Page 45 of Dirty Lyrics
The crowd, the questions, the lights—they’re knives slashing through us, but she’s calm, her chin lifted, her hand anchoring me in place.
And somehow, with just that one touch, she stops the storm raging in my chest.
She’s so fucking good.
Better than me. Better than this whole goddamn circus.
And as the vultures scream and the lights burn, I realize something brutal and undeniable:
They can tear me apart all they want.
But as long as I have her hand on me, I’ll stand my ground.
chapter 18-maya
The flashes are blinding. The voices are cruel. Words like heiress, trap, shotgun wedding slice through the air, aiming straight for me.
Old wounds split open in my chest, the ones my father carved there with every sideways glance, every reminder that I wasn’t good enough for the world he lived in.
And for one dizzying heartbeat, the shame is ready to crash down, the fear swelling to choke me.
But then I look at Rico.
My husband.
He’s shaking with fury, his jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists at his sides like he’s about to snap someone’s neck.
The rage radiating off him is so hot it makes the crowd take half a step back even as they keep snapping their pictures.
And that’s what gives me courage.
Because if he’s going to burn for me, I can damn well burn for him.
I slip my hand into the crook of his arm, then I slide it down, threading my fingers through his strong, shaking ones, and I smile wide for the cameras.
A big, blinding smile that says everything I don’t care to explain.
Because it doesn’t matter what they say.
Doesn’t matter what they print tomorrow.
I’m his.
He’s mine.
The rest of the world can turn to ash for all I care.
“Hey,” I whisper, tugging at his arm, dragging his gaze away from the vultures. “Look at me.”
Rico’s black eyes find mine, wild and feral, but when he sees me, really sees me, they soften.
“I love you,” I tell him, steady and sure.
His lips twist into a half-snarl, half-smile. “I love you so fucking much.”
And then he slams his mouth to mine.
The cameras explode in chaos, shouting, the world erupting around us, but we don’t care.
