Page 85 of Bake the Town Red

“After I came on your mouth.”

He blinks. His hand reaches for his lips. He doesn’t seem that surprised. “You did?”

“Many times over the years.” Still no surprise on his face. None. But his mouth pinches. A strange emotion I can’t place flashes behind his eyes. “It’s okay, Tyler. I was happy, fucking your mouth. So happy. And look at me. Alive and well.”

Silence. As quiet as my spiders had been when they spin their web.

I swallow. Pray to the Lord of Darkness for help.

Fix him. Fix him. Fix him.

“Come here.” Tyler flips on his back, pulling me on top of him.

“Really?” I stare into his dark, conflicted eyes.

A war wages inside him. A battle between his need to save me and his desire to never let me go.

“Really.”

Fucking finally.

His need to keep me close wins over. He cups my cheeks, my nose, my mouth. Slides my head so I’m resting at the crook of his neck.

“The last three days, I couldn’t breathe without you, little savage.” I purr when he combs my hair. When he hugs me tight, crushing me to him. “It’d always hurt, being apart from you. And I can’t. I fucking can’t take it anymore. I have to have you. I’m never letting go. I hope you can forgive me.”

“There’s nothing to forgive.” I sigh. Kiss his neck. His pulse point. Sleep threatens to take me under, but I have to say this thing. This last fucking thing. “You’re back. We’ll never be apart again. That’s all that matters. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Tyler

“Sounds good, Tyler.” Clint, my boss, wraps up our virtual conference. “I’ll pass this on to our QA team to test out the new features.”

His short black hair is a mess from running his hand through it one too many times. There are dark circles under his eyes.

That’s what a director position in one of the leading online gaming companies gets you. Stress and anxiety. Sleep becomes a luxury when there are deadlines you have to meet.

Some would point out the fact that his compensation is worth it. A hefty salary, a shit ton of shares and health insurance should make up for the time he spends away from his family.

I’m not one of those people.

Money is a means to an end, as far as I’m concerned. A way to live a carefree life once I clock out for the day, where the night is mine.

Where I can have her.

Being a sleuth, keeping an eye out for New York’s serial killers and killing some of them too, that’s nice.

I could’ve lived without it. Easy.

Nothing, not a damn thing, would ever compensate me for a week of not stalking Dahlia. Of having to leave bed instead of feeling her warm body and soft breaths on me while she slept.

Three nights ago, Clint had a video conference with the East Asia branch in the middle of the night.

I got to have Dahlia snuggled in my arms.

Take your money. Take your expensive cars. Take your extensive health insurance.

Shove it up your ass. The only thing I’ve ever asked of Blazing Fire is to design a game instead of just coding it. Ever since, I just wanted to work. Get paid. Live my life.

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