Page 11 of Borden 3

I never pushed.

But I sensed Kate’s presence. When I knew when he was thinking about her, I felt her around us. His eyes would be open, but he wasn’t really seeing anything. Something in his expression told me he was back there. In some moment. He’d be stuck inside that memory for seconds. Never more than that. But in just those few seconds, I saw an eternity play out before my eyes. An eternity he could have had with her. The crevice within him, deep and jagged, filled with his pain and with his torment. Then he would blink twice real quick, look around, remind himself where he was before his mask went back up.

Yes, Kate may have been dead, but she still existed between us, like a ghost that wasn’t put to rest.

Sort of like my past.

“I’ll make you that promise, Doll,” he said suddenly. “Because it matters to you. Because I want to please you. Should I ever have to choose…Lincoln’s safety will come first.”

My body relaxed with relief. “Thank you, Marcus.”

“But I have another promise…” he added, his voice growing eerily cold. “Should a day like that ever come, I promise to set the fucking earth on fire and bleed out any fucking cunt that ever thought he could go unscathed for hurting my alleycat.”

Despite it all, I felt my lips twitch. “That’s a lot of fires.”

“It still wouldn’t burn hotter than what I feel for you, Emma.”

I turned my head to look at him, meeting solemn blue eyes. “I like when you’re being romantic…in a violent sort of way.”

He didn’t return the humour. He just stared at me, his eyes pinned to my mouth. His jaw was clenched. I shifted my body to face him and ran my fingers over his hard face, trying to relax his muscles. “None of that, please. Not in this bed.”

“I don’t like the power you have over me, Doll.” His words were delivered harshly. “It doesn’t make me feel in charge.”

“You’re in charge,” I assured him. “Everyone is terrified of you.”

But he shook his head softly, whispering, “Not anymore.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he took my hand off his face and kissed my palm. “I have to meet with Hector. Then I’m going to pick up Lincoln from that scathing old granny of yours. You stay in bed, recover from that earth shattering orgasm, and I’ll come back for round two.”

I shot him a sleepy smile. “Promise?”

“I’ve had enough of promises for one day.” He slipped out of the bed and began to dress again. “It’s more of a demand, alleycat. It would be preferable if you had your ass up in the air.”

“What if I’m sore?”

“What if I don’t care?” I giggled, and at the sound, his lips flinched. “I really can’t get enough of that tight pussy milking me dry, Doll, but fuck me, I think your giggles are another pleasure altogether.”

My cheeks heated as I buried my face in the pillow. He still made me shy, even after all these years.

He also kept me hanging too.

No goodbyes, he left the room without another word.

Chapter Five

Borden

“I’ll be picking up Link today,” Borden told Darlene as he cruised the streets to the latest shitfuckery.

“Where’s Emma?” Darlene asked.

“She’s sleeping. Leave her alone.”

Getting Emma to sleep at all was a miracle. He had a hunch Darlene knew this.

The old lady huffed for a moment. Borden could hear her slow footsteps over the phone. “How many more funerals will you put her through?”

Borden didn’t answer that. “I’ll be running about an hour late. Will you manage?”

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