Page 14 of Reaper's Rival

He said nothing.

“Seems I’m feeling sorry for a lot of fucking things lately.” I had gone through months of not feeling anything and now in one night, I was feeling every single emotion possible.

Silence.

It was suffocating the feelings that were consuming me right now. As if I knew that we were over, yet at the same time, I was clinging to any chance that there was still something there. Time could pass, it could pass slowly, fast, but it didn’t change one thing: we were still us.

We had a history between us. But more importantly, we had love between us, and time didn’t affect love, or at least I hoped it didn’t affect our love.

“You got new ink on your shoulder, Abby.”

I patted my pants down for a cigarette, sighing whenI found one. “Yeah, add that to the list.”

“You regret it?”

My eyes bounced up, locking with his. “Life’s too short for regrets, or at least that is what someone told me.”

“Even I’ve got regrets, darling. This life gives you regrets on a fucking silver platter. This life makes you colder, and there is a coldness in you now, Abby. I don’t like seeing it. It was what I was trying to protect you from. You always had an innocent heart, and now something got inside it and fucked around with it, and I don’t like it.”

I stared at the cigarette, watching it burn. “I’ve killed people. Me. Abigail Harrison.” I shook my head in disgust. “If only Dad could see me now.”

I was always the quiet girl. Kept to myself. Then I fell head over heels in love with Reaper and nose planted. Then how do I cope? I run and get involved in a gang. Get so deep that I take their ink. Now. Now I was just screwed the fuck up.

“He wants to see you. He wants you both back home where you belong.”

“I don’t belong anywhere.” I dragged myself up off the road and stood in front of him. “I really am sorry for shooting you.”

“You were cold. You weren’t you. I knew that when my eyes locked with yours. Something was wrong; something had happened to my girl.”

His girl.

“Ain’t gonna lie, Abby. Miss you fucking terribly, babe. I want you back, and I’m not stopping till you’re back to being my baby girl.”

Silent tears slid down my cheeks. His baby girl. Was I even capable of that?

“Things have changed. I’ve changed.”

I hadn’t even realized he had left his bike until his hand lifted my chin. “You can come back from this. I’ll fucking take all the bad from you, and you can go back to being you. Ain’t ever gonna stop trying to make you mine.”

My hand ran down his worn leather vest, resting over his heart. “I’ve always been yours.” My eyes stared up into his. Didn’t he realize it? That no matter what happened, where I was, my heart still belonged to him?

“Then let me help you come back.”

“Isn’t that easy. I’ve got guilt. I’ve got commitments. Fuck it. I’ve got their ink on me. I’m part of something now, something I can’t just walk away from.”

“You can.”

“There will be heat.”

“Heat I can take. Babe, I’m the motherfucking Reaper. My reputation is enough to keep the fuckers at bay. No one is going to dare come and hurt the woman I love.”

I love.

My mouth opened, and I just stared up at him.

“Come home, darling.” He ran his knuckles down my cheek. “Let me fix this mess.” He then cupped my cheeks, dipping his eyes to mine. “Let me have you back.”

I couldn’t do this, could I?

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