Calum and Laurella fell through the door of Calum’s hotel room. Her lipstick had smeared where he’d put his mouth on her during the elevator ride, and his shirt had come loose from his jeans where she’d snaked her hands up his bare back and scored his skin with her nails.

She tore open his shirt before he’d even kicked the door. Buttons bounced off the nearby wall then hit the floor. He kicked off his sneakers when her fingers went to his zipper. She dragged his jeans down his legs, turning them inside out in her haste to get them off.

“Slow down.” He grabbed her hands, stopping her. “We’ve got all night.”

“No. We haven’t. I need this. I need you, and I need it fast, Calum. Please.”

There was a kind of wild desperation in her eyes, almost as though she was testing him and waiting for him to fail but praying like hell he didn’t. Despite his verbal assurances, it was the physical evidence she needed to fully believe he still loved and craved her the way he always had.

“All right, beautiful. Your way. This time,” he added with a grin.

She crossed her arms over her body and tugged her T-shirt over her head. Her skirt followed, as did her lingerie. Then she appeared to lose her nerve, or wonder what her next move should be, because she stood there, slightly trembling, nibbling on her fingernail.

Calum lifted her, hooking her legs over his hips. He pressed her up against the door he’d slammed shut less than two minutes before. He crashed his mouth down on hers, hard, and thrust his tongue inside.

She moaned, her hands digging into his hair. She tugged hard until he feared she’d pull it out by the roots. It didn’t matter, though. However she needed to do this was the way it would go down.

She twisted her head to the side. “Now,” she gasped.

He pushed inside her, one quick movement. She cried out. He paused in case he’d hurt her.

“Don’t stop,” she muttered.

He thrust into her again and again. Her thighs clenched around him, clinging on so she didn’t fall. Not that he’d ever let her fall.

“More,” she said. “Harder, please. Faster.”

He dug his fingers into her ass and gave her what she demanded. What she needed.

And then a tremor racked her. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, even though she wasn’t looking at him. Her legs trembled, her orgasm taking her to a place he wanted her to never leave—because wherever that was brought her ecstasy.

She buried her face in his shoulder, her teeth lightly grazing his skin. “I love you,” she whispered in his ear.

Her declaration was all he needed. He came, the urgency and speed of his own climax surprising him with its intensity. He pressed his mouth to her neck, tasting the perspiration on her skin while he waited for his cock to stop jerking.

Slowly, he lowered her legs to the floor. She lifted her chin, meeting his gaze.

“Thank you,” she said.

“For what?”

“For letting me be me.”

His heart squeezed. Christ, he loved her. Bending his head, he gently kissed her soft lips. “Let’s go to bed, beautiful.”

Calum waited until he was certain Laurella was fast asleep. Then he eased her head from beneath his arm. She stirred but didn’t wake. He carefully tucked the covers around her and padded out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The minute he had space to himself, anger bubbled within him, leaving a burning trail so fierce only retribution would put out the flames. Vorino had to pay for what he’d done to Laurella. Every time Calum thought about what had happened to his woman—his fucking woman—sickness churned in his stomach, and murderous thoughts consumed his mind.

He wouldn’t be able to get Vorino removed from the Sorensen’s account without sharing what Laurella had told him, but he’d made a promise to her, and he wouldn’t break it. No, there was only one way to get Vorino off that account. The man himself had to resign and agree to leave New York.

And to get him to do that, Calum needed help. Which meant he had to share Laurella’s story with one other person. Someone he trusted with his life, who would be discreet and understanding, who would never let him or Laurella down.

Cole.

He checked the time. If Cole was pulling a day shift, he’d be finishing right about now. He dialed his brother’s cell. It rang out once, twice, a third time. Calum was about to hang up and redial when Cole answered.

“Hey, bro. How’s Italy? Great news about Laurella’s dad being on the mend.”

“Yeah. They released him from the hospital today,” Calum said, speaking in hushed tones in case Laurella woke up.

“That’s really great. When are you coming home?”

“I’m not sure yet. There’s a bit of a complication.”

Calum recounted how Vorino had attacked Laurella. He kept it brief and shared relatively few details, but even so, bile burned his throat, and he kept having to take deep breaths to stop himself from throwing up. He thought of her suffering, of how much pain that bastard had caused, of his cocky fucking expression as he’d sat across the board table from her, knowing what he’d done. Fuck. Calum wanted to maim, to kill, to destroy the bastard. Vorino had taken a piece of the woman Calum loved. Well, fuck him. Calum might never be able to help her get that piece back, but he’d be damned if Vorino was getting away unscathed. That fucker had to suffer.

Cole didn’t interrupt once. Only when Calum fell silent did he speak. “What do you need?”

“I want him gone. Out of New York. Once that’s happened, I’ll think of a way to make him pay, because he’s not getting away scot-free. But my first priority is making Laurella feel safe, and the only way to do that is to get him as far away from her as possible.”

“Okay, I hear you. Let’s catch up when you get back, and we’ll come up with a plan.”

“Thanks,” Calum said. “I knew I could rely on you.”

“In the meantime, I’ll talk to Draven.” When Calum began to interrupt, Cole continued. “Don’t worry. I won’t share any details. Plus, Draven’s perfect for this type of job. I swear he only joined the police force so he could legally shoot people.”

Calum laughed, the heavy weight that had been riding him hard since Laurella’s horrific revelation momentarily lifting.

“Okay. Let me talk to Laurella. I’ll be in touch.”

“Morning, beautiful.” Calum brushed Laurella’s hair off her face and bent to kiss her.

She stretched and made a wonderful contented sound. “Morning. How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough. You hungry?”

“A little.” She leaned up on one elbow, her other hand curving around his neck as she stole a second kiss.

“I’ll order room service, then I want to talk to you.”

The lightness disappeared from her face, and her expression grew shuttered. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Trust me?”

She blinked and nodded. “Okay. Coffee and a croissant for me.”

He dialed room service and returned to the bedroom. Laurella had the covers pulled up to her chin and was gazing at him warily.

“I want you to come back to New York with me.”

Her face paled. “I don’t think I can.”

“I’m not leaving you here, and I’m not letting you give up your career because of a piece of shit like Vorino. Look, don’t be mad, but I spoke to Cole.”

Her face crumpled. “Calum…”

He raised a hand in the air. “I shared the bare minimum. He’s very discreet, I promise. Cole has a rather interesting partner at work, and the two of them are going to help deal with Vorino.”

Her eyes darkened with worry. “What are they going to do?”

“We’ll come up with a proper plan when we get back to New York. It won’t cross too many lines. I’d guess one look at Draven, and Vorino is going to shit his pants.”

Worry was replaced with curiosity. “Why?”

Calum laughed. “Come back to New York with me, and I’ll introduce you.”