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UP IN FLAMES 69
The tall man in front sneered. “Because we couldn’t afford to take any chances. We know what you are, Lawman. And you’re going to be our insurance to make sure no one interferes in our business. Got it?”Outed. Alaric didn’t dare glance at Vanessa to see her reaction. He’d wanted to tell her himself, but now that choice had been taken away from him. But he couldn’t allow himself to focus on that. Right now he needed to worry about keeping them alive. Four armed against two unarmed. If Vanessa hadn’t been there, Alaric might have taken a wild chance and tried to fight. As it was, he had to do whatever it took to protect her. His BOS brothers were now his and Vanessa's best chance. If only he could figure out a way to alert them. Even if Bobby could hear well enough to decipher what was going on, any assistance he could send would arrive far too late.“Now what?” he asked, looking from Chloe to the three armed men. “What’s your plan?”“You’re coming with us,” the man who’d spoken earli
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“I’m fine.” Her dismissive look told him she was anything but.“Do you want to talk?” he asked, still clinging to the stubborn hope that a future between them might be possible.“Not now,” she responded. “Not today. Maybe not ever. I’m not sure we have anything to discuss.”Though his heart sank, he managed to smile and nod. “I understand.” And the sad part was that he did. Clearly, he needed to resign himself to a life bereft of her. Despite trying not to watch him, Vanessa saw the myriad raw emotions cross Alaric's handsome face. For the first time since she’d met him, he appeared vulnerable. She shouldn’t care—she didn’t care—or so she told herself."Paul said the reason why he'd come was to tell me that they found something in Christopher's office when they searched it. It was a thumb drive, and it indeed proves that Chloe was in on the whole thing with him. He gave it to me and I checked it out when you were with the paramedics. I have to go to the station."She waited for him to
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The instant he left the room, closing the door behind him, Vanessa turned to Alaric. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a possibility I could face charges?”He shrugged. “If I had, would you have come?"She didn’t even have to think. “Of course not.”“That’s why. I figured you’d have a much better chance if you came to them, with me vouching for you, than if they’d come out and arrested you.”“You have a point,” she said slowly. “And while I understand their reasoning, don’t they have to have some sort of proof that I did something wrong?”Alaric lifted one shoulder. “Don’t panic, okay? Let’s just wait and see what Bobby comes back with.”A moment later, the door swung open and Bobby Brown returned. Vanessa's heart sank at the serious expression on the other man’s face. This couldn’t be good.“We’re willing to consider your request,” Bobby said carefully.Alaric snorted. “Come on. You know you don’t have enough to charge her. From what I understand, we've got a ton of valuable informa
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He stared at her, and Vanessa averted her eyes. She couldn't look at him. He looked so hurt and she almost flung herself at him, but they didn't belong together and there was no point letting things go on longer than it should. They'd just be postponing the inevitable. "You don't have to stay in a hotel, Vanessa. You can stay with me…. And…. And then maybe we can get the chance to say goodbye to each other… Properly. Not standing here like strangers. We don't have to end it this way," That made sense, Vanessa told herself, or maybe it did because she wanted it to. She turned to look at his handsome face, "Alright," she said, "Let's go," —-----------It didn’t matter how many times Alaric tasted her or slid deep inside her, it was never enough. He was addicted to her—to the way she moved against him, how her mouth brought him pleasure and then riled him up seconds later when she mouthed off, or the way she cried out his name as she came. He couldn’t keep his hands off her, not whe
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Cupping her breasts, he rolled her nipples between his fingers as he dipped his head, pressing a kiss to the small puckered skin on her shoulder. “You like that?”“Yes,” she said, voice husky. “It feels so good.”“Hmm…” He kissed her shoulder once more and then placed another kiss over her wildly beating pulse. “I like you like this.”“What?” She arched her back, thrusting her breasts into his hand.He plucked her nipples, grinning when she gasped. “Standing naked in front of my sink.”A soft laugh lit up the kitchen. “Are your blinds closed?”“Of course.” He moved his hips against her rear, groaning in her ear. “If I saw you like this every fucking day, my life would be perfect.”“Every day?” Muscles tensed against him, and he cursed under his breath.Not wanting to give her time to dwell and obsess over that comment, he curved his hand around her throat, guiding her head back, and kissed her. As he licked his way into her mouth, he pulled out the tie.“Close your eyes.”She pulled b
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Oh fuck, he needed to be in her again. “I like it, too.” Placing the tips of his fingers under her chin, he lifted her gaze to his. “And I love it when you lose control.”Her mouth opened, as if she was about to deny that, but he kissed her before she could deny what was so obvious. He wanted her upstairs and in his bed, but they got sidetracked on the stairs, and he ended up between her thighs, his arm along her back, taking the burn of the rocking motions. Later, much later, they made it to his bedroom. Both of them were exhausted, and he felt like he’d run a marathon. He lazily trailed a hand up and down her spine. Each time he reached the slight curve of her lower back, his fingers brushed the swell of her ass and she’d shiver. Of course, he kept doing it.She nuzzled her cheek against his chest, letting out a content sigh. “What you did downstairs, on the table people eat at, wasn’t very appropriate.”Alaric chuckled deeply. “What is it about you and appropriateness?”Her lips cu
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“That's bullshit and you know it.” Paul said, "Fuck you," Alaric replied, but there was no real heat in his words. "Look, I had to take a break, okay? After everything that happened, I felt like I needed some time for myself. Besides Bobby was fine with it," Paul didn't look convinced, "Does this have anything to do with a certain Mrs Spencer?" When Alaric didn't reply, Paul added, "Damn man, Did you let her go?" Vanessa felt like an interloper. Well, duh, she was, and she really needed to get her ass out of there. Paul looked like he was about to say something else when what sounded like a chair in the dining room deciding to mate with the table drew their attention. They turned at the same time.Vanessa stood a few feet back from the table, her face as red as a fire truck and her eyes wide. Alaric's gaze dropped, and he swallowed a groan. Damn if he didn’t love seeing her in his clothes. However, he did not like the idea of Paul seeing her practically naked. And he really wasn’t
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Looking over her shoulder at him, she drew in a shallow breath. “It is.”Alaric stared at her for what felt like forever and then he had his pants off in record time. His arousal jutted out proudly, hard and thick, and molten lava filled in her belly. He stepped into the shower, closing the door behind him. His hands landed on her hips and when he spoke, his voice whispered in her ear. “I know what you’re thinking.”Vanessa shuddered. “You do?”“Yes.” He kissed her shoulder, causing her heart to squeeze at the tender action. “You’re going to run.”She stiffened, her arms clamped close to her chest. “I don’t…don’t know what you’re talking about.”“You’re a shitty liar.” He turned her around and reached between them, wrapping his hands around her wrists. He backed her up until she was flush with the cold tile. “You have that look in your eyes. Never really seen it before—the whole deer-in-the-headlights look. But you have it. You’re going to run.”“You need to get your eyes checked, the
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