“Go ahead,” I snap at him as he stalks toward me. “Kill me, andthenyou can reevaluate who’s the fucking selfish one in the room, but you know,” I pause, ignoring the fear thrumming through my body. “Your brother didn’t want you to die. He didn’t turn you in, because he believed you could get better.”
“Yeah, jokes on him,” he scoffs. “I’m too far gone.”
Defeat riddles my chest, and my shoulders drop. “Nothing I can say is going to change your mind, so go ahead.” I gaze down at my hands, trembling as I wrap them around me, mentally readying myself for my end. “Just make sure you find a way to let my fucking family know. I have people who will miss me.”
Turner says nothing in response, looming over me like the Grim Reaper, the gun still hovering near my head. I squeeze my eyes shut. Unlike me, I know Turner will make good on his threat. I never could’ve killed him. I don’t kill the people I love like he does. And while the realization of having feelings for him is shocking, it’s not nearly as shocking as the way I’mokaywith those feelings.
“It was always going to end like this,” I say under my breath, thinking back through it all..
“What?” Turner demands, his voice thick. “What did you say?”
I tip my head back, meeting his red-eyed gaze with my own equally heartbroken one. “It was always going to end like this. You said it from the very beginning. There was never going to be an alternate ending like I let myself believe. Even till the very end, when I knew it all, I believed you could change, and I thinkthat’s the biggest mistake I made here.” My chest tightens with pain, and I choke back a fresh sob.
Turner drops to his knees in front of me, resting against his heels. He ejects the magazine and then the bullet from the chamber. “Better?” He tosses it across the floor again. “I don’t have it in me, Em. I can’t kill you when I’m stillhere.I’d only ever hurt you if… If I’mnot—and that’s what scares me.”
I reach for him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He kisses my cheek, threading his arm around my waist. His lips graze across my skin, and as I’m pressed against him, I can feel his heartbeat, alive and well—even if his mind isn’t.
Maybe I am being selfish.I suck in a sharp breath as I lean away, studying his face. “I’m sorry. I want what’s best for you.”
“Em,” he says, his voice soft as he thumbs away the tears from my cheeks. “We can figure it out, but this…” Turner’s gaze jumps to the gun on the floor. “This isn’t the way to do it. I’m too tired of spilling blood, and while I think I belong in the ground, you don’t—and I’ll respect that.”
“That’s the only reason?”
He chuckles, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face. “I mean, right now, that’s what I’ve got.”
I mirror it batting away fresh tears. “I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything for Christmas. I don’t have skills like this.” I brush my finger over the necklace. “It’s incredible.”
“This was by far, the best Christmas I’ve had in years.” He runs his hand along my outer thigh. “You gave me more than you realize.” I nod, throwing myself into him again and holding on tight. “I’ll be good,” Turner murmurs into my hair. “I can be good for you. It’ll just take me some time to figure it out.”
“I know,” I say, clinging to him. I was just minutes away from losing him forever, and the reality of that sinks in with every passing moment. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out.”
Turner kisses the top of my head, and then lifts me up, wrapping his arms around my ass. “I’m tired of being in here.”
He carries me out, breathing in deeply as we reach the fresh air. “I had no idea you had it in you to kick in a door.”
I laugh. “Me either, but desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess.”
Shaking his head, he steps up onto the back porch, and then heads inside of the cabin. He shuts the door behind Gunner, and then heads straight for the bedroom. He shuts the dog out, and then drops me down on the bed.
He climbs onto it beside me, and then cups my cheek in his hand. “You’re the best unplanned gift I’ve ever gotten.” Turner leans down and presses his lips to mine, and I nip at his lower lip. Groaning, he glides his hand to the bottom of my sweater, tugging it up over my head.
I unsnap my bra and then kick off my shoes as he tugs at my leggings. I then go for his shirt, pulling it off him. We finish methodically undressing each other, and I soak it in. I have no freaking idea what we’re going to do when this holiday is over—when real life comes back.
When everyone finds out that Adam is gone.It’s going to be a whirlwind of scrutiny and coverups, but if it makes me a bad person to already know I’ll cover for him, then so be it. He uses his knee to part my legs, situating himself between them.
I nip at his bottom lip, drawing out a groan from deep in his chest. “I don’t care if you’re dangerous. I still want you.”
“You’re a brave woman,” he counters, grabbing my chin and running his thumb along my mouth. He presses against my lips, and I suck it into the warmth of my mouth. Turner watches me with a dark expression, tinged with lust and desire. The tip of his cock brushes my entrance, and I rock my hips toward him, desperate to have him again.
I don’t care if he’s fucking insane.
I’m pretty sure I am, too.
“Fuck, Em,” he rasps as he presses himself into my pussy, already soaked and ready for him. “You always feel so good.” His breaths deepen as he fills me the rest of the way, his hooded eyes hazy as they hold mine.
He pulls his thumb from my mouth, and I drop back on the bed, gazing up at him. His features are softer as he thrusts in and out of me, dropping his head to kiss my lips. And even then, his kiss is more careful and slower, as if he’s purposefully taking his time with me.
I thread my fingers through his dark locks, as his mouth trails down my jaw, neck, and then dips lower to my chest. I grind against him, riding the high as arousal pumps through my body, drawing me toward the edge. My nails dig into his scalp as I arch my back.