Page 54 of Dark Notes

He gets off the bed and approaches me, and I tremble. I don’t know if it’s because what he said made me angry, or if I’m scared. I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now. I’m so conflicted, I can barely see straight.

Placing his hand on the side of my neck, he leans down and inhales with a groan.

“I’m tired of waiting, baby. I’m losing my goddamn mind. The music is dull without you. There are no words left to sing. You took away my sole reason for existing.”

He drags his lips down my neck, and I shiver from the contact. When you’ve been with someone like Jagger, and thenit’s over, you remember it felt good, but you don’t remember exactly how good.

“Why didn’t you find me? You were supposed to find me, and glue my heart back together. Was this all one-sided? Did you feel nothing for me?”

His voice breaks toward the end, and it guts me.

“I felt everything for you. When I was released from the hospital, it had been a year. I googled you, and saw picture after picture of you with women. It appeared you had moved on, so I was letting you live your life in peace, without a ghost from your past popping up when you least expected it.”

Jagger presses his forehead to mine. “They were just pictures. I take a lot of them, but I guarantee you, none of those women were with me. I told you I would wait for you. And I did.”

Pulling his head back, he has a heated expression in his eyes. I can’t tell if it’s anger, but I suspect it is.

“Who is Sydney?”

How the hell does he know about Sydney?

“The internet, baby. I have it just like you do,” he answers my unasked question.

“A man I’ve been seeing,” I squeak, like a scared little mouse.

“Does he fuck you as good as I used to?”

I can feel my cheeks heat bright red as I gasp, “Jagger. Oh, my god. No. I’ve been on three dates with him. We haven’t even kissed.”

Leaning down, he takes my bottom lip between his teeth and tugs on it gently.

“You’ve lost weight, but you’re still so fucking beautiful.”

He takes my wrists in his hands, and stares at the scars.

“I thought I would die the day you did this. And then you left me, and I wanted to die.”

I moan softly when he kisses my scars.

“I needed you. So many times. Desperately. The day things ended, I was destroyed. Maybe I should be over you by now, but I’m not. And I never will be.”

Placing my hand on his face, I do the only thing I can do, I apologize.

“I’m sorry, Jagger. For everything I put you through.”

He shakes his head. “The worst part is I’d go through it all over again, to feel just one time what you made me feel.”

Sliding my hand to the back of his neck, I pull his head down. “I’m sorry. So fucking sorry.”

Tentatively, I press my lips to his, unsure of how he’ll react, but he is here for a reason. With one hand he pulls my shirt out of my hand, that held it the entire time, tosses it on the floor, and he tangles the other in my hair as he growls into my mouth, and kisses me back.

He pulls my hair, forcing my head to the side, and swirls his tongue around mine with the occasional grunt. Turning me around, his lips still on mine, he walks me backward to my queen-sized bed. Breaking our kiss, he lays me down.

“I need you. Tell me you need me, baby. Tell me you missed me.”

“I missed you, and I need you.”

Reaching behind him, he pulls his t-shirt over his head and tosses it on the floor. I stare at the tattoo on his chest that was not there before. A red broken heart with my name. He shrugs like it’s no big deal.

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