Priest chuckles, his chest vibrating against my cheek as he squeezes me a little tighter. “Trust me, I feel the same way. But I won’t apologize. What we were sharing…” He shakes his head. “Fuck. You trusted me, and that means the fucking world to me. I just wish we hadn’t been interrupted.”
“You don’t regret it?” I ask, hating how needy I sound.
“Never, Angel. This thing between us runs deeper than just a chance meeting while we were both captive. What we have is real, and I don’t want it to end.”
“I think so too,” I admit, my voice quiet and unsure.
Leaning down, he parts my lips with his, sending my heart right back into overdrive.
A heavy knock at the door has us both jumping. “Three minutes,” a voice calls out, reminding us that our moment will have to wait.
Priest pulls away, but stares down at me, his face filled with fire. “I promise you, Boo, that so long as I’m breathing, nobody will harm a single hair on your head. From now on, it’s me and you against the fucking world.”
I smile, unsure of how to respond, but my heart flutters. He really does want me. He wants us.
“Let’s get you a change of clothes. I think we’re down to two minutes.”
Priest retrieves my shorts and panties from the floor. Thankfully, his shirt had been long enough to hide myself from the audience that had joined us, but it did nothing to lessen the embarrassment. He kneels down on the floor and holds my panties out so I can step into them, then does the same with my shorts. The memory of his face between my legs plays in my mind as he slips the garments up my legs and over my hips, his face just inches away from where he’d been not so long ago.
He must be remembering too, because he peers up at me from the floor, a sexy smile on his lips. “The next time I’m between your legs, there’ll be no interruptions.”
Butterflies swarm in my belly as I stare down at him, all thoughts of the seriousness of our current situation the farthest thing from my mind.
“Are you ready for this?” Rising from the floor, he pulls me against his chest once more. “If you don’t want to talk to him, you don’t have to.”
“No.” I sigh. “I need to know. I need to know the truth, and so does he.”
Priest nods and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “I’m with you every step of the way, sweetheart. You and me against the world.”
PRIEST
When we stepout into the main room, we step into what feels like an oncoming war. The Black Hoods stand on one side, their hands ready to draw their weapons at any second. The other group of men stand across from them, their eyes narrowed, taking in the scene.
As soon as they see us, the ringleader moves, coming for Boo much faster than I’m comfortable with.
Holding up a hand, I push her behind me and the man stops. “Stay back,” I warn him. “She’s not ready for an ambush. You can talk, but you do it sitting on opposite sides of the table, and you do it with me present.
He doesn’t like it, but one look at Boo and he knows it’s the right move. With a brisk nod of his head, he asks, “Where can we be alone?”
“The table,” Judge says, stepping forward. “Where we hold our meetings. You can sit in there, but you leave the door open. Now that we know how you got past our security, you won’t take us by surprise a second time.”
“It pays to have one of the best hackers out there.” Smirking, he heads in the direction Judge is pointing to.
Boo’s tiny hand slips into mine, and I give it a gentle squeeze as we follow him. Her trust in me is not something I take lightly. She makes me feel bulletproof. And for her, I will be.
The man takes a seat at the head of the table, the place reserved for the club’s president. It’s a power move. His way of saying that he’s the one in charge here. Boo takes a seat at the opposite end, as far away from him as she can, never once releasing her grip on my hand.
“Who sent me that picture?” he starts.
“What’s your name?” Boo asks in return, ignoring his question.
This seems to catch him off guard. Frowning, he tells her, “Liam. Liam Collins. And you’re my sister, Bria.”
Silence hangs in the air as Boo considers that. “Bria Collins,” she says, testing the name for the first time.
“You were taken away when you were just five years old,” he goes on, the authority gone from his tone. “Do you have no memory of me or our family?”
Boo shakes her head, her lips pursed together.