Page 91 of Jagged Line Paradise

Pure fucking sunshine.

I smile but shake my head. “No. I’ve basically been half-hard since I came back to this shit town and saw your face, so I’m getting used to it actually.”

She presses her lips together to suppress a grin as pink floods her porcelain cheeks. She takes in a deep breath and it’s shaky, but clearly from lust because her anxiety has taken a step behind it for the moment.

“Trouble,” she says, stepping around me and moving toward the door, dragging her hand across my torso as she moves away from me. “I always said you were trouble.”

I spin, snatch her hand, and forcefully yank her back to me. She lands against my chest with a thud, and I dig my fingers into her hair at the base of her skull.

“If you don’t want me to ruin your make-up, don’t tempt me like that.” I bend over her and kiss her with bruising force, holding her in place, forcing my tongue between her gasping lips to have a single taste of heaven before our day turns to hell.

I pull away with a snap and she’s unsteady on her feet. I turn her back toward the counter, backing her up against it to steady her before letting go and stepping away—something that takes every ounce of my strength to do.

“I’ll go send Brittany and Jeff away. Take a minute. When you’re ready, come on out. Have a seat in the chair. And you and I will just talk. It’s just a talk, sunshine.”

She nods slowly as I reach for the door handle and pull. “Just a talk.”

“Yep. That’s all it is.”

“Just a talk,” she repeats to herself as she spins and presses her palms on the counter, looking at herself in the mirror.

I’m a terrible fucking person because it pops into my head that I wish I could lift her skirt and fuck her right there, just like that.

How can Istill be such a sexual demon knowing how hard thisis going to be for her? For me? For us?

I rush out of the room before the beast gets the better of me.

Avalon brushes her hands beneath her to smooth out her dress as she lowers into the light-blue armchair set in the corner of the room. Brittany and Jeff are gone. The camera is on and rolling and will remain that way while we talk. My palms sweat as I pull up a matching armchair to sit near the camera, out of shot, facing her, about four paces away.

I rub my hand over my stubble that’s been prickling into growth over the last week. I’ve been too busy helping Avalon with the arrangements after her mom’s death and dealing with the emotional turmoil to worry about shaving. I’m regretting it right now though, because I’m in a state of heightened awareness as I watch her anxiety creep back in. I can feel every short, coarse hair like a tiny dagger forcing its way through my skin.

My fingers pinch the left side of my bottom lip—a really old fucking habit from when my lip was pierced years ago. I haven’t done that in years. I’d pinch and pull on the hoop like that when I was feeling on edge.

Her voice is quiet, but it startles me. “Why are you nervous?” I put my hand down and look at her. Her eyebrows pull in a straight line as she looks at me with a confused expression. “I know whyI’mnervous, but why areyounervous?”

“How do you know I’m nervous?”

“Your lip ring.” Her eyes soften as she gazes at me. “You always did that when you were nervous.”

“Phantom itch. I guess old habits die hard.”

“I miss it. Your lip ring, I mean.”

“Yeah?”

She nods, a nervous smile quirking up the side of her mouth. “It looked good on you. It looked like you. It’s strange that you don’t have it anymore.”

I shrug. “Wasn’t a great look for business.”

“I don’t know that people mind so much these days.” I watch her, letting silence fall for few beats. She looks down at her lap as she brings her hands together, wringing them above her thighs. “How long ago did you get rid of it?” she asks without looking at me.

I lean back in my seat, crossing my ankle over my knee. “I know you’re stalling.”

Her eyes remain trained on her hands. “I don’t know how this is supposed to work.”

“Pretend the camera isn’t there. Look at me when you speak. Say what you want to say, and I’ll ask questions along the way if I need to.”

“What if...” she hesitates, closes her eyes, “what if you ask me a question I don’t want to answer?”

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