Read Online Red & Wolfe Part 4: An Erotic Fairy Tale by Ella James - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ella James
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would be safe. If you had stayed there…”
He exhales loudly. Shakes his head again. “On my way back, after I put you downstairs, I got shot with a sedative.” He rubs his neck. “Woke up to Linn and two others trying to kick my ass.” He looks away from me and tightens his jaw. “They were going to hang me.”
Hard eyes lift to meet my own, where they soften a fraction. “Then they told me they had you, and I got out of it.”
My eyes fly from his neck to his burned hand. “What did you do to them?”
He gives me a wry face. “What do you think?”
“Are they… Did you kill them?” I rush the question out.
“No. They’re tied up for now and probably hurting.”
“So it was the lawyer?” I ask. “This was all his plan?”
“I don’t know. Could be alone, could have been sent by Smythson.”
I nod slowly. I look down at my hands, which I’ve clenched together in anticipation of my next question. I look into his eyes and hate that I’m having to ask. Hate that the question exists at all. But it does—and it’s hung between us for long enough.
“Race,” I whisper. His name hangs in the air for a long moment before I can summon the breath to ask him, “Who killed Cookie? I know it wasn’t you. I may not be a genius like Gertrude, but I know how to read a person.”
He turns his angry eyes on me and shakes his head. “You don’t need to know that, Red. It does nothing but put you in danger.”
“I’m in danger already! Um, hello?” I gesture at myself.
He drops his head down on his arms. His shoulders curl over, and I hold my breath until he whispers, “I did.”
“What?”
“I might as well have.” He looks into my eyes and his are so sad it takes my breath away.
“What are you talking about?” I breathe.
He gets down off the bed and paces back and forth. “I’ve been on this island too long if I’m telling you this shit. And it’s not because you’re nothing to me, Red. You could never be nothing to me. It’s because you don’t need to know. I don’t need to tell you.”
The anger rolling off him cools. He steps over to the bed and pulls me into his arms. “Go now, baby. Let’s just end this here. You believe I’m innocent, and that’s everything to me. I’ll never forget it.” He presses his chin over my head. Strokes my hair off of my face and looks down at me with eyes that burn. “I’ll never forget how beautiful you are. How sweet you taste.” He kisses my mouth gently, lingering while our tongues caress.
When he breaks away, I look up at his face.
“Is it trust?” I murmur. “You don’t trust me?”
He shakes his head.
“You want to tell me.” I don’t know that, of course, but I have a feeling.
He rubs his hair, looking very tired. “I want to get it out of my head,” he says. His voice is soft and hoarse.
“So tell me, then.” I reach for his hand. “I swear to God I’ll never tell. Not Katie. Not anyone.” I lace my fingers through his. “You can trust me. Send the NDA. After you figure out what’s going on with Bob and everyone—”
He grits his teeth. “I know what happened to Bob. He had an ‘overdose.’ So someone hurt him. Because of me.”
“Because they’re evil losers. That’s not your fault.”
“But it is, Red. It is my fault. I’m the catalyst—just like with Cookie.”
I press my lips together and arch my brows.
“I can’t tell you,” he whispers. “I don’t want to watch your face.”
I sit back on the bed. “Come here, then. Put your head in my lap.”
He sighs: a deep, dry sound. “They’re still out there. Two of them are bleeding. Three of them,” he corrects. “They’re all tied up—they seem contained—but I don’t know. Someone powerful could have dispatched them.”
He looks haunted when he says it—and something gels inside my head. “Her father! At one point, the jury was considering her father . But they found no motive.”
He looks into my eyes, and his are dark and deep. “That isn’t true. There
He exhales loudly. Shakes his head again. “On my way back, after I put you downstairs, I got shot with a sedative.” He rubs his neck. “Woke up to Linn and two others trying to kick my ass.” He looks away from me and tightens his jaw. “They were going to hang me.”
Hard eyes lift to meet my own, where they soften a fraction. “Then they told me they had you, and I got out of it.”
My eyes fly from his neck to his burned hand. “What did you do to them?”
He gives me a wry face. “What do you think?”
“Are they… Did you kill them?” I rush the question out.
“No. They’re tied up for now and probably hurting.”
“So it was the lawyer?” I ask. “This was all his plan?”
“I don’t know. Could be alone, could have been sent by Smythson.”
I nod slowly. I look down at my hands, which I’ve clenched together in anticipation of my next question. I look into his eyes and hate that I’m having to ask. Hate that the question exists at all. But it does—and it’s hung between us for long enough.
“Race,” I whisper. His name hangs in the air for a long moment before I can summon the breath to ask him, “Who killed Cookie? I know it wasn’t you. I may not be a genius like Gertrude, but I know how to read a person.”
He turns his angry eyes on me and shakes his head. “You don’t need to know that, Red. It does nothing but put you in danger.”
“I’m in danger already! Um, hello?” I gesture at myself.
He drops his head down on his arms. His shoulders curl over, and I hold my breath until he whispers, “I did.”
“What?”
“I might as well have.” He looks into my eyes and his are so sad it takes my breath away.
“What are you talking about?” I breathe.
He gets down off the bed and paces back and forth. “I’ve been on this island too long if I’m telling you this shit. And it’s not because you’re nothing to me, Red. You could never be nothing to me. It’s because you don’t need to know. I don’t need to tell you.”
The anger rolling off him cools. He steps over to the bed and pulls me into his arms. “Go now, baby. Let’s just end this here. You believe I’m innocent, and that’s everything to me. I’ll never forget it.” He presses his chin over my head. Strokes my hair off of my face and looks down at me with eyes that burn. “I’ll never forget how beautiful you are. How sweet you taste.” He kisses my mouth gently, lingering while our tongues caress.
When he breaks away, I look up at his face.
“Is it trust?” I murmur. “You don’t trust me?”
He shakes his head.
“You want to tell me.” I don’t know that, of course, but I have a feeling.
He rubs his hair, looking very tired. “I want to get it out of my head,” he says. His voice is soft and hoarse.
“So tell me, then.” I reach for his hand. “I swear to God I’ll never tell. Not Katie. Not anyone.” I lace my fingers through his. “You can trust me. Send the NDA. After you figure out what’s going on with Bob and everyone—”
He grits his teeth. “I know what happened to Bob. He had an ‘overdose.’ So someone hurt him. Because of me.”
“Because they’re evil losers. That’s not your fault.”
“But it is, Red. It is my fault. I’m the catalyst—just like with Cookie.”
I press my lips together and arch my brows.
“I can’t tell you,” he whispers. “I don’t want to watch your face.”
I sit back on the bed. “Come here, then. Put your head in my lap.”
He sighs: a deep, dry sound. “They’re still out there. Two of them are bleeding. Three of them,” he corrects. “They’re all tied up—they seem contained—but I don’t know. Someone powerful could have dispatched them.”
He looks haunted when he says it—and something gels inside my head. “Her father! At one point, the jury was considering her father . But they found no motive.”
He looks into my eyes, and his are dark and deep. “That isn’t true. There
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