Page 125 of Axe Marks the Spot

“Jesus Christ,” Dane mutters under his breath.

“Pretty sure I said something similar when I walked in on them going to town.” I groan, wishing I could burn that image from my retinas forever. “Eventually, I found out her name is Ava. She’s the exact opposite of me: short, thin, and blond. She’s also only twenty-four. She was younger then, but they’re still together.”

“I know he’s Kas’s dad, but if you want me to put a hit out on him, I’d be happy to do it.”

I snort. “Do you know a lumberjack hit man?”

“It’s logger,” Dane playfully corrects like Kas would. “And no, I don’t know any logger hit men, but I bet I could find one on the dark web.”

I smile against his chest. “I appreciate the offer, but despite him not being there during my pregnancy, he does love Kas, and she likes seeing her dad. I think she’d be upset if I had him killed.”

Dane’s gaze is cool, but I catch the anger in his eyes. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. You deserved better.”

I don’t look away even though in the past, I might’ve. I also would have disagreed with him, thinking that I did deserve what happened to me. But Dane…he makes me want to believe that I deserve better, that I deserve someone like him. Someone who is patient, who listens, who knows what I need to feel comfortable. Like last night, when he took care of me, when he worshiped my body and even my scar. He never pushed too much, only the right amount.

“Thank you,” I whisper, “that means a lot to me.”

He takes my hand on his chest and brings it to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “Can I ask you about one more thing?”

“I’m in a sharing mood, so ask away.”

He plays with my fingers before speaking. “In your finances, you have a lot of legal fees. You’re already divorced, but the majority of your income goes to your lawyer, and you didn’t mention any child support. Why is that?”

I sigh. “That’s because the asswipe isn’t paying it. He’s fighting the amount the courts settled on.”

“Prick,” Dane mutters.

I smirk into his chest. “Small prick.”

Dane’s chest shakes. “Noted.”

I’m silent for another moment before I ask, “Any cheating exes in your past?”

“No,” he answers. “No exes, period.”

I sit up so quickly, I almost bonk my head on his chin. “What?”

“You thought I had a lot?”

I chew the inside of my cheek, and Dane is quick to tap the indentation I’m making, so I stop.

“Good girl,” he praises. “You were saying?”

Heat creeps up my face as I go on. “I didn’t know how many, but I thought you’d have at least a few.”

“I had two different girlfriends in high school, but I don’t count them. Young kids doing what they do. But in my adult years, there’s no one I would consider an ex.”

I blink at him, and I can tell he’s attempting not to smile. “Not even before you moved to Starlight Haven?”

He shakes his head. “Nothing serious or long term. Like I mentioned last night, I traveled a lot when I was younger, then I moved here and have kept mostly to myself. As you know, my submissives are not intimate with me. We have our platonic online dynamics, and that’s that.”

“Except for me,” I say.

“Except for you,” he reiterates.

I’m about to ask him about the painting of the woman above the fireplace and what she is to him if not an ex, but my question is cut short by my phone going off. It’s sitting on the cushion next to me, so I reach for it, checking the caller ID.

“It’s Jeremy.” At Dane’s grumpy frown, I almost laugh. “That means it’s Kas. She doesn’t have a phone of her own.”