Page 57 of Bits and Pieces

“You were a kid.”

“I didn’t feel like one,” she whispers, fighting with her memories. “People stopped treating me like one when I moved in with Darlie. Men expected sex. She demanded I pay for rent and other bills. I was suddenly an adult with responsibilities.”

Studying her face, I want to ask where her aunt lives. I could cut off her head and bring it to Landry as a gift. Somehow, I don’t think she’d be happy. Some people are satisfied with blood spilled in their honor. Others need time and care to heal. Landry’s pain runs too deep for a simple fix.

“I never liked sex. But I didn’t dread it,” she says, rubbing her throat again. “I’ve never been turned on by a man before.”

When her gaze finds me, I see how young Landry still is in many ways. There were moments today where she acted more like a girl with a crush than a woman with a dead husband and five kids. A part of her still craves what she missed out on when her childhood abruptly ended.

“You’re in my bed,” I say as my gaze admires the sight of her bare legs. “It feels weird to talk about dating. We’re already at the finish line but only in location. You don’t know me at all. I barely know you. We’re both coming off shitty relationships. I loved a woman who didn’t exist. You were married to a man who never earned your heart.”

Landry watches me with tired, sad eyes. This was the look she wore when I first saw her. She’d been in her head, wallowing in disappointment and regret. I felt her from across the damn parking lot. When she suffered, I hurt inside. When she smiled at her kids, I felt like the world made sense.

“We have several months to date,” I say, and the corners of her mouth lift at the thought. “We’ll learn each other’s likes and dislikes. Share our stories and make out like randy teenagers in the back seat of a car. By the time I claim your body, you’ll know I’m not looking for a consolation prize. I’ll believe you’re not only with me out of necessity. We’ll trust each other completely. The fucking is bound to be outstanding.”

Landry’s gaze warms until it could heat the damn house. Her smile grows as she imagines our future. I don’t expect her to magically dismiss her painful past or my terrifying lifestyle. I’m still the monster who defeated her boogeyman. She might enjoy my kisses, but she hasn’t forgotten the violence at my core.

However, I’m already wound up over Landry. Before we met, I was obsessed. Now, with her in my house and bed, I’m infected with a new, even more desperate desire.

LANDRY

Silas’s hot kissesbuild me up and tear me back down. I’m both sexy and hideous under his touch. I’ve never been more insecure than when he covers us with his plush comforter and wraps his large body around the back of me.

How can I keep this gorgeous man’s interest?

When Silas first appeared through my door, I’d been horrified by his size and all that hair. He looked like a wild man. When his gaze met mine, I thought he was death personified.

Now, Silas represents every dirty thought I’ve ever conjured up. I can’t believe how his lips feel on my body. I’m stuck in a fiery lust half the night. I dream of fucking. I wake up horny. If I weren’t so pregnant, I’d gear up to ride the giant man next to me.

The sun once again wakes me. Yesterday, I forgot to mention to Silas about the shades. I turn over to find him stretched out on his back. One of his arms is draped over his face. The other rests at my side.

I admire his thickly muscled body. My fingers recall sliding through the dark hair covering his chest. I study his tattoo sleeves, finding a mosaic of frenzied violence and club pride.

My gaze focuses on old scars, thick and pink along his rib cage. His right thigh reveals another old wound. Just under his belly button are several long-healed injuries.

In the growing light, I track the journey of Silas from a boy to the man who sleeps soundly next to me. He didn’t gain power through brains and speed. He had to bleed and kill to climb to the top.

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