Possession (Steel Brothers Saga 3)

“Do you want to tell me? About your therapy?”

He visibly swallowed and shook his head. “I’m not quite ready for that yet. Please be patient with me.”

“I will be as patient as it takes. You mean everything to me, Talon. You go at this at your own pace, and just know that I will be here whenever you need me.”

“You have no idea how much that means to me.”

I smiled. “I think I do.”

Talon looked at me, his eyes serious. “You never answered my question.”

I finished the last of my plate full of delicious French cuisine and took the last sip of my wine. “What question was that?”

“I asked how the conversation with your mother made you feel.”

I smiled. He truly wanted to know. This was a huge leap for him. I had never thought of Talon as selfish, but truly, he had been encased in his own little world, and I still didn’t know the exact facts of that world. But I had told him I would be patient with him, and even though I wanted more than anything to know what was going on, I would wait until he was ready to talk to me.

“Honestly? I don’t know what to feel. I feel like my emotions have been on a roller coaster, like they’ve been stretched to their absolute maximum and then snapped back into place. This is a woman who basically abandoned me, who chose her career and her second husband over her small child. But she’s still my mother. And she’s the only mother I’ll ever have. So part of me truly wants to get to know her. But then I feel like she doesn’t deserve that.”

“Blue eyes, it sounds like you want to punish her.”

“Well, what if I do? She certainly deserves it.”

“Yes, she does deserve it. She should never have abandoned her child. But by punishing her, who are you hurting?”

“Well, her.”

“True. But you’re also punishing yourself. Deny

ing yourself your mother.”

I couldn’t help a small laugh. “Therapy’s been good for you, Talon. You’ve gained a lot of insight.”

“Blue eyes…”

“Oh, come on. Don’t get testy. This is a good thing. I’m giving you a compliment. And you’re right. Punishing my mother will only result in negative feelings for me. I should give her another chance. It’s just that, she may end up leaving me again.”

“True. She may. But you’re a grown woman now, Jade. She can’t hurt you anymore the way she did. At least you’ll know you tried. You’ll never have to wonder what if.”

I’d always known Talon was brilliant, but this new insight amazed me. Whatever therapy was doing for him, I hoped it was helping him as much as he was helping me right now.

“You know what I’d like to do now, blue eyes?”

“What’s that?”

“I’d like to take you to my bed.”

I wasn’t about to argue with that. I stood, rinsed off my plate and glass in the sink, and turned to him. His dark eyes were ablaze with fire. He stalked toward me, like a wolf stalking his prey.

“Remember last time, when I blindfolded you?”

I nodded, trembling.

“Did you like that, blue eyes?”

Still trembling, I nodded again.

“Then I have a big surprise for you.” He grabbed me, lifted me in his strong arms, and carried me out of the kitchen, down the hallway, to his bedroom.