His words weren’t a request but a demand. One I wished I could give in to, especially when he was touching me like this. Wylder Noble was addictive any way you sliced it, but never more than when he got this possessive.
When he slid his hands down over my ass, I swallowed the sound that tried to slip from my throat and forced my voice to stay steady. “Are you really ready to fight your father over this?”
He grimaced, the fire in his eyes dimming for a few seconds. “I will. You can count on it. But I know that’s not a battle I can win when we’re in the middle of a bigger one. When we’ve crushed that psychotic jackass…”
I rested my hand on his chest. “I know. That’s exactly why I didn’t fight.”
Wylder held my gaze for a moment, a sense of shared understanding passing between us that somehow affected me even more than his touch.
“I’m not letting you set off into the jungle out there completely on your own,” he said. “My dad doesn’t need to know everything. I’m going to do whatever I can to keep you safe even if you’re not inside these walls.”
I cocked my head. “What do you mean?”
He lifted his chin toward the backpack. “You look ready to go. Do you know where you’re heading?”
The question sent an uneasy twinge through me. I hadn’t let myself think that far ahead in much detail yet. Maybe because I knew there were no easy answers. “I’ll figure it out. I’m not leaving Paradise Bend, that’s for sure. But I know my way around.”
“Of course you do. But that doesn’t mean we can’t lend you a hand.” Wylder motioned toward the door. “Gideon’s checking the properties the Nobles own in the county to see which are currently vacant. There’s got to be one where we could set you up surreptitiously. At least then you’ll have some kind of safe space until the rest is sorted out. When we know where you’re going, Rowan and Kaige will follow your cab and make sure no one’s tailing you there.”
I found myself choking up a bit. It was a team effort, like always, and like always, Wylder was the one calling the shots. He might not be much of one for mushy declarations, but he couldn’t have made it more obvious how much I did mean to him now. He was defying Ezra with every gesture he made in my defense.
“You don’t have to stick your neck out like that,” I had to say. “I’ll survive this, like I’ve survived a hell of a lot before.”
“I know you will,” he said, moving closer again so his body was pressed right against mine. “I just don’t want to take any chances.”
“You’re beginning to sound like Kaige,” I teased.
A faint smile crossed his lips before falling away. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. Again.” His expression turned pained, and I wondered if he was thinking about Laurel—the high school girlfriend his father had ordered murdered in front of him.
I didn’t want that. I didn’t want him to be reminded of her when he looked at me.
I cupped his jaw and stroked the edge with my thumb. He gazed down at me unblinking.
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” I said. “It’ll take a lot more than Ezra Noble and this Xavier psycho to put Mercy Katz in the ground.”
Wylder’s lips twitched with an approving smile, and then he was pulling me right to him. I met him halfway. His mouth captured mine, hot and demanding, as he tangled his fingers in my ponytail with a teasing yank that walked the perfect line between pleasure and pain. When a gasp escaped me, he took the opportunity to slip his tongue past my lips.
I kissed him back just as hard, gripping his shirt with one hand and his thick auburn hair with the other. He tilted his head, fusing us together even more closely as if he couldn’t get enough of me. His tongue curled while it explored my searing mouth.
He shoved me back against the wall, squeezing my ass and lifting me at the same time. The hard bulge in his jeans pressed against my cunt. I gripped him even harder, arching into him instinctively, and a groan spilled from his mouth into mine.
With obvious reluctance, he eased back. He bit my lower lip softly, and when I hissed, flicked his tongue over the spot, bringing another rush of pleasure. Then he drew away completely, gazing down at me with so much hunger in his gaze I almost melted.
“Fuck,” he said in a raw voice. “You have no idea how much I want to bend you over that bed and take you right now, without giving one shit who hears us.”
I wet my swollen lips, and his eyes tracked the movement. My pussy was doing more of the thinking than my brain right now, because I was seriously considering encouraging that course of action. But before either of us could do anything momentously stupid, Wylder’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
He pulled it out and checked the message. “Gideon. He’s found you a perfect spot in the Bend.”
Somehow I was both relieved by the news and disappointed to have the moment interrupted. “Are you sure this is a good idea? The property belongs to Ezra, doesn’t it? I don’t think he’ll like it much if I leave the mansion only to start living in one of his apartments.”
Wylder gave me a cocky grin. “That’s why I’m glad to have Gideon on my side. He can conjure up a rental agreement in the database so it appears the place is already occupied, so no one’ll try to show it to prospective renters. Dad doesn’t keep very close track of everything he owns around here. Just don’t make your presence too obvious.”
“I can handle that. Do you have the keys?”
“There’s a lock with a code. I’ll text it to you. Which reminds me.” He held up the phone. “This is a new burner I grabbed that I’m going to use only for communicating with or about you. I’ll keep it hidden so my dad doesn’t find out. I’ll text you the number—if you need to reach out before we check in on you, that’s the only one you should use. Got it?”
I arched my eyebrows at his authoritarian tone. “This isn’t my first time on the run.”