and plasters me against the wall in the stairwell. My hands go to his waist to tug at his belt loops and pull himagainstme.

“You trying to distract me?” he asks as he tongues the hollow in mythroat.

“Maybe. Is itworking?”

He nudges his erection against me, and I suck in a breath. “You tell me,”hesays.

I groan and tug him down the hallway. “I think I need some more convincing,” I say with an impish grin. “That is if you aren’ttoohurt.”

We reach his door, and he presses into me from behind, the hardness of his cock nudging against the cleft of my ass. “Never. I’d be dying and I’d still be hardforyou.”

He opens the door, and we tumble inside enough to slam it shut. I struggle to turn, but he keeps my back pressed to his front and arranges my hands abovemyhead.

“Keep them there,” he growls, and I’m strung so tight I don’t have the willpower toargue.