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“I’m going to leave you two lovebirds alone. Take better care of my sister, asshat.”
The brothers continue talking, but their voices are fuzzy as my brain twists and turns the words lovebirds around. And the way Damon didn’t contradict them.
“Put me down!” I screech for the fifth time since Damon lifted me out of the car and cradled me to his chest, carrying me up the stairs.
“We’re almost there, Nymph.” His chuckle reverberates through my side, and I give up, letting him carry me to our bedroom.
I sigh when he lays me down on the soft mattress. “I had no idea I could miss my bed this much.”
“Not a night owl?” he asks, but it’s clear from his tone he already knows the answer. He seems to know way more about me than he should.
I go to pull the blanket up, but Damon stops me. He holds out a worn navy T-shirt.
“Arms up.”
I sigh and lift my arms, too tired to form a reply. Once I’m safely tucked into bed, he chucks his shirt and pants, then climbs in beside me, pulling me into his side. His chest rises and falls with each breath, and the steady sound of his heartbeat starts to lull me into sleep.
“When I was sixteen, a rival family thought they could take over for mine and tried to wipe us all out.” Damon’s voice is barely a whisper, and I draw circles on his chest to show I’m listening.
“They killed my father in front of me, but they took my brothers.” His voice is raw, and my heart aches for him.
He spins my wedding ring around my finger, and it takes several moments before he continues. “That’s when I killed my first man, and my tenth, and my twentieth. That’s when I learned that I needed to be something dark in order to keep my family safe. To keep you safe.”
His entire body stiffens.
“I understand if, after tonight, you may not want to be around me, but I will not let you go,” he says, voice pitch-black.
I glance up at him. The pink light from the sunrise tints his skin. I suddenly realize I don’t want him to, and that one-year timeline ticks in the back of my brain.
“My darkness matches your darkness. If you’re broken, then I am too,” I say.
The breath leaves his lungs, and he tugs me closer, his arm a rigid band like he’s afraid I’ll shift away in my sleep.
We stay there, me tracing the intricate lines of his tattoos and him playing with my hair, until his hand stills and his breathing evens out.
The growing light from the window highlights his features. He looks almost boyish in his sleep. Like the weight of the world has been lifted off him.
“Stop staring and go to sleep.” His arms tighten, and he tucks my head below his chin, almost immediately letting out a small snore.
I’m in the arms of one of the most feared men, and all I can think of is how freaking adorable he is.
Chapter 40
Misty
Sunlight presses into my closed eyes, forcing me out of sleep. Groggily, I pull myself awake, cracking one eye open. Damon’s already watching me, his eyes soft as they dance over my face. His fingers graze over the curve of my waist, sending shivers through me. I’d fallen asleep wrapped in his arms, and from the state of us now, it appears he never let me go.
I wipe my mouth, suddenly mortified.
“You’re cute when you drool,” he says softly into my hair.
I groan, burying my face into his chest. “You could’ve just kept that to yourself.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” His words vibrate against my cheek, and his steady heart beats in my ear. I could stay just like this, wrapped in his arms forever, if he’d let me.
Pushing those thoughts down, I ask, “What time is it?”
“Ten.”
