Page 58 of Unhinged Cain

“That’s different.”

I looked at her, and my lip curled up. “Is it?”

She bit her lip as she thought, and I found myself drawn to the action, how it made her mouth look sexier, and how I wanted to lean across the mat and taste her. I could still taste the sweetness of her skin. Laying the mat aside, I leaned forward, and Sunshine leaned back, her eyes going as wide as a new baby deer. Bracing my hand on the wall behind her, I leaned into her body and could feel the heat pouring off her as her cheeks pinked.

“Uh…” I moaned in her ear, and she shivered, her pulse pounding so hard that I could see it thumping in the side of her neck.

Running my cheek against hers, I closed my eyes and savored the feel of her soft skin.“You make me want to do things, Sunshine, things that would make you scream.”

She swallowed hard, and I realized how that must have sounded to her. I quickly brushed my lips against hers.

“I don’t mean in pain,” I added and watched the pupils of her eyes dilate. “I want to taste every inch of your body as you scream my name. That’s what you do to me, Sunshine. That’s what you make me think about—when I’m near you, I don’t think about the pain or death.”

Her eyes fluttered closed, and I took the invitation and kissed her softly, waiting for her to kiss me back. When she finally opened, I couldn’t stop the groan that made her shiver. Cupping her cheek, I deepened the kiss, and our lips moved in time like a heated dance. Breaking the kiss with a gasp, I pulled back enough to see her eyes. I savored the look of desire that was ready to consume her body.

“I’m not just what you think I am. There’s a lot more to me,” I whispered and then sat back to finish the artwork.

Sunshine didn’t move for a few minutes, and even though I watched her from under my eyelashes, I never pushed her, but a smirk pulled at the corner of my lip as she picked up the pad once more. We worked quietly and discussed a few more questions for hours until I made her dinner and brought fresh fruit and whipped cream for dessert. I was tempted to ask her if I could feed her, but I figured that might be too much.

After our meal, I got Sunshine to play a few hands of cards, and she broke into a smile and a laugh. She’d always catch herself and scold herself for having fun, but it was there, and she couldn’t take it back.

Finished with my drawing, I turned my piece around to show her, and Sunshine’s eyes lit up as she stared at the decorative piece. Her hands reached out, and she ran them over the softness of the wings.

“What did you use for this? It’s stunning.”

“I collect butterfly wings.” Her fingers stilled, her eyes going wide, but she didn’t seem disgusted. “To me, you’re as stunning as the most graceful butterfly. I enjoyed today,” I said and pushed myself off the floor. “I’ll leave the supplies here for you.”

Turning, I began to walk away and then glanced back at Kirby.

“The butterflies were already dead. I didn’t pick the wings off.” I held out the image I’d created of her. My face was shadowed in the darkness behind her while her face glowed in the sunlight.

“Goodnight, Sunshine.”

“Goodnight, Cain.”

KIRBY

For the last three days, Cain had been oddly…normal, and the pull I’d been fighting was weakened to the point of snapping completely. He truly remembered everything. It didn’t matter what I told him. He would remember and do something sweeter than anyone had ever done except maybe my father. I knew that he hadn’t changed. He was still a killer, yet I’d seen so many new layers to the man. It was starting to feel odd that everyone thought he was just a mindless heathen.

But, like all cycles in life, I knew that he would cave at some point to the needs that flowed through his body. They called to him like a drug, and today was that day. The door swung open with a bang, and I thought it was Abel until I saw Cain’s face. He was carrying a woman like a bag of feed on his shoulder. He didn’t look over or even acknowledge that I was still in the room, which was strangely unsettling.

Cain bounced the woman off his shoulder and laid her out as a lover would. My eyebrow shot up, and my nostrils flared as the green-eyed monster rose inside of me.

“Why is she here?” I said, although I knew the answer.

Lowering the volume of the Sunshine song he seemed determined to torture me with—Cain shrugged and continued working. “Why do you think, Sunshine?”

I didn’t want to say the words. “Why are you planning on killing her?”

Cain never stopped moving, and his actions were steady and methodical. Although I knew what he was and what he was capable of, seeing his emotionless expression only hammered home the reality of what he was planning on doing to me.

“I kill because I enjoy it. On some level, I need to do it. If you enjoyed shuffleboard, wouldn’t you play the game?”

The woman murmured incoherent words as Cain secured both of her legs and drew the dangling, thick leather up to place over her chest. It disgusted me that even with a woman’s life hanging in the balance, I could be turned on by seeing him run a slab of leather through his hands.

“Shuffleboard doesn’t kill anyone.”

“I’m sure it’s killed someone with boredom,” he said, the corner of his mouth curling up as his eyes flicked to mine. I shivered and crossed my arms over my chest and the newest pair of pajamas he’d brought me. I glanced down at the white bunnies on this pair and was once more confused by the gesture and the choice.