Page 30 of Love is Blind

Shame creeps into my being and I roughly wipe at my cheeks. Fixing the old man with a glare, I sneer, “Don’t recall askin’ you.”

“Another one who thinks his rank allows him to talk a fool,” he mutters, shaking his head. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, but it’s done now.” He looks at Bianca. “The only good thing to come from you is gone now. Best you remind yourself of that before you even think of stepping foot on this property again. Consider this your pass because I won’t call him off the next time, dear. I’ll hand him the ammo.”

My throat tightens, but by some miracle of God, I keep my emotions in check as I turn back to Bianca.

“You heard the man. Leave.” She lifts her chin and stares at me quietly, tears still streaming down her cheeks. “Now,” I bark.

“Let’s go,” Shady grunts as he yanks her arm and shows her the door. With her out of my sight, I can breathe.

The pain is still there.

The flames too.

But it’s manageable and it’ll be even more manageable when I grab one of those bottles from the shelf behind the bar.

“Now that you’re done terrorizing that poor bastard maybe you can take care of the one you left in your bed,” Leftie chastises.

I turn to him, my jaw tight.

“What the hell do you want from me, old man?” I grind out, my teeth grating as I say the words.

“I want you to be the man I know you’re capable of being.”

It’s a novel idea, but the man he thinks I’m capable of being died before he ever got a chance to take a breath. A point I prove when I turn to Maverick and Holly. My gaze darts between the two of them before it finally settles on Holly.

“I need a favor,” I rasp.

“Anything,” she returns.

An honorable man would trek it back to his room and face the girl he spent the night worshiping himself. He wouldn’t send his brother’s wife to do his dirty work, especially not after she made him see the world in color for quite possibly the first time in his whole fucking life.

I lift my chin and stare into Holly’s eyes.

“The woman in my room is Emmy’s cousin. She’s staying at her place. Do me a solid and see to it that she gets home okay.”

“Ghost—”

“Her cane is on my dresser.”

Peace.

It ain’t for everyone.

Chapter Seven

Birdie

I’ve gottenmyself into quite a few pickles over the years, but this one definitely takes the cake. It’s a shame too and not just because that was the best sex of my life. It was deeper than that. For the first time, I felt a spark in my soul. When a person feels that, it’s hard to feel anything else. It can’t be forgotten or pushed aside. It sticks with you and you find yourself wishing for more.

We were two lonely people looking for trouble last night, but what we found between the sheets opened the door to something I didn’t know existed and while I wasn’t expecting a ring this morning, I no longer wanted to chalk my time with Ghost to being a one-night stand.

It seemed like an injustice to me.

I didn’t know if he felt the same and that’s why I figured I’d tread carefully and suggest we become friends—the kind that cash in on sexual benefits whenever the urge strikes.

I know you’re probably rolling your eyes. A girl gets a little dick and suddenly she becomes a romantic. She believes in sparks and magical connections.

And you’re not wrong.

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