The Bastard (Filthy Trilogy 1)

“Yes. Even you. It’s a part of my life in all ways. It’s how I make money. It’s how I negotiate. It’s how I brush my damn teeth. It’s how I saw mission paths in the SEALs that no one else saw.”

“SEAL Team Six,” she says, running her finger over the skull and anchor before looking up at me again. “That’s intense. You saw blood and death. I’m sure you had to take lives.”

I cover her hand where it rests on my tattoo, and I don’t even think about denying who I am. I was done with that a decade ago. “Is that a problem for you?”

“Of course not. You’re a hero. I just hate that your family drove you to that life. You could have died. You have to have baggage from it.”

“Less than you might think,” I say. “I compartmentalize extremely well.”

“I don’t,” she says. “I’m pretty all-in emotionally when I’m in. You should know that about me.”

All in.

I want her all in.

I lean in closer, my hand on her cheek. “I want you all in.”

Her hand covers mine on her face. “Until you leave again.”

“Let me clarify what I just said. Yes, I shut people and things off easily, but not you. Never you.”

“I didn’t see you for six years, Eric.”

“I told you. I thought of you often.”

“As one of them.”

“As the woman who wouldn’t just fucking get out my head.”

She pulls back. “Well, you wouldn’t fucking get out of my head either.”

“But you didn’t come to me, did you?”

“You left in a way that made it clear you were done with me.”

I lean back and hold out my right forearm, running a finger along a line of numbers with a crown at the end of it. “Do y

ou know what that is?”

She sucks in a breath at the crown and covers it with her hand. “Is it bad? Is it something bad about me?”

“It says Princess in the numbers that correlate to the alphabet. I added it two full years after our night together.”

“You tattooed the nickname you gave me on your body?”

“Yes, princess, I did. Now do you believe that I didn’t forget about you?” I tangle my fingers into her hair and her hand settles on my chest. “Now isn’t like the past. You know that, right? I didn’t come here to walk away. Not from you.”

“Eric,” she whispers and I lean in to kiss her right as the doorbell rings, followed by pounding on the door. “Open up, Harper!”

At the sound of Isaac’s voice, my jaw sets hard and Harper’s eyes go wide. “This can’t be good,” she says, launching herself to her feet.

I’m standing with her by the time she’s fully straightened. “Relax sweetheart,” I say, my hands settling on her arm, “He’s a gnat that needs to be swiped. Nothing more. I’ll handle my brother.” I start to turn away and Harper grabs my arm.

“Wait,” she says, pulling me around to face her. “Let me talk to him. Obviously my mother told him you’re here. He’s going to make a big deal out of this. I can shut it down.”

I drag her to me. “You mean deny we’re together?”

“No. That’s not what I meant.”