Page 58 of Dearly Betrayed

He doesn’t release me. Not for a second, and I’m strangely comforted by his grip. I want him to hold me tighter, pull me closer, because the crack of that gunshot keeps playing in my mind, the stare of the black barrel pointed at my skull, the end of me wavering in the hand of a man that might’ve known me since I was a girl, if only from a distance. A man of my own family, come to end my life because I represent something he didn’t want.

Peace. The end of the fighting. No more revenge.

Because blood only begets more blood. I understood that, sitting on the bar stool, staring at my husband beat a human to death with his bare hands. Killing only makes more killing, and if we can’t find a way to move past what happened, to accept that we all have good reasons to do the terrible things we do, then it’ll keep coming back. It won’t ever stop.

“You saved my life.” The words tumble out once we’re safely in the condo, standing together in the living room.

“I told you, I’ll always take care of my wife.”

“You risked yourself.” I reach out and raise his arm. There’s a deep furrow down the side where the bullet tore flesh. He was lucky it didn’t go in and only grazed him. “You could’ve died.”

“And you would have died if I hadn’t done anything.” He touches my face. Tender, loving. I’m breathing fast, my pulse in my throat. “When I saw that gun, and I saw you sitting there, I couldn’t let it happen. I tried to throw myself in front of the bullet, but I ran into him instead.”

“Jayson—”

“I lost someone important to me once. My best friend sacrificed himself to save me, and after that happened, I swore I’d never let anyone do that for me again. I swore I’d give that same sacrifice to someone else I care about if the opportunity ever arose. I swore I’d be half as brave as he was.”

“You don’t owe me that,” I whisper, tears in my throat. “This isn’t real, right?”

“You are mine, Fallon. I don’t care how this started. I barely care who you are. Your family isn’t important, your old name is gone, you have my name now, and I will protect you for as long as you keep it.”

I blink twice as the tears roll down my cheeks. “Why? I don’t understand why? I thought you hated me.”

“I thought I did too, right up until I almost watched you die, and I knew I was only lying to myself.”

“Fuck,” I say, shaking my head. “You didn’t need to do that. You really didn’t need to say that.” I step forward and press myself against him. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me tight.

“You’re wrong. I do need to take care of you, I need it more than you’ll understand.”

I tilt my chin toward him. He wipes the tears from my cheeks. I get up on my toes and kiss his lips softly, and he returns the kiss with a low purr. I hold my mouth against his, and the kiss deepens, until a hunger takes me over, a hunger I didn’t know I’ve been holding back.

Then my husband’s dragging me upstairs kissing and shedding clothes as we stumble into the bedroom.

Chapter27

Fallon

I’ve never felt so confused in my life. Everything I thought was true feels like an elaborate lie; everything I thought would happen hasn’t panned out.

Marrying Jayson felt like the end of my life.

But as he pushes me down onto the bed, his mouth buried between my legs, being with him feels like getting a second chance.

“I never should’ve left you alone,” he snarls as his fingers slide up and down my wet slit before pushing deep inside.

I gasp, back arching. “Careful,” I moan to him. “I’m still sore.”

He fucks me slowly with his fingers as his tongue rolls around my clit. “I should’ve kept you with me. Never let you leave my sight.”

“You didn’t know.” I gasp as he hits that perfect spot, sending a jolt of pleasure deep into my core. “How could you have known?”

“I should’ve seen it coming.” He goes faster as if getting me off will absolve him of this guilt. “It was too easy.”

“There’s nothing easy about you.”

“Please, my darling wife, you know what I mean.”

Some part of me knows whatever he’s feeling isn’t only because someone tried to kill me. It’s a lot more than that, a lot bigger.

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