Page 165 of Bake the Town Red

That’s how we buy time while we’ve been conspiring against him. I doubt he realizes that.

I doubt he has the slightest clue that tomorrow, October 31st, will be his last day on this planet.

Tyler hides his yawn behind a cough.

My baby.

I should show him compassion. Demand we head home to actuallysleepright now.

Impossible. He’s leaning toward me, and I’m drawn to him the same as I always have.

My fragile heart. My sadistic hands. My aching pussy. My mouth and ass.

I’m all his.

“Oh, yeah?” I’m selfish for teasing him. For squeezing my tits between my arms the way I do. None of us is going to rest anytime soon. “What else did my face have to say?”

“Plenty, little savage.” Three steps and his black hoodie grazes the front of my dress. His palms cup my cheeks, sending heat everywhere. “I see through you. Through this wicked grin. These sharp fangs and wild eyes. I even know what you want. But I’d rather hear you say it.”

“You.” Having him here is the only thing I truly ever wanted. Some nights, I wake up to him fucking my mouth and I cry with joy. I’m so ridiculously happy. “You.”

“I’ll take that answer.”

I won’t.

Tyler deserves better. I might be in a daze, surrounded by a sickly-sweet halo of love. I can still speak, though. Can still tell him how I feel. He’s been generous with his compliments, handing them out like I was a kid in a costume at his doorway who kept screaming,Treat.

“I love watching you in here with me.” Once the words start, it’s easier to let everything out. “In my torture chamber. I love it.”

It’s easier still since Tyler’s smile widens. He even kisses the tip of my nose, then swipes his thumb over my cheek to clean what I assume is blood.

“You like that?”

“Love,” I emphasize. There’s a dried red stain on his collarbone, and it’s my turn to suck my thumb and brush it off him. The touch earns me another kiss on my nose. A nibble after that. “Helping, but not overbearing. You make the whole process so much more fun. You know exactly what I need, and you give it to me. Like we’ve been doing it for years.”

“I’m glad, Dahlia.” For a brief moment, Tyler yanks me closer to him. He presses his nose to my hair, inhaling me before pulling back. “More than that. I’m finally at peace. Finally able to be the man you need without this constant, debilitating fear of losing you. It’s not there anymore. There’s only fight, and selfishness, and possessiveness left in my heart. And love.”

“Love’s important.”

“Yes, it is.” His eyes darken. His fingers on my arms dig into my skin. Despite his exhaustion, he’s determined. Needy. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

We stand there for a couple of minutes. The room smells of bleach, a faint hint of blood and caramel on top.

We used plenty of caramel tonight on Mr. and Mrs. Derek. The husband has been dropping by, buying cupcakes for his wife.

Normally, I wouldn’t care.

Normally, I wouldn’t dream of taking out two people at once.

Except she owns a bakery down the street from mine. She’s been trying to copy my recipes and designs. All she had to show for were knock-off versions of my work.

Still.

They both deserved to die.

Good thing I had Tyler here to help me. Although, I could’ve finished off both of them. Totally could’ve.

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