The Favor

by Suzanne Wright

didn’t care what you thought then; I still don’t care now. You’re of no interest to me. And you’re of no interest to her. You need to man the hell up and accept it,

want. Quit banking on me fucking up and losing her the way you did. I’d never let someone so important to me walk out of my life.”

I felt like I was stuck in one place, existing only to eat, sleep, and pay my bills.

“I think you’re a ruthless, unforgiving bastard who’d catapult anyone that crossed you into a boundless mountain of shit.”

“Families should support each other. Should be there for one another. Should want to see their loved ones happy. You, well, you’re not being supportive of Dane, are you? And that bugs me, because he deserves to have the support of his family. If you can’t give him that, if you can’t get off your high fucking horse and quite

simply accept his choice of wife, there’ll only be one result: You won’t come between me and him. You’ll come between you and him.”

“Not a lot of things scare me. But someone who could molest a child, who

could find enjoyment in that? They terrify me. Because that’s a kind of darkness that should not exist in this world or any other.”

“you’re here with me, wearing my rings, living in my home, using my surname.”

“Essentially, you’re mine for the time being, Vienna. And I’ll let you go when I’m good and ready.”

“Seriously, if being an asshole burned calories, you’d be fucking anorexic.

“I was performing a random gravity test but ended up almost giving the sidewalk a hug,”

“You’re not a vamp, are you? Because it would explain your predatory nature, aversion to garlic, why you never seem to get sick, how you seem to be able to read my mind, and why you keep biting me

during sex. Not that I’m complaining about the latter. It’s hot.”

“You usually don’t complain when I don’t swallow properly. I don’t know where I am with you.”

“You should have known better than to think I’d so easily let you go,” he whispered, the words so low and soft I barely caught them.

“I’m a very selfish being. If you keep being so sweet, I’ll get used to it, and I might not want to lose it. Then we’ll both be in trouble.”

Understood his need for peace, quiet, and space—he’d quite simply never had those things. He’d spent most of his childhood in a house filled with fear, shouting, crying, pain, and abuse. The silence reminded him that he wasn’t there anymore. He only felt safe when alone. It was a wonder he hadn’t stuck me in his guesthouse.

“There are no ‘buts.’ You’re mistaken in thinking that you’d be married to her now if you hadn’t messed up. I’d have lured her away from you, even if it took me years. Don’t think for one moment she would be yours if A, B, or

C hadn’t happened. I would have made her mine one way or another. You’d be wrong to think I don’t mean that. I’m ruthless in going after what I want. Quit banking on me fucking up and losing her the way you did. I’d never let someone so important to me walk out of my life.”