Page 184 of Adam
She holds my face and kisses me, slowly and deeply. I push her onto the bed without breaking the moment, my hands already on her wrists, guiding them over her head.
My fingers slide through hers, holding her there.
She’s mine.
Mine.
Mine.
I don’t weigh it; I don’t think it through.
If it’s me or her, I choose her before the thought can finish. I’d tear myself apart, walk straight into hell, and let it swallow me whole.
My other hand slips into my back pocket, and I pull out the handcuffs I took from the armory.
I click the cuffs around her wrists and lock them to the headboard. She flinches, just a little with confusion.
“What the …?”
Her eyes narrow, trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing.
I step back, watching her test the hold. She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.
“Seriously?” she says.
I grin a little. Not because it’s funny, but because I knew she’d react exactly like this.
“Dead serious,” I say.
She pulls against the cuffs again. “What the hell is this?”
I exhale through my nose, roll my shoulders once. “Insurance.”
“This isn’t funny.”
“I’m not laughing.”
She tugs harder, frustration starting to rise in her voice. “If this is about earlier, we’re not doing this. I’m not your hostage, I’m not your?—”
“You’d stop me.”
“Stop you from what?”
“Killing your daddy.”
“You’re not going without me.”
“Yeah, I am.”
She twists her wrists, the metal scraping the wood. “You think I’m just gonna lie here while you go out and get yourself killed?”
“You underestimate me, little orchid. I’m not dying tonight.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know I’m not dragging you into it.”
“No, Adam!” She squeals, trying to break free. “I told you. If you fall, I fall.”
