Chapter 66

Animal

We were sitting in the backyard of our new place. As much as I loved Nix, he needed his space. Just a few minutes north of his property, I was able to get this house on the top of a small hill.

T came out of the house with two glasses of wine. I’d prepared the fire pit. It was homey. I growled at her a little because her ass in leggings did all the right things.

She glided past me, handing me my glass as she went by. After she’d settled into her spot on the bench near the fire, I told her that we were an all-American couple now. They could shoot a few centerfolds for a home magazine if they wanted. She twisted up her face like I’d said something unreasonable.

“What’s up?” I took a gulp of my wine and set it on the stone ledge by the fire. She did the same.

“I need to tell you something.”

The air around us seemed to tighten. It was serious, whatever she had to share.

After she took my hands in hers, she offered, “I did something bad, and I don’t regret it.”

My stomach dropped. I couldn’t imagine what she had to say.

“Okay,” I responded, bewildered. There was a lot of time from middle school until I met her on the street with hookers. Maybe something had happened then.

T shifted her hips.

I took one of my hands from her lap and rubbed my fingertips on my mouth. I didn’t say anything, but I knew she could read the confusion in my expression.

“There’s something about me you need to know. When it comes to you? When it comes to people who hurt you? I play the long game. I’m their judge and jury and executioner. That won’t change. Ever. It’s how I’m made as far as you’re concerned.” She looked at my feet.

“Just tell me. Come on, T.” I grabbed her hand again, making sure she knew that whatever she had to say I was down.

“I set up a wedding present for you, but also it’s for me.”

I was getting hopeful, but her body language was still guarded. She looked over her shoulder and then leaned forward so her mouth was near my ear. “I worked with the girls we have in the prison. They let me have alone time with Albany.”

She sat back so we could look into each other’s eyes. T continued, “I slit her throat and let her bleed out at my feet. I killed her yesterday. For you.”

“Shit.” I was shocked. T had me convinced that she was happy with Albany in jail.

T grew more somber. “This is who I am. Who I will always be. If they hurt you, they better stay ready. I will always come for them. No matter who it is.”

She took a deep breath.

I licked my lips. This lady. We were tighter than family; we were closer than soul mates. It was bigger than the universe—how it was for us. I leaned forward and lifted her from her seat by her ass. I settled her on my lap. She could tell how much I wanted her.

“I want to marry you again right now. Holy shit. My wife.” I kissed her with tongue. She was perfect. Albany’s blood was my wedding present. Hot damn.

T seemed concerned at first, but then pleased that I was still onboard with this side of her. She was badass. I loved it. And her.

“Turns out I have a present for you as well.”

We kissed for a while before I pulled out the duffle bag from behind the bench.

She seemed genuinely puzzled. “Well, I promised you some time ago that we’d have a house on a hill…” I gestured to our setting. “And, do you remember?”

She thought for a moment, closing one eye. “Something about burning money?”

“Hell, yes.” I unzipped the bag. She gasped.

I’d packed it with money of all denominations.

“No. That’s too much.” She pointed at the contents.

I reached inside and grabbed a handful, passing it to her. “Light it up, wife.”

After some hesitation, she leaned backwards to grab our wine glasses. After we drained them, she put the cash back in the bag.

“I have a better use for this now.” T zipped it up. “How about we drop it off for Sister Mary at the Benfell Academy, instead?”

I liked it. Showed growth and all that. But I knew my way around some pizazz, and had buried a few sparklers in with the money. I fished out a nice handful and tossed them among the logs. I did use a ten-dollar bill to light the fire though, because I liked to keep promises. Soon, we had a mini fireworks show. I had my wife on my lap and my future ahead of me.

Life was turning out just fine.

Sneak Peek:

Ember’s book --Coming Summer 2018

When I saw him walking out of the woods behind my aunt’s backyard, my first emotion wasn’t fear. He was hot; I noticed that first. He was limping; I noticed that second. He was my soul mate. Love at first sight. And the smirk on his lips seemed to tell me he knew what was happening in my head.

I was standing on the old disk swing my aunt had strung up from an oak tree when I was a kid. Don’t mistake that for her doting on me. I was a showpiece, and the swing was implemented during her photo phase.  I was her model, and I never captured innocence the way she wanted me to. But I was a kid who was far more interested in catching salamanders than making sure my hair was hanging over my face just so.

The swing was a favorite place long after my aunt’s camera was packed upstairs in the attic.

Aunt Dor would leave me alone outside because the mosquitoes loved her so much. She said it was because her blood was sweet. I read somewhere that it was because she had an abundance of testosterone. That would explain that one long chin hair. Which wasn’t nice, but lately I wasn’t interested in being nice.

I looked from dreamboat hottington’s hazel eyes back to my phone’s screen like he wasn’t anything to get excited about. Dismissal. It was what all the players deserved. Even if this one had rung a bell in my pants and my heart with just a glance.

“Hey.” His voice was worse than his face for my lady parts. And that was saying something. It was deep and naughty. Intimate.

“You’re trespassing. And I have a trained assassin watching my every move. So you best move on.” I tried to peek through my lashes unsuccessfully.

His fluid movement was the kind that tipped you off to the fact that he was probably good at sports and maybe dancing and definitely sex.

He stepped up onto the disk swing, placing his hand on my lower back to keep me balanced. Before he grabbed the rope, he plucked my phone out of my hand and tossed it over his shoulder.

My jaw dropped in indignation. I couldn’t avoid his face anymore. He was even better up close. He had on too much cologne. I wanted to tell him that, but he was taking the side of his hand and running it down my cheek. He swept my words away with the touch.

Tingles. His strong jaw and plump lips made me swallow. He was handsome, and he knew it.

I was losing my balance on the swing; he’d caught me off guard. Of all the hours I’d spent on it, I’d never shared it quite like this. Our feet were overlapping, and to stay upright I had to thrust my hips toward him.

“Just calm down. Don’t look at your feet. Look at me.” He countered my off-balance-ness with his feet. Like we were on a swinging skateboard or something.

I did what he asked. The swing stopped bucking around.

I was wondering where T was. Why her knife wasn’t sticking out of this guy’s neck, but then his mouth was on mine.

Spearmint. His lips tasted fresh. It occurred to me that he knew he was going to kiss me before I’d even seen him.

And suspicion was there, somewhere because of who I was, of course, but the kiss was so very…

Monumental.

My heart was pounding in my throat. I squeezed the rope so hard between my fingers, later I would have to pick a few splinters out of my palms.

It was the start of a love story. It felt tragically right.

And then he stepped off the swing. My dress touched my calves when I registered the kickback from the loss of his weight.

“Maybe your assassin can kill me next time, peaches.” He winked.

The smorgasbord of hotness sauntered out of my back lawn toward the driveway.

He hadn’t told me his name, but I knew I would see him again. As soon as possible.