Page 22 of His Daggered Heart

“It isn’t, sweetness, I promise. Go.”

“Fine,” she huffs, grabbing all her stuff from the floor and leaving me as she walks away. “Hurry up, Kohen. I need to get home.”

I run after her. “Why do you call him Lee?” I ask, desperation for her to look at me and forgive me. I’m still angry but I’m also so fucking confused about the combating emotions.

She rolls her eyes before looking straight into mine, hand plopped on her hip. “His name is Levi. I call him Lee for short. Is that really how you want to start this conversation?”

“Well, no but I told you that’s what my mom called me.”

Realization hits and all the attitude drains from her body. “Oh shit, Kohen, my bad. I didn’t remember.” She looks as if she is realizing something else. “Fuck. I didn’t think, maybe that’s where I had heard it and it just stuck. I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine,” I say, walking past her.

“Is it fine, Kohen? Because I thought we were past this? What the fuck is wrong with you? I told you Levi and I are just-”

I cut her off with a kiss, trapping her against the building. I’m desperate for her. I’m angry at her. I hate how she drives me so fucking crazy but I love her.

She fights me off, not wanting this, not wanting me.

“Kohen, what the hell?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, taking a step back and raking my hands through my hair. “One second I’m okay and the next I’m going fucking crazy feeling like I’m not enough for you.”

“Since when? I thought we were moving on. I thought we forgave each other. What changed between movie night and now?”

“Xzavien. You mentioned him and my thoughts spiraled. I was going to talk to you, so I came here to work it out and get my thoughts together. Then I was going to take you out and open up like Cora said to, but then I saw you here with him. His hands were on you and it should be me, my hands.”

I trap her again. Her hand on my chest over my heart stops me. She reaches up and her thumb grazes my cheek softly, my eyes shutting.

“I am yours, Kohen. You own me, mind, body, and soul. My heart beats for you, all the pieces of it belong to you. I know they stabbed you before but I promise they are smooth now. They won’t cut you ever again.”

My eyes open and meet her brown ones, the warmth there promising me she is telling the truth. A tear falls and I catch it.

“You’re acting like a beast,” she says with a weak smile on her face.

“Will you be the beauty to my beast, angel? You woke him up, after all.”

She laughs. “I’m sorry you’re struggling with all this. I know it’s my fault but I can’t keep apologizing for what you already said you forgave me for.”

“I know, angel.” I move her hair behind her ear. “We need to talk. There’s more I need to say and I want this to be good, to last.”

“Me too,” she whispers, looking up at me through her lashes. She tiptoes and places a gentle kiss on my lips, passing her love through me, my pretty poison.

Maybe all I needed was this little hit.

Chapter 19

Alex

Myheartracesandthe scenery around me is fuzzy like I’m in a speeding car. The wind blows through my hair and I’m dizzy as I make my way to his truck. Only I don’t see it here. I see his new motorcycle. As if I wasn’t already reeling from the way he acted back there. I wanted to be mad but Levi seemed to have understood something I didn’t. All I saw was him mistreating my best friend, a man who he should be grateful for and not envious of.

“Is this what you drove here?”

He smirks and I gulp. “What’s the matter, angel? Never taken a ride like this?” His hips thrust and I roll my eyes.

“You’re so stupid,” I laugh. “And no, I’ve never been on a motorcycle before. I have fantasized about being fucked over one, but I can admit I’m a little fucking scared.’ The thought of my life in someone else’s hands scares the shit out of me. This has zero protection if we get hit and Texas drivers are crazy.

“It’s okay, angel, I got you.” He steps up, invading the space I left between us and stealing my breath. The dynamic between us has changed. Kohen and I have changed too, both individually and as a couple. It’s as if my toxicity filtered into him and poisoned his body while he was bleeding his love into me where my heart pierced his. I look up at him, the king who once reigned over me is broken, and I broke him. I did to him what all the people in my life did to me.

---