Page 88 of I Never Stopped Loving You

He stares at me for a moment before sitting back on his heels. He keeps his eyes on me as he slowly pulls his shirt off, but mine immediately fall to the skin beneath his shirt. His body is covered in different tattoos. No pattern or similarities, it’s like he just chose different pieces that meant something to him and got them done. There are scars hidden in the ink, and curiosity almost gets the better of me as I study him.

“Like what you see?” he teases, pulling me away from studying the different tattoos.

I want to know what each piece means and why he got them.

“I’m a bit obsessed with ink.”

“Me too, if you can’t tell,” he laughs as he hands me his shirt.

I move a bit closer on my knees and start cleaning up the splattered batter all over him. It’s cute. This big, strong man is covered in waffle batter all because he was trying to make me breakfast.

“So, what were you making for breakfast?” I ask as I start cleaning the batter out of his hair.

Some of it has already dried, so I just run my fingers through his hair to brush it out. His eyes close as my nails scratch along his scalp, and his hands move to my hips to hold me closer.

“I didn’t have everything I needed, so I had some groceries delivered this morning, and I made scrambled eggs with cheese. I have bacon and sausage ready, and I was trying to make waffles. Jenna may have told me how you like your eggs. Oh, there’s also fresh coffee being brewed right now. I didn’t want to start the coffee until I heard the water shut off.”

“Why?”

“Because fresh coffee is the best.”

“No…” My voice slightly cracks. “Why did you do all of this?”

We could have easily just gone out for breakfast, or hell, even just DoorDash something. He didn’t need to go through the trouble of having groceries delivered, and now his kitchen is a mess, and his bowl is broken and…

His hand cups my cheek, stopping my spiraling.

“I did all this because I care about you, Willow. A lot. I told you earlier, I want to take care of you. So just let me…Please.”

My eyes shift back and forth between his, searching for any hint of deceit in his words. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve never been able to fully trust a man. Not with my past. But with him, I only see truth in his eyes.

I decide right there, I’m done hiding. I’m thinking logically. I’m done fighting whatever this fucking pull is to him because, goddammit, I want him.

I launch myself into his arms, wrapping mine around him and nearly knocking us over in the process as I kiss him. His back hits against the cabinets as his hands possessively wrap around me, pulling me to straddle his lap.

His hands roam over my bare legs up to where his boxers are hidden beneath the hoodie, and I swear I hear him practically growl in approval of me wearing his clothes. Fuck, why does that seem so hot?

My stomach chooses then to make the loudest, most obnoxious growl I’ve ever heard it make in my lifetime. Embarrassment heats my face as he pulls away, laughing as he rests his forehead against mine. We’re both left slightly breathless from that kiss, and his fingers are pressing deep into my hips.

“Let’s get you some food first, Little Rabbit.”

Fuck. I do not want food right now. But of course, my body betrays me again with another growl. He laughs before tipping my face to kiss me again.

“Go sit on the couch and relax. Breakfast is almost ready.” He glances over at the waffle maker, now smoking from the burning waffle we forgot about. “Well…maybe ten more minutes.”

CHAPTER 40

NOAH

FOUR YEARS AGO

I’ve been waiting patiently for this useless fuck to wake up. I debated on drowning him with the hose just to spray off some of the stench that’s wafting off of him, but I won’t. I want him to wake up on his own and slowly come to the realization, as the foggy haze of his hangover begins to subside, that he is completely and utterly fucked.

I love watching their eyes slowly blink open. Their wrists tug at their restraints as their mind suddenly realizes their arms aren’t just numb from being pinned beneath them in the heap they passed out in. No, their arms are bound behind their backs. Their fingers are purple and red from the cut off circulation. Their ankles are strapped to the legs of the chair as the rope winds up around their leg, keeping them locked in.

Like I said, completely and utterly fucked.

No amount of screaming will ever be heard outside of this stone prison. Is it a prison? No, I think it’s more of the gateway to Hell. Now I can take my time, showing them why I’m going to rip their souls from their bodies. I already have the chase planned out. They can run and try to escape. but they never will.