LOGINCraning her into bed as if she were a child, Jon tucked the chocolate waves behind her ear and smiled. Zoe shuffled aside, patting the squeaking mattress beside her. Slowly slinking in beside her, he tentatively wrapped an arm behind her neck, trying to miss the large plaster that covered almost the entirety of the back of her head. His fingers danced against the starchy blue hospital gown, dark eyes drifting to the wound hidden behind the fabric.“Does it hurt?” he murmured.Her eyelids grew heavy, the urge to sleep suddenly growing overwhelming. It was as if her body had been in survival mode, and only now that she was close enough to hear Jon’s slow breaths, to feel the warmth radiating off his olive skin, did her body release. “Mmm,” she acknowledged, pressing her lips together tightly. “Not too bad though.”“I really am s-”Zoe silenced him, pressing her dry, chapped lips to his. “Stop saying sorry.”His jaw clenched, the left corner of his mouth lifting in a half-smile as he wat
“Ugh, this tastes like ass.”A husky laugh echoed through the quiet room. “It’s not that bad, man.”Heavy lids covered her eyes. Zoe strained to decipher the fuzzy voices echoing in her ears. Her throat was raw and dry as she struggled to swallow. Dull pain ached at the back of her head and her abdomen and as she twitched her arm, she felt the weakness coursing through her muscles.“This is honestly the worst fucking coffee I’ve ever tasted. How can you say it’s not that bad?”Evan.Straining against the heaviness of her eyelids, Zoe cracked open her eyes. The light streaming in from the window, as well as the harsh fluorescents overhead, stung, a coarse grittiness burying itself against her sclera almost forcing them closed again. Disoriented, she squinted, lifting a weary arm to shield her eyes. A pinching pain shot across the back of her hand causing a weak squeak to escape her. A shuffle of footsteps resounded beside her before concerned, brown eyes stared down at her.“Thank fuck
Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.The plastic clock echoed through the sterilized waiting room. Disinfectant permeated the air, the smell infiltrating Jon’s nostrils, only adding to the headache brewing behind his eyes. He had no idea how long he’d been waiting, how long he’d been pacing the floor restlessly. Familiar pathways lined his scalp, grooved in by sharp fingernails. A warm hand rubbing his back brought him away from the torturous thoughts swirling in his mind. His sister stood beside him, proffering him a hot cup of coffee to still his twitching hands.“Thanks, Lia,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and raw, worn down from crying.Knowing that Jon would need someone to care for him in the emptiness of the waiting room, Booker had called Lia, and although he’d been pissed in the moment, Jon couldn’t deny how much she had helped to steady his nerves. Without her presence, he was certain he would’ve barre
Booker’s car swerved to the curb with a screech, scrutinizing Danielle’s bloodied face skeptically as she slid into the front seat. Knobbled fingers clutched the gun in his lap, as if preempting a sneak attack. Jon clambered into the back, cradling Zoe’s head in his lap.“She’s good,” Jon snapped, teeth clenching as he noticed the old man’s hesitation. “Fucking drive.”As the car skidded into gear, red-stained eyes traveled back to Zoe. He brushed chocolate waves away from her dark lashes, cautiously softening the harsh furrow of her brow. Salty tears continued to stream from shadowed eyes, his head dipping to kiss her clammy forehead. He had no idea how he had let this happen, no idea how he had managed to fail her so fucking badly. Blood smeared over her stomach, his messy attempt to stem the bleeding. His heart sank watching her eyes squeezing shut, agony marring the beautiful features of her face. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She had made him feel alive for the first tim
Muffled voices penetrated through the ringing in Jon’s ears, the numbness flooding through his nervous system. Black eyes flickered toward the edge of the room, the cluster of women straightening themselves up. Alexis ran a hand through her platinum blonde hair, sliding the silver gun back into its holster. Danielle shuffled uncomfortably, hovering between Alexis and Zoe, unsure of what she was supposed to do now. Jon felt another tinge of sympathy. His gaze drifted to the now-prone Violet, blood pooling around her head like a red crown.Sighing, Alexis narrowed her eyes at her former friend, hidden beneath Jon as his hands pressed against her abdomen. “Kirsten, can you go upstairs? Tell Fletch it needs to be cleaned up down here.”Kirsten nodded stiffly, turquoise eyes darted towards Jon, her lip curling in disdain before she flicked her flame-red hair over her shoulder and disappeared down the corridor.Once the thuds of Kirsten’s boots stomping down the hallway petered out, Alexis
Terror etched itself in every line, every dimple of Zoe’s face as her navy eyes flashed towards him. The lift squealed as it lowered, clanging at the bottom for a moment before the doors slid open with a metallic wail. Sharp fingernails clenched into the skin of his arm. “They’re going to kill you, Jon. Why didn’t you stay away?”She was petrified. He could feel the clamminess of her palms against his forearms, and as he swept her behind his broad back, he could feel the accelerated thumping of her heart. He hated feeling powerless, and right now, he felt fucking incapacitated. Protecting Zoe would be fucking impossible once he’d been gunned down. Thrusting his hand into his pocket, he wrapped his fingers around his gun, preparing to shoot the newest leader of the Polanski family on sight.Shoes clipping against the concrete sent his heart racing, the feeling of Zoe’s fingers digging into his muscles keeping him grounded in rea
“What does he look like?” Anja queried, attempting to ignore the raise of Sienna’s perfectly manicured eyebrows as petite hands nudged an empty glass in Anja’s direction. “I’m not your damn sommelier.”“Uh, tall, muscular, shaved head, brown eyes, nose that looks like it’s been punched a few times…
Artificial lights illuminated earthy brown eyes and the glint of white teeth behind thick lips as Jon smiled, his steps noticeably shorter in an attempt to maintain her pace. It was hard for Zoe to focus on much else."Are you a new waitress?"Zoe let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "No, I've
Soft kisses trailed against her stomach, leaving a sweet trail of moisture as the stubbled scalp retreated from view beneath the quilt. Subconsciously, her thighs widened, allowing his hulking frame space to nuzzle between. The heat of his breath mingled with the fiery warmth brewing in her center
A shock of platinum blonde hair weaved through the rowdy crowd. Zoe watched it zigzag before Sienna Beckett, one of her closest friends at SubTerra, arrived in front of her, slightly out of breath.“Oh my God, Elford just came in and told Simon what happened! Are you okay?”Swallowing the hard lump







