Bitter Truths (Crimson Falls Duet 2)

Fear skitters through me when Darius suddenly spins on his heel, his glare locking on me. “Do you like dangerous men, little one?” he asks, dropping his voice an octave, making it vibrate in his throat, sending warmth racing through me. “You can’t fix me.” There’s an edge to his words, and I want to poke at it, to push him further.

I keep my stare on him. “Nobody can be fixed. We’re all broken in some way or another, but we can find ourselves in a better place.” My voice is nothing more than a whisper filled with emotion I didn’t expect to feel.

Darius’s eyes flicker with pain. Heartbreak settles in those green orbs, and I can read every emotion dancing across his face as if he were an open book.

“We learn to live with our agony, we immerse ourselves in the discomfort we want to run from, and when we do that, we find happiness,” I whisper earnestly, recalling my past. The demons that I’ve lived with. Not even Lycan knows the full truth about me. About why I enjoy what I do. “Forcing people who care out of your life is a coping mechanism.” My bitter truth is Darius’s. We share hurt, I’m almost sure of it.

The corner of his mouth quirks, his eyes blaze, and his hands find my hips, gripping me painfully, but possessively. “Did my brother teach you about pain, little one?” His dark brow lifts in question. “Because if he didn’t, I would love to be the one to show you just how beautiful it can be.” When I don’t respond, something sparks in his eyes, and he nods. “You already know about it. Is that why you’re not scared of us? You enjoy it.” His realization is my silent confession. “You’ve lived through trauma.”

And there it is.

But I don’t respond. I don’t agree and tell him about what I went through. Instead, I push away from him and ease myself back onto the mattress. Suddenly, I miss Lycan. My chest tightens at the thought of him in hospital. Hurt.

“He’s alive. He’ll be coming for you soon,” Darius says, as if reading my mind. “But you need to tell him the truth, little one.” He’s right. But I can’t. He won’t love me if he knew. My captor heads for the door, but before he leaves, he glances over his shoulder at me. “Lycan is capable of a lot, and loving you is something he won’t give up as easily as you think.”

7

Darius

I need space.

I need to think.

She’s seen me. The me I’ve hidden from everyone. Just her eyes locking on mine dug into my soul. As much as I try to hide the pain, Scarlett has seen right down to the depths of me. And if I’m honest, it fucking scares me.

When I walk into the living room, I spot a few guys with club whores on their laps, and Howler sitting at the bar watching the show. This is the life I was made to live in, not the one Scarlett thinks I should be in. She’s reading too much into my actions. I don’t want to hurt her, because if I do, Lycan won’t help me. And for once in my life, I’ll admit I need his help.

I settle beside Howler, who’s sipping a bourbon. The amber liquid almost filling his glass. “What’s happening?” he asks but doesn’t look at me. He knows I’m fighting a war within myself. This is one man who’s known me for a long time. He can see past my bullshit, just like the woman upstairs.

“Hey, darlin’,” one of the club whores, Kitty, sidles alongside me, her body pressed against mine. Heat courses through my veins, but when I take in her dark brown hair, I have to note it’s not red. She’s not Scarlett.

This is ridiculous.

Sliding my arm around her waist, I pull her closer between my thighs as I look over at Howler, who has his brow raised in question. The man is as intuitive as I am, and he knows me far too well to believe I’m into the woman I’m currently holding.

“You want some of this?” I question her, grabbing her hand and placing it on my crotch. Even though I’m not hard for her, a soft giggle falls from her lips. Most of the women who hang around the club are like this—too easy. I tug her wrist, practically dragging her out to the garages where all the bikes are parked. From here, I can glance up and see the bedroom window where the beautiful redhead is locked.

Leaning against the wall, I focus on the window while I push Kitty to her knees. She knows what to do, and as soon as my cock is in her hand, a hiss leaves my mouth. My eyes don’t stray. I don’t even look down at the woman with her lips now wrapped around my hardening shaft.