Page 65 of Pink Poison

Gently, as if I'm a precious, fragile piece of art, I'm cradled to his chest while he carries me from the bathroom. Stone moves in quickly behind us and turns off the shower before gathering the soiled dress, Kash's hoodie, and his cut.

“Kash, you can put me down,” I rasp, holding back another wave of tears.

“Not a chance, sweetheart.”

That's all it takes, his voice low and sweet, as if he couldn't fathom the idea of letting go of me for me to crack. Ibreakin his arms as he brings us to my bed. My body shakes with every oxygen deprived cry that pierces from my lungs, reverberating off the walls. I sob for the version of myself that I lost and for who I became after. I scream into Kash's chest for the women before me, who endured similar fates, and mourn the twisted attractionI have for Max—something I’ve hardly breathed into existence, let alone accepted and how it was taken from me.

Kash's fingers thread through my hair as he whispers hushed words of comfort, "I got you, sweetheart. Let it all out."

And I do, until I have nothing left to give. Voice thick and hoarse, I mumble against his tear soaked shirt, “I’d like to get dressed now.”

He presses a soft kiss to my temple, so sweet that it makes me want to cry all over again. “I'll find you something comfortable.”

I offer him a shaky smile, one that I’m positive doesn’t reach my swollen eyes. His fingers comb through my hair once more before the bed dips as he stands. I close my eyes and attempt to regain a semblance of composure when a warm, calloused finger gently strokes my cheek.

“Stone,” I murmur.

“Pretty doll, will you open those gorgeous eyes for me?” I answer him by fluttering my eyes open. “There she is.” He smiles.God, he's gorgeous.“Is it okay if Kash and I stay here with you tonight?”

“I—”

“You can say no, doll.”

“You can stay,” I whisper. It's not like I want to be alone right now, anyway.

Relief washes over his face as he groans, “Thank fuck.”

A genuine smile teases along the corners of my mouth, giving me a small sense of normalcy. "Don’t get too excited, Butcher. This doesn't mean I like you."

He snorts. "Do you have sleepovers with people you don't like often?"

I lazily flip him off as Kash returns with one of my baggy t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. He smiles crookedly, offering me the clothes. "These comfortable enough?"

I put the shirt on, ensuring it covers well over my thighs before pulling the towel he wrapped me in out from underneath. "You can toss the pants. I won't be able to sleep in them."

Because I usually sleep naked, but for their sake and mine, a shirt is needed.

He throws my pants back toward my pink gym bag before climbing into the bed behind me. Hooking his arm around my waist, he asks, “Do you want to talk?”

I close my eyes again and let the weight of my reality fall to the back of my mind. I don’t want to think about it, much less talk. For now, I just want to sleep and pretend that nothing has changed.

“Not tonight.” I sigh.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Stone rumbles. “We'll listen, I promise.”

Darkness begs to pull me under, sweeping me away to a place of nothingness with Stone's soft promise playing on repeat. I drift under the current of exhaustion, seconds away from sleep when his distant, gravelly voice pulls to me while he reassuressomeonethat I’m safe.

Chapter twenty-six

Stevie

A quiet whirring rouses me from my broken sleep. It was harder than I hoped it would be to stay in a deep rest when all I could think about waswhoStone was talking to last night.

Slowly, I blink my grogginess away, taking a minute to appreciate Kash’s relaxed, sleeping face. For a man who holds such a dangerous position, he looks like a damn angel. Without his cut, he looks like a typical boy next door kind of guy—harmless, even.

Acutie.

I huff a quiet laugh, knowing that I shouldn’t pull my guard with these guys. As angelic and cute as one may look, they still answer to an asshole and are willing to work with and for a shitty human.

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