Page 20 of Destroyed (American Street Kings 4)

I placed my hand over his, nestling my cheek deeper into his touch as another tear escaped. For a moment, I was free from the cold. Free from the chill that constantly possessed my body. Everywhere I went, it was always there clinging to me, refusing to let me feel anything but its icy claws. But not now. Not while I felt the warmth from his touch.

“Neon—”

“I was afraid.” I blinked away another tear. “I was afraid I’ll never feel again.” I closed my eyes. “But I do. I feel.” I opened my eyes and looked up at him. “I feel you, Ink.”

“Neon.” He leaned down, and I couldn’t stop it. My mind screamed for me to stop what was about to happen, but the faint beat of my heart that had been shattered by the devil, a part of me that seemed insignificant until now, begged me not to. And I listened. For the first time, I obeyed the tiny piece of me that was left, and I let Ink do what he wanted to do…

Kiss me.

A soft whimper whispered over my tongue when I felt his lips against mine. It was warm, comforting, soft, a ghost of a kiss that had the power to disarm me. He didn’t deepen the kiss, and his tongue didn’t try to push through the barrier of my lips. He was just there, letting me feel the caress of his mouth gently brushing mine. It was not so much a kiss as it was an expression of how gentle his heart was. For me.

More tears escaped, my pain blending with his need to comfort me. My heart raced, emotion erupting inside me, my body both numb and electrified. I’d known this man for so long, and I never could have imagined he could be capable of a kiss so tender, so subtle, yet powerful enough to deafen the voices that haunted me.

I couldn’t pull away from him even if I wanted to, and when his lips left mine, I refused to open my eyes because I didn’t want to break the spell. I didn’t want it to be over, afraid the voices would return.

He leaned his head against mine. “I said this so many times before, and I’ll say it again. I’m not letting go, Neon. Never. Understand?” He lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Do you understand me? I’m going to be here waiting for you. Even if it takes a fucking lifetime. I’ll wait.”

“Why? Why would you wait for someone as broken as me?” A tear lapped over my lips. “I can’t give you what you need.”

“And what is it you think I need?”

“Someone whole. Someone who isn’t broken into pieces.”

He shook his head and inched closer. “You don’t get it.” With his palms cupping my cheeks, he lightly brushed his lips against mine before leaning into me. “It’s those broken pieces I want. I want to keep them together, so you don’t have to.”

He pressed his lips against my forehead, and I closed my eyes, letting out a breath when he pulled back, heading to the door.

“Ink.”

He stilled, glancing at me over his shoulder.

“You’re insane, you know that?”

A grin appeared on his face. “You have no idea. See you downstairs?”

I nodded.

He didn’t close the door behind him when he left, and I stood there for what seemed like an eternity, staring into nothingness. There were no words to describe what just happened. I didn’t even understand it myself. Was I falling for him? Was he finally cracking the ice, breaking through the barrier I had successfully maintained around my heart for so long? From the beginning, he made no secret about what he wanted, trying everything he could to make me realize how serious he was. But this was different. This wasn’t the Ink I knew, the Ink who loved the chase—the hunter who caught his prey only to leave it bleeding out with no intention of devouring it.

This Ink was different, just like I was. It seemed like what happened didn’t just change me, it changed him too…which meant he really cared about me.

8

Ink

If I wasthe sort of man who appreciated the summer sun shining brightly from a cloudless sky with not even the slightest breeze, I’d be thinking this was the perfect fucking day. If I was a beach bum, I’d be riding waves right about now. But whether the birds chirped while the sun shined, or the wind howled with a thunderstorm raging, I didn’t give an actual fuck either way. What I did care about was the smell of barbecued beef and the prospects of stuffing my face with burgers and beer.

The smoke coming from the grill was thick with aroma, and it made my stomach growl. I wondered how that rotten, dirty fucking snake felt right now. Fucker hadn’t eaten in days. His leg was broken, and he was chained up like a rabid animal. The thought of him being trapped in limbo, stuck between a place of extreme agony and hell made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And to think I had barely begun to extract my revenge from his soon to be corpse.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Manic sat down across from me. “You have that look on your face.”

“What look?”

“That look you have when you think about your dick getting sucked.”

I swallowed a mouthful of beer. “Oh, believe me, what I’m thinking about is even better than that.”

“Are you kidding?” Manic almost looked offended. “Nothing is better than getting deep-throated by a blonde with daddy issues. Speaking about blondes,” he leaned back, “have you seen Alyx’s friend? The redhead.”

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