Page 46 of Shattered Hearts

His arms are covered in sweat, and I slick my fingers over ink and damp skin. “I love you, too.”

We eat lukewarm spaghetti on his bed, and every time he feeds me a bite of garlic bread, he kisses me, our tongues tangling in passion and butter.

“I went to the clinic today,” I say, licking my lips.

Gage passes me a paper towel, and I wipe my greasy fingers.

“Are you sick? You should have told me if you didn’t feel like coming over.”

We dressed, kind of, me in a new set of the pajamas I bought, and he put on workout shorts and a t-shirt. Sitting on the bed, plate in hand, I haven’t moved since he carried me into his room hours and hours ago. It’s decadent eating propped up against the pillows, something I rarely do at home, mainly because Lucille will scold me if I sprinkle crumbs all over. I used to make popcorn and nibble while I read, but I don’t read anymore, don’t watch TV, either. What’s the point when I can’t follow what’s happening?

I don’t do anything anymore, if I’m not with Gage, except try to remember if I’ve forgotten anything. That never works very well.

“No, I’m okay. I got a shot.”

“A flu shot? That’s smart, I guess. A little late.”

I laugh. “No. A shot. Birth control. Stella came with me.”

He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “Why? I don’t mind wearing condoms.”

“I know, but Stella says it’s romantic.” I press a hand to my belly. “To feel it. I want that. Do you mind?”

“Nope. I want to do whatever you’re comfortable with.” He lowers his voice. “If you want me to fill you up with loads of cum, then I guess I’ll have to take my job very seriously.”

I scoff, but I can’t stop my giggle. “Whatever. My doctor said to give it a couple of weeks to start working. What kind of cases are you and Linc working on?” I change the subject, and we clean up his kitchen while he tells me about an upcoming meeting having to do with a girl who killed herself last month.

“Her sister found me and hired us. We don’t have anything to prove she didn’t, though. It’s pretty sad. You never feel like that, do you?” he asks, wiping down the sink and eyeing the box of éclairs. We haven’t gotten to them yet, and six fat ones covered in chocolate glaze look pretty good to me, too.

“In Quiet Meadows, I was too drugged up to feel anything. Blank. Empty, I guess. When you don’t have any choices, when you realize, deep in your...heart... that this is going to be the way things are. Stella broke into my room and something, so, so small lit up inside me. The tiniest flicker of hope. It had been five years and I thought Ash had killed her, or one of her jobs. I was so sure he was going to do to her what he’d done to me. Have you ever had a dream where you’re running, but no matter how hard you run, you can’t move? That’s what being drugged up felt like. I wanted to talk to her, reach out, hug her, but I couldn’t move. She left and a part of me died. I didn’t think I’d ever see her again.”

I sink onto a kitchen chair, and Baby scuffles next to me and nuzzles her head against my thigh. Sliding onto the floor, I pull her close and bury my face in her fur.

“Why did she go see you?” Gage asks and starts a pot of coffee. The grounds smell delicious, and my mouth waters.

“I...don’t know. Richard Denton told her what happened, probably showed her the same video everyone else has seen, and maybe she wanted to see for herself. All it took was her snooping around to make Zane finally pay attention. Stella is my sister, my best friend, my savior. There’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for her.”

“Or her for you, obviously.”

The corners of my mouth lift up. “Yeah.”

“How did it feel going home?”

I stroke Baby’s fur. “I was confused and scared. I kept thinking Ash was going to find me. Lock me away even worse than before.”

He leans against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest. “Did anyone ever ask Black why he put you in there?”

I lift a shoulder. “No one needed to ask. He didn’t want me telling anyone he took Stella.”

Gage scrubs at his face, his fingernails scraping against his scruff. “And he didn’t want you pointing at anyone he sold you to.”

“That too, I guess.”

“But why Quiet Meadows? He could have brought you to his building, kept you locked up there the same as Stella.”

“Easier, maybe? I’d already broken down. You watched the video online.”

“Yeah, I have.”

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