“Exactly.”
I dangled my feet away from the mattress, preparing myself to leave. “I’m so sorry about all the trouble I caused you and your mother. It’s a lot to process. You probably shouldn’t have told me any of that, but thank you for sharing and your trust.”
“You’re my ol’lady.”
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I appreciate you lying to your brothers so they can spare my life, but you don’t have to do this when we’re alone.” I pushed myself up. “It’s time for me to leave anyway.”
“Leave?” He dashed toward me. “Cammie, no. I want you to stay. I want you to be with me, here, as my ol’lady.”
I tucked my hair behind my ear and walked slowly to the door. “You know I can’t do that.”
He stopped me. “I know how hard it is for you to be here, but Roar is gone, and when it’s me running things, you’ll always be safe.”
“I can’t, Dusty. I can’t be a Night Skull. Not even for you.”
With a grimace, he shook his head. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Yes, you are. Your mother needs you, and you have a club to run.”
“Screw everything. Cammie—”
“It’s over, Dusty. What we had was…something we’ll regret for the rest of our lives. Now, we put it behind us and try to live with it. Both of us can finally go home…and heal.”
“What about your wounds? Who’s gonna heal them?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Why don’t you let me take care of you? Heal together?”
I put my hand on his cheek, fighting back the tears. “Our worlds were never meant to cross paths. And I’m sorry for all the pain I’d caused you. I hope one day you can forgive me.”
“I forgave you a long time ago.”
“I just made you kill your father, Dusty. No matter how much you hated him, you won’t truly forgive me for it.”
“Is it strange that I don’t feel as much sorrow for what happened to my parents as I felt for you and her sister? Is it weird that in the past three days I felt that I belonged to you more than I’ve ever felt with my own family?”
“Dusty…”
His lips swept over mine, melting me in their scorching heat. His hand tangled in my hair and pressed me harder to his body.
Swiftly, I drew back before I crumbled into his embrace and fell beyond redemption. “We can’t... We were born enemies. We’re supposed to hate each other.”
“I don’t hate you, Cammie. I don’t think I ever did.”
“I don’t hate you either. I don’t think I ever did.”
“But can you forgive me? Can you forget who I am and what I did? Can you look past the tattoos on my chest and into my heart? Or will I always be the son of your sister’s murderer? The coward that saved himself and left her in hell?”
“It’s not your fault, Dusty. It’s Roar’s. It’s the Night Skulls.” I moaned. “I can forgive you, but I can’t forgive them.”
“Cammie, please don’t go. I need you.”
“Like I said, our worlds were never meant to cross paths. Goodbye, Dusty.”
CHAPTER 30
Dusty
