Page 92 of Moth to a Flame

He’s mine.

My lips tear at my cheeks.

He cocks an eyebrow. “That smile for me?”

“Yes.” It’s definitely not for Lester’s parole hearing.

Though I keep that part to myself, a scowl tugs at Landon’s lips. He sees through me. I’m bare to him, even now, as I’m clothed in his black T-shirt. He has an X-ray vision when it comes to me.

“Come here.”

“What are we having?” I need to change the subject. I need him to be playful and fun like he was a second ago.

“Come. Here.” His hand slams on the heavy wood kitchen island next to him. His light eyebrows furrow. Black eyes grow impossibly darker. “I know I just belted your ass this morning, so I won’t touch you there. There are, however, other punishments. And don’t give me that look. They won’t be fun.”

I twist my lips and do what he says.

When I’m within reach, he grips my chin, tipping my face up. “Talk to me.”

Lying is useless. “He could get out. They…Maybe I should go to the hearing. I could make my case. They’ll be hearing my side again, not just his.”

“You will do no such thing.” His grip on my chin is tighter. The intense look he’s giving me could make anyone run and hide. There’s murder in his eyes. “He’s not going to look at you or be anywhere near you. No fucking way. I said it’s not going to happen, and it’s not going to happen, damn it.”

“I’m not looking forward to it, either.” Honestly, the thought gives me the worst anxiety. Looking at his severed body and imagining his pain was one thing. Facing him is a whole other horrifying idea. “But it could be the only way to keep him there. If they’re crazy enough to let this…thingout, he’d have won.”

“For an hour or two, he might.” Venom drips from his voice. “We discussed what I plan to do to him.”

Landon transforms into a harsh, scary monster before my eyes. He’s the man who brought me eyeballs and a toe all over again. The ones we keep in jars in his den. No one can get inside his fortress and find the evidence. No one.

“Whatever sense of victory he might have, it wouldn’t last.”

“What if they let him out and he takes a bus somewhere else, instead of the address he’ll provide them? What if you can’t find him and he brutalizes another girl?”

“You’re not going and that’s fucking final.” Landon wraps me with his free arm, hauling me to him. “You won’t, because I said so. Your life and your health are my responsibility. I don’t take that shit lightly. I don’t take that shit lightly at all, little lamb.”

Delicious aromas of meat and pastries rise in the kitchen. I have a good idea of what he’s heating up for us. After the first night here, when I moaned over the Beef Wellington he ordered in, Landon had had a whole shipment of frozen ones brought in.

My mouth doesn’t water, though. I’m too ensnared in his gaze. I’m melting from the inside out from how he looks at me. How he takes care of me.

The intercom buzzes, and I scream. Since it’s so quiet, I’m not used to the random delivery person buzzing the gates.

“Shh.” Landon presses his lips to mine and I feel the jolt of electricity racing through me. His kiss is as intense and commanding as his voice is. “I’ve been expecting them. Don’t worry.”

“Them?” I look down at my bare legs, heat burning my cheeks. “Who’s Them?”

Can’t be Vince and Beverly. He promised we’d meet them after the hearing. Landon never lies. Never breaks his promises to me.

“Surprise.” His hand slides to my cheek, and his black eyes bore into mine. “It was supposed to be here tomorrow.”

“Oh?”

Landon doesn’t kiss me. Oh, no. As his lips bruise mine, my knees buckle. He twists my long locks in his other hand, groaning into my mouth when I whimper into his.

“Needy little slut.” His tongue traces the seam of my lips, slow and sensual. As if there’s no one out there, buzzing for the third time. “Do that whimper again.”

When I hesitate, he bites my lip, pulling me closer to him. I whimper then.

“What about dinner?”

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