Page 180 of Sins & Secrets

YOU KNOW I NEED YOU

BOOK 2, YOU KNOW ME DUET (YOU ARE MINE DUETS 4)

YOU KNOW I NEED YOU

I married the bad boy from Brooklyn.

The one with the tattoos and the look in his eyes that told me he was bad news.

The kind of look that comes with all sorts of warnings.

I knew what I was doing.

I knew by the way he first held me that he would be my downfall; how he owned me with his forceful touch.

I couldn’t say no to him, not that I wanted to. That was then, and it seems like forever ago.

Years later, I’ve grown up and moved on. But he’s still the man I married. Dangerous in ways I don’t like to think about and tried to ignore for so long.

I did this to myself. I knew better than to fall for him.

I only wish love were enough to fix this …

You Know I Need Youis book 2 of the second duet in the You Are Mine series. Book 1,You Know I Love You, must be read first for this duet.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. – 1 Corinthians 13

CHAPTER 1

Kat

You said you’d love me forever,

But forever was too long.

You said I was your one true love,

But the two of us were wrong.

It’s deceit and lies that broke us,

And left me living in pain.

Forever was supposed to be ours,

But forever was said in vain.

It’s not every day you read in the papers about your husband going to jail. That’s one way to find out, I guess.

My heels click steadily on the sidewalk as I make my way to the end of the block; just a little farther until I’m home. The plastic bags from the grocery store on the corner dig into my arm, the grooves getting redder with every few steps.

It hurt after a few blocks, but I didn’t care. Now I’m just numb to it. I focus on the front door to my townhouse the second it comes into view. Jail. Evan is in jail and the vise squeezed tight around my heart has been unrelenting since I read the article at the corner store.

It doesn’t take long before my gaze is drawn from my building to a figure waiting for me.

Standing in front of the building with her arms crossed over her chest, is a cop. She’s dressed in dark navy pants and a matching jacket that’s not quite baggy enough to hide her curves. She’s short, with her blond hair pulled back into a low bun and covered with a cap. My pace slows as I spot her, and I want to break down all over again.

If only I’d stayed holed up in the apartment and didn’t have to eat.The thought is bitter as I walk forward. Each step hurts more and more.