Page 16 of Wicked Oath

That was a shitty fucking thing for me to say. I deserved that anger, but he wanted to hit me. I could see it on his face. Maybe he is more like Logan than I thought? He is bigger than Logan, so he probably hits harder, too. Talon reaches for me, and I flinch away from him, and he just pulls his hand back to shifts the vehicle into drive.

The ride is completely silent, and I assume he isn’t going to let me eat, so I am surprised when we pull into the parking lot of a diner. I still keep my mouth shut because I am scared and fidgety. “Laney,” Talon says after watching me for a moment.

“Yeah?” I squeak out, not looking up.

“Look at me, please,” he begs. I look up and he puts his hand out. I cautiously place my hand in his and he brings me to his side before pulling me into his lap to straddle him. I keep my head down, but he lifts my chin. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I’m sorry for being a bitch. I should not have said that,” I say quietly. “I understand that I will be punished, and I deserve it.”

“You lashed out. Why?” he asks. “I want to know the reasoning behind your actions before I punish you.”

“I… was scared,” I admit. “I would never dare say anything like that to Logan, so I don’t know why I would say it to you.”

“I’m not Logan,” he says.

“The passport says differently,” I say.

“What?” he asks, his eyebrows wrinkle in confusion.

“The passport. Just sell me off to someone in another country. That’s the goal, right?” I ask. “He threatened it all of the time and then you conveniently have my passport updated.”

“Delaney,” he sighs. “Is that why you lashed out? Because of the passport?”

“I guess,” I say.

“Little Flower, it is simply an escape plan if things get hairy. If I think for a second that I cannot protect you and we have nowhere else to go, I will get us out of this country. I have the connections, and I will do anything I need to in order to keep you safe,” he says. “If I ship you off to another country, I’m going to be right there with you.”

“Why?” I ask. “Why would you do that if you don’t love me, and you never will?” I ask.

“Because signing those papers was a vow to keep you safe,” he says.

“No,” I say. “Signing that paper was revenge.”

“I can see why you think that,” he says. “You are a brat when you get anxious. You also shake.”

“Yeah,” I say.

“When you need or want attention, you are a brat,” he says. “I understand how it happens, but you are still being punished. It’s vital that you learn to communicate with me.”

“It doesn’t matter if I communicate, Talon. What if I just want to be cuddled, hmm? What if I feel lonely? Are you going to cuddle me and make me feel less lonely? Are you going to fake loving me so that I feel wanted?”

“If you want to be cuddled, I’ll cuddle you when the time allows. If you feel lonely, I will be available for just you and me. I will not fake anything with you, Laney, but I can still want to make you happy.”

“Fine. I need to see that you are capable of showing me compassion,” I say. “When you slammed me against the car, I saw you as Logan. It told me in that moment that you will hurt me one day.”

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he says quietly. “Delaney, I shouldn’t have done that. I got angry and I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that, and I’m sorry.”

“I’m not asking you to kiss my ass, but you are making it hard not to hate you. I don’t want to hate you. I knew a long time ago that marriage would be something not like it should be but I’m okay with adapting and making the best of it,” I say. “If you can show me that you care, I can make you love me, Talon.”

“Far too much has happened to me for me to be able to love,” he says quietly. “I’ve never loved anyone.”

“Well, punish me, and then pamper me the best way you know how,” I say. “I need to see that you are human, Talon.”

“Will that make you stop being a brat?” he asks.

“No, but it will erase a lot of doubt,” I tell him.

“How about this,” he says. “Let’s grab food and I can show you the clubhouse. After, we can go to the house and spend some time together.”

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