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He said he loved me. No one has ever loved me.
An ache I still can’t quite understand takes grip of my insides, and another tear cuts its path down my cheek. It’s the same feeling I get every time he’s gentle with me. Something warm, but also scary.
Rhenn has it wiped away before it reaches my chin. “I didn’t mean it.”
My chest stills as my eyes clamp shut. The warm feeling dissipates, replaced with barbed wire and chains.
No one has ever loved me.
I’d accidentally fallen for a man who would never truly feel the same. I can’t even blame him for it. His dad is gone and I am here. I’d probably hate me too. Maybe I already do.
Strong fingers caress my chin, gently tugging my focus back to him. His hands are like weathered velvet, a rough silk that sparks lightning through my body with only the lightest touch. Hornets battle in my stomach, their flapping wings sending a hurricane straight to the beating beneath my sternum.
Rhenn’s touch has always felt so natural to me. Oddly so. But now, it’s like my lifeline. The very same that will put an end to me.
His hold shifts, letting his thumb slide across the apple of my cheek, over my jawline, and then to my bottom lip. With the slightest pressure, he pulls it down, parting my mouth.
“Eyes on me, beautiful girl.” And I do. I slide my eyes between his, lost in the mix of deep ash and flecks of lighter silver. I’d never met anyone with such intense eyes before him. Never had anyone look at me the way he does. “What I meant is that you were worth it. I’m sorry I said you weren’t.”
“Rhenn,” I start, but his lips are on mine, moving them slowly against me. My hands find their way to his chest, fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt, holding on for dear life. His arms are the only thing keeping me upright, one looped around my waist, the other caressing the back of my neck.
His tongue brushes my bottom lip, coaxing me to open up and let him in.
Rhenn’s breath flows into me. I internally grasp for it, wanting to breathe every bit of him in, to feel him just a little closer, taste him for just a little longer.
Rhenn breaks away, only enough for his lips to ghost over mine. He presses them against me once more, so soft I hardly feel it, then leans his forehead to mine. “I love you, Sumner.” Every letter rolls so delicately from his full lips, stroking the rough edges of my cracking soul, promising to heal them one by one. It’s just a whisper. A perfect melody that dances its way deep inside my bones.
I want to dig my way inside of him, lodge myself so deeply that we become one single entity rather than two fractured ones. Fill the places left empty from his demons with me instead. Maybe then I could heal him too.
“Look at me, Vixen.”
I hadn’t realized I’d closed my eyes again. I can’t seem to open them though. Scared this is a dream I’ll wake from.
The only one I’ve ever wanted to live in.
“Please, baby,” he pleads, a rough timbre to his soft and cracking voice.
I obey, taking all of him in, wanting to burn every fraction of Rhenn into my mind. His tall frame, lean, but fit. His messy hair, so dark it’s almost black. The definition of his arms, how carefully they hold onto me, even when he’s angry. The way his mouth purses while he watches me, studying my own appearance as I indulge in his. And finally, his piercing orbs. I can’t help but get lost in Rhenn’s eyes, those mesmerizing pools of silver-gray. They’re soft and sharp all at once, like liquid moonlight caught in a moment of stillness. An endless ocean of shadow and light. Dark lines rest under those ghostly eyes, a dusting of stubble encompassing his strong jaw. He looks exhausted, worn beyond words, and still so perfect.
“He’ll be back soon.” Rhenn sighs, defeat on his tongue. “Your…boyfriend.” He almost winces when he says it, and something in that makes me laugh. Jealous Rhenn has always been my favorite.
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
RHENN
She’s laughing. I pour my heart out to her and she’s fucking laughing. I’m not sure which part is supposed to be funny. The fact that I actually have feelings or that her scrawny ass blond-haired blue-eyed perfect Prince Charming is likely on his way back to replace me.
Okay, scrawny is a stretch. The dude’s built similarly to me. Muscular enough to hold his own and stand up for his girl when some other jackass puts his tongue down her throat. If that jackass wasn’t me, of course. I’d demolish him. There are no perks to being human. Not even those stupid icy blue eyes females seem to love.
Fucker.
I feel the pinch in my brows as they crease. Feel the metaphorical knife twisting in my chest with each little giggle. A sound I normally adore.
“What is so funny?” I ask, hearing the annoyed tone that seems to live with me.
She wipes her fingers under her eyes, smiling while she shakes her head. “You should see your face.” Sumner snorts again, and I scowl in return. But her fingers slip into mine. I stare down at them. Soft, nearly encompassed by my much larger hand. My brows scrunch even harder, fully confused now, and I drag my eyes back to hers. “Luca isn’t my boyfriend. He’s my brother.”
Wait… “Brother?”
