Page 67 of Savage

Malcomb reached for me, pulling me towards him, and pressed his lips against mine. The kiss was soft and tender and filled with promise. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer until there was no space left between us. Being with him felt like home, and my entire body melted into his.

A low moan escaped through my parted lips as he kissed me deeper, and suddenly, everything changed. We both became frantic and full of need. Just as we were getting carried away, Malcomb suddenly broke the kiss. “Get dressed and meet me out back.”

“And Dalton?”

“He might need to stay inside for this one.” He noticed my hesitation and added, “We won’t be long. Maybe he can watch a movie or play one of his games?”

“We’ll be close, right?”

“Yep. Just out back.”

“Okay. I’ll get him sorted.”

I went back inside and went to Dalton’s room, and to my surprise, he was still sleeping soundly. I used the opportunity to tiptoe down to Malcomb’s room and change out of my gown and into a pair of denim shorts and a T-shirt. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, and I was about to put on a little makeup when I heard Dalton ask, “Where’s Mal-come?”

“He’s outside.” I walked over and knelt in front of him. “How’d you sleep?”

“O-kay.” He rubbed his eyes, then said, “I’m hun-gry.”

“Okay, sweetie. Let’s go to the kitchen and find you a bite to eat.”

He nodded, then followed me down the hall. When we made it to the kitchen, Dalton climbed up on one of the stools and watched as I made him a bowl of cereal. Once I had it ready, I asked, “Do you want to eat it here or over by the TV?”

“In ‘dare wit’ TV.”

“Okay.”

I led him into the living room, and he sat on his knees in front of the coffee table—something he’d done many times before. I turned on the TV and put it on one of his favorite shows, then leaned down and said, “Malcomb wants me to come outside and do something with him for a few minutes.”

“What ya gonna do?”

“I don’t know. He hasn’t told me.”

“I wanna go.”

Before I could respond, a man’s voice echoed through the room, “Holy shit. It’s true. Savage really does have a fucking kid.”

“Whoa.Language, please.”

I whipped around, and my mouth dropped when I found Thomas standing there. The last time I’d seen him, he was just a kid—tall and thin with acne and bad hair. But over the past five years, he’d grown into a man. He was broad-shouldered and handsome as could be. It took me a second, but I finally managed to respond, “Thomas? Is that really you?”

“The one and only, but folks call me Torch now.”

“Torch? That’s an interesting road name.”

“What can I say? I’m an interesting guy.”

I laughed, then walked over and gave him a hug. “It’s really good to see you,Torch.”

“Good to see you, too.” He hugged me back, then leaned to look over my shoulder at Dalton. “He looks just like him.”

“Yeah, he does.” I agreed with him.

“What’s his name?”

“Dalton.”

“Dalton’s a good name. It suits him.” Torch motioned his head towards the door as he said, “Ah, Malcomb’s out there waiting for ya. I’ll hang with him while you two do whatever it is you were gonna do.”

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