Page 40 of Glorious Sinner

He stopped suddenly, shoulders stiffening, fingers curling and uncurling at his side. If he went out there he would kill Ryan. He’d kill him in the street in front of everyone and then I’d lose him. I would not to lose him now that I finally had him. I squared my shoulders, refused to acknowledge the echoes of past fear, the shadows trying to creep in, and summoning all my courage, walked out the door.

I only spared Ryan a glance and I won’t deny the look on his face when he saw me gave me satisfaction. I’d never seen that look on his face before. Complete and utter desolation. Had he really thought I’d take him back? That I’d let him anywhere near me?

I focused on Tomas, not caring what Ryan felt or did. He was nothing. A ghost.

Moving up behind Tomas, I pressed my palms to his back. His skin was hot under my hands, even hotter against my lips when I kissed the spot between his shoulder blades.

When he didn’t move, I slid my arms around his waist, hands settling over his stomach. His abs tightened under my palms. “Come back inside,” I said softly.

“Go back upstairs, Steph,” he said, the words forced through gritted teeth. “I need to do this.”

I squeezed him tighter. “Please, Tomas.”

“Stephanie…”

“He’s not worth it,” I said and kissed his heated skin again. “Please…please come inside with me.”

I glanced over at Ryan, who wasn’t looking at us anymore. His gaze was locked on two men dressed in dark suits, crossing the street, rushing toward him. Tomas’s men. Ryan spun away and started to run off, with Tomas’s men going after him.

Tomas stiffened like he was about to do the same, but I clung tighter. “He’s not worth it. He’s not worth me losing you,” I said, pleading with him because I knew with everything in me it wouldn’t end well. Tomas was vibrating in my arms, his rage beyond any kind of control.

There was a beat of silence, another, then Tomas turned sharply in my arms, scooped me up, and carried me back inside, kicking the door closed behind him.

I held onto him as he carried on into his office. He held me even tighter.

“Fuck, Angel,” he choked out. “I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”

He kicked the door to the office closed as well and leaned against it, holding me to him like he needed the solid oak at his back for support.

I searched his face, confused. “You have nothing to be sorry for, you—”

“I should have known,” he gritted out. “I should have known what that fucker was doing to you. I should have been there. I didn’t protect you.”

I’d never seen him like this. “Tomas, no…”

“He nearly killed you. Jesus fucking Christ, he nearly killed you. I nearly lost you because I was so damn blind, so focused on my own path, my need to prove I was something, that I was more, and I missed it. How the fuck could I have not seen it? I failed you, Stephanie. I fucking failed you.”

“Stop,” I said. “You’re wrong…”

“You called me. That was you, wasn’t it, Angel? You’d call and not speak. I knew it was, but I never thought—”

“You didn’t fail me.” I cupped his face. “You never have. Don’t you see that you saved me?”

He shook his head, expression hard, trying to conceal the emotions hammering him. But there was no hiding the way his big body shook from it, from all he was feeling.

“You saved me,” I said again and pressed my forehead to his chest, kissing him there.

The fingers of one of his hands slid into my hair.

“Angel,’ he rasped.

I kissed him again a little lower, and he shuddered, a soft groan coming from his beautiful mouth. He needed more from me—he had for a while—and he hadn’t pushed. I wanted to give him more now. I needed to do that for him, wanted to so badly I was trembling as well. I started trailing kisses down his chest.

“Steph…”

I wrapped my lips around one of his hard little nipples and sucked.

“Fuck.”