Page 39 of Banshee
I respected that.
But she was fucking mine. She’d owned me since the first time I saw her. Now it was time for me to fucking own her.
“She’s mine.” I held up my hand before he could interrupt. “Not because I feel guilty or responsible for what she’s been through. But because she was always supposed to be mine. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on her. I knew it that day in church when I said no, and I knew it the day she walked into the clubhouse months ago.”
I took a deep breath.
“The first time I saw her, she scared the shit out of me. I’d never felt anything even close to the shockwave that went through me. But she was so fucking young.
“Did she remind me of my sister? Yeah, she did. That’s why I said no. I couldn’t end her life the way my sister’s life ended. I wouldn’t tie her down to someone she wasn’t in love with. She had her whole fucking life ahead of her. She deserved to choose her own fate.”
“Then maybe you should have asked her what she fucking wanted.”
I spun around at Aspen’s angry words just as she stormed back into the cabin and slammed the door. My head dropped back as I stared at the sky.
I was fucked.
Chapter Thirteen
Aspen
“Why aren’t you speaking to Banshee?” Haizley asked.
There was no hello, no good morning, how are you doing? As soon as the door closed on Gunner’s back, she struck. And she struck hard, hitting the bullseye without breaking a sweat.
“Because he’s an asshole.”
I slipped off the couch and moved to the counter that held the coffee maker. Dumping out the pot he made this morning, I knew I was being petty. The coffee was still perfectly fine. I just didn’t want it. Not from him.
“Aspen.”
My hands hit the counter, and my shoulders rose with the deep breath I inhaled. Could I tell her what happened three nights ago? Could I tell her I’d decided to run, but the ghost in the darkness stopped me?
Could I tell her that when he touched me, I felt guilty? That it had felt like cheating. Only not on my husband. I didn’t care about him. As far as he was concerned, the marriage was never real. He was no longer my husband. He never really was, other than in the eyes of the law.
The last few months had taken their toll. I went from never wanting to be touched by a man again, to desperate for one man to touch me. To claim me like he should have all those years ago.
“Someone was here,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
“When?”
“The first night.” I spun around. “This is part of my session. You can’t tell Gunner. Or King.”
“Aspen, if someone found you—”
“I’m not in danger. Not from him. He told me to stay. But he’s the reason I’m unsettled.”
Haizley sat at the table and asked, “Will you tell me who he is?”
I shook my head. “I can’t.” I returned to the coffeemaker, replacing the filter and pouring in the grounds. Once I hit the button to start the process, I turned back around to face Haizley.
“He’s someone from my past.” At the look on her face, I quickly added, “A friend, nothing more, but...”
I didn’t know how to explain without giving him away. He’d begged me to stay quiet, and I trusted him. Maybe I was foolish.
“He made it clear the other night he’d like it to be more. Only I couldn’t. It felt wrong. And it’s all Banshee’s fault.”
Haizley rolled her lips between her teeth, trying not to laugh. I closed my eyes because I knew it was dumb. I knew it wasn’t really his fault, but it was. He’d made me care about him. I let my crush go a long time ago. The day he rejected me.
