She had the satisfaction of watching his face pale. “You’ll regret this.”
“I only regret one thing tonight.”
Leaving Bowen. “You want my silence, Uncle? Let me go. Let Bowen go.” She was taking a gamble that Bowen would want to disappear with her, but prayed he would. “You won’t hear from us again.”
He said nothing. Just clenched his jaw and ducked into the car.
Hidden in the shadows, Sera watched him drive down the alley and turn onto the street, red taillights disappearing around the corner. There should have been more of a sense of apprehension, or loss. She’d just chosen Bowen over family. Over potential safety. She could figure out the rest. They’d do it together.
I love him. Oh, God, I love him so much.
When the kitchen door slammed open and Bowen charged out, hands in his hair, looking in every direction with raw agony on his face, she knew she’d made the right call. Her entire being gravitated toward him . Soothe him. Make him better.
She ran toward him.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
She’s really gone.
When Connor left the club, he thought he might have had a chance to catch her.
What would he have said? Please stay?
I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you need?
He didn’t know, hadn’t been able to formulate a plan beyond seeing her one more time. But he hadn’t made it. The alley was empty, except for a few stray patches of light. Feeling the world sway beneath his feet, he started to slide down the brick wall, wondering when he’d ever get the strength to stand again once he hit the ground.
“Bowen.”
His heart lurched when Sera came into view, white light falling around her beautiful form, making him question if she was real or just a figment of his imagination.
Is this it? Insanity? If so, I could stay here.
No, she was running toward him, her mouth moving, saying his name. Standing very slowly in case sudden movements might send her away, he waited for her to get closer before he allowed himself to hope. Then she threw herself against him. His back hit the brick wall in the most welcome assurance of reality he could remember. When her mouth made contact with his, it brought everything into sharp focus. Sera is here, kissing me. Make it last.
He reversed their positions, trapping her against the wall with his hips, getting as close to her as humanly possible, groaning as her thighs wrapped around his waist where they belonged. “I thought
you’d
left
already,”
he
whispered at her lips. “I didn’t think you’d let me say good-bye. How long do I have?”
“They already came to get me.” Those perfect hands of hers slid into his hair. “I couldn’t leave you. I couldn’t go.”
“What?”
He
hadn’t
heard
her
correctly. Or maybe he was still sitting on the ground, imagining this entire scene. “What do you mean, you couldn’t leave me?”
“I’m staying, Bowen.” She licked into his mouth for a dizzying kiss, which he returned like a starving man. “I need you.”
Disbelief tried to overshadow the joy spiraling through him. How could this be happening? He didn’t want to question it; he wanted to take this twist of fate he didn’t deserve and run with it, but he couldn’t, not completely. She’d given up a chance to be safe. For him. It tempered his
happiness
with
worry.
The
responsibility to make sure she didn’t regret it. His blood heated with possessiveness, the honor he’d been given to keep her safe. She’d picked him. This amazing girl had chosen him.
Until she came to her senses, he would treasure every second.
She tugged at his hair with her fists.
“Let me clarify. I need you now.” Her hips writhed between him and the wall, hardening his cock with a swiftness that had him gasping into her delicious mouth. “Stop thinking, please.”
“Not here, baby.” He pressed higher between her thighs, negating his plea.
The needy whimper that drifted from her lips sent blood rushing to his groin. He’d left himself unfinished this afternoon and the deprivation came back to bite him now. It would take an act of God to tear him away from her at that moment, and he still would still claw his way back for more. “Ah, God, don’t let me fuck you in an alley, Ladybug.”
“Yes. Here.” She reached down and tugged her own skirt higher on her thighs. Seeing how her desperation matched his own was a powerful realization. This wasn’t just sex for her, either, thank Christ. In his chest, his heart raced out of control. “I can’t wait,”
she moaned. “I need you so bad.”
Her begging had the effect of a drug, whizzing along his nerve endings and making him hungry to get inside her.