Page 63 of Forbidden Fate

“Take off your shirt,” I say.

He grips the back of his collar and pulls the shirt over his head.

My breath catches.

I’ve seen attractive men before. I’ve slept with attractive men before. A hard chest and broad shoulders shouldn’t be enough to ignite my flesh.

But Cruz is not pretty in a polished way. One scar runs diagonally across his chest, right over his left nipple. Another, clearly from a gunshot wound, sits above the other. A faint bruise shadows one rib. His body looks like it has taken violence and given it back.

I push myself up onto my knees on the bed, bringing us closer to eye level. I reach for him.

He catches my wrist. Not hard. Just enough to stop me.

I look down at his fingers around me. “Careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

I narrow my eyes. “That sounds like a warning.”

“It is.”

“I’m naked on a bed and you’re warning me?”

He sears his gaze into mine for a moment before replying, “Yes.”

“About what?”

“About me.”

A shiver moves through me before I can hide it.

“Don’t pretend,” he says.

My mouth goes dry. “I’m not pretending.”

“Yes, you are. You’ve made it clear, and you’re good at it, Robin.”

“I said I’m not.”

He loosens his grip but doesn’t let go. “Then say you want me because you want me. Not because you think it keeps me close. Not because you think it keeps you safe. Not because you’re afraid I’ll walk out that door and give you back to Vega.”

I sigh. I do want him. More than my next breath, to be honest. But I don’t know what to do with this version of him. The man who won’t let me reduce myself to a bargain.

I don’t know whether to trust him. But I can’t deny the hunger pulsing through my veins. For him.

“I want you,” I say. “I want you because I want you. I also want you because I need you close. Two things can be true at once.”

He releases my wrist, lifts his hand to my face, but stops before touching me. “You’re allowed to want things without turning them into weapons.”

I swallow. “Shows what you know.”

“Maybe nothing.”

“Definitely nothing.”

His mouth curves. It’s barely a smile. “Then I’ll show you what I know.”

Oh hell no.