Hades by Anna Hackett

Author:Anna Hackett [Hackett, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-19T16:00:00+00:00

The nightmare jerked him awake.

Heart pounding, Matteo sat up, heaving in air. His skin was sheened with sweat.

Fuck. He dropped his head into his hand. The old images faded. The horrible things he’d seen done at the hands of mafia bosses. The sick fucks who’d loved violence and torture.

The screams of the people he hadn’t been able to save.

He heard quiet breathing beside him.

Gabbi.

She was curled on her side, asleep. Thank God, he hadn’t woken her. This was why he preferred to sleep alone.

He touched her hair, pulling in some deep breaths. He wanted to curl around her. Absorb her.

You shouldn’t even be touching her with your dirty hands.

His jaw tightened and he pulled away. He slipped out of the bed, and pulled on his suit pants. Shirtless, he strode into the living area.

Matteo dropped heavily into an armchair. He stared blindly at the dark windows, but in his head, he saw every horrible thing that haunted him.

It wasn’t always like this. Usually, he kept his sleep short, and got up, had some coffee, did some work. But every now and then, the darkness that lived inside him got too fucking big.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there in the dark, lost in his nightmares, when he heard the soft pad of footsteps.

He tensed, but stayed silent, didn’t look up.

Gabbi walked over to him and stopped.

“Go back to bed, Gabbi.” His voice was deep, gritty.

“Nightmares?” she asked quietly.

He nodded. “Now go back to bed.”

But once again showing that inner strength of hers, she reached out and cupped his jaw. “This is why you don’t sleep much.”

Matteo released a breath. “Just leave me alone and go back to bed.”

“You don’t scare me, Matteo.” She moved closer. That gently curved body clad only in his T-shirt. Her scent wrapped around him and like a junkie, he breathed it in.

Both her hands slid up to cup his cheeks, skin scraping over his stubble.

“If you knew the things I’ve done, you wouldn’t touch me. You wouldn’t let me touch you. You’d run.”

“You’re wrong.”

He looked up now, their gazes meshing. “I shouldn’t touch you.” He pulled in a breath. “I’ve killed, Gabbi. I’ve seen so many things that would make you sick.”

Her fingers stroked his skin. “I work for the CIA, Matteo. I joined because I wanted a safe, stable job, but I also joined because I wanted to help do the difficult jobs that keep our country safe. I may not be in the field, gun in hand, but I am well aware of what we have to do. That sometimes, the good guys have to do the difficult, tough, and not-very-nice jobs.”

Her tone was matter-of-fact. He lifted a hand and gripped one of her slim wrists.

“The worst thing, the things that haunt my sleep, are the people I couldn’t save.” His body shuddered.

She moved between his spread legs, and he found that even when he knew he should push her away, he couldn’t. He snaked an arm around her, yanked her close, and pressed his face to her belly.

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