She looks up at me, her cheeks rosy and tear-stained. Her lips are pink and swollen. Damp, dark eyelashes blink as strands of her hair blow in the winter wind.
She’s never looked more beautiful. Her expression is filled with gratitude and adoration. It knocks me off my feet. It’s a look I’ve never seen before.
Not from her.
Not from anyone.
Not like that.
“I love you,” she whispers, teardrops spilling. My heart faints.
She owns me.
I hold her tighter to me and quick-kiss her hair before resting my cheek on it, breathing her in. A rush of flames shoots up from her bedroom.
“We better be going soon,” Mills says, standing by the hood of his truck. I agree with him; the fire department will be here shortly.
I move from holding Kat.
Mills shoves his hands into his coat’s pockets. Kat wipes her cheeks and turns her head toward him.
“So… I know this is all new and…” Mills stops and looks above her head, searching for the words. “I missed out on everything and I’m sorry. I swear I didn’t know. Things would have been so different.” He gives her a sad smile and gazes toward the house. “Hell, I don’t know if you want a dad. I mean, you’re grown.” He exhales and looks back at her. “But I’d love to be yours.”
She chokes out a smile. “Yeah, I think I’d like that, too.”
His whole face lights up. “Really?”
Kat nods. “Yes.” Mills doesn’t even think about it as he reaches out and pulls her into a warm embrace. And this is the first time Kat has ever hugged the man knowing he’s her father.
It’s a damn good thing to witness.
A damn good thing.
Chapter Thirteen
Bryce
After we part ways and the two agree to talk again soon, we load up in our vehicles and take the long road back home. We leave her car there, planning to get Ben or someone to come and get it this week, so Kat sleeps most of the ride. Her actions today wore her out and it’s understandable.
Heading out of the town we would never step foot in again, I look behind me, still able to see a trail of black smoke drifting up from the trees. And I hear the sirens from the fire trucks rushing out to stop what we’ve done.
But it’s too late.
They won’t be able to save that house.
The fire has done what it should.
It consumed evil, burning walls that have seen things no one should witness.
I look over at K as she uses my coat for a pillow. Her small hands rest in her lap. Tiny cuts from broken glass cover her palms, and I know her fingers are sore from the ricochet of the bat.
She tore that place up, and all I could do was watch.
I didn’t make a move to stop her.
I didn’t make a move to help.
She needed that moment, and I let her have it.
The sun has retired for the day when we pull up to my apartment building. Climbing out on tired legs, Kat walks in front of me as we head up.
The mood has shifted because we’re back in the present world.
Not wrapped up in the past.
Neither one of us speaks and I hate the silence between us. I didn’t even ask her if she wanted me to take her home.
I open the door after we step off the elevator and Kat passes through. The cold apartment instantly warms just with her in it. It’s felt too big and too lonely without her.
She turns to me, looking sheepish.
I shut the door, watching her stand in the middle of the room like she doesn’t belong.
It irks my nerves. “Don’t do that,” I say.
“What?” she asks, pulling her sleeves over her hands.
“Stand there like this place is foreign.”
She sighs. “Well, it’s been a while, and the last time I was here…things were…”
“I know.” I step toward her, tossing the keys onto the counter. She watches me as she bites her lip.
“Do you want to be here?” I ask, grabbing her hands out from her sleeves, careful of her cuts. She lets me link our fingers.
“Yeah,” she says quietly.
“Good,” I reply. “Don’t worry about what happened here. What’s done is done.”
“Okay,” she agrees softly.
“You hungry?” I ask, dropping her hands and walking over to the fridge. I sent my Aunt Lou a text on the way here, letting her know we were coming home. “Aunt Lou said she had some pasta in the fridge.”
“I could eat,” K says, walking behind me. She slides onto a stool as I heat up the food. While it’s in the microwave, I grab two beers and pop the caps off before handing her one. She takes a swig and then rests the bottle on the island.
I watch her pick at the label as I lean against the counter. “What’s on your mind?”
She clears her throat but doesn’t look up at me. “Us.”
“What about us?” I push off and walk to the counter, resting my forearms on it so I’m at her eye level.
She shrugs a little. “Where do we stand?”
I narrow my eyes. I told this girl I love her. Where else would we stand? She told me she loves me, but her unsureness makes me worry. What if she was just wrapped up in the moment? What if now that we’re back at home, she doesn’t want what I want?
I stand up straight and rub the back of my neck. “I don’t see us standing anywhere but together,” I say, looking over at her. “If that’s what you want?” I add.
God, please be what you want.
She takes another sip of her beer as the microwave goes off.
Dammit. Something always seems to interrupt us during big talk moments. I reach over and pull the door open, pulling out the now steaming pasta. I plate our food and take my seat beside her on the island.
We eat silently.
Me, over here wondering about what she wants. Her, thinking about God knows what, considering what she’s been through.
I probably should have taken her home. This all might be too much for her. She probably needs her best friend.
I wish that were me, but the way I acted toward her after my mom OD’d, I don’t deserve to be called this girl’s friend.
But she did introduce you as her friend to Mills.
Fuck, that pissed me off. I had just told her my feelings for her, and she told her father I was just a friend.
Fuck that.
Fuck all this.
I need to tell her what the hell I want, and she needs to tell me what she wants.
No games.
Two grown adults deciding if they want to be together or not. I slide the plate away and wipe my mouth with my napkin before taking a taste of beer. I turn to her.
“Are you done eating?” She nods, drinking from her beer also. “Good.” I lift her plate and stack it on mine, getting up and putting them into the sink.
Twisting back to her, my eyes run up the length of her body now that she’s standing. Strands of hair that miss the sun fall loosely around her slender neck. She’s makeup-free and wind-chapped cheeks.
She’s been through hell and walked out looking like a goddamn angel. “I want you,” I say. I move from around the counter. She watches me with curious eyes. “I want you every day, not just some days. I want you here with me. In my bed. Under my body.
“I want to wake up with the scent of you on my sheets and the proof of your presence in my house.” Her mouth goes slack, and her eyes widen a tad. I reach and take her hand in mine, bringing her small digits to my lips.
“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything. Tell me you want those things, too. Tell me you need me as much as I need you.”
I move her hand from my kiss and place it on my chest, holding mine over it. “You own this part of me now. It’s yours to do with what you please, and there’s not a goddamn thing I can do about it.”
Her eyes search mine, and I see a fire light in them. One of pain and heartache, lust and love.
&nbs
p; Passion overrides sense.
Desire surpasses worry.
She reaches her hand up and grips the back of my neck, pulling me to her before our lips crash.
Her hand bunches the cotton over my heart. I snake my arm around her lower back, lifting her so she’s flush against me. She licks me, consuming my whole world with just a touch of her tongue.
My cock grows hard, pushing painfully against my jeans. Is she ready this time? Now that we’re home, can we be together, like I want us to be?
That thought vanishes when she pulls back a little. I look to her lips before catching her eyes again. “I want you, too,” she says, and I grin. Because she just made my life.
“Come on,” I say, letting her feet touch the floor. I grab her hand, and we climb the stairs. As soon as we walk into my room, I grab her, kissing her hard. She doesn’t pull away; she shows no sign of wanting to stop.
We’re home now.
Away from the darkness of her past.
Her hands slip my hat off, and her nails scrape over my head. I walk us to my bed, the back of her knees bending when they touch the mattress.
We fall together, as she spreads her legs so I can settle between them. Our kiss turns into something more.
It was no longer a want. I had to be with her.
It was a necessity.
I was desperate for her attention and completely addicted to this woman.
I hadn’t meant to fall in love.
God knows I didn’t search for this, but now that I have, my life is forever changed. She controls everything. She holds the cards in this relationship, and the thought terrifies and thrills me in the deepest way.
I am no better than my parents.
I am my father’s son.
I have fallen so hard for this woman, the thought of not being with her cripples me.
Kathrine is both my salvation and my destruction.
It’s warped on principle alone.
I was not supposed to end up like this, and yet, here I am.
My body grows hot as she presses her heels into the comforter, driving her softest place into my hardest. It drives me mad, and I push back.
Kat’s moans mix with mine, giving desperation a sound.
It’s been so long.
We’ve been apart because of the way I acted.
And I’ve been sick without her. I’ve been trying to numb my feelings for her with drugs and alcohol.
None of it worked. She trailed through my thoughts more than I cared to admit. And when I realized I loved her, I couldn’t stay away any longer.
I love her.
Deep and uncontrollably.
Unyielding and borderline unhealthy.
I’ve gone my entire life alone. By choice. I’ve let my family get only so close before shutting the door that reads do not enter.
But now.
God, now I have her in my arms. She frees my soul and makes my heart thrive to keep beating just so it can connect with hers.
I lean back and yank the snap-on buttons of her long-sleeved shirt. They release spontaneously, revealing her lacy blue bra and gorgeous cleavage. Her perfect round breasts beg for me to kiss them and I oblige. My teeth nip and my lips press. Pulling the lace down, I uncover her nipples and take one into my mouth.
She arches, her jeans grinding against mine. I cup her breast and suck her nipple before moving back to her lips as I reach down and undo my belt.
Her hands venture to where mine are, speeding up the process. I push away from her, lifting behind my neck and dragging my gray sweater up and over my head. Static electricity pops and crackles, and I look down at her as she kicks off her pants and panties.
Her shirt is splayed open and she lies back, knees together and bent, looking up at me. One cup of her bra is down and her hair is a wild mess. Only modesty covers the one place I want to be.
Her eyes physically scrape down my body, dilating with lust and hunger, causing chills to run up and down my arms. I feel my pulse spike in the ends of my fingertips and my wrists.
She bites her lip and brings her eyes up to mine.
That’s right. Look through me, baby. See what only you can.
Reticence vanishes and she spreads her legs, shocking me stupid with her bravery, showing me everything in return for taking everything from me. I reach out and grab her ankles, pulling her to the end of the bed. I come down on top of her, my hands resting beside her head. She reaches up, nipping my lips with her teeth, teasing me.
“Did you miss me?” I whisper, needing to know if this is as serious for her as it is for me. I hate how desperate I sound, but falling in love is complicated as fuck and our relationship has never been a smooth ride.
She stops her teasing, connecting her eyes with mine.
“You never slipped my mind.”
Hopelessly in love, I fist her hair and force her lips to mine. The walls fade, the bed vanishes from under us, and the floor no longer exists.
It’s just us.
Floating together in beautiful abyss.
Chapter Fourteen
Kathrine
The rasp of his five o’clock shadow marks my skin as he kisses me crazy. Nothing makes sense. I just left a place I thought I’d never go back to. A house that was never a home.
I left my past, and I planned to leave the memories there with it.
But I wasn’t successful.
They still haunt me, terrorize me, and they’re more vivid now than they’ve been in years.
Burning the place down and tearing it apart satisfied my anger, but it didn’t heal my scars. It didn’t erase the bad that happened there.
No matter how much I wished it would.
It was a temporary relief.
When Bryce tried to deepen things in the hotel room, I seized up. I couldn’t shake the images in my mind. I couldn’t rid myself of Saw and his revolting smell– brown filtered cigarettes and cheap whiskey.
Everything was raw. The scabs of my past had been ripped open the moment I stepped foot into that falling hellhole.
I wanted Bryce to take it all away. To help me get it all out of my mind. But being in that town and so close to where everything bad happened…I just couldn’t let go and be with him.
But now.
Away from it all and back to the city I do call my home, I shed the filth Saw tried to clothe me in and become the Kathrine I was when Lucy and Claire helped me find a place to call my own.
Being here with Bryce soothes my worries and fuels me with determination.
I will live on.
I will be better for him…for us.
Because he deserves all of me, not just the parts on the outside. Bryce Grant deserves my soul, and I will serve it to him on a silver platter.
Take my soul.
Take my body.
Have my goddamn heart because you already do anyway.
I want him.
I’ll always want him.
Need him.
Love him foolishly.
I wrap my legs around his waist, rough jeans against delicate skin, and when he kisses the dip in my throat, I feel my core drown in want and my belly tighten in anticipation.
My hands reach down, desperate to remove the clothing between us. With the help of my heels, I slide his pants over his hips and ass. We’re standing on the edge, our hearts slamming against ribs and gushing out blood. Butterflies spread wings when I feel his cock hit my stomach and I sit up, yanking off my shirt and unhooking my bra, discarding them beside the bed before his kiss is back on my lips.
His tongue is back dancing with mine, our breaths ragged, our skin on fire. He reaches his hand down and dips his finger inside me. I cry out in pure, utter bliss, closing my eyes tightly.
Another finger goes in smooth as black silk, causing me to pant with unadulterated want. My legs open wider, and my stomach clenches. I’m unashamed when it comes to my need to be with him this way.
Close, but not close enough.
I want him f
ully inside, claiming me the only way he can, erasing bad thoughts and bleeding memories.
I open my eyes, looking at his beautiful face. Emotion filled and timeless. He bites his bottom lip as pure grit rests on his brow.
“Does that feel good?” he asks.
“Yes,” I moan.
He pouts slightly, looking boyish. I reach my finger up and rub along his busted lip, loving how it makes him look even more rugged.
My guy is a fighter.
He’ll lie here with me and make me see galaxies, whisper sweet things into my ear along with dirty, and then he’ll turn around and beat the shit out of someone.
The thought makes me wetter, and as he rubs a thumb over my clit, I tremble and suck in needed air.
“I want you to come,” he says, his voice filled with thick lust, his eyes hooded sapphire diamonds. “Look how good we are together, K. You and me.” His face goes to my neck, and I breathe in forest green spice. His soft hair brushes against my face, and he bites down on my skin, sucking with a purpose. Ready to break blood vessels and mark me. His thumb presses into a million nerves, causing me to buck and grip onto his shoulder.
“Oh God.” I slam my eyes shut as I feel a rush of hot fire at my center.
“That’s right, baby. Fuck, you’re soaked.”
“Keep doing that,” I pant as he rubs me. He pumps his thick fingers in and out, hitting my G-spot repeatedly.
I grit my teeth before clamping down on my bottom lip. Tingles spread like wildfire down my spine, over the backs of my thighs. My calves threaten to cramp, and the dam breaks as I come harder than I have in God knows when. I hold on to his shoulder like I’m floating away and he’s keeping me put. Light-headed and seeing stardust, I watch in a haze as Bryce removes his skillful fingers. I lock my eyes on him as my chest heaves happily.
His Mad Hatter tattoo covers his left ribcage, looking wild and wide-eyed crazy. Beautiful draped in moonlight, Bryce slides his jeans and briefs all the way down and off. He’s back on top of me moments after. The warmth of his body is welcome, melting my insides even more than he already has.
My legs spread wide to accommodate him, and with ease and eyes on me, he slides inside, linking us like we both crave. Nose to nose, parted lips to busted ones, we fuck painstakingly slow. He grazes my face with the back of his silver scarred knuckles.
Give Me Perfect Love (Give Me Series Book 2) Page 8
