My rib cage protrudes from how deeply I inhale, feeling like I’m taking the first breath after drowning for so long.
That was how I once described what Zade’s love felt like, and it’s never felt truer until now.
As I’m still drinking in the precious oxygen, he grips my jaw between his fingers and forces my gaze to his.
“Never again, Adeline. I could take you pushing me away when you were still discovering how you felt for me. But not anymore. That was your last time. Understand?”
I nod, shame reigniting. “Yes, never again. I’m sorry,” I croak, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. “But I hope you know I’m always going to run from you. I like the way you chase me.”
He bites his lip, the heat in his eyes flaring. Leaning forward, I kiss him softly, praying he can feel just how much I mean it.
His hand dives into my hair, amplifying the sweetness to something more savage. But too soon, he’s pulling away. I chase after him, stealing one more before he sets me down, supporting me while my legs grow accustomed to holding my weight again. They shake fiercely, and I just know the dickhead’s ego is ballooning again.
“Need a wheelchair, baby?”
I sniff and mutter, “No,” affronted by his big-ass head. “They’re just tired from you making me run.”
He chuckles, knowing damn well how untrue that is. But I smile back, and I realize that I like the way Zade laughs as much as I like the way he punishes me.
“How are they going to feel when you’re nine months pregnant and I’m chasing after you?”
I tighten my lips, but then smile with victory when I realize I’m not even ovulating. When I tell him so, he only smirks.
“I didn’t take out your IUD,” he says, bending to gather our clothes.
My mouth drops open. “Then what the fuck was all that?”
He shrugs, still grinning as he pulls on his jeans and glances at his phone before tucking it away again.
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m fucking relieved. But what the shit, Zade?”
“I needed to be sure you’re one hundred percent in this with me. A baby is the only thing that could permanently tie your life to mine. Legally, at least. Ethically… well, I will always be in your life, whether you know I am or not.”
Shaking my head, I tug my jeans up my body, the coarse fabric rubbing painfully against the welts on my legs. My shirt doesn’t feel much better.
“Yeah, whatever,” I mumble. “You’re a dick.”
He laughs again, accepting that statement without even a hint of shame. He pivots to walk back toward Parsons Manor, but I grab his hand, turning him back to me.
“No more lies,” I say. “From either of us.”
“Baby, I never lied. I never actually said that I took out your IUD.”
“You still made me believe that you did,” I argue.
He grins wickedly at me, one side of his lips tipping up.
“When I do get you pregnant, you will know about it,” he promises, though it sounds like another threat. “You will watch me pull the IUD from your body myself.”
That… oddly makes me feel better.
And I need therapy.
I sigh, “You’re always going to be a creep, aren’t you?”
“And my being a creep is always going to make your pussy wet. Let’s get back. Jay tried calling and it might have something to do with Claire.”
Chapter 41
The Hunter
I’m surprised to find Jay sitting on the couch next to Daya, both tapping away on their computers. He jumped about ten feet when we walked in, still clearly spooked by the manor.
“Which ghost fucked with you?” I ask, smirking.
“Dude, I swear to God, I was taking a piss, and something breathed down my neck. I was just waiting for it to try to give me a reach-around.”
Daya looks at me, a droll expression on her face. “I told him to come talk to me when he goes in the attic. I’m still mad at Addie for that one.”
Addie’s eyes widen. “It was one time!
” she defends. “And nothing happened to you,” she finishes on a mutter, plopping down on the couch across from her. I take a seat next to Addie while Sibby growls and slams a drawer in the kitchen, mad about something. Again.
“I lost my peace of mind. That’s what happened to me,” Daya retorts. “That demon could’ve gotten attached to me, and then I would’ve brought it home and lived in torment for the rest of my life.”
“Could you blame it? You’re the whole package,” Addie says, grinning when Daya narrows her eyes.
“Flattering me only works sometimes.”
“Is it working now?”
“A little.”
“Have you guys seen my pink knife?” Sibby screeches from the kitchen, frantically opening and closing drawers and cupboards.
I’ve grown to care for Sibby deeply, like an irritating, psychotic kid sister. But fuck, I’m going to have to find a home and job for her. Give her a purpose in life outside of annoying the ever-loving fuck out of me.
“Did you ask Jackal?” I ask, arching a brow when she looks at me with narrowed eyes. She knows damn well I’m referring to the time she felt the need to share with the class that Jackal fucked her ass with her knife. As if anyone wanted to know that.
“He only used it on me that one time, and I think I’d remember getting a knife shoved up my-“
“Maybe you dropped it somewhere in your room,” Addie cuts in urgently.
She huffs. “I already checked there, but I’ll look again,” she mutters, trudging towards the stairs with a frown. The only other thing capable of sending her into a tailspin outside of losing her henchmen is losing that knife.
Jay clears his throat, cheeks red as his gaze flickers to Sibby, partially intrigued and partially disturbed.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.