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"You were going to let them kill you?" she growls.
"I mean, it wasn't real fucking high on my list of preferred outcomes…."
She squawks like an angry bird, making me smile.
"Fuck, I missed you, Jessie baby."
Her expression softens. "I missed you so much, Devil. I couldn't eat or sleep. I hated myself for letting you go." Her teeth sink into her bottom lip, vulnerability dancing through her gaze. "I was so afraid that I was going to lose you or Risk that I just shut down. I thought if I cut you out, I could make it hurt less, but it didn't. It hurt more. I don't…I'm not…" She huffs. "I'm not very good at letting people in and letting myself be loved."
"I should have told you the truth before I ever put my hands on you the first time." Guilt filters through me. "But I'm selfish when it comes to you, little one. So fucking selfish. I couldn't risk you not giving me a chance, so I reached out and grabbed you. I knew it was wrong. I knew it was fucked up." I swallow hard. "I won't lie to you and say I didn't. I knew."
Her eyes track across my face, but she doesn't say anything.
I decide to go for broke and lay it all out there. She might as well know now what she's getting into with me. "I won't fight fair when it comes to you, Jessie. I won't back down or give up or play nice. I'll monopolize your time and be jealous of every motherfucker who even looks in your direction. I'll drive you up the fucking wall being a bossy bastard. I won't always be able to tell you everything I'm doing or why I'm doing it, but I'll never hide the way I feel about you. I'll never hide you. I'll never touch anyone but you or want anyone but you. I'm yours, little one. I'll lay down my life for you without hesitation and kill anyone who crosses you. I will love you until I'm dust. That I can promise you."
"I'll monopolize your time too," she says, straddling my hips to loop her arms around my shoulders. "I'll talk back and argue about everything. I'll be selfish with you and want to keep you all to myself. I'll probably hate every woman who looks in your direction. But I'll never hide you again either, Creed. I told Risk that you were my choice."
"You aren't choosing between me and your family, Jessie," I growl. There's no way I'm letting that shit happen. I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure her relationship with Risk survives this intact. She'll never forgive herself if it doesn't.
"I know," she whispers, smiling. "I would have, though. I did." She laughs quietly. "I told him that I was choosing you. I came racing to the ranch ready to go to war with the whole club to get you back. They kind of stole my thunder."
"Yeah?" I shake my head, not fucking surprised she came swooping in to save me. She really is a fearless little thing. Loving her is going to shave decades off my life, I already know it.
"They'd already let you go before I got there. You're welcome, by the way."
"Thank you." I kiss all over her face, making her scream with laughter.
"Do you even know what you're thanking me for?"
"Being you."
"I told them you refused to give them up," she says, shaking her head. "They know what you did to protect them. They're…grateful."
I snort.
"They are."
"Letting me live isn't the same as being grateful, Jessie baby."
"Let me up."
I growl.
"Let me up, you overgrown bully."
I grumble under my breath and then reluctantly let her crawl from the bed. I watch through slit lids as she crosses the room, her ass swaying in her jeans. "You know I'm not going to be bruised up forever, right?" I ask, palming my cock. "As soon as I can take a fucking breath, you're paying for that mouth."
"Who says you need to breathe for me to pay for it?" she asks, smirking at me over her shoulder.
"Fuck."
She laughs quietly and then grabs a plastic bag off the doorknob before crossing back to the bed. "This is for you," she says, holding it out to me.
I eye it warily. "What is it?"
"You'll see."
I reluctantly take it from her and peer inside. "What the fuck is this?"
