Page 48 of Crow

I drag his face to mine while he’s working on it, kissing him until my lips feel bruised. Every bit of him, so different from me, feels like a match carved out of marble. He’s hard where I’m soft, and it’s the most beautiful puzzle, two pieces locking into place.

“I never want this night to end,” I whisper, tracing the lines of the lighthouse inked on his side.

His lips turn down just a little and his face is unguarded just for a second, almost boyish. I don’t know why I’ve made him sad, but I want to fix it. I hate knowing that he’s hurting, but the next instant, whatever that sorrow was, is banished and he givesme a smile much sweeter than anything I’ve seen from him yet. It’s breathtaking. He’s a marvel, this man, my biker.

“Okay.” He smooths back my hair and kisses me on the tip of my nose, a romantic gesture that pretty much turns me to goo. “Let’s go get dressed.”

Chapter 14

Crow

It hurts to crack my eyes. I peer at the world through slits. I have no idea where I am or what happened. I remember getting sucked out of my body like Raven took a vac truck to my brain, and then… nothing.

The room is dark, the curtains drawn. At least the fucker had that much decency before he passed out, knowing that when he surrendered our body back over to me, I’d be in a hell of a state.

My mouth is fuzzy and foul. Raven. Goddamn Raven. He must have drank like he had gills and depended on the liquid for survival.

I get my eyelids unglued against the throbbing in my head. This is the first time that I don’t remember clawing my way back, but here I am.

I flop onto my back and catch sight of an ocean of fiery hair splayed out on the pillow next to me.

I jerk back like someone lit the fucking bed on fire and waited for me to wake up and find out. The motion slams into my stomach, which lurches straight into my throat. It’s far worse when I tear the sheet off my body and come face to face with my full nudity.

No, no, no, fucking no. Raven! You said you would protect her! That means guarding her innocence, you fucking prick. You slept with her? You, you… she was a virgin!

He’s silent, or maybe he’s drowned out by my need to get out of this bed and get to the bathroom.

Immediately.

I’m a wreck, probably still a little bit drunk, wobbly and unsteady. I lurch across the room as fast as I can, but I’m not fast enough to get into the separate little alcove in the bathroom that has the toilet. Everything Raven poured down our throat last night comes up in a hot torrent that projectiles over the floor and splashes the wall. It’s so violent that my nose stings and my eyes water. It keeps coming until my stomach feels like it’s being twisted into a wet rope and wrung out. I’m covered in sweat, my head splitting.

If only I could find Raven and tear him out physically. I’d torture him for this. Punish him unmercifully for the torment. It’s unfair that he never has to go through this. He never has to reap the consequences of his actions.

“Oh, Crow. Hey. Here.”

Fuck. My humiliation is complete now that Tarynn is standing right behind me. She’s got a white hotel robe on. She’s like an angel with her pale skin and that halo of vibrant red surrounding her face. She doesn’t look the least worse for wear, despite the fact that if Raven slept with her, he likely allowed her to get drunk too, and she must be hungover as hell.

Before I can stop her, she’s grabbing towels off the rack, opening them up, and throwing them down on the floor, ready to clean up my mess.

Her small hand hovers near my back. I’m still bent over, panting and ready to heave if another wave hits. She pours me a glass of water and passes it over.

I don’t doubt that if I drink it, it will probably just come right back up, but I down it anyway. It’s cold against my scratchy throat, and washes some of the vile taste out of my mouth.

Raven, you fucking prick, tell me what you did last night!

He’s silent. That nothingness is a taunt all on its own. I have no choice but to ask Tarynn.

I clutch the vanity to hold myself up. “Are you… did we… I can’t remember anything.”

“Oh.” She flushes. “Yeah. I- we went for a walk, and it was late. I can’t really remember anything after that either. It’s all just sketchy images of buildings and lights. We must have had more drinks, but we got back here okay.”

She snatches another towel off the rack, but offers it to me shyly to wrap around my waist.

Great. I totally forgot that I was standing here buck ass naked.

“Did I- I’m sorry- I…”

“No!” Her hand flutters near my shoulder like she wants to touch me, but she’s afraid. Her presence here and her ease around my nakedness must mean that we didsomethinglast night. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Please don’t apologize.”

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