Page 140 of Bake the Town Red

“I couldn’t deny it a second longer.” His lips quirk at one side, offering me a sad smile. “Dahl, you should know I’m still nowhere near the man I used to be. Never will be.”

My lips form a smile for him too.

“I’m not afraid anymore. You should know that too.” His confidence is hot as hell. “It took me years—took me kissing you—to get over the fear of losing you. At first, I thought one kiss and I’ll go back to hiding. Couldn’t. I was suffocating without you. You’re addictive, beautiful, mesmerizing.Mine. I had to fight for you. Fight myself to get back to you.”

That feeling I have when I’m onto a new recipe? The butterflies, the rush. The high from imagining my customers’ smiles.

That’s nice.

This—Tyler and his brutal honesty—that’s better. So much better. Even baby spiders can’t compare.

My throat is clogged. My lungs burn.

“I have nothing left to lose, little savage.” His smile widens by some. He tries, for me. “My anger? Gone. Anxieties? Not here. Money, apartment, my fuckingthings? I don’t give a fuck. You, though? I can’t lose you. You’re mine. I hate how I let this go on for so long. How fucked my brain had been. I’m so sorry. I wish I could go back to that day in my old apartment. Erase the years we weren’t together. I’m not sure I regret it, because it gave me a peace of mind, knowing you were safe, but—”

He doesn’t finish his sentence. He assaults me with his lips. This kiss, unlike the other before it, is hungry. Ravenous. This is desperation layered with hundreds of hundreds of apologies. I don’t need them. It’s really nice to have them, though.

“I forgive you, Tyler.” I don’t tell him I forgave him the day he left our apartment complex and never returned. I like hisapologies just where they are, thank you very much. “I love you.”

“I swore to you before and I swear it again.” His lips are swollen. I bit them just now when we kissed. Marked the man as mine. “Fate won’t take you from me. No one will. I’d like to see them try. I’d kill every person in this city, and I won’t lose sleep over it, if that means keeping you safe. So, yes, we’re going to come up with a plan. We’re going to hunt the FyndUsHere Killer down. Then we’re eliminating the threat. We’ll eliminate all the ones that come after them.”

“You could help me with killing people, too. In the bakery, if you’d like.”

“I’d love to.” He studies my face. Sees through me. “When did you start? It was a meltdown, wasn’t it? And I wasn’t there. Fuck, I—”

“Shh.”

Air surges into my lungs. I realize how desperate I’ve been to have him back in my life. The only person other than my brother who ever understood me without words. The only person Iwantedto understand me.

“Yes, it was a meltdown. My chest tightened, and I felt it coming in September that first year you were gone. Simmering beneath my skin. I’d see flashes of Al in my apartment.” I growl with anger. “Trailing behind me when I went to work. And you weren’t there, Ty. You wouldn’t have been there if I lost my shit.” His forehead crinkles, and I’m quick to reassure him. “I couldn’t blame you. Still don’t. I had to deal with it myself.”

“I’m so sorry, Dahlia. So sorry.”

He means to kiss me. I put my hand on his lips, pushing him back. I don’t do pity. No. Nope.

“My body talked to me. Something inside guided me to do what I did. I started compiling a list of worthless people, and that calmed me.”

That day in the bakery, one of my favorite customers walked in with a bruise on her cheek. Well, she didn’t actually walk inside. Her filth of a husband dragged her there by her arm, almost breaking it. That was my cue. The sign telling me where to start.

“Killing them made the pain go away. October ended, and the itch went along with it. The year after, the itch and Al both returned in June. By then, I knew how to handle it. I looked forward to October and then ones that followed.”

“I won’t ask you to stop,” Tyler deadpans, ending our conversation. Good thing he does. My eyes are getting heavy. “And I’ll take you up on your offer and join you.”

“Yay,” I murmur. “I have just the right person for you to start with. In a few days, you’ll start with a bang. Until then, you’re welcome to watch. You need to build up stamina.”

He chuckles, then hugs me so tight that it’s hard to breathe.

I wish he’ll suffocate me every day for the rest of my life.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Tyler

Dahlia’s not cleaning up the shop as I approach Sweet DeNights.

For the past six days, I didn’t look for her either. I strolled around the back, respecting her wishes and being a spectator.

This evening, I’m going right into Sweet DeNights.

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