Page 41 of Injustice and Absolution

In addition, his actions promise a thorough ravaging of my body as soon as he’s given the chance.

His hands tighten a fraction, a sign of his self-control slipping. I respond by gripping the fabric of his T-shirt in my fist, letting him know he’s not the only one with a growing need.

Too soon, the waitress returns, her bubbly tone finally pulling us away from one another. When our eyes open, I see a dangerous desire within his. Like if we hadn’t been interrupted, he would have laid me down on the booth and taken me here and now. I watch his chest rise and fall, nearly as breathless as I am from our connection.

That thought sobers me up enough to move away from him slightly. It serves as a reminder not to move too quickly. Look what happened the last time I couldn’t control my urges. Licking my lips, I busy myself by pretending to look for something in my purse as Drew takes his credit card out of his wallet and hands it to the waitress.

Neither of us says anything, but Drew places his hand over mine, calming my still rapid breathing while we wait for her to bring his card back.

He signs the receipt before we leave the restaurant hand-in-hand, and I find I don’t hate it. I expect him to take me home but am surprised when, instead, he asks, “What’s next?”

When I turn to him, the desire in his eyes is gone, but they still have the playful warmth I remember from last night.

“Oh, um...” I squint my eyes, looking up and down the already bustling road on which the restaurant sits.

In this area of town, touristy and close to the center, there are a bunch of shops and restaurants. But it’s also a great place to take a leisurely stroll and enjoy some of the area’s history.

I’d love to go to the battlefield, but I don’t know if we should chance getting back into his car yet. Being in such close quarters doesn’t seem like a smart choice so soon after the intense kiss we shared.

“I should probably walk off breakfastandwhat’s left of my hangover. Is that okay with you?”

“Anything that lengthens the amount of time I get to spend with you today the better.”

I want to scoff at the sickeningly sweet statement and roll my eyes like I usually would do. But out of nowhere, a quote that my old therapist once recited to me pops into my head.

You either get bitter or you get better.

I don’t want to be bitter and jaded. Look what transpired last night, all because I wanted to feel sorry for myself. Neither I nor Drew deserved that behavior. If that and everything that happened between Royce and I is any indication, I’ve been making all the wrong choices lately.

I need to break the cycle. I need to choose to be better.

If for no reason other than to make the scared little girl who still lives inside of me proud.

So I respond to Drew with a smile, even though it feels awkward to do so. It’s tough, but oftentimes the first step is the hardest to take. If I can keep going, hopefully, one day soon, it won’t feel wrong to want to be happy.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

ROYCE

On any given night, there could be as many as twenty mouths to feed in this house, and tonight our table is full. The room is loud with chatter from club members, harlots, Maggie, and Delilah.

But I tune them all out. My only focus is on Delilah, sitting three chairs down from my spot at the head of the table. Watching her smile as she receives yet another text message should make me happy.

But, since returning from our most recent delivery, I’ve heard murmurs between her and Maggie about a boy she likes, and I’m finding it hard to remain indifferent about the news. Even though her confidence appears to be the strongest it’s ever been.

If I were a better man, it might make me happy. Instead, I’m aggravated that I’m the person who shattered it in the first place rather than the one who helped bolster it.

Clearly, I’m not that guy, especially since I’m the one who told her to go out and find someone else in the first place. And ever since our trip to Memphis, I’ve been even more of a miserable prick to everyone around me.

Draven tried to warn me against making the trip, but in my desperate need to distance myself from Delilah, his words fell on deaf ears.

After he pulled me away from Diego—and out of danger of getting us all killed—he demanded I let him in on why it was so fucking important to me to make our delivery in person.

Draven has always been my ride-or-die. My no questions asked, get the job done guy. So I took him questioning my intentions seriously.

Or maybe even Royce “The Judge” Taylor needs to get shit off his chest from time to time.

So I led him out of earshot of Zephyr and Saxon then laid it out for him.

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