Page 71 of A Twisted Gift

“Too good,” he mumbles breathlessly. “Gonna have this pussy dripping with my cum morning, day, and night.”

The thought has me smiling up at him. He told me that he had a procedure done a few years ago that will stop him from getting me pregnant, so there’s nothing to worry about. I’m glad we’re on the same page about that. Erik and I would be nothing like my father, but after what we both went through as kids, I can’t imagine bringing a child into this world.

When Erik finally pulls out of me, he stares in between my legs, his gaze heating. It takes a few seconds, but then I feel liquid dripping out of me. His fingers are there in a split second, pushing his cum back into me.

“That’s better,” he mutters to himself. “Back where it belongs.”

I’m not sure why, but that has gratification winding through me. Holding my arms out to him, I murmur, “Come back down here.”

He collapses next to me and pulls me into his body. We’re both a little sweaty and still out of breath, but I can’t find it in me to care. I press a kiss to his chest, a feeling of contentment slipping over me.

This is what love feels like,my mind whispers. Safe. Unending. Warm.

And he’s all mine.

Chapter twenty-two

Raina

Three months after Charles’s death

“Raina!”

Marissa flies out of her car and up the driveway as I run down the front steps. We crash into each other, a mess of limbs and tears.

I wasn’t able to reach out to her until a few days ago. For however much I wanted to support her through the aftermath of everyone’s deaths, we had to be careful. Erik was worried that the police might be watching Marissa to see if she was behind the murders, and he didn’t want me getting caught up in the investigation.

It killed me, keeping Marissa in the dark, but I know it was for the best. My existence—or lack thereof, depending on who you talk to—would raise a lot of questions that would lead to me and Erik being suspects. I took comfort in the fact that Erik somehow had inside information on the investigation. He promised me that if the murders got blamed on Marissa, he’d work behind the scenes to prove her innocence.

I’m just grateful it didn’t come to that.

“I was so worried about you,” Marissa exclaims, pulling back and holding me at arm’s length. “Oh, Raina, I’m so sorry. I should’ve done more to protect you.”

“I forgive you.”

Tears shine in Marissa’s eyes, almost hiding her shock. “You do?”

“He hurt you, too, didn’t he?”

“Not the way he hurt you,” Marissa whispers. “He never hit me or locked me away.”

“But he threatened you.”

She hesitates and then nods.

“Often?”

Looking down, Marissa nods again. “It was why I was always the good kid. Being his favorite was the safest place to be.”

Pushing her hair out of her face, I say, “He ruled over you with fear. I used to think he loved you, but…” I lift my gaze to Erik, who’s leaning against the front door and watching us with a faint smile on his lips. “I’ve learned that that’s not actually love.”

“I know,” she whispers. “I’ve known for a while, even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but I still didn’t try to get you out. Not until it was too late. Not until—”

“Shh, shh.” I wrap my arms around her. “I saw how he threatened you, Mar. I’ll always wish you could’ve helped me, but I understand that you couldn’t.”

A warm breeze wraps around both of us. Spring has finally shown up, although the weather app on my phone says there’ll be a cold snap this weekend.

The moment the temperature got to above fifty degrees, Erik started finding me curled up in the window seat he had made for me, taking in the fresh air. It makes him laugh, seeing me cuddled up under three blankets just to have the window open, but he told me he doesn’t mind. As long as I remember to lock the window afterward, that is. He’s particularly insistent on that.

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