Page 59 of Cruel Charming Psychos (Necessary Evils 2)

“She just wants to get dinner and watch a movie. I’ll be home in a few hours, promise.”

I tighten my grip on the wheel and grit my teeth before relenting. “You do understand that I’ll send the entire police force out looking for you if you’re gone too long, right?”

“Is that a yes?”

“You’re an adult and I trust you to make your own decisions.”

“Thank you, Nick.”

My stomach sinks as I change course, turning down a side street to head back the other way. Like I said, I’m always going to be worried about her. Will she make the right decisions? I know I surely didn’t. I’ll continue fucking up until the day I die, but right now, I feel like I’m on top of the world. I feel like I’m on the path to becoming a better person myself.

Ever since the night of the burning fire, it’s like something in me has changed.

We don’t talk aboutthatnight much. We all know exactly what happened that night, but it’s easier to leave it in the past where it belongs. I’ll never understand how Emily forgave me so quickly. When she looks at me, it’s like she sees the big brother that’s always been there to protect her. It’s like she conveniently forgets that I did something unforgivable, and yet she’s forgiven me anyways. That’s strength. Our parents always said she was the weakest of us kids, but in my eyes, she’s the strongest. She’s been through hell and back, none of which was of her own doing.

She had the strength to stand against our father by giving Addison permission to turn the video footage of our dad’s perversions into the authorities. He’s always managed to come out on top. He always wins, but there’s too much evidence against him for both the crimes he committed and the crimes he didn’t. He’ll spend the rest of his life in jail, but first comes the trial that will no doubt test Emily to the core, but I have absolute faith in her because she too always comes out on top.

* * *

The first thing I see when I get home is Addison standing in front of the kitchen sink, whisking something in a bowl. She cocks her head over her shoulder and smiles at me–she does that a lot lately. It’s infectious. I smile back at her as I approach, wrapping my hands around her waist once I reach her.

She looks to the door once more and then tilts her head to look up at me. “Where’s Emily?”

“I dropped her off at a friend’s house. She’ll be home in a few hours.”

She arches a concerned brow. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“We can’t keep her locked up in this tiny apartment like a prisoner.”

She sighs. “I just worry about her.”

“Same.” I plant a soft kiss on the back of her head. “You’re cooking, now?”

“I’m craving something sweet.” She pushes the bowl onto the counter and turns to me, shifting the weight of her body onto the palms of her hands against the counter.

“The worst thing about baking is that the satisfaction comes much too late. It’s like you’re hungry for the cake but by the time it’s done, after it’s been cooled and frosted, you’re no longer in the mood.” I lift her chin with a single finger. “I’m not a patient person.”

“Why do I feel like that’s a euphemism for something else?”

“I’m not exactly sure that word means what you think it means, but yes, I’m trying to be coy.”

“Haven’t we earned the privilege of being straightforward with each other?”

“Fine,” I say softly. “I’m fucking horny.”

“And I’m fucking hungry.”

“You’re so fucking sexy when you’re combative but I think we both want the same thing.”

I scoop her up into my arms, forcing a riotous laugh from her as I carry her through the kitchen and into the bedroom. I lay her onto the bed gently, climbing on top of her. There’s a time when I would have thrown her on the bed and ravaged her. That part of me still exists, the part that wants to fuck her until she sees the stars, but sometimes I’m softer too. But don’t ever say I’m going soft. It’s just that things are… different now. We share this trauma that has drawn us together.

I never imagined life would leave me here. When I saw her for the first time in that bookstore, I wanted to destroy her, and I did everything I could to achieve that goal. Somehow, somewhere along the way, things changed.

And now she looks at me like I’m her entire world. Now, that’s what I call an enemies-to-lovers romance which I hear is a popular topic of books that women like to read. She’s my entire world too. It can be suffocating at times, like I want to scream out for the freedom I used to crave. These moments come and go like flashes of lightning in the night sky. I never thought I was built for monogamy. Addison is the ultimate test for me to figure that out. She’s not the easiest woman in the world to love, but that fire in her only serves to draw me closer.

I kiss her slowly at first, lapping my tongue against the crest of her lips and then I’m on her neck, alternating between breathing hot fire and softly biting into her skin. She moans underneath the weight of my body, her hands pulling me deeper into her orbit.

My hard cock begs to be set free from my trousers, but I’m intent on drawing this out until she can’t take it anymore. Until she begs me to fuck her deep into the mattress. I shift downward, caressing her tits through her shirt while I continue to tease the side of her neck with my tongue.

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