Chapter 28 #2
Her gaze held mine. No judgment. No disgust. Just … understanding that cut too close.
“If you have a problem with that,” I said, “then you walk out that door and you never speak my name again.”
A long pause.
Then her expression shifted, something fierce and broken and hungry all at once. Sloane stepped over to me. She grabbed my shirt, and she kissed me. It wasn’t soft. It was desperate. Like she’d been holding her breath for days and finally decided she wanted air.
For half a second, I froze, caught off guard by the fact that she wanted me after hearing the worst. We’d torn into each other in the dark, all teeth and control and heat.
I’d marked her skin and heard every sound she made.
None of it had felt like this. This was the first time she’d chosen me.
Not the game, not the threat, not the circumstances.
Just me. And she’d done it knowing exactly what I was.
It fucking undid me.
I pulled her closer and kissed her back as if it was the only way to keep her from disappearing.
She broke away enough to breathe, her beautiful brown eyes wild. “Jesus,” she whispered. “That’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Sloane.” My forehead brushed hers, trying to drag myself back into reality. “As much as I want to forget the world with you right now someone put blood on your wall.”
The words sobered her like cold water. She stepped back, her cheeks flushed, and the guilt slid back into place on her face. “I actually came here to say goodbye.”
My chest tightened hard. “No.”
“Yes.” She forced the word out as if it hurt. “I put you in danger. Whoever’s feeding me crumbs about Nate they’re not only watching me anymore. They’re watching you.”
“That’s not your fault.”
“It is if I keep standing near you. I’m sorry.
” Her voice cracked. “I never meant for this to happen. I never meant to fall for you.” She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders.
“You have my word. I’ll never tell anyone about you or your friends.
I understand it now. Sometimes the rules don’t protect the people they’re supposed to.
” Her gaze didn’t waver. “If you’re saving women and children …
you have my support.” Then, softer as if it cost her everything. “I swear on Nate’s life.”
That oath hit me like a fist. It wasn’t a phrase to manipulate me. It was a wound, and she was putting it in my hands.
If she was going to turn me in, she would have done it already—before the bunker, before my family, before she started looking at me like I was more than a lead.
I watched her take a step back, and my mouth went dry.
“Sloane …” I started, but the words stuck in my throat.
“I’m glad you lived.” Her eyes shined with tears. “I can’t imagine what you walked through. But I’m glad I got to meet you.” Her smile turned sad at the edges. “The you that was left after that night.”
My chest ached. Her decision was made, and nothing I did would change it. It was written all over her beautiful face.
“Stay safe.” Each word tasted like poison, and I hated myself for not saying more. “If you need me, you know where I am.”
She held my gaze as if she was trying to memorize it. “I will.” Then she turned, walked down the hall, and let herself out. The click of my front door closing behind her sounded like a verdict.
The silence rushed in.
I stood there for a full minute, not moving, until my chest started to ache so fucking hard, I sucked in air to relieve the pressure.
Before I realized what was happening, I moved fast. I wasn’t thinking, just following the part of me that had been dead, and Sloane had brought back to life.
I yanked the door open and stepped onto the porch. Her taillights glowed in my driveway. She was already leaving.
My feet hit the steps and then the gravel.
“Sloane!” My voice tore out of me.
Her car slowed but kept rolling.
I ran to the driver’s side as she reached the end of the drive and slapped my palm against the window hard enough to rattle it.
She slammed on the brakes.
The door flew open, and she stumbled out, fury and fear colliding in her expression.
“Ryker!” Tears tracked down her cheeks like she’d been holding them back on borrowed time. “What the hell are you doing? I could have hit you.”
“I know.” My voice came out raw. I stepped closer, hands open like I was approaching something wild. “Don’t go,” I said. Simple. Honest. No armor. “Don’t leave me with the sound of that fucking door closing.”
Her breath hitched.
“I want you here.” I swallowed hard, forcing the truth through my teeth. “I want to wake up next to you. I want to help you find Nate.” My voice broke on his name, even though he wasn’t mine. “And it’s more than that.”
She searched my face as if she didn’t trust what she was seeing.
“I want you.” The confession felt like stepping off a ledge.
A shaky laugh escaped through her tears, like she couldn’t believe the timing.
“How am I supposed to protect you from whoever is hunting both of us?” she whispered.
I reached up and slid my hand behind her head, holding her gently but firmly—afraid she’d slip away if I didn’t. “You don’t. You let me in and release the monster. I understand that you’ve protected Nate your entire life, and whatever happened … I’m not sure, but I’m here now.”
She sniffled. “A team?”
I chuckled. “You’re mine, Sloane, and I always protect what’s mine.”
Heat climbed her cheeks.
I kissed her slow and sure, a promise instead of a demand. I pulled back enough to ensure I had her attention. “Park your car.” My voice was gruff. “And get your ass back in my house.”
Her laugh broke, small and real, and she nodded as if the choice had already been made the moment she texted me. She climbed back into the driver’s seat, backed up, and parked.
I watched her walk toward me again, and something I’d kept buried for years, started to feel like it had permission to live.
I didn’t deserve to be happy. Didn’t deserve her.
I wasn’t stupid enough to let her go either.