Page 55 of Savage Deal

“You said lots of things, and I was terrified of you.” I traced my finger along the intricacies of his tattoos on his shoulder and chest. “Which part?”

“The part where I said I didn’t want any complications.”

“I don’t want to be a complication.” I tried to hide my disappointment because he meant he didn’t want me to develop feelings for him. I didn’t want to have feelings for him either, but I didn’t think I had any control over that. “I won’t be a burden to you. I’ll go when you say it’s time.”

“That’s not what I meant.” He shook his head, looking conflicted.I think.“Let’s see what happens.”

“Can I ask another question?”

“Well, I do like when you talk, so why not?”

“Was I worth half a million dollars?”

“Were you…” A smile took over his masculine face. “You’re teasing me.”

I bit my lip before laughing.

“I really like when you laugh.”

“I haven’t laughed in a long time.” When I touched his beard, he relaxed his jaw. Did he like my touch as much as I enjoyed his? “I have never felt safe or taken care of before meeting you.”

“I want you to feel safe and protected with me.” He placed his hand over mine. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Thank you.” I rested my head on his chest. “It stopped raining.”

“We’ll head back in a few minutes.” He rubbed my back. “How was your afternoon?”

“With Carly and Cassie?”

“I got the impression you didn’t want to go when they invited you this morning.”

“I thought it would be awkward spending the day with Carly.”

“Why?”

“Because you and her…well, you’ve been together. And I don’t know…it’s weird.”

“We were together a long time ago.” He held me tighter. “I ended things with her because I couldn’t see myself spending the rest of my life with her.”

Carly told me she couldn’t imagine spending her whole life with Jude. Funny how they ended up spending their lives together anyway, just not in the traditional sense.

“She and Cassie have a cool relationship.” I was envious of the way they interacted with one another. “They challenge each other. Like what’s the number one song this week, or which celebrity is dating another celebrity, and then they try to see who can find the answer faster on their phones. I don’t have that, so it was interesting to me.”

“A relationship with your mother.”

“I didn’t think I missed anything, but then I saw how Carly and Cassie were with one another, and I guess I started thinking about what could have been. Not that my relationship with my mom would have been anything like theirs. Our circumstances are so different.”

“Cassandra is very fortunate. She’s spoiled, and entitled, but that’s mine and Carly’s fault. You’re right, your circumstances are different, but you have qualities that my daughter will never possess.”

“She’s lucky she has you.” I ran my fingers along his chest, wishing I had a family. “She knows it too.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”

“She’s a teenager. Her friends and phone are her priorities.”

“Speaking of phones, you don’t have one.”

“No, you kind of have to be able to pay for it, and there were days when I couldn’t eat, so no, I don’t have a phone.”

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