Page 33 of The Bitter Words

“I’m about to come,” I breathe.

“Fuck yeah, vixen. Make me come with you.” He grips my hips and forces me farther down.

It almost hurts, but then the euphoria of my endorphins hits and I unravel. My body quakes as currents take over me.His muscles tighten beneath me and a deep, carnal groan rips from his chest.

“I’m coming, Lily.”

I ride him harder and drain him of all he’s got. Once we’re both dropping from the high, I lie down on him.

He wraps his arms around me and holds me. “How did you get your parents to let you outta that place?”

“I sabotaged everything while I was there.” I laugh and prop myself up so I can see into his eyes. “The director of the facility couldn’t discharge me fast enough. I agreed to go to therapy and not use drugs anymore, so my parents agreed.”

“How did you sabotage it?”

“I found out these”—I lift my chest and point to my boobs—“make men uncomfortable when I catch them looking when they shouldn’t be.”

Callum’s brows pinch together and he growls. “You used your tits to do what?”

“Nothing bad. I just made the sessions awkward by joking about them or telling them I knew they wanted to touch them.”

“Fuck, Lily. I don’t like to hear about men looking at you that way.”

“Like I’d ever do anything about it.” I slide off him and sit. “Women look at you like that all the time. I’m older now and have filled out even more. Guys are going to notice, so you may as well get used to it.”

“Let’s drop the subject. It’s not what I want to be focused on.” He rips the condom off.

Yikes.I think I might have upset him.

I coil into myself. “Why do you taste like weed? Did you smoke?”

“A little bit.”

“What about probation?”

“I got off last week after I finished my anger management classes. I’m a free man now. As long as I stay out of trouble,my record is sealed since I’m still a minor.” He gets up and disappears into the bathroom.

As he’s walking away, I notice he has two more fresh tattoos on his back. Up his spine is a black microphone stand. The mic is situated at the base of his neck and the power cord winds down the stand and around his vertebrae.

I can’t make out the other because he’s too far away. “Hey, you got more ink.”

“Yeah.” He does something in the bathroom and then strolls back to me. “What do you think?”

“I couldn’t really see it. Turn around and show it to me.”

He grabs his boxer briefs off the floor, puts them on, and sits on the edge of the mattress with his back to me. “The microphone is obvious, but the other is like my first one. A black and white lily field, but instead of a guitar, I have a piano sitting in it.”

I scroll my gaze over it. The heart is made up of white flowers and outlined with black ones this time. I also see a blue bow on the side of the piano bench.

I search for the other and don’t find one. “Why only one blue ribbon? And why is the heart white this time?”

“I was afraid your heart was stuck in a dark place, so I made it white so more light could shine in.” He turns and his pain-rimmed eyes connect with mine. “There’s only one blue bow because I can’t hold on to something that won’t come to pass.”

“So the one on the bench is a representation of your dad, not our…?” A hole in my chest breaks open.

He drops his gaze and nods. “All that matters now is you, my music, and my pops’ guidance.”

This is when it hits me. There’s no barn in this new artwork. Does he not see us building a life together anymore? Did I ruin us somehow?