Page 89 of Filthy Liar

Is.

Mine.

“Why?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why am Iitfor you? Because you feel like you have a claim on me?” she asks.

“No,” I grunt. “Because I’ve never felt this way before. Because I fucking love you.”

DILLION

Love.

That is something I didn’t think I’d hear from him. That he loves me. Humble stares at me, appearing pissed as hell that he said those words. I’m too shocked to have a response immediately. Watching him, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to think.

“How can you love me when you feel like you own me?” I ask.

He chuckles as if this is funny. Nothing about this is funny to me. In fact, it does nothing but piss me off more and more. I want to scream at him. I want to tell him to leave me alone. I want to turn around and run.

I do none of those things. Instead, my eyes flick up and connect to his. His gaze searches mine. Then he clears his throat before he speaks. When he does, I am surprised by his words.

“I don’t own you, baby. It was made very clear to your brother that you would be mine when he died. But that was mostly a threat. I was in prison. I couldn’t do shit.”

“But…” My words trail off.

I’m not sure what I’m going to say. What I’m going to do. Because I want to believe him, but I don’t. I just can’t. I know what I’ve been told, and he’s trying to twist that around. He can say that he doesn’t feel as if he owns me, but it’s simply not true. He feels that way, even if I don’t agree—he does.

“The club thinks I own you, and I let them think that. It’s something that they brokered and announced. But the simple fact is that I fell for you. It’s why I didn’t just take you. Sure, it was fun to sneak into your house, but at the same time, I wasn’t ready to claim you in front of the club yet.”

“Why?” I ask in a whisper.

I’m not sure how I should respond to his words. I don’t buy them completely yet. I want to because my heart wants him. My body does, too. All of me wants him, and I’m angry with myself for falling for him.

“Because I wanted to get to know you. I wanted you to fall for me. The way I fell for you the moment I laid my eyes on you the first time I saw you.”

“Humble,” I breathe.

I’m not sure what to say. If I believe him or not. I want to. I really want to. My gaze slowly slides to my feet. I know the truth. I know there isn’t anything special about me. I know I’m nothing to look at, and if anyone wanted me in any capacity, it had to be in this one—given, owned, taken… traded.

“Baby?” he calls out softly.

My heart slams against my ribs as I stare at him. I don’t know what I’m going to say. I know what I want to say, but I don’t want there to be an argument. I know what and who I am. He doesn’t need to feed me anything extra about myself and build me up with some kind of false hope or narrative.

“You don’t have to sell me anything,” I whisper. “I’m part of this life,” I say, lifting my hand and waving my fingers around the hallway.

He doesn’t say anything immediately. He watches me for a silent moment. My breath hitches as he leans forward and touches his mouth to mine. I can feel his breathing against my lips. It’s sexy, and I have to press my thighs together.

“I ain’t selling a fuckin’ thing, baby,” he whispers against my lips. “It’s the fucking truth that I fell for you. I have fallen for you. You’re beautiful, sexy, funny, and kind. I think the kind part is what holds me more than anything else.”

I almost call him a liar, but I don’t. I watch him, unsure of what to say or how to feel. What to think. I don’t have the opportunity to say a single word. He applies a bit more pressureagainst my lips. Then I feel his tongue slide across the seam before it slips inside of my mouth and tastes me.

“You’re mine, Dillion, but not because I own you. Because I fucking love you and want you to be mine. You don’t want me, you can walk away, but I'm not sure I’ll be able to let you go anywhere.”

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR

CLINK

Confessingmy love for Dillion was not on my bingo card for tonight, and yet, I fucking did that… after fucking her. Taking her hand in mine, I guide her away from the hallway and back into the bar.

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