The Bayou Never Tells

by Chelley St. Clair

I was always told that once the devil calls ya by name, it’s best to walk straight up to the door to hell and face it.

Satan, Lucifer, The Prince of Darkness... ‘Round these parts, everyone knows him by Cade Wilder.

“Everyone has a moment where they need an angel, and anyone can be the angel in someone’s moment.”

“Welcome to the bayou, Buttercup. Try not to die.”

forgiveness don’t always mean excusing the hurt someone caused. Sometimes it’s just agreeing to move forward and give them a chance to try again.

When something ugly digs its thorns in, you figure out how to weave it in with the beautiful parts.

“Well, my little voyeur.” He smiles. “Did ya enjoy the show?”

“I ruin people, Princess.”

“Because, darlin’...” The words are frayed around the edges, and I’m reminded of the lost man that lay trembling in my arms last night. Maybe that’s why his next words gut me. “I believe people get what they deserve.”

“Good, cause there’s no white knights here to rescue you. Just me.” “And what does that make you?” My voice wobbles uncontrollably. “Oh, sweetheart, that makes me the dragon.” With his eyes glimmering pure lust and his voice dripping with hunger, he climbs over me, forcing me to lay back. “And you, my little Princess, just came to my lair alone, offering yourself to me.”

“I’ll take you to the airport in the morning. Until then, you’re mine.” When I nod, he continues. “As far as the rules go: it’s just you and me in here till ya leave, and that means there’s no one else up here, either.” He taps my forehead. “You think about me and no one else, past or future. I ain’t interested in sharing while you’re mine.”

“Once we’re finished here, and you go back home…we never see each other again.”

Sighing as he drives away, I etch his image into my mind. This is the last I will ever see of the man who gave me a memory no one else ever will. And it was something.

for just this moment, I’ll pretend I get to keep him. I’ll pretend...even though holding onto him is like cupping water in my hands, watching it drain through my fingers.

“After everything they tried to do to you, you still have this light. Like the darkness can’t stick to you no matter how hard it tries.”

I wanted to throttle her, but I ended up fuckin’ her instead.

Bottom line is, I can’t get her out of my head. There’s something about that girl that makes her impossible to forget. I can’t keep my hands off her. She feels like mine.

“That’s the beauty of this place. Whatever happens here, the bayou won’t never tell...and neither will I.”

When I step out onto the deck and see her sitting on the deck, I’m dumbstruck all over again. This girl’s got me so tied up in knots, I hit my knees in front of her, like I’m worshipping a goddess.

"I found a thing though, a couple years back. It helps keep me grounded." "What's that?" his heart thumps against my ear. "You."

“Never thought I’d say this to no one, but I want you to be my wife, Ivy.”

She’s got this thing every night, where she thanks me for finding her...for saving her. What she don’t understand, is she saved me first.