Page 95 of Hart's Redemption

“Come on, moonbeam. Let’s go home.”

Elijah

We met Lombardi just outside the courtroom doors. The chaos inside was currently in the process of bubbling out to join the scramble of reporters trying to get in. I shook my head and caught sight of Josh’s vacant expression. He’d been prepared to shoot his own mother. As much as I hated the woman and everything she’d put him through, I was still glad that Director Starling had been the one to fire the shot.

Definitely inviting that woman to the wedding.

“You two need to get out of here before the press realizes you’re not inside.” Lombardi’s words grounded me back in the moment.

“Can you get us to the hotel?” I asked, tightening my hold on Josh. Over my dead body was I ever going to let anyone take him from me again.

Josh spun to face me. “Not the cottage?”

“No, he’s right.” Lombardi gave me a knowing look, and I sent up a silent prayer to the Goddess herself that he wouldn’t say anything. He shifted his attention to Josh’s confused expression. “That’s the first place the paparazzi will look. Your days of anonymity are over, Joshua Hart.”

I quietly released the breath I'd been holding. “We can spend a night or two at the hotel while things settle down.” Hopefully, that would buy me enough time to convince Josh not to go to the cottage at all. “Plus, imagine their disappointment when they get there and no one’s home.”

Josh looked from me to Lombardi and back again. His shoulders slumped, and he actually pouted. “But…”

I pulled him close so I could press a kiss to the side of his head. “Come on, someone is going to recognize us soon.”

He grumbled beneath his breath, but allowed me to guide him behind Lombardi to the waiting hovercar. We slipped into the back, and Lombardi gave the driver the instructions. In a matter of minutes, we were being let out at the hotel I’d been staying at for the duration of the trial.

I bid Lombardi a good evening and closed the door, leaving me alone with Josh for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, except this was infinitely better. The relieved breath I’d been holding back finally escaped.

“Are you okay?” Josh paused, undoing his cuffs to look at me with concern filling those green eyes I’d fallen in love with over a year ago.

I took in the sight of him with his deep crimson vest already hanging open and those skin-tight pants that vanished beneath the thigh-high boots hugging his deliciously long legs. Unadulterated lust fueled every step as I crossed the short distance between us to wrap my arms once again around him. “Better than.”

His body molded to mine as I captured him with a heated kiss that he eagerly returned. Drowning in that searing passion was literally the only item on my agenda for the rest of the foreseeable future, but apparently he wasn’t quite done with our previous conversation.

“I understand the concerns about the press, but why couldn’t we go back to the cottage? Atlas is more than capable of protecting our privacy.”

“Is it really so much to want to spend some time with you without reporters banging on the door?”

“No, but I was looking forward to going home.”

I stroked my thumb across his cheek. “It’s just a house.”

His fingers wrapped gently around my wrist. “It’s home.”

My heart skipped to hear him think of that place as home, but at the end of the day, it was nothing more than four walls and a roof. I leaned forward and brushed his lips with mine. “No, moonbeam. Home is wherever you are.” I captured him with another kiss, and this time he didn’t pull away. I deftly pulled his shirttails free and began popping buttons.

He gave a light moan and arched into me. Meanwhile, his lithe fingers worked their way down from the top of my own row of buttons.

I slipped my hand beneath his parting shirt to feel the flat of his stomach. His breath hitched as I slid my palm upward and forced the silken fabric to his shoulders in order to reveal his gorgeous chest with its constellation of scars. I trailed kissesacross his jaw and down his neck as I guided him back towards the well accommodated bed.

He let out a surprised gasp as the back of his legs came into contact with the mattress and he fell backwards. Either he must not have been paying attention, or he really was that caught up to lose track of his surroundings like that. He regained his bearing quickly enough. “I don’t think that’s entirely necessary at the moment.” He gestured to my gaping shirt.

I couldn’t help but smile as I stripped out of the garment, and his green eyes all but disappeared into lust-filled pools of black. My skin practically burned as his gaze wandered greedily over me. By the time I finished stripping off everything, he wasn’t the only one panting.

“You’re beautiful.”

I leaned over him to tease his mouth with a kiss and groaned at the light friction the move generated. He wiggled beneath me, and I let my hand travel down his torso to his straining trousers. His eyes rolled back, and a moan fell from that delicious mouth as I palmed him. “You’rebeautiful.”

“Elijah.” The breathless plea had an unmistakable edge of desperation.

I abandoned his mouth to trail kisses down the smooth plane of his chest and abs while I worked to liberate him. He arched his hips up in anticipation. I gently pushed him back into the bed before stepping back to appreciate him. He gave a soft whimper of disappointment that turned into a groan when I wrapped my hand around his calf and stroked up. The hidden zipper of his boots slid down with the barest whisk of metal. As I pulled the footwear off, I met his impatient gaze.