Page 51 of Lose Me In The Shadows

“We own you, you’re right about that,” he told her. “We own every part of you. But you own us right back.”

And then he released her, the door opening and shutting quietly behind him.

“Conor, wait—” she called, but he was already gone.

13

And you always keep your promises.

Conor slammed out of the room Kara was staying in, searching for somewhere, something, someone to channel his aggression into. What he really wanted to do was punish Kara for the words she’d tossed his way, for speaking into existence the thought he’d been trying to drown out. But as much as he wanted to take it out on her sexy, bitchy hide, something had stopped him. Specifically, the fear that by forcing her to play with him, even when he knew she wanted it, he was no better than Chris Johnathan.

The first time he’d promised her that he’d keep her safe, he’d been about to storm out of her hotel room in San Diego. And he’d managed to keep her safe, at least physically, until she’d escaped the cabin in Idaho and ran straight into Chris’s evil arms.

But wasn’t he just as bad as Chris? Worse, maybe, because he excused his actions? And he’d protected her from everyone but himself. He’d been fine with that before, but now, but now…

Fuck this.

Maybe he couldn’t fuck his anger, internal and external, out on Kara, but that didn’t mean there weren’t two other people who could take what he needed to give out right now.

He heard familiar voices next door. Not bothering to knock, he entered a smaller, darker, more masculine bedroom. Luke sat shirtless on the bed while Micah stood over him, checking his wound and rebandaging it.

“Have to give her time, but not too much time…” Micah was saying.

“There’s not enough time in the world,” Conor muttered, and Micah stopped speaking, turning to look at him.

Luke spoke first. “You look like someone kicked you in the dick. Was it Kara?”

She might as well have.

“I need to spar,” Conor said shortly. “Luke, you’re out of commission; Micah, you’re up.”

Micah coughed. “How about we do something different for once. Instead of beating each other to a pulp and then fucking it out, we could trytalkingabout our feelings.”

Conor shook his head. All talking did was twist him up inside and stir up that dark sludge inside of him, where his heart should’ve been. He needed to rage against someone and have them rage back, and then he needed to shove his cock so far down their throat or up their ass they both saw stars.

Micah sighed. “If you tell me what’s going on, I’ll suck your cock.”

“You’ll suck it anyway.”

Luke stretched. “I’ll fight you, and then you can suckmycock.”

Conor almost exploded. “You aren’t fighting anyone, you goddamned idiot. It’s my fault you’re hurt, you’re not making it worse. Suggest it again and I’ll go borrow a paddle from Marcus and beat your ass so black and blue the pain in your shoulder will be the last thing on your mind.”

Luke gently pushed Micah to the side, rising to his feet. “Try it.”

They approached each other until they were standing toe to toe. Conor hated it, but he had to crane his neck back—slightly—to be able to look into Luke’s green eyes.

Luke whistled. “She got you good this time, didn’t she. Got me, too.”

“Enough.” Micah shoved himself between them, pushing them apart. The action shocked Conor, given that Micah rarely used his strength against them. He was the brains of their operation. “Shut. It. Down.” Micah enunciated. “This aggression and complete lack of emotional insight is what fucked us in the first place, myself included. Fuckingthinkfor once. If we can’t talk through our own shit, how the hell do you expect us to give Kara what she needs so she stays?”

Conor’s heart, which didn’t and shouldn’t exist, thudded to a near stop.

“We’re giving her the option?”

Micah exhaled, dropping his arms. “No, but we need to make her think we are. Which I guess is yes.”

“No.”

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