Bait

“Let’s get you home,” he says.PhoenixI climb out of the water first. My jacket is waiting as she pulls herself out after me.

She picks up her shoes and opts to go barefoot.

I’m drenched right through to the bone, dripping water all the way. I hand her the keys to my truck and tell her I’ll be back in a minute.

She nods and smiles.

I’m relieved she still has a smile for me after everything I’ve said tonight.

I ditch my clothes in the porch. Serena heads into the kitchen even as I’m tugging on a pair of fresh boxers from the laundry.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” she says.

I smirk. “She doesn’t think her nakedness will make the best first impression.”

Serena rolls her eyes. “What happened to her clothes?”

“Don’t ask.”

She knows me well enough by now to take my word for it.

“Cam asked for a story tonight,” she tells me.

I smile. “That’s great news. He’s getting better.”

“Three full sentences today.”

I nod. “All in good time. The lad’s a champ. We won’t be able to shut him up in a few months, you wait and see.”

She gestures to the door. “When are you going to introduce them?”

“Abigail and Cameron?”

“Unless you have any other girlfriends you’re not telling me about.”

I pull my jeans on. “She doesn’t know about Cameron yet.”

Her jaw drops. “She doesn’t know you’ve got a son?! That’s a pretty major staple of an introduction, don’t you think?”

“Our introduction wasn’t particularly conventional,” I admit. I meet her eyes. “I’ll tell her. Soon.”

“And then you’ll introduce them?”

I tug on a shirt, then pull her close enough to kiss her head. “All in good time.”

She slaps my arm. “Take the girl home, finish what you started in the swimming pool. Tell her to bring clothes next time.”

She has no idea what we started in the swimming pool, but she’s more right than she knows.

There is a lot more to finish.

A lot more to be said.

She’s already heading back to bed when I pull the door closed behind me.

Abigail is waiting in the truck. Her hand slips straight into mine as I climb in.

“Thanks for the secrets.”

“Thanks for the ear. It’s been a while since someone cared enough to listen.”

I pull away from the house and make a turn for Hereford. We drive in silence most of the way.

Her hand comes to rest on my thigh, and in spite of every harrowing word I’ve spoken this evening, I’m still hard for her.

More fucking hard for her than ever, it seems.

I guess the sense of mortality does wonders for the urge to procreate.

There’s an easiness between us that wasn’t there before. A closeness in pain. Her sadness holding hands with mine.

Now I’ve told her my secrets, I’m even more curious about hers.

I wonder if this could really be a thing, her and me. I wonder if her pieces will fit with mine in a way that Mariana’s didn’t.

I park up in my usual spot when we arrive at hers.

She covers her modesty as best she can as she climbs down from the truck. My jacket swamps her and she moves awkwardly.

“You don’t have to come in,” she says. “If it’s too much, I mean.”

“Am I invited?”

She smirks. “That doesn’t usually hold you back. I hope you’re not losing your bite.”

“I was being polite,” I tell her with a smile. “You could say no. I’d just climb in through the window and make you regret it.”

“I guess I should save us both the trouble,” she says, and slips her hand in mine.

She flicks on the lights in her hallway as I close her door behind me.

My jacket is off her shoulders before she’s even dropped her handbag.

My mouth is fierce. Desperate.

Her body is needy as I hitch her legs up around my waist and pin her to the wall.

My thumb flicks at her tender nipples. Her skin is still clammy, even after the drive.

I walk her to the bedroom and nudge the door open.

I drop her straight onto the bed and drop down on top of her. I’m grinding hard against her pussy in a heartbeat.

“You summoned a monster from the darkness,” I grunt. “Is it everything you were hoping for?”

“More than I was hoping for,” she whispers. “But tonight I want to see the monster in the light.”

She flicks on the lamp before I can protest. Her fingers are under my shirt before I can stop her.

I flinch as her fingertips graze across gnarled skin.

“Let me see you.” Her eyes are open wide. “Please let me see.”

“My scars are hideous,” I tell her, but she shakes her head.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” she whispers. “Even your scars will be beautiful.”

Oh fuck, how I feel it in my gut.

This sweet little siren from the deep, opening my sores and kissing them better. Making me feel alive again.