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“What are you waiting for?” “Got my eyes fixed on eternity with you. There’s no rush.”
Guess he doesn’t need my help. “Kody?” I kick off my boots. “Mm?” He doesn’t look up. I’ve lost him.
Adultery runs in the family. My face burns, and my ears pressurize. Oh, the irrational fears of a scorned woman.
“I long for a day when I don’t have to be strong. Strength has drained me. I don’t want to be praised for enduring. I want tenderness and peace. I crave a softer path, a gentler life, that asks nothing of my toughness.”
I’m ready to fast-forward to the epilogue where we live happily ever after.” “And miss out on our adventurous life together?” “I think we’ve had enough adventures for several lifetimes.” “Epilogues are boring.” “Not ours.”
“I love you.” “Know what happens when you say that to a caveman?”
“Stop strangling that thing and put it inside me.” “No room.” Kody grunts. “If I can push a baby out, I can fit two dicks.” “That thing he’s ramming inside you…” Leo angles closer, panting heavily. “It’s the size of a baby.” Not quite. But Kody’s girth makes things more challenging.
This devil doesn’t bargain. I take. I’m a monster on the cusp of insanity. A stalker in the night. Her silent ache, haunting her from the darkness. But beneath the horror of my actions, there’s a man who’s just lonely, broken, and desperately in love. A man who wishes more than anything that things were different, that she still wanted him the way he wants her.
My life before Frankie had no flavor, no meaning, no purpose. It was sex without feeling. A book with blank pages. I cannot go back to that. I won’t.
Like this, her beauty is stunning, mesmerizing. She leaves me breathless.
Richness and extravagance surround me in comfort. Polished exotic wood, stitched Italian leather, custom artwork, and handwoven carpets—all crafted by renowned interior designers. The best that money can buy. Yet I’ve never felt more alone. None of it means a goddamn thing without her.
My chest cracks with each crash of the bow against the water. Doesn’t matter how much distance I put between her and me, I can’t escape the pain.
I slow the yacht and pour a glass of the finest whiskey, but the burn does nothing to warm the cold ache. I turn on music to drown out my thoughts, but every note feels hollow. I pace the deck, the rain soaking my sweatpants, the wind lashing at me, but nothing eases the torment.
I drop to my knees, my cries echoing across the empty sea. “Frankie.” My voice breaks, my body shaking, my sobs lost to the downpour. The loneliness crushes me. I can’t breathe. I miss her with every fiber of my being, the longing a physical pain that rips through me.
“Nice morning wood, Uncle Kody.” “Don’t ever call me that.” “Someone needs to make it uncomfortable since Wolf isn’t here.”
“No fistfights, assfucker.” “No promises, cocksucker.
“I’m not afraid of vulnerability. So if you think I’ll slink off with my tail between my legs rather than face what I’ve done, you’re wrong. I’ll show up for her, one hundred percent, even on my worst days when I’m stripped and gutted with my jealousy and guilt hanging out of the holes in my chest.”
“I get the feeling your chef spits in your food.” “He’s a pompous old prick who doesn’t know his place.” “Why don’t you fire him?” “He makes the best Eggs Benedict in Alaska.”
“What code did Denver use to get in?” “He figured out my personal code.” “How?” “It was the date of his assassination.” “That’s fucked up.” “Yeah.”
“That man is harboring some deep-seated animosity toward you. Might want to check your eggs for rat poison.” “He wouldn’t dare.”
“I want you dead.” He pitches forward, his breath a surging tide of wrath. “I want to fucking bury you.”
He gestures around until he awkwardly lands on Frankie. The shithead better not be thanking me for her.
“Just my sanity at stake here. It’s the least I can do.”
“That was the most uncomfortable exchange I’ve ever heard, and I enjoyed it immensely.”
“He had a flair for dramatics.” Leo traces the edge of a butter knife. “He would choose negative media attention over nothing at all.”
“Haven’t you heard? Waiting is my thing now. Every second without you is a second spent waiting for you. Even if you don’t want me in your life, you’re the constant in mine. Always here.” I tap my temple. “And here.” I touch my chest. “Doesn’t matter how long it takes. My feelings for you are timeless. I’ll wait forever.”
“I don’t need another savior.” “You have one anyway. When you need me, I’ll be there. I’ll fucking show up with every muscle of my beating heart.” Her lips twitch. “What?” I narrow my eyes. “The heart has just one muscle. The myocardium.”
Kody grunts. Leo looks like he wants to pee on her. I fantasize about dumping their bodies in the Sitka Sound.
Our gazes clash like midnight thunder, and fuck me straight to hell. I crave her.
“I want a divorce.” “Never.” The objection rips from me like flayed skin, making me roar in pain. “You must.” Her shoulders slump. “It’s over.” “No. Anything but that.” My ears ring. My lungs collapse. I bend forward, my body folding in on itself. “Anything else. Anything.”
Never invite a monster into your heart. Because it renders you powerless.
She leaves me breathless. I miss her so much it hurts.
“Didn’t know you could sing…” He stares down at her, then back at me, cruelty frosting his eyes. “Like a goat.”
Every fiber of my being screams to rip her away, to shield her from the man who’s caused her so much pain. But a territorial pissing match isn’t what she needs right now.
Teamwork. Fucking yay.
We maneuver as a unit, a fragile alliance forged by necessity.
“That’s a stab wound.” She climbs to her knees and positions him to sit beside her as she examines the injury. “Who did this?” Her glare goes straight to Leo. He coughs and stares at his boots.
“I swear on the fires in hell, if you don’t tell me what happened, I’ll make sure you end up on life support, begging for every breath while I control the plug.” “She’s back.” Leo’s lips twitch. I grunt, hiding my amusement. Goddamn, I love her viciousness.
“I want Doyle.” She moves his hand. “No one else.” “Who’s Doyle?” My brows knit. “The psychiatrist she saw when her mom passed.” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “I don’t like him.” “You don’t like him because he’s attractive.” Her eyes flash with annoyance. “Now I don’t like him.” I frown. “Great,” she mutters.
“It’s still bleeding. The edges are jagged, and it’s so deep I can see down to your shriveled-up heart.” “Then you can see the scars you left there.” “Not through all the ice around it.”
“Watch the way you talk to her.”
“The woman loves to argue.” “I do not.” “See?”
“It’s like some part of you didn’t want to kill me.” “Monty…” She lines up the next stitch. “No part of me wants to kill you.”
“No more sneaking up on crazy people.” “You’re not crazy.” “Aren’t I?”
“I’ll be fine.” She waves her hand. “Go. Keep the peace.” “What peace?” “Touché.”
“His face gives my middle finger an erection.” “That’s mature,”
“I was held against my will for nine months. Six days ago, we did the impossible and escaped. We’re free, but I don’t feel free. Not like I did before the abduction. I’m constantly on edge, waiting for something else to go wrong. Like, at any minute, the devil will reach out of the shadows and drag me back to hell.”
“I’m yours. You and Leo and me, we’re bonded. Mated for life. Denver couldn’t divide us. Hoss couldn’t break us. No one can take this from us.”
“I don’t like the way he touches you.” “I’m yours.” I kiss his angry lips. “He intends to take you.” “I’m yours.” I unbutton my jeans and push them down my hips. “I can’t let him hurt you.” He yanks my arms behind my back and pins me against his chest. “I’m yours.”
Not that I have any possessive feelings about Gretchen. I fucking hated that raping bitch.
