Page 64 of Born into Madness
“I can and I will.”
I think about arguing, but then I realize it’s probably never going to come up. The night he met me was a one-off. I really doubt it’s ever going to happen again, especially since I will never be walking that path alone in the dark again.
He takes my silence for agreement and smiles. “I’m glad you’re not going to fight me on this, Cyn, because it would be a waste of time on your part.” Resting his hand on my stomach, he says, “I think you should call in sick and let me take care of you today.”
“I can’t do that. I like the work, and the more experience I can get, the better. It’s just cramps, Sasha. I get them every month, and I can’t stay home every time I get them.”
“Fine,” he relents, “but I want you to stay here again tonight so I can take care of you.”
“I’m supposed to meet with Sav later,” I tell him. “We were going to get supper together.”
Sasha raises a brow at me. “Do you mind if I tag along? I’d like to meet her.”
“You want to meet her?”
“Of course I do. I want to meet your family, too, and I want to introduce you to mine.”
I can’t help but grin and say, “You haven’t known me that long, you know.”
“I’ve known you long enough,krovinka.”
“You still haven’t told me what that means,” I remind him.
He winks and gives my hair a soft tug. “I’ll tell you when I’m buried inside you.”
Every part of me responds to those words, and not even the cramps I’m still having can tone down the ache between my thighs. “Deal,” I say.
He leans in to kiss me, his lips are gentle, reminding me that violence is only part of who he is. When he pulls back, it takes all my willpower to remind him that I need to get to work. I’d likenothing more than to stay here, spending the day with him and Chort, but I’ve worked too hard to let everything fall apart just because I met a hot guy who makes my heart race every time he looks at me. I’m not quitting school, and I’m not going to risk losing my job, so getting off my ass and going to work it is.
Before we leave, I take a few minutes to love on Chort, promising I’ll be back to see him as soon as I can, and when he still keeps whining, Sasha relents and says, “Fine, you can come with us. We’ll take the Jeep.”
The Doberman must understand because he starts wagging his tail, his slender behind wiggling around in his excitement and making him look cute as hell. We all pile into the black Jeep, and on our way to campus, Chort pretends he’s a lap dog and parks his butt on top of me while hanging his head out the window. I keep my arm around him just to make sure he’s safe, and he licks my face in thanks.
“Is he hurting you?” Sasha asks.
“No, he’s fine. He’s such a sweet boy.”
My praise earns me another lick while Sasha just shakes his head and laughs. I still find it hard to believe that Chort isn’t this nice to everyone else. He’s happy during the drive, and when we get to my dorm, he hops out and then waits for us to join him. Sasha gives him a command to stay close and then wraps his arm around my shoulders, leading me up the stairs.
Brittney isn’t in the room and doesn’t look like she slept here so I quickly strip down. It doesn’t take me long to change into the dark green scrubs and sneakers. Wanting to try and tame my hair, I pull it up into a messy ponytail. I learned early on that it’s a lot easier doing this job if my hair is out of the way. A lot of animals resist basic procedures at the vets, and when they’re panicking and clawing frantically at you, it’s best to not have anything in the way.
Sasha sits on my bed, watching me while Chort sprawls out beside him. His eyes never leave me, and when I’m ready to go, he stands and pulls me closer. Without warning, his mouth crashes to mine, kissing me with as much passion as he’d shown last night. Instead of standing here in a ratty pair of old scrubs with my unwashed hair pulled up and no makeup on, he makes me feel like I’m sexy and beautiful and seductive without having to do anything but be myself. That kind of feeling is intoxicating. It makes me feel powerful, and truly seen, and it makes me feel like I’m enough—just as I am with my too-red hair and my too-big thighs. I’ll never be model thin. I’ll never look like the girls on Instagram who are clearly perfect from head to toe, but when I’m with Sasha, I truly don’t give a fuck, because he makes it clear that he doesn’t give one either. He’s either the greatest actor on the planet or he really does like me just the way I am.
I hadn’t realized what a gift that would be. I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself and moping around before I met him, and I wasn’t about to lower my standards just so I could have some guy in my life, but I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t worry I’d never find someone who would like me or maybe even love me for the person I am right this very second.
Sasha’s arms tighten around me, pulling me closer while his tongue claims my mouth just like it had claimed my pussy last night. I easily surrender, opening up for more and wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders so there isn’t any space between us.
He’s the responsible one who pulls apart to say, “You’re going to be late for work, Cyn. I don’t want to stop kissing you, but I know it’s important to you.”
“Thanks,” I tell him. “I wish I could stay here with you, but I don’t want to lose this job. The exposure is helping me a ton, especially since I want to switch to a vet tech degree.”
His large hand lands on my bottom before he gives it a squeeze. “Then we’d better get going. Chort and I will drop you off, and I’ll be there to pick you up.”
“Chort’s not coming along to meet Sav?”
Sasha grins and glances over at his dog. “No. I know you think he’s a sweetheart, but he’s not so great with strangers. I know it’s important to you that Sav and I get along, and my dog attacking her might sway her view of me.”
I turn my head to look at the lazy Doberman. He’s still sprawled out and using the clothes I just changed out of as a pillow. He looks about as harmless as they come, but I’m not going to force the issue. Savanna can meet Chort some other time.
