Page 68 of Redd

She wanted to ask me why, why had I been running from the cops. And if she had asked, I would have spilled my guts to her. I didn't want to hold anything back, not now. I had to let her in, I had to tell her who I was and what I had done so she could understand.

Under hooded lids, her expression hardened. “I'm not running, Redd. I won't let him do this to another girl.”

She never asked. I wasn't sure if she hadn't heard me or if she just didn't want to know. Either way I wasn't going to hide it, but she had to ask. I wouldn't let it just spew from my mouth if she wasn't looking for an answer.

Maybe she figured it out herself.

Jumping to my feet, I curled my hands around her waist. “I can't risk something happening to you.” Tugging her into my chest, I pressed our bodies together. “If something happened to you—I'd never be able to live with myself.”

Arching her neck, her head tipped back. My eyes drifted over her face, stealing glances at her lips and throat.

And even with the danger surrounding us, right then all I could do was think about making her mine. I wanted her in every way. I wanted her mind, body and soul.

Maybe it was watching her cook dinner, maybe it was the feeling of building a family, a real family where we shared laughs, tears, and everything in between. Maybe this was the reason I had found her to begin with, to give Vicki a home that was meant to share.

Our lives were so similar that together we could find peace and understanding, balancing on a common ground where we could hold each other up.

I wasn't going to choose between her or my sister. That wasn't even a fair choice to have to make. What would make one life deserve safety over another?

Yes, Vicki was my sister, but Bijou, she had stolen something from me too. She stole my breath, she stole my head and my body. . . This woman had stormed in, stealing my heart.

I never believed in love at first sight, I always thought it was a crock of shit. Until I looked into her eyes. I didn't need months or years to know what I wanted.

I wanted Bijou.

Lowering my lips to her ear, I nibbled the lobe, gently plucking it with my teeth. “We could both start over. A new place, a new life, no looking over our shoulders, wondering when the gavel will fall.”

I felt a shiver run through her body as I whispered in her ear. Goosebumps jumped across her skin, starting at the base of her head and working their way down.

The control I had to conjure up was beyond difficult. Every inch of my body wanted to tear her fucking clothing off thread by thread.

I'm not a romantic, I'm not a loving man—I take.That's all I know, that's what I'm good at.

But right then, it wasn't about me. It was about her—this was for her.

I was going to make her see what I already knew; that we had found each other in this fucked up world for a reason. Bijou filled a hole in my heart, she made me feel complete.

And maybe all these years I had really been searching for her.

Gently, I slipped my hands beneath her shirt. Her skin was hot and her muscles shook, but she didn't ask me to stop. I could see in her eyes she wanted this too, she just didn't know how to say it.

My fingers inched up her ribs, slow and precise, coming to a stop just below the tender curve of her perfect tits. Stroking my thumbs up and down, I grazed her soft flesh with the tip of my thumbs, feeling her chest jump into my palms.

Her nipples pebbled and she let out a weak gasp, falling into my chest. My cock thickened, painfully pushing into my zipper, ready to tear through my jeans.

For every second of agony I felt not taking what I wanted, was a victory I wanted Bijou to have. I wanted her to know that she owned some of the control, that I wouldn't do anything unless she permitted me to.

No matter how much it killed me inside.

Peering up at me, her lip trembled, teeth nibbling the skin. Her eyes flashed with uncertainty, lost and confused.

“Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you. I won't do anything you don't want me to.”

Nodding, she stayed quiet, losing her voice. Holding her chin, I tipped her head higher, not allowing her eyes to drift away. “You have all the control here, Bijou. So take it.”

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