Page 66 of Sugar and Skulls

His forehead drops to the back of my head. He nods against it.

I quickly turn in his arms. “Crow mentioned her…” my words fade as they leave my mouth.

Dirk cups his black hand over the side of my face, his thumb rubbing slowly back and forth over my cheek. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Crow, Bill, and your mom if you tell me who did this to you.” The fingertips of his other hand rain lightly over the scabs that have formed on my face.

“You’ll be disappointed in me.”

His eyes turn the deepest color of the ocean. A dark blue that makes me want to fall into them and drown. Dirk uses his thumb to trace over the seam of my lips. I bite my tongue to keep it from sneaking out to taste him. His eyes reel me in. “You could never disappoint me.” He leans in so close I think he is going to kiss me.

My eyes fall closed as his thumb vanishes to makes room for his mouth. The sensation is so intense my legs give way, the only reason I stay upright is the press of his body against mine.

I breath in deeply as he presses his lips against mine. He smells like a warm summer breeze. He coaxes my lips to part, his tongue hesitantly seeking mine. The moment they touch his kiss deepens. His hands slide around the back of my head pulling us closer together. My heart falls into my stomach at an alarming rate.

My hands fly up to his chest. I don’t know if I should pull him closer or push him away. Holy hell, he’s solid. My heart gives in. I abandon his chest, exploring higher. My palms roam over his shoulders, climbing his neck, reaching the sexy dark scruff that covers his cheeks.

I grab his face pulling him closer. He moans into my mouth as I do. The sound vibrates to the deepest parts of me awakening the woman who’s been sheltering herself in the darkest parts of herself. That woman wants to come out and see if the sun still chases the moon.

Dirk’s kiss makes me believe in the possibility of seeing the sunset the way I did when I was ten with chalky hands, a grumbly tummy, and dreams of roller skates.

He pulls away slowly, my body sways towards his as if we are magnetized. When the force lets go he stumbles back. We stare at each other for several minutes until our breath slows and our hearts return to a normal tempo.

He smirks, licking his lips, stopping to give his tongue ring a flip. Holy, holly mother of god.

Raffe comes in, stomping his feet on the rug to knock mud off his boots. When he looks up from his task his eyes bounce between the two of us. “Everything okay in here?” he asks, my ears picking up on the hint of jealousy.

I swivel to face the sink, grabbing a glass from the dish rack. I fill it, watching the water rise, listening for any signs of what’s going on behind me.

“Things are great. She’s been talking and we just had our first kiss. I think it’s rendered her speechless.”

The glass slides out of my hand dropping into the sink with a loud clank. Dirk reaches around, taking the glass from me. He fills it and walks away. I hear him set it down on the breakfast bar. “Have a seat, Jess. We are just getting started.”

Raffe comes to stand by me. He takes my hand in his and guides me back to the breakfast bar. He takes a seat and pulls me into his lap, keeping me wrapped in the safety of his arms. Dirk sits across from us. His eyes slide over us, contentment resting over his features. He leans forward narrowing in on me. “Tell me about Crow.”

I pull the glass of water to me, slowly taking a drink. Stalling the inevitable. As I set the glass back down I ask, “What happens if I don’t talk?”

“Oh, you’ll talk. We aren’t leaving this cabin until you do. You have quite a bit of freedom right now. You’re able to move around the cabin freely, but if silence becomes the norm that freedom will dwindle until you have no choice but to give me what I want.”

“Which are my words?” I shift on Raffe’s lap. Images of being tied up with the two of them makes me feel a little funny.

“No. Your pain.”

Crossing my arms over my chest I sit up straighter on Raffe’s lap.

“What’s stopping you, Jess?” Raffe asks running his hand over my stomach in circles.

That’s a good question. What is stopping me? Obviously, Dirk knows a hell of a lot more about me than I thought. He already knows about the drugs. He’s seen the photo of William and me. He killed the priest for me.He killed for me.

“Does my Dad know I’m here?”

Dirk nods.

“Did you show him the picture?”

“I told you I wouldn’t show anyone.” He flicks his lighter sending it sliding across the table. It stops in front of me. He pushes the ashtray into the middle and sets the photo carefully inside. He nods his head towards it.

Raffe lets his hands fall to his side. I pull the ashtray towards me and stare into the eyes of a scared little girl, clinging to the first boy she felt safe with. A boy I helped get out of here. A boy who will soon be a father.

Gabriel is dead. William is safe and happy. And I’m….

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