Page 95 of Bleeding Blackheart

I try to think of the last time I had the nightmare, and I can’t remember. “No. I just love your voice and want to hear it.”

He makes a pleased sound. “I love your voice more, Montana Elizabeth.”

I laugh softly. “You really like saying my name, don’t you?”

“I fucking love it.”

I love hearing my name roll off his tongue. “How come you never include my last name?” My last name is from a man who’s dead to me. Literally and figuratively. But it’s still a part of me, no matter how much I dislike it.

He looks into my eyes with a glint in his. “Because I hate your goddamn last name, Montana Elizabeth. And I’m thinking it’s time we change it. To Winter.”

39

Montana

Three Months Later

Isit on our brand new California king mattress in a white sports bra and booty shorts while Gunner gets our brand new bedsheets in the washing machine. We’ve been sleeping on the floor for the past three days since we moved into our new home, and I know I’m going to sleep like a rock when we go to bed tonight.

I have my hair in box braids that Gunner helped me put in. It probably took three times as long as it would have if I’d gone somewhere to get them done, but we had time to kill, and he wanted to learn, so I taught him, and we had a lot of fun together.

My purse sits on the edge of the bed, and I grab it, pulling out my strawberry lipgloss. When I look inside, I see my wallet. Even after weeks have gone by, I still feel the need to pinch myself, in disbelief that I have a driver’s license again. And a cell phone. My fiancé boughtme a new phone. I’m still only allowed to have the phone numbers he plugged into it, but I don’t care. It’s not like there’s anyone else I feel like talking to anyway.

I stand up and go to our bedroom window, marveling at the mountains in the distance. Gunner was right. I do love Snoqualmie. Violet and Skye love it too. Gunner was already obsessed from the first time he came here.

Colt’s Camero is in our driveway. I guess I should start calling it our Camero. When he found out we got engaged, he gave it to us as an engagement gift. We’re hoping to invite him out soon to say thanks. He’s been tied up with a lot of family and personal business in Georgia, but hopefully he’ll get everything smoothed over soon. Apparently his father’s sick, and when he got back in town, he found out he was a father himself. Of a four-year-old. His best friend Jamal died five years ago, and apparently a hookup with Jamal’s baby sister after the funeral was the cause. He left town and never knew about his child, and now he wants to get his family back together.

Dallas wants to come out and see us too, but I think his interest has less to do with seeing us and more to do with getting away from Cali. Gunner and I are moving forward with our ranch and working on our family business, but Dallas is still a hitman on the side. He keeps talking about killing Cali, and I’m scared he might. I’m not sure aboutColt’s side hustles. He seems too sweet to do anything like that. At least that’s how he seems on the outside.

My stomach growls, and I know we need to eat lunch soon. I’m getting ready to go look for Gunner when he comes back into the room from doing his chores. His hair is a little longer than it was a few months ago, like mine, but he stays clean-shaven for the most part.

“Don’t you look cute enough to eat?” he growls, playing with the puff at the top of my white beanie.

I wrap my arms around his neck and stand on my toes to kiss him. “I do. But you can eat me later. I need real food right now.”

He lifts me by my ass, wrapping my legs around his hips. “Semen has a lot of nutrients.”

I wiggle when he tickles me. “Yeah. But it’s not nearly as filling as a burger is.”

He sighs and puts me down reluctantly. “Fine. Go put something on, and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

I nudge him playfully and move my hands down my body. “I’m already dressed.”

His eyes nearly pop out of his head, but he relaxes when he realizes I’m joking. “You better find something to cover that ass if you plan on leaving this house. No one gets to look at my wife’s body but me.”

Gunner started calling me his wife the night I agreed to marry him, and it’s one of my favorite things. I still like to give him a hard time about it though. “I’m not your wife yet.”

He slaps my ass. “You will be. Hurry up and get dressed. I want to get home quickly so we can break in our new bed.”

I change out of my outfit quickly, slipping into a white sweater with white skinny jeans and beige heeled boots. Gunner puts on a beige sweater and blue jeans with a beige hat, and once his shoes are on, he scoops me up and carries me downstairs.

When we’re in the car, he pulls up his GPS on his phone. “Fast food or sit-down?”

Fast food would be the easiest option, but I’ve been addicted to this restaurant right down the road. “Sit-down. The diner.”

Gunner pulls onto the main road, a hand on my thigh and the other on the wheel while he drives. I turn on our heated seats, keeping us warm with the cool temperature outside. We got groceries early this morning as we may get snowed in later. Fortunately we have enough firewood and hot chocolate to last us several weeks.

As soon as we get to the restaurant, we’re seated right away. I love when Gunner sits right beside me at the table,but I also love nights like this when he sits across from me and I can look into his eyes.

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