Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40275 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
I turn on a dime and head back to his room. Probably forgot to get him a glass of water. I always forget the damned glass of water. “Yeah.”
By the light in the hallway, I can see he’s smiling. “I’m happy for you, brother.”
Fuck. He and I don’t talk about happiness often because it’s been so hard to come by. I clear the wave of emotion from my throat. “Thanks, man.”
“Yeah. It does me good to see you good.” He gives me a fist bump. And then, “Now get the hell out of here and go back to your girl.”
When I get back, Marin is all tucked in cozy on the sofa by the fire. Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes are sparkling. Looking at her makes my whole body fucking yearn.
She pats the cushion beside her as if to tell me to join her. “You’re really good to him.”
Fuck, if only she knew the story, she wouldn’t be so impressed. But standing there by the firelight, looking at her, I know she needs to know the truth. She needs to know what happened.
I sit down beside her and scoop her into my arms so she’s straddling me. Yeah, I’m fucking hard for her, but that’s not the point of this. Not yet. Not now.
I wrap her in my arms and kiss her. Slow, warm, and loving. Making out with her like I’m 16 and kissing a girl for the first time. I let my hands slide down her back, gripping her ass, exploring every curve and valley.
“This is gonna be slow. This is gonna be honest. With kissing, talking, and saying the hard things.”
She nudges her forehead with mine, nodding slowly. “Okay.”
And just like that, with her in my arms, I just… tell her.
Everything.
“It wasn’t easy for us growing up. My Dad… he was an abusive bastard. With me. With my mom. I was too young to protect her before she passed when my brother was born, and I wouldn’t have minded for myself, but Stevie… I just couldn’t let him go through that. I did everything to protect him, to give him the life he deserves, but…” I sigh and she peppers my neck with soft kisses. Comforting me, calming me in a way only she can.
“One day, Dad was about to hit Stevie. All the anger, all the rage of those years came crushing down. I saw red then. It happened so fast. I shoved Stevie aside and landed a punch on my dad.”
She gasps, but squeezes my shoulders and caresses my cheek. So I continue. “That punch gave him a fucking aneurism. He… died. I killed him before he even hit the floor.”
“You were trying to protect your little brother,” Marin whispers.
I shake my head, a dark chuckle escapes from my lips. “Yeah, and I put him in a wheelchair instead.” I sigh, my chest aches with the pain that will never go away. Like she can feel my pain, she places her hand against my chest and rubs it away. “When I pushed Stevie aside, he tripped and fell down the stairs. Ended up with a spinal cord injury. I can’t lose my temper. I can’t.”
I expect her to look at me with disgust, but when our eyes meet, I see no disgust or fear. I see understanding and compassion. A weight leaves my shoulders. Like finally, fucking finally, I am not alone anymore.
She wraps her arms around me tight, keeping me close, and kisses my forehead with such love that it makes my eyes fucking well up with tears.
“Terrible things happen to good people.” Her whispered words feel like balms against a scar.
I bury my face into the warmth of her hair, her shoulder, her breasts. “I’m not a good person, Little Red.”
“You are, though,” she says, softly.
I want to believe her, but it’s not easy. I want to come clean about what happened in the alley and her grandfather but that’s beyond a buzz kill and I’m not ready. "Let’s agree to disagree,” I murmur.
She starts unbuttoning my shirt slowly and nods. “I can do that. For now.”
With every button she opens up, she places a kiss on my skin, causing a shiver to run through my body. I help her get rid of my shirt. She slides down from my lap, fumbling with my belt. Her dainty fingers keep brushing against my dick which is ready to burst out of my slacks. When she finally manages to unbuckle my belt and pull down the zipper, I let out a growl. She kneels down between my legs, looking at me with innocence and love in her eyes.
She tries to pull down my slacks, but fails. When she huffs with annoyance, I chuckle and lift myself up enough for her to do as she pleases. She pulls down my suit pants and boxers. My cock springs free, almost hitting her face. She giggles with that girly enthusiasm, making me fall for her even more.