AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I already told you, baby," I growl, tucking ringlets behind her ears. "Defy me. Fight me. All you do is make my goddamn cock hard when you do."
The color in her cheeks deepens to a dusty rose.
"I wasn't made for a soft woman, Mischief." I shoot her a grin. "And you damn sure weren't made for a weak-ass man."
She rolls her eyes, making me smile. That right there is exactly what I mean, though. This girl is full of fire, full of sass. It spills out of her, barely contained. A soft man couldn't handle her. She needs someone who understands her and what she needs, someone who won't clip her wings or make her less to make himself feel like more. She doesn't fit neatly into a box. Any man who doesn't understand that isn't worthy of her time.
"I'm the one who owes you an apology, Mischief. Worrying about you doesn't excuse the fact that I yelled at you," I murmur regretfully. "I'm so damn sorry for that. Can we please start over?"
"No."
My heart twists in my chest, and my stomach knots up.
"I don't want to start over," she whispers. "I…like the way things are now." Worry casts a shadow in her expression, darkening her eyes. "But I'm not here forever, Tiny. As soon as they catch the men who killed Bellamy, I'm going back to Tennessee."
I'm not sure if she's trying to convince herself or if she's trying to convince me, but I'm not buying what she's selling, and I don't think she is either. I think she knows her home is here now, but she isn't entirely done fighting that fact yet. That's all right, though.
We've got time, and I was built for war.
This little goddess isn't going anywhere.
Chapter Six
Bella
"Howdidyouendup here?" I ask, rubbing Crash's ear between my fingers while Cormac works on lighting the grill. Callum, Andreas, and Catriona are coming for dinner. I think Cormac invited them to give me company.
He still feels guilty for yelling at me yesterday. It's not really his fault that I cried, though. I've been trying to hold off the storm for far too long already. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
The sad fact is I'm kind of a mess right now. The last week of my life feels like a runaway train barreling toward some conclusion I can't see. I'm not used to not being in control. I'm not used to feeling helpless. Quite frankly, it sucks.
I feel like a little girl again, watching my world slowly descend into chaos.
Back then, our dad tried so hard to shield us from the worst of it. But he couldn't hide the fact that reporters followed us. He couldn't hide the whispers from kids at school. We knew a lot more about what Marion did than we should have. We kept a lot of the truth from him, trying to shield him too. But it wasn't easy.
I don't like feeling helpless again now.
"Tate," Cormac murmurs.
"Tate?"
"The Nashville Predators have been regular clients since my dad and uncles started the business, and his uncle was a Predator," he says. "When Bender and Angel needed security, his uncle recommended my family."
"My Aunt Stella's sister is married to a former Predator."
"Yeah?" Cormac pours lighter fluid onto the grill, glancing at me over his shoulder.
"I guess there really aren't any strangers in the south, huh?" I say, smiling.
"Nah, baby. It's just further proof that you and I were meant to be," he says, tossing a match onto the grill. The lighter fluid catches with a whoosh, sending flames up toward the sky. Cormac jumps back with a startled curse.
"What did you expect to happen?" I ask through laughter. "You used half a thing of lighter fluid."
He turns a devastating smirk on me, flashing those dimples. "I like fire."
"And I like edible steak."
"You questioning my grilling abilities, little girl?"
