Page 98 of What Remains

She stares at me, eyes wide with shock. Her cheeks become pink and she scooches around on my lap like she’s chasing what I wish I could give her. “And if I want you to disrespect me?” Her sultry tone slips under my skin, and my balls tighten.

I lift my eyes to the ceiling, hoping I might find strength somewhere above, because I’m about out of it.

“That sounded⁠—”

“Exactly as you meant for it to.” My voice is almost as dark as my damn thoughts. Because in my mind, she’s naked and riding me. Nails at my back—screw the lash marks. Let her carve love there in place of what Jezebel left behind.

“But you won’t do it, will you?”

I shake my head, my body tensing up even more than I thought possible. “One night won’t ever be enough for me.” I let go of her before it’s too late and I lose what’s left of my conscience and give in to what we both want.

She moves off my lap to stand, and I run my fingers through my hair, working hard to get a grip. This is the closest we’ve come to testing the waters, and now that we’re here, it feels like I’m about to walk away from her all over again.

“I want you, E.” She faces me while rubbing her arms as if cold. “What makes you think it’d be just one night?”

Because forever’s too good to be true. Of course I don’t say that and stupidly grunt, “You know what I meant.”

She bites her lip, her gaze falling to the floor.

We’re a pair, I swear. We can joke around like the best of them, but when shit gets serious, we both freeze up.

Thanks, trauma. Thanks a lot. “I’m sorry.” I’m not even sure what I’m apologizing for. For everything, maybe?

Two knocks at the door effectively pause wherever this conversation was about to go, and maybe that’s for the better.

Gwen shakes her head in frustration at the interruption, then starts for the door, but it opens before she makes it there.

At the sight of Wyatt and Gray, I rise.

A two-for-one special. Dad and uncle.

Perfect.

Based on their dark expressions, they’re both gonna kill me. So much for Constantine running interference for me. He probably got distracted by my sister. I’m torn between smiling and rolling my eyes at that.

“We were watching a movie,” Gwen says defensively, pointing toward the TV that’s still paused at the beginning.

Wyatt lets the door shut behind them as I discreetly adjust myself to ward off my erection, then join them, prepared for fifty questions.

“My sister found something.”

“It’s Nash.” Wyatt’s eyes are trained on Gwen, and I’m no longer worried he’s here to kill me for being alone with his daughter. Nope, he has another target in mind. But why Nash?

Wyatt’s gaze drops to my twitching fingers, like he knows I want to take her hand. “Nash betrayed us,” he reveals. “He’s how they found out we were going to Dubai. He’s why they got their hands on Gwen.”

The blood rushes from my face, and I stumble backward as dread fills me.

Nash, my former wingman when hunting criminals with Carter, helped the enemy? That Nash? Can’t be. Refuse to believe it.

And yet, I can’t stop the overwhelming sense of rage from taking over. Because if that’s true, that means he’s why those men were ever able to set a hand on Gwen in the first place.

My hands snap to my sides as the question barrels out of me low and deep. “Where is he?”

CHAPTER 32

Gwen

“Nash is in his room,” Dad hisses under his breath. “Malachi’s monitoring the cameras in the hall. If he tries to leave before we go for him, we’ll know about it.”