Page 68 of No Small Sin

We had a long night ahead of us, Justin and I.

And then, knowing that I’d done all the things my girl would have wanted, I could rest too.

CHAPTERTHIRTY

TK

I'd stepped outside my body and into the ether, immersed in what felt like a thick cloud of fog.

I watched the scene unfold from some sort of non-physical plane of existence.

My entire world — all that I’d had, all that I’d known — was up in flames.

The fire raged, consuming everythingsoquickly.

The pungent smell of kerosene invaded my senses.

A wave of heat washed over me and I felt faint at the realization Beck had done this.

I’d trusted him blindly, not fully understanding the lengths he’d been willing to go to until now.

Still, somehow, I couldn’t find it in me to be upset with him for any of it.

Though, I wasn’t entirely sure how he thoughtthisfixed anything for me.

Hunt clicked out of the live news feed, and closed the laptop screen, pulling me back to reality and relieving me of my first out-of-body experience.

Shock could do that to a person.

There was something about small-town new stations and their need to live streameverything. It was all news to them, even a simple house fire.

“What the fuck was he thinking?” Hunt contemplated out loud.

“I wish I knew,” I admitted, tugging at the ends of my hair.

* * *

I laid in bed for what felt like hours, totally restless after Hunt had woken me with the news. I had been in such a daze, tossing and turning as I struggled to make sense of it all.

I felt almost hungover, like I'd swallowed a mouthful of sand causing my tongue to stick to the roof of my mouth. A throbbing ache beat near the center of the back of my head and just behind my eyes. I kept them glued shut, wishing for nothing more than Beck to come back to me and drive away this godforsaken feeling.

At some point, I found my bearings and noted the wetness pooled between my thighs. Despite my current state of discomfort, a thrill ran through me, recalling how Beck had made time to fulfill one of my wildest fantasies in the midst of all our chaos.

He’d failed to send a video of it like he’d promised. We’d discuss that later.

I wassoready to see him again, or to at least hear from him. It was late into the next day at this point and he hadn’t so much as sent me a text letting me know that things were okay.

I would’ve definitely already slipped into brat mode if the circumstances weren’t so dire.

Just as I was beginning to fall into another downward mental spiral, the door to my room clicked open.

My eyes lit up at the sight of him. He looked more at ease than I’d ever seen him and I knew that everything had been taken care of.

I hauled my ass straight into his arms, feeling the warmth of his embrace all the way to my bones as he enveloped me in a much needed hug.

Fuck, I’d missed him. I missed him every single second that we were apart.

He pulled back from me, and I punched him hard in the arm. “You just burnt my fucking house down! All my stuff was in there!”

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