“Oh, yes. I confronted him and he laughed. But I also went to his father and told the man in no uncertain terms if he laid a finger on her, I’d have his son arrested. A day later, she came home and threw a fit because I’d ruined her life. And you know what? I was fine with that. I witnessed what my father had done to my mother, including holding her down and trying to break her legs.”
“Oh, my God. You’re kidding me.”
“I wish I were. That wasn’t going to happen to my sister. She could fucking hate me for the rest of her life, but she wasn’t going to be treated that way. I made a promise to my mother I’d take care of her and damn it, that’s what I planned on.” An angry rush of adrenaline had gotten the better of me. I jerked up, heading to the back door and staring out into the darkness.
“Did she ever talk to you again?”
“Barely. A week went by. Maybe two. She had a job and had started talking about college again, so I started to relax. She used that against me. I was on a call with the fire department. Of course in the firehouse, we overheard all kinds of emergencies and…” Exhaling, the same ache I hadn’t felt in years hit me hard. “There was a report of a car accident. When the dispatcher mentioned the make and model, something just told me it was her car.”
“Oh, my God.”
“I flew to the scene but by then, the passenger had been taken to the hospital. By the time I got there, she was in surgery.”
“What happened?”
“Her spleen had been ruptured from the beating he’d given her. She’d tried to get away, but he’d chased after her. She told me after she’d awakened. He’d chased her. He’d fucking chased her and she’d run off the road, hitting a tree. Her injuries were severe, but the doctors thought she’d make it. She didn’t.”
I sensed her presence behind me. With my hand so tightly wrapped around the bottle, I thought for certain I’d crush it between my fingers.
“The worst part was that even though there were skid marks and paint on her car where he’d run into her, the investigation was shit. They didn’t believe my story after she’d died. No charges were brought. None. Can you believe that?”
Grace wrapped her arms around me, her breathing labored. Just like mine had been. “Aimee died in my arms. I failed her. I fucking failed her.”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I am so sorry. You didn’t fail her. You did everything you could.”
“Not enough. Not close to enough!”
“It’s not your fault, Viper.”
“I didn’t get to tell her I loved her. Why?”
“She knew. Oh, my God, she knew. Your tattoo.”
“It’s for her. A beautiful flower snuffed out by that fucking monster. I killed the motherfucker. I chased him into some woods and…” I didn’t need to finish. Maybe I couldn’t.
When she still didn’t push, I finally wrapped my hand around her arm. Reaching around, she took the bottle from my hand, placing it on the floor. With the most tender touch, she turned me around to face her, cupping my face with both her small hands.
Her touch was warm and loving, her eyes full of sadness, not judgment, and the strongest set of emotions washed over me. Maybe misplaced desire, but I just didn’t care. I needed to touch her, to be close to her like I needed the air to breathe.
I placed my hands on hers, pulling her onto her toes and crushing my lips against hers. She was hot to the touch, so tender in the way she kept pressure on my face that I was more alive than I should be.
The kiss was sweet at first, full of gentle kindness for both of us. We were lost souls hoping to forge a path of our own in a world that didn’t seem pleasant to even be in. Her lips were soft, her tongue darting just inside.
But within seconds, we were both as hungry as we’d been before, the desire between us exploding. My grip on her face tightened as the need continued to build. Soon, I was crazed with need for her, sweeping my tongue into the deepest portion of her mouth. Tasting her before had been amazing, but I needed more.
I craved being inside of her, my cock buried so deep she screamed my name. She inched closer, slowly rolling her arms around my neck. With her fingers tangled in my hair, I was certain there was nothing I couldn’t do.
That’s how easily she could take the pain away, something no one and no amount of distraction had been able to do.
Our tongues danced together, the moment something I hoped to remember.
She rolled her hands over my shoulders, even scratching her nails down my back. I yanked her to me, crushing my weight against hers. As she undulated back and forth, another half dozen filthy images rolled into my mind.
My cock was at full attention, pressing between her legs. Hearing her soft moans meant everything. I broke the kiss, pulling our lips away, but she bit my lower one, laughing in her sultry tone as she did. My God, she had a way of making me so alive.
When she pushed herself away, taking a single step, she ripped my shirt from over her head, tempting me as she’d done before.
Only this time, I allowed myself a full minute of basking in her beauty, sliding my gaze to her painted toes. But there was too much need. Almost as soon as she wrapped her hand around the base of my dick, my vision began to cloud over.
