Page 74 of Dolly

He brings his gaze in line with mine, back to serious.

“I’ll never stop loving you, Abigail.” He hasn’t misunderstood my words; he just knows me better than myself sometimes. He’s more in tune with my heart.

I swallow back the rush of emotion. How do I respond without sounding silly? How can I ever make him understand the depth of my feelings?

“I swear it too,” I say softly. Not eloquent, but the truth.

He grabs ahold of my wrists, pinning them above me, and drives into my sex with all the force I can handle.

“This is our bond,” he says in his raspy voice, his breath hot against my ear.

“Together,” I moan, bucking my hips upward.

“Forever.”

As though the words stroke me better than his touch, my body lights up. Pulling my knees up and farther apart, he grinds his hips until I lose control. Nerves burst, screams erupt, lights flash, and while I’m in the midst of heaven, he pumps his cock faster and harder than before, bringing me away from the edge only to plummet me back. Only this time, he’s with me. Screaming his release in time with mine. We find our relief, we find our home, we find our love in each other.

Together.

Forever.

Thirty

BRIAN

Pierce sits in a corner booth, as far away from the entrance as he can get. I pick him out of the small crowd easily. He’s the only one in a suit.

When I pulled into the diner, I noticed the cars in the lot. It seems he came alone. My guard is still up, no matter what he promised on the call.

“Brian.” Pierce inclines his head as I approached the booth.

A waitress appears, a pot of coffee in hand. “Need a menu?” she asks while pouring me a cup.

“We’ll both have the BLT club,” Pierce says, handing her the oversized, laminated menu he had in front of him.

“Be out in a few minutes,” she says and disappears.

“Thanks for meeting me.” Pierce folds his hands on the tabletop and keeps his gaze locked on me.

I glance around the diner again, then out the window at the parking lot.

“No one but me. I swear.” He splays his hands out.

I roll my shoulders, but the tension doesn’t ease. If this goes south, Abigail is going to be on her own. She’s a strong woman, she can handle herself, but she shouldn’t have to. She’s had enough people in her life let her down. I won’t be like them.

“I was surprised when I heard you on the television.” Pierce had given an interview a few weeks back. He’d looked right in the camera and talked about needing to find Abigail to be sure she got the care she needed. He wanted to be sure she was safe after all the horrors she’s been through. Apparently, they’ve been watching the tapes.

Pierce isn’t dumb, at least not as stupid as I thought he was. He knew playing the Abigail card would get to me.

“I meant what I said. I do want to be sure she’s okay.” He looks away for a brief moment. “And you…the things…” He clears his throat.

“Yeah, we’ve been through some shit.” I save him from having to spell it out. Why should we both have the discomfort of my serial rape? I can’t muster the contempt maybe I should have for his discomfort. I wasn’t any different when I was the one on that side of the table. Thinking I had the answers, the right words to make the victim feel better. As though they could heal with a few well-placed syllables.

“Is she okay?”

“Where was this concern during the initial investigation?” I change the subject.

He blows out a low breath. “Todd did a fan-fucking-tastic job of derailing us. You were only there a day, and the day you were there wasn’t our best. We’d been combing through useless websites, reports, and pictures for months when you and Cathy showed up.”

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