Page 53 of Red My Lips

“You’re seeing more of me than I usually show total strangers.” The look Jill flashes me says I’m in for a world of hurt later and it shoots straight to my cock. When my parents leave, I’m going to fuck that anger right out of her. Or better yet, I’m going to have her fuck me using all of that rage.

“Oh please, your outfit is practically PG compared to the things I’ve seen. And you’ve got good legs, pants are overrated.” My mom waves it off. I walk over to the sectional and sit down on the sofa before reaching out to grab Jill’s hips. My fingers sink into her thighs as I pull her onto my lap. She glances back at me, her eyes sharp as she considers whether or not she’s going to stay where I put her. I just smile and tighten my hold on her.

Watching Jill talk to my parents has pride swelling inside me. Not only does she hold her own against tornado Connie, but they’re laughing together. She even gets my dad—always so stoic and serious—to crack a smile.

My parents spend the entire afternoon at my place, overstaying their welcome like usual. After a few hours, Jill excuses herself to go get her things so she can leave to get ready for work tonight.

After tugging on her dress from last night, Jill tries to slip out while I’m distracted by my mom trying to rearrange my kitchen cabinets. Ignoring the dishes spread on the counter, I don’t let her escape so easily. When I catch up to her, she’s almost at her car with her keys in her hand.

“Not so fast.” I snag her by the waist, pressing her up against her car. “Don’t think you can sneak away from me, little devil.”

“You better get back in there before Connie decides to go through your room,” she says, nodding to the house behind me.

“I don’t know why you keep trying to deny what’s so obvious.” My eyes hold hers, refusing to be the first to look away. She meets my gaze head-on, unafraid.

“What’s obvious?”

“Us,” I state. “We belong together, Jill.” She raises her brows in feigned confusion.

“Do we?”

“Yes.”

“You want to convince me?” I nod. “Give it your best shot, Lawless. Show me what you’ve got.” With that, she climbs into her car and drives away. I watch until her car disappears around the corner.

Her words of challenge spark something inside me. She has no idea who she’s dealing with. Jill expects me to just try and fuck her into submission. The thought has occurred to me, but I’m not nearly dumb enough to think that’s all it would take to get around my girl’s stubbornness.

She wants to see what I’ve got? I’ll show her exactly what I’m capable of.

And I’m going to savor it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jill

I sense their presence over my shoulder before I see them.

Someone’s here in my room with me.

Walking into my apartment after a shift has never been ominous before. I work nights more often than not, and I’ve never been afraid of the dark. But now that it’s just me and someone lurking in the darkness, alarm bells are going off in my brain.

Trying to remain relaxed, I slowly slide my hand under my pillow. Dread settles in my stomach like a ball of lead when I’m met with nothing but cool fabric.

“Looking for this?” The deep voice is punctuated by the metallic sound of my switchblade springing open. “You should find a better place to hide it. Under your pillow is very predictable.”

I turn to face Gage, where he sits on my vanity chair in the corner of my bedroom.

“What are you doing here?”

“You told me to show you what I’ve got.”

“So you decided to break into my apartment?” I ask, unimpressed. He shakes his head with a smirk, his intense eyes smoldering at me.

“I’ve been in this apartment every single night for the past five months.” His head tilts, dark eyes glittering. “Tonight, I let you see me.”

There’s no way.

So many small moments flood my brain—all those mornings I woke up swearing I could smell him in my room, the way painkillers and water were always waiting for me on the nightstand, waking up with a clean face without remembering taking my makeup off. I knew I was giving my drunken-self too much credit.

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