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For anyone who is taking it one day at a time.
Nothing is permanent. Things are always under my control, and I can choose to do things however I want. That’s all anything is, really. A choice.
Lily sighs, wiping her face with the back of her hands, the laughter dying down. “It’s okay. I’m sure it had more to do with her than me. There’s bitterness in all of us.”
“I’m a lot of things, little bird…” His voice vibrates against my skin. “But I am not a politician.”
Like I’ve said before, I’ve never been good at staying away from my vices.
His mouth moves from my cheek until it’s resting just about mine. “I don’t enjoy kissing. It’s never been my thing.”
“But I swear to God, I’d let the world burn if it meant I could taste your lips.”
I never “lost” my virginity because I never knew to look for it in the first place.
This breaks my fucking heart...
If she isn’t going to look at me, I can at least make sure she feels me. I’ve been ready to explode ever since I felt every inch of her delicious body pressed against mine, and now that she’s standing in front of me, I can’t help but want to eat her fucking whole. Devour her until she doesn’t know up from down and left from right. Show her what it’s truly like to be worshiped by a man. I doubt she ever has been.
“My point is, little bird, I understand hiding your past beneath the surface, under pretty colors and inked-up skin.”
He leans in, his mouth grazing against my neck. My stomach flips. “You can tell me all your secrets, Lily,” he whispers into my skin. “I promise I’ll keep them safe.”
“Oh God,” I pant.
“There’s no God here, little bird. It’s just you and me.”
“I’m starting to think you were made for me,” he says. And then he leans in and steals my shocked gasp with a kiss.
My heart skips so hard at the sight of her bare pussy, it feels like it might break, but I swear to God if I die, this is how I want to go out. Right here, staring at Lily in all her beauty—her taste on my tongue and her body a vision, skin flushed and glistening, begging me to do all the things I’ve dreamed of.
I may not be an expert in emotional connection, but one thing I do know is how to fuck. How to draw out the hidden deviant living inside, so you can enjoy the pleasure of submerging in your darkest desires. And Lily Adams likes dark things.
I’m talking about that soul-deep shit. Where your energy connects with theirs and you twine together, riding the same vibration. Tuned into the same frequency.
I nod, my insides swirling with an unknown feeling. I feel…safe. Calm. Protected. Cherished.
“Now that I’ve had you. Now that I’ve tasted you, no one else gets to touch you.” He slips his tongue in my mouth, branding me with ownership. I shouldn’t like the way it feels. But I do. “You’re mine.”
Family. Faith. Thomas Wells wouldn’t give a shit about his family if it came up and bit him on the ass. I should know. I’m his son.
“You’ve gotta stop tryin’ to find the bad in every situation. You look hard enough, you’ll always find it.”
Who needs nicotine when my new favorite vice has shown up instead?
“My kiss looks good on you, little bird.” I lean in, running my nose along the expanse of her neck, wanting to smell her skin and commit it to memory. Collect every piece of her like a snapshot for rainy days.
Because drowning in Lily is better than wading in a life without her. I can’t lose her yet.
And then, for the first time in my life, I truly surrender. I let myself fall. I just hope he’s there to catch me when I land.
“You’re the only thing I need, little bird.” He says it like a promise, and he seals it with a kiss.
And while I know I’ll never be whole again, for the first time, I wonder if it’s possible to fall in love with jagged edges.
His lips skim my cheek as he hands me the bouquet. “Pretty flowers for a stunning girl.”
My insides quake with possibility, and for the first time, I feel excited for the unknown. And I fall a little deeper.
“Give me all your secrets,” she speaks against my lips. “I promise to keep them safe.”
Goose bumps sprout along my skin, but it’s not the outside that creates the chill. It’s the type of cold that seeps from your soul, spreading like molasses until the frost coats every bone, causing an ache that even the sun can’t take away.
My head twists to gaze up at him, wondering if it’s even possible to spill my secrets. I’ve been burying them so long, I’m not sure I can find their graves.
But there’s something prodding me to dig up the skeletons, hoping the rot of pain doesn’t suf...
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“That’s sad, little bird.” “Why do you call me that?” I turn in his arms.
He smiles softly, his hand coming up to run down my cheek. “Birds are social animals. They live in flocks and flourish in the skies. But when they’re put in captivity, they become lonely. Depressed. Aggressive. Sometimes, they show their trauma by never singing again.”
“When I first met you, you seemed lonely. Depressed. Aggressive. It made me want to hear you sing.”
His thumb presses into my bottom lip. “Birds aren’t meant to be caged.” He leans down and presses a kiss to my lips. “What stole your song, little bird?”
My heart stutters. “I don’t think I can ta...
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I’m no politician’s son. I gave up that title on the night he killed my child.
“Eyes on me, baby,” Alex says, his palms rubbing the inside of my legs.
“He likes it when you make a smiley face with ketchup on top of scrambled eggs, and…” I continue. “And he’s so goddamn special.” I exhale a shaky breath.
My heart is breaking into a million little pieces
“Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”
“Little bird,” I murmur. “It’s okay, baby. I’ve got you.” My hand comes up and smooths down the back of her head gently, afraid of hitting a wound but knowing she needs the comfort.
I allow myself a few minutes to soak her in, and then I lie down beside her, wrapping her in my arms and whispering that I’ll keep her safe. Tonight, I’ll hold her. Tomorrow, I’ll find that motherfucker and make him pay.
I move to the door, turning around to smile. “But I’m your prick, whether you claim me or not.”
Mason’s focus goes back to the boy in his arms, and my stomach somersaults. How could I make my baby live without a man like Mason when it’s clear that he’s in love? How can I live without him when it’s clear that I am too?
And as we lie in her temporary bed, in her temporary home, my soul feels more satiated than ever. Because I know that this is forever. I’m never leaving again.
She sniffles, glancing down at her lap, swallowing around her tears. “Forgiveness is divine, Alina May.”
Eli laughs, his eyes watery as he cups her face. “Rebecca Jean, are you proposing to me?”
She shrugs. “I’m nothin’ if not unconventional. Eli…if you stay with me, baby, I’ll give you the world.”
