Page 30 of Savage

I wanted him to look at me the way he used.

I wanted him to hold me, kiss me, and make love to me—just like he used to. But those feelings of want and need were laced with hurt and anger.

As much as I wanted to forget, the day he ended things haunted me. Being turned away felt like a stab in the back. Malcomb completely ignoring my letters only deepened the wound.

It was those memories that turned my heart cold and gave me the strength to force the longings I had for him out of my head.

And then, only then, was I finally able to drift back off to sleep.

I planned to sleep the day away, but Mom dashed those plans when she came into my room and hissed, “Are you going to answer that?”

“Answer what?” I grumbled.

“Your phone,” she fussed. “The stupid thing has been vibrating off and on for over an hour.”

“I’ll get it in a minute.”

I heard her footsteps grow closer, then a shuffle at my bedside table. The phone landed next to me as she fussed, “It could be important.”

“Okay. Okay. I’ve got it.”

I rolled over with a huff and grabbed my phone. I squinted my eyes as I looked at the screen and groaned when I saw that it was Jackson calling. I threw my arm over my head, covering my eyes as I answered, “What?”

“I’ve been calling for over an hour.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Where the hell have you been?”

“In bed.”

“Ooohhh, so you had a big time last night.”

“I did. In fact, I had a great time.”

“Oh, really?”

“It was one of the best nights I’ve had in a while.”

I went on to tell him everything about my night, both the good and the bad, and once I was done, he chuckled and said, “Damn. I hate I missed it.”

“Me, too. I think you would’ve enjoyed it.”

“I’m glad you had a good time. You deserve it.”

I giggled as I told him, “You sound like my mother.”

“Well, your mother’s a smart lady, just like me.”

“Gotta love your confidence.”

He laughed as he said, “It’s part of my charm.”

“Yes, it most certainly is.”

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Jackson spoke up again. “So, I umm... I have some bad news.”

“Oh, God. What is it?”

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