“Yes.”
I propped myself up on one arm and twisted her neck to face me. “You were soakedfor me.”
Her pupils swept over my face, her gaze searching but not out of fear or uncertainty. No, it was something deeper—something that made my chest tighten. There was admiration blooming in her eyes, a warmth that reached through the space between us and wrapped itself around me.
“For you,” she whispered, her voice soft and breathless. Her hand slipped around the back of my neck, her fingers threading through my hair as she gently pulled me down.
Our lips met softly, and the world slowed, her warmth melting into me as I kissed her back, savouring the moment I had craved. Her lips moved with mine, tender, but with a quiet urgency that made my skin prickle. I lost myself in the softness of her mouth, the sweetness of it sending molten air through my veins.
She broke the kiss with a slight dip of her head, her breath still mingling with mine, her fingers tracing along my bottom lip.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice barely above a murmur as her finger lingered on my lip. “For everything. Especially the job. Even though I don’t know how you pulled it off.”
Her words were like a balm, soothing something raw inside me. “Don’t thank me. You deserve it. It’s for ruining the others,” I whispered back, praying she felt how much I regretted it.
“Are you kidding?” She giggled. “I’ve always wanted to be an employee there, though I never dreamt of climbing my way up to that position in ten years. People are gonna hate me.”
“They will. But no one will come close to you,” I assured her. “I made sure of that already.”
She smiled softly, then it dropped, her breath hitching. “Your hands. They must hurt.” She reached for them, her face morphing into worry as she observed the cuts.
“They paid off. Now,” I pulled out of her just a little bit and lodged back inside. Her sounds would be the death of me. “Tell me why you were laughing while eating the food I made.”
The reminder had her bursting into laughter. “Where do I start from? Hmmm…how do you survive?”
27
AINSLEY
Halloween was tomorrow.
I loved the air.
A deep breath filled my lungs as a smile split my face. I tilted my head back, letting the crisp October breeze kiss my skin. It was a lovely day, a day where everything seemed to hum with the rhythm of the changing season. The soft rustle of leaves and distant sounds of the neighbourhood felt like music, calming and filling my heart with a strange, peaceful contentment.
We walked hand in hand down the street, Theon’s fingers wrapped around mine. My heart felt...full. For the first time in forever, everything seemed to fall into place. I had a job practically overnight—one that seemed impossible just a week ago. And this man beside me...I had been cooped up with him since yesterday morning—after he woke me up with his dick inside me—wearing his clothes, refusing to leave his side or go back to my own place. None of us wanted to leave each other, and yesterday had been full of jokes, mostly about his cooking skill, then he said fuck it and made me his meal on his kitchen counter. He’d continued in the bathroom later till I was spent and boneless. I’d fallen right back to sleep the moment my body hit the bed.
So instead of staying indoors and swallowing his cum all day again, I suggested a walk to Ma’am Jeena’s. Of course, Theon followed, not that I was surprised.
As we strolled side by side, his grip on my hand tightened slightly, as though taming the itch to drag me back inside, awayfrom here. He was not totally into the idea of going for a walk, but he’d followed.
There was just something about today, about this moment, that felt right. My heart swelled again with that strange fullness, a sense of completeness that I wasn’t sure I deserved. Maybe this was what it felt like to be happy.
But then my smile faded.
Ahead of us, a man walked in our direction, his slow steps carrying an air of heaviness. It wasn’t just anyone.
It was Mr. Granger. Hudson’s grandpa.
A pang of guilt and sorrow hit me so hard it nearly knocked the wind out of me. My fingers twitched inside Theon’s, and I felt his gaze shift to me, but I couldn’t meet it.
Mr. Granger. The man who had lost his grandson...because of me. Or rather, because I knew who the killer was.
Theon kept walking, and I wasn’t sure I could face him.
But I didn’t think there was an escape route for me because he lifted his head and sighted me, smiling warmly as he neared.
“Hello, child.” His voice had that familiar smooth, low cadence..
