But he could.
The part of me that’s terrified of being touched again is still imagining his hands on me.
I hate that.
I hate how drawn I am to a man I don’t know, can’t trust, shouldn’t even want.
But there’s something about him.Something broken and brave.Something so deliciously wild.It calls to the worst parts of me.The reckless, self-destructive parts that scream for chaos when what I need is silence.
I close my eyes and grit my teeth.
No.
Nope.
Not again.
I didn’t run from one manipulative asshole to fall into the arms of another pretty disaster.I don’t care how captivating his eyes are.Or how solid his chest felt under that worn black shirt.
I need to get a job.
I need to get revenge on Jag.
I need to build a new life somewhere far, far away, where no one knows my name, where I can be more than the girl my brother tried to break.
Maybe, if I’m lucky, I’ll forget what it feels like to want someone who could shatter me all over again.
I toss and turn and pull the blanket over my head, shutting out my past, my thoughts, and my attraction to toxic men.
I won’t respond to Gavin or Jag.
For now, that’s the only power I have.
I wake slowly, immediately assaulted by plaguing questions.
Why do vegans hate plants so much if they’re all about protecting nature?Is it the same reason they pretend to enjoy kale?Who hurt them?
And if civilization is so advanced, why is toilet paper still the best we’ve come up with?
Why are some people still insisting we all came from one incestuous family?First with Adam and Eve.Then with Noah.The God of the Bible made incest necessary for human existence to continue, and I’m really struggling with that.
Am I supposed to just get over my childhood trauma because the tyrant of heaven is pro-incest?
Nope.Nuh-uh.His Holiness can fuck right off with that.
I groan.
Overthinking should come after coffee, not before pants.
Opening my eyes, I find Leo beside me, propped on one elbow and staring intently.His gold eye glints with mischief, and his blue eye just looks lazy and dumb.
“Sweet icy goatballs.”I shove his face away.“Ignoring personal boundaries ismything, you creep.Get your own thing.”
“Morning to you, too, Sleeping Beauty.”He flops to his back and drums his fingers on his chest.“Thought you’d want to know your bride is on the dock.Looks like she’s making a run for it.”
“What?”I jackknife to a sitting position, pulse racing.
“Seems your little runaway is eager to run away from you.”He stretches and yawns.“Can’t say I blame her.”
