Page 190 of Damián

“Why the hell not?”

“You heard me, Oliver. Put the gun back.”

“I am going.”

“I said you’re staying, so you stay.”

“I’m not a pet.”

“No, you’re more stubborn than that.”

“Damián, that’s my house. No one knows the interior layout better than I do. I know where the panic rooms are, I know where Rafael hides his private guards, and I know every stupid blind spot in that entire freaking place. I am going.”

“I don’t give a fuck if you built it with your own hands.” Damián steps right into my face, and the rest of the team goes completely still; nobody dares to intervene. “I know you’re brilliant, Ollie. I know you’re incredible at what you do, and you even got us this far. But I cannot fight out there if I’m constantly looking over my shoulder to see if you’re alive or not.”

“No! This is my fight, my family, Damián! You don’t get to bench me!”

“Watch me,” he says.

Before I can even process what he means, Damián steps forward, curls his powerful arms around my waist, and throws me over his shoulder as if I am a damn sack of potatoes.

“What the fuck—Damián! Put me down!” I scream as the sudden impact knocks the air straight out of my lungs.

“Shut up, mi cielo.”

I slam my fists against his spine, kicking my legs wildly, but it’s like trying to fight a brick wall.

Fuck! Why does he have to be so freaking strong?

“Damián, I swear to God, let me down right now, or I will bite you!” I yell, my face flushing red with a mix of fury and embarrassment as he carries me right past the rest of the team.

Ugh… I can tell Björn is trying, and failing, to hide a laugh behind his hand, and even Tae looks like he’s watching his favorite comedy show.

“Sorry, Ollie,” Damián says as he walks out of the command center and down the long hallway toward the elevators. “Not happening.”

“You freaking caveman! You arrogant, overprotective bastard!” I shout, tossing my hands into the air as he walks.

We reach the elevator lobby, but instead of pressing the main call button, Damián reaches out and presses a tiny, concealed button hidden underneath a painting.

CLACK!

The concrete wall slides backward and to the left, revealing a hidden security room beside the elevator shaft.

Damián steps inside, swings me off his shoulder, and sets my feet on the ground.

Uf, he looks so hot it’s annoying.

I swear, if I weren’t this freaking angry, I would pull him into the room and climb him like a tree.

I take a step back, but his hands wrap around the back of my neck, pulling me forward. And just like that, the infuriatingly gorgeous bastard crashes his lips against mine in a deep, desperate kiss that steals the breath away.

My body betrays me, and I melt into his touch for a split second, my hands gripping his vest, before he abruptly pulls back, panting.

“There are snacks and water in the fridge.”

And before I can take a single step forward, he takes a giant step back into the hallway, winks, and hits a master switch on the outside panel.

“Damián, don’t you dare—!”