Page 111 of My UnTrue Love
“I was out of control. I must’ve been. Jesus, I coulda hurt you, caught up as I was.” He quickly scanned her body. “Areyouokay? Was I too rough?”
“You weren’t rough, at all. …Well, not with me, anyway. I can’t speak for my poor phone.”
Bill looked towards the decimated mess that used to be the nightstand, as if he’d only just recalled its murder. “Shit.”He muttered, looking embarrassed. He clearly hadn’t meant to use so much strength against their innocent furniture. “I’m sorry. I’ll, um,” he scrubbed a chagrined hand through his hair, “I’ll buy you another phone tomorrow.”
Clementine gave him an exaggeratedly sad frown. “I don’t see how we can afford it, considering you’re always jobless.”
Bill’s head whipped around to gape at her.
She shrugged, her gaze sparkling.
He started chuckling. “Hell, you really are perfect.” He leaned down to kiss her. “Thank God I married you, before you wised up and left me.”
Clementine kissed him back, happy that her teasing had calmed him. “I’m not going to leave you, Bill. I promise.” She nodded towards the nightstand. “But no more breaking stuff, okay? It’s too risky.”
“Never again.” His expression was eloquent. “I amsosorry, if I scared you. I wouldn’teverhurt you, Clem. I…”
“No, you didn’t scare me.” She interrupted with a roll of her eyes. “We can always get more furniture. But crushing things is just too risky for your beautiful hands.”
Bill’s laughter was better than music.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Water came in, fast rushing down,
The canyon’s craggy sides,
The True Love ran to higher ground,
But there’s no place to hide.
Lyrics from the folk song “Crossroads Coyote”
“Explain to me why I had Johnny on the phone at midnight, screaming his head off about you marrying my sister.”
Bill made a considering face. “Probably ‘cause you haven’t blocked his number yet. Now me? I did that within two days of knowin’ John.”
He might block Hank’s number too, come to think of it. The sheriff clearly viewed Bill as a troublemaker. That dark gaze had somehow penetrated Bill’s skull, peering into his brain and not liking what he saw. No doubt he planned to monitor Bill’s every activity from now on.
That just wasn’t gonna work for Bill.
He stepped outta line quite a bit, so existing under Hank’s watchful eye would necessitate listening to the man’s complaints every hour of the day. Nothin’ else would ever get done. Bill didn’t much care to talk to anyone except Clem, so having Hank calling him up with endless accusations sounded downright exhausting.
Bill was a newlywed! Much too busy to be dealing with every little thing weighing on Hank’s mind. In fact, he’d only picked up when Clem’s brother called him because he figured Hank would provide a distraction from his own thoughts.
Sleeping with Clem last night had been world-altering.
Maybe it was only “eighty-nine percent perfect” to her, but for him it had been like having his heart ripped out of his chest and placed right in her dainty hands. And coyotes weren’t supposed tohavefucking hearts!
With her, he felt strong and protected. Energized and replete. Lost and found. He wanted to be inside her all day, every day, until the universe stopped spinning. He wasn’t sure he could ever go back to not having his wife in his bed.
That scared the shit out of him.
“Did you marry Clem?” Hank demanded.
“Yep.”
“Fuck.”
