Page 24 of Prey for You

But she didn’t run. She chewed that lip and swallowed, and her foot jiggled. But she didn’t run.

“Bridget?”

“I thought you were too good for me,” she blurted. “I thoughtSamwas too good for me. I thought I’d destroy you, and I couldn’t live with myself if I did. Cain seemed… God, Gerald would tell me that I was self-sabotaging, but I swear, Cain seemed like a safer bet.”

Cain…safer?I almost laughed. I caught the huff before it made it out of my throat. As it was I had to clear my throat. “I might need you to explain that a little bit,” I rumbled.

Bridget covered her face in her hands. “I know it sounds crazy. Iwascrazy. I had gone dark and I was panicking. I thought Cain was more like me and maybe… maybe if I could keep him alive I could change his mind so he’d want me around alive, too. I know it makes no sense—I can see that now—but everything was moving so fast and I had to do something. I was afraid of losing you!”

“Except… no, you weren’t. Because you dropped Sam.”

“For your own good!” she insisted, dropping her hands, her eyes searching mine. “Wait… is this what’s been bothering you?” she asked breathlessly. I frowned, but she pushed up onto her elbows so she was looking down on me. “Sam, seriously—is this why you keep getting quiet? You think I like Cain better than Sam?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way.”

“Then how would you put it?”

God, she was going to make me say it. I had to break her gaze and figure out how to put this so I didn’t sound like a whiny bitch.

“I think… I think the part of me that is Cain excites you. And Ilovethat you love the hunt like I do, Bridget. But… that’s the unhealthy part of me. Cain is going to be a smaller and smaller part of my life. And I guess I wonder how you’re going to feel about that in the long term.”

I met her eyes again then. She was chewing her lip, staring. “You want to stop hunting?”

“No.”

She frowned. “Then what do you mean?”

What did I mean? I clawed a hand through my hair as words failed me. “I guess I mean, one day I want a normal life. I think it’s better for me—for us,” I clarified. “If I don’t go to prison, if we can make this work, I want the cliché, Bridget. A house, two cars, and you know… kids…”

She went still.

My heart plummeted. We’d never talked about whether we wanted pets, let alone kids. I swallowed hard and plowed on. “You really think suburban mom and dad can drop everything and go on a hunt?”

Her eyes went wider. “I think there are such things as babysitters, and it would make a cool ass date night,” she breathed.

She surprised a laugh out of me. I snorted, which broke the tension, and a cackle of laughter burst out of me. “God, you’re amazing.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

“Then why are you laughing?” she asked, still staring down at me as I kept my eyes on the ceiling. I was still sniggering.

“Because it’s a fucking dream, Bridget. Could you imagine?Hey, kids, Mommy and Daddy have a date tonight. We’ll see you tomorrow—but don’t worry about the bruises. IfMommy tries to kick Daddy in the balls again, he’ll have to get a little rough. She’s stronger than she looks. And she’s got a wicked right-hook.”

Bridget smiled. “If we have a daughter I can teach her how to take care of herself.”

I frowned. “She won’t need to take care of herself. I’ll kill any little shit that looks at her side-ways.”

Bridget’s smile broadened. “Did you just defend the honor of our unborn daughter? Seriously? They don’t make them like you anymore, Sam. You are one hot motherfucker, do you know that?”

“I mean, you aren’t a motheryet—”

She spluttered a laugh and dropped her head to my shoulder. I curled arms around her and both of us laughed quietly, then sighed. And it was a moment. It felt so good that I knew I had to go all the way. I had to ask her all the questions. We had to get it all on the table.

“Be honest with me,” I murmured. “When you put that post back on the forum looking for another killer—”

“I was panicking. You’d disappeared.”

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