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“Hired?” She snorts, giving me an amused smile. It feels like a gift. “We practically took you by force.”

A strand of hair falls over her shoulder, soft and tempting. I can't stop myself from tucking it behind her ear, thankful that my laptop covers the evidence of what her presence does to me.

“Maybe,” I whisper, shifting closer, “being taken by force is exactly what I want.”

Salem inhales sharply, pupils blowing wide. Her beautiful lips part, drawing my attention south, and the visceral need to taste them again has me leaning in.

She arches up, her mouth barely ghosting over mine in the most tender of kisses. Her hand flutters to my chest, moving down my stomach…

Right as the screen door bangs open so hard it rattles, waking everyone in the RV.

We jerk away from each other, both of us snapping our attention to where Devon stumbles inside, tripping over his untied laces.

“Fuckin…shit,” he shouts, nearly faceplanting into the fridge. I can smell the vodka practically seeping out of his pores.

Christian stirs in his bunk, long hair mussed as Arya groans beside him. “Bro, are you serious right now?”

Taylor rubs his face, already muttering curses under his breath as Huck sits up with a tired sigh. “Dev, what the fuck, man?”

Devon ignores them all, his bleary eyes landing on me and Salem. My stomach drops when his face twists into an ugly sneer.

“Well, look at you two,” he slurs. “All domestic n’ shit. Adorable.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Salem spits, shooing him away. “Take your drunk ass outside. Some of us actually have to work in the morning.”

Dev scoffs and crosses his arms. “I heard the sex gets worse when you give ‘em a ring. That true?”

I scramble out of bed, my fists curling at my sides. “Don't fucking talk about my wife that way.”

“I was talking about you,” he snickers.

Huckslee climbs over Taylor with a growl. “Dev, seriously, cut it out. Go to sleep.”

Devon gazes around the RV with something dark glittering in his amber eyes. “You know, I actually have another question for your wife. I'm curious.”

“Dude, stop,” Huckslee warns, rushing to put himself between us as Tay and Christian slide out of bed. All three look like they're bracing for a fight.

Of course, Dev doesn't listen. Because he's a fucking asshole.

“Tell me, Salem,” he says, lazily grinning over Huck’s shoulder. “Who's cock tastes better? Mine, Logan’s, Taylor’s, or Christian’s?”

A flash of red is all I see as Salem blurs past each of us before we can move. Her fist connects with Devon's jaw so hard that he drops to the floor like a sack of potatoes. And doesn't move.

Completely out cold.

We pull off the highway just past sunrise, the gas station bathed in golden, early-morning sunlight.

My stomach’s been twisted in knots all night. After Salem knocked Dev on his ass, we left him there to sleep it off. Huck threw a blanket over him, which I personally think was more than he deserved. His words rattled around in my head over and over, preventing me from enjoying the fact that Salem was actually sleeping next to me for once. She even ended up on my pillow, her forehead pressed to mine… just like before. I’d give anything to go back to how we used to be.

Sometime in the night, Devon awoke with a soft groan, but other than grabbing a water bottle from the fridge before passing out on the floor again, he caused no other issues.

But the silence this morning is unbearable. I can’t take another mile of it, of sitting across from where he’s slumped in one of the bunks, his bare, inked chest on display. Even with his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, I know they’re on me. I can feel them.

The moment Salem throws the RV into park, I’m out the door, heart pounding in my chest. Luckily, this gas station isn’t big—just a small establishment in a small town with a single-stall bathroom. I lock myself in there, pacing while I try not to puke. One glance in the mirror tells me how haggard I look, sallow skin and three days' worth of stubble on my chin. Dark, haunted eyes gaze back at me, and they stare for a long time, trying to recollect who the man in the mirror is, this… ghost that no longer exists. A phantom with my face.

A heavy knock pulls me from my thoughts, and I sniffle before washing my hands. With one last glance at my reflection, I grip the handle to open the door—and come face to face with all my issues.

“Done yet?” Devon asks, tongue poking at the hoop through his lip. “Or do you need help with your dick?”