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Icould never hurt her.
She swallowed. "You know it?"
"I know everything. The first time he pissed his pants in kindergarten and how many goddamn brothers and sisters he has."
Her mouth quivered. "Y-You tortured him?"
"I did." Brennan’s crew might have started it, but I’d fucking ended it. "Do you want to know what I’m capable of, Savannah? You think you know, you think you’ve read enough shit, but I don’t think you have.
"Because as clinical as it can be on a piece of paper, written by a journalist whose job it is to note the facts down with ink not blood, it’s never the same as knowing it firsthand."
Her throat bobbed. "I can handle it."
"Are you sure? Are you sure you want to know what I did in your name? How I sliced and fucking diced him to make him pay for daring to cut you?"
Her eyes flared, and her tits jiggled as she released a soft gasp. Her breathing came hard and fast. "Tell me," she demanded, her fingers digging into my pecs.
"Do you want to hear how I flayed him alive? How I made him beg for death? All so that I’d know who paid him to get to you?"
"Y-You skinned him?" she breathed, her eyes wider still.
"I did. Parts of him," I corrected. "Other parts I just cut. A thousand cuts to make him pay for that single one on your thigh." A sharp laugh escaped me. "Been a long time since I’ve gone to that much effort."
"You did for me though."
"I did." My mouth tightened as I saw her shiver, but not with revulsion like I’d hoped. Not with appreciation either. A complex mixture of desire and fear that was as intriguing as the woman herself.
"Did you find out who sent him?"
"Of course I did. It was the Sparrows. And we need to have a talk about that," I rumbled, "just not now."
"N-Not now." She blinked. "I-I don’t know what to say."
"What is there to say? I told you, this world is cruel and filthy. It’s not a nice place to be. The second I listened to your articles, I knew what you’d do to me. I knew that inquisitive mind, that opinionated bitch who brought experienced editors to their knees, would be like nectar to me. Someone with a voice, who wasn’t afraid to use it. Who wouldn’t be afraid of me." I jerked my head to the side. "I knew you’d be the one to flayme. Then I saw you, then I met you, and I knew it like you’d signed my death warrant yourself."
"Then why the fuck would you walk away?" she grated out, her hands smoothing over my chest to grab my shoulders. Her nails dug in, biting deep as she screamed in my face, "Why the fuck would you do that? Why would you ghost me?"
"Because you think you know my world but you don’t. You saw one sliver of it in real life and it sent you into a spiral that triggered an unhealthy obsession with the mafia.
"Your therapist should be shot, because here you are. Yet again. You’ve waded headfirst into the fray and are a part of it whether you like it or not. The difference between here and now, Savannah, is that I’m not the man I once was.
"Back then, I was a conceited prick who thought I ruled the world because I was Da’s heir. I had any pussy I wanted, could buy a fleet of Ferraris... most of humanity was at my feet, and I was more than okay with that. I had a rep for being a nasty piece of shit when things went south but that was it.
"Now, I know what pain is. I know what suffering is. I know that it’s there, whether you’re a part of this fucking life or not. This time, I’m not going to walk away. You won’t be chaining yourself to me. I’ll do that so you’re the one who has to decide. Run, little girl, because that’s the only way I’m going to let go of you now."
"You’re giving me whiplash, Aidan," she rasped, and I saw exactly how unafraid she was. After my confession, she should have been cowering in front of me, but she wasn’t. If anything she stood on tiptoes to get in my face. "One minute, you’re pulling back, the next you’re chaining me to your side? I think you’re the one who needs to learn to be more decisive."
The way she prodded my chest with her finger had the beast gnashing its fangs.
"Don’t play with monsters, Savannah," I warned, "not unless you’re willing to get bitten."
And with that, I dropped my mouth to hers, pressed my teeth around her bottom lip, and did as I promised.
I bit.
