Page 47 of Addicted Lies

Eventually, he gets uncomfortable with my affection, his entire body going rigid. But he doesn’t try to pry me off him.

“Have you ever let anyone else tattoo you?” I ask.

“No.”

His cock is hardening under me, and I smirk. I love how responsive his body is to mine. He might consider it as a problematic addiction, but I don’t think it’s that bad at all, especially when my body is demanding the same thing despite how battered and bruised it is.

I press a gentle kiss to his cheek, silently thanking him, for ever so slightly opening up to me. Ford might not think we’re compatible or he’s incapable of affection, but bit by bit, he’s opening up to me, and I’m becoming more curious about this man that I thought I knew but am realizing someone as strong as even Ford has been let down and hurt. He might speak about it all with ease but surely it impacts him in some way. So, I decide to speak in a language that he does understand.

“Tell me what you want me to do right now,” I say, encouraging his most primal needs as a reward for telling me something I know for certain not many people would know.

His gaze becomes hooded, and a low growl escapes him.

Ford Ivanov is definitely not a normal man.

I’m certain he’s more beast.

But if being addicted to one another is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

CHAPTER 22

Ford

She’s sound asleep when I hear footsteps outside the bedroom door. I know who it is without having to see them. So I pull the covers up over her and then step into the hall.

“Fucking hell, man, put on some clothes,” Hawke says, rubbing his eyes, then peering over my shoulder as I close the door. He smirks mischievously. “Who is it?”

“No one.” The lie feels natural coming from my lips. No one needs to know about Billie and me. We fucked up a few times already, and I’m not going to let it happen again.

“No one. But she’s asleep in there, I take it?” He whistles. “You let a woman sleep over? In your bed?” He raises a brow and continues, “Does it have something to do with the message carved into your lawn?” He can’t even keep the laugh in. “Because, honestly, whoever did that has fucking balls of steel. I like it.”

“I pissed the neighbors off.”

He scoffs, knowing too well that I’m lying again. He heads back down the hall, saying over his shoulder, “Better not be who I think it is.”

I grind my jaw, tentative about Hawkes timing of always appearing when Billie is here or maybe it’s by chance since she’s here more frequently. He warned me from seeing her ever again, and I didn’t specifically promise him shit. But I know if he finds out about her, he’ll try to take matters into his own hand by warning her away, and that makes me prematurely want to beat the shit out of my brother because I don’t want him anywhere near her.

It makes me recede into myself because it has always been me and Hawke through thick and thin. The thought of me prioritizing anything over being honest with him is…unsettling.

Hawke stops dead in his tracks. “What the fuck is that? You raising dirty little raccoons now?”

Felix pads up to him, and I grind my teeth as the little fucker meows at Hawke and rubs against his leg. The little shit has the audacity to start purring.

“Something like that.”

Hawke picks him up. And Felix looks even smaller when held in Hawke’s giant hands. He rubs Felix under the chin, and I’m furious with their immediate bond. “It’s all skin and bones. Are you even feeding it properly? You barely know how to look after yourself.”

I lean against the wall. “I don’t need to hear that coming from you.”

He smirks and then looks me dead in the eyes. We have the exact same dark eyes. “Well, I’m glad you finally found your fucking solution. You’ve been acting weird, man. It’s about time you took my advice.”

“Hell will freeze over on the day I take advice from you.”

He chuckles as he enters the spare room with Felix in his hands and shuts the door behind him. I sigh, exhausted. I should’ve known after the way I was acting that Hawke would check up on me. Not that either of us would ever admit that we care.

Hawke has his own place, but sometimes our demons get the best of us, and we can’t sleep. I’ve stayed up for nights on end sometimes. When Hawke has those nights, he’ll stay here. It also has a lot to do with the fact that Hawke doesn’t do well being alone. And I get it. But being alone is my preference. Turning, I head back into my bedroom to find Billie awake and sitting up, no sheet covering her perfect tits.

“Does he know?” she whispers.

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