Page 105 of Shadow and Skulls

Okay. One step forward and two back.

I spend the rest of the night reading the letters that the club wrote to Kelsie before Dan and Lily adopted her. They’re all addressed to her at the mental health facility where she met Billie Rose.

It confirms what I already knew. It’s what sets this club apart from the others.

I’d want to be a member of this club even if she wasn’t part of the package.

I shut the lights off, putting the chips away before heading to bed. As I pass the window, I notice a dark figure hovering in the shadows. I pull the curtain aside. The cherry of a cigarette burns brightly. I want to rip it from her mouth, but I understand. I take a deep breath and step away from the window.

Reaching over, I flick the deadbolt on the door, unlocking it.

I wait for what feels like hours before her naked body slides over mine. She places one of her small hands over my mouth, staring down at me.

She’s not here to talk.

She takes my index finger and draws it over every scar on her body. And there are many. She knows I’ve already seen them, but she also knows that my hands have purposely avoided them.Not because they bother me. I just haven’t wanted to make her self-conscious.

I’ve read every word of every report ever written about what happened to her. It’s nothing compared to reading it in the braille stamped across her skin.

My fingers continue to roam over her body after she releases my hand. Slowly, she lowers herself onto my cock. Her eyes never leave mine. She’s letting me know she’s okay. She’s strong. No one can break this girl.

Maybe that’s what drew her to me.

She picks up her pace, and it takes everything in me to not grab her and flip her onto her back, taking control. But she needs this. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be here.

I bite my lip, holding off, waiting for her to finish. She notices my struggle and smiles. Vixen. She lets her eyes fall closed, and then she comes so hard it grabs me by the dick, and I have no choice but to follow her into bliss. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close.

My little shadow rests her face on my chest, still straddling me. Her tears wet my skin, so I hold her tighter. Eventually her sobs quiet, replaced by the softest of snores.

I run my fingers over her back lightly. I’ve never felt this level of intimacy with anyone before. I don’t think I’ve ever been with someone who has let me see all of them so completely.

Chapter Forty-Five

Tank

When I get to the warehouse, I’m welcomed as if I’d never left. My gaze scans the faces of club members, looking for her.

“She’s not here. She went to the big game,” Jackson says, handing me a beer and guiding me outside.

I stop abruptly. “She’s at the school?”

He nods, looking at me over the rim of his beer.

“Shit. I just remembered I left my damn stove on. I’ll catch you guys next time.”

A big hand wraps around the back of my neck, pushing me forward.

“Well, your fucking shitty little trailer is just going to have to go up in smoke, because you aren’t going anywhere,” Dan grits out, squeezing harder than necessary.

He pushes me out onto the patio.

“Did a craft store throw up out here?” I ask as he shoves my ass into a chair.

Charlotte comes bounding over to me. “Just wait till you see the one we made. Mommy is bringing it up from the cabin.”

It’s then I notice this is more of a family gathering than a club party. Parents are leaning over their kids as they work together …what are they making?I lean forward just as Charlotte thrusts a glowing lantern in my face.

“Isn’t it pretty?”

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