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“It hurts,” I whisper.
“I know it does, beautiful.” He stops just in front of me and reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
“How do you live with it…How do you cope with all this pain?”
His calloused palm slides along my jaw, pausing to cup my cheek as he stares down at me. “When I find out, I’ll let you know.”
I allow myself to soak up every second of his touch. It’s so rare that he offers me this kind of intimate contact, and I’m struck by a tinge of fear that this might be the first and last time I’m ever permitted such closeness to him.
“Do you mind if we stay here a little while?” I ask. “I know this is your sacred space, and I’ve intruded…” My words falter off into nothing. For whatever reason, he brought me here, and without him, I have no way of leaving. Not with only a t-shirt and welted ass to show for myself.
He doesn’t seem to be in a rush to toss me out of here, or at least, he surely wouldn’t bother to light the fire if he intended on leaving straight away.
“Sure.” He nods. And climbs onto the wooden boards behind me.
I turn in on myself, keeping my knees hugged to my chest. Even though we just fucked, I don’t expect Raven’s touch or for him to willingly get close in any way. Not after everything I’ve now learned and what he’s shared about how my family destroyed his.
Dark thoughts consume me, so much so, that I startle when his strong arm wraps around my body from behind. He’s careful not to scrape against my abused ass and thighs, but still tugs me against his solid chest. There’s a little sting and burn as we fit together and at first, I’m stiff, but slowly, my body softens and molds against his. Against my back, Raven’s steady heartbeat settles me with a peaceful rhythm. One that begins to tempt me toward sleep.
We lie there in silence for what feels like hours. The wind is an eerie groan and howl as it whips and swirls through the trees creaking overhead.
After a while, my body slackens as sleep begins to crawl through every limb. My eyelids are lead weights as I give up fighting and succumb to the way they insist on drifting shut.
All the while, listening to mother nature raging outside, and the wild creature steadily breathing at my back.
Just as that falling sensation hits, when my fingertips slip from where they’ve held me on the ledge, his fingers flex against my stomach. Holding on tight. As sleep demands that I surrender for a brief reprieve, Raven’s lips brush my ear. “Anytime you need help with that pain, you know where to find me…I’ll always help you.”
52
Idon’t know what went down between Ven and Fox yesterday, but the curious beast inside me cannot wait to press our girl for details until she squirms and submits.
That’s why, for now, I’m sitting here trying not to laugh into my coffee as they fumble around the kitchen. Ven’s doing his best to scowl at her, and Fox is hiding her blushes.
He’s every bit as gone for her as I am.
My phone alarm goes off in my hand, dragging me away from my vantage point of soaking up their cute flustering around each other. The clock tells me it’s time to leave, and not only that, but I’m going to have to figure out what the fuck is going on with Thorne while we’re in the car together.
“Behave, you two.” I hop up and drag Fox into a long fucking kiss, leaving her a little breathless, and give Ven a wink. She’s a little quieter than usual, with whatever has blossomed between them, and it takes everything in me not to blurt it all out to her right here and now.
The words I want to say to her.
Ones that I want to say to all of them.
But this morning isn’t the time or place for heartfelt confessions, no matter how much it pains me to turn around and walk out that door. Fox doesn’t need grand gestures or shit like that, but at the very least, she deserves my undivided attention.
Maybe I’ll tell her just at the moment she shatters on my tongue.
For Christ’s sake. Thinking about her sweet taste has got me halfway hard by the time I haul ass outside.
Thorne is already in the car with the engine running when I jog across from the front door. I honestly haven’t seen him since the other night, and my nerves start making themselves known as I open the passenger’s side door.
“Hey.” I slide in, hoping I don’t sound as anxious as I feel.
Thorne grunts, which is about normal for him. Nothing unusual there. I wasn’t expecting a big romantic fucking moment or anything, but we’ve also got to figure out how things are going to stand between us now that we’ve crossed beyond the carefully constructed boundaries that used to separate us.
Used to.
He steers us away from the house, down the access road through the forest.
