The Lies Between Us (The Devil's Dust #4)(41)

“He put his hands on my ol’ lady,” I inform him sternly.

“Fuck, Boonie,” Stunt scorns, shaking his head. From his tone, it sounds like Boonie does this kind of thing often.

Stunt steps in front of me and squats in front of Boonie. Feeling dismissed, I move forward, grabbing Cherry’s wrist, tugging her out of the club.

“What the f*ck was that Lip? What has gotten into you?!” Cherry screams, tripping behind me to keep up. She’s never seen me react that way, never seen me do anything violent. I’ve made sure of it, but my mask of ‘perfect boyfriend’ is starting to fray. I’ve never seen my jealousy shine its full worth, but I’ve never cared for a bitch like I do Cherry. To be honest, I’m not sure what the future wrath of my jealousy would look like. I just know it would be dark and bloody. I would have stabbed Boonie over and over and over.

I let go of her wrist feet away from her car and pace. I’m so angry, so worked up I can’t think straight.

“Lip! Just—“ Cherry tangles her hand in her hair and sighs. “Fucking talk to me, Lip. I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.” She shakes her head and looks off into the distance. “Ever since you got out of prison, I feel like I’m sleeping next to a stranger,” she whimpers, emotion laced in her voice. I stop my pacing and shoot her a glare that speaks volumes of anger.

“That’s because you don’t know me!”

“What happened in there?” she whispers. I pull my brows together, my blood pumping with the rapid amount of adrenaline racing through me. Cherry is strong, one of the strongest women I know, but the look on her face is ripping my black heart in two. Maybe if she sees this, sees my dark colors, she’ll turn away and I won’t have to expose my darkest secret. For the life of me, I can’t keep this act up of being her Prince f*cking Charming, and as much as it’s going to sting having her walk away from me for being an ass, it won’t compare to the hurt she’ll feel when I expose all my sins.

“Nothing happened in prison. You know nothing about who I really am. I’m not that love-struck boy you were with before. I am a murderer, a f*cking monster.” When I was in prison, when I was tested on my true worth as a sinner, I did not fail. I exceeded, and now that fa?ade of hiding it for Cherry’s sake is gone. This is me. This is who I am.

“This is the real me.” I slam my fist against my chest. “Do you still love me now? Do you still want my affection?” I step closer to her. “Huh!?” I shout in her face, the vessels in my forehead protruding. “I am easily angered. I’m hotheaded, and am more f*cked-up than anyone you’ll ever know,” I continue.

Cherry steps up to me, her face not giving anything away. I wince at her reaction, taken aback by it.

“Yes,” she whispers. My face goes lax, and my lips part in surprise. “Yes, I still love you, Lip.”

“What?” I’m dumbfounded. The girl I knew before was naive and fragile. A man of my kind would surely scare her away. Maybe I don’t know the real Cherry.

“It’s going to take a lot more than you being a shade darker than gray for me not to love you,” she responds, her hand sliding up the side of my cheek. “You’re right, I don’t know you. You’ve proven that, but you don’t know me, either,” she whispers. My chest slams with emotion. “You being rough around the edges doesn’t frighten me, not at all.”

I grab the sides of her face, bringing her lips inches from mine. How can a woman still love a man after all that? Why have the gods given me such an amazing woman when I clearly don’t deserve her? But they did. The gods put Cherry’s fragile life right into my bloodstained hands, and I will not let her go.

“I don’t know where you go every morning, but I swear to God if you are cheating on me Cherry…” I pause, searching her beautiful eyes. Eyes that make me feel like being a monster is okay. “I will bury you both,” I threaten. If I can’t have her…nobody can.

“I don’t know why you haven’t been home at nights, or why you can’t look me in the eye. But if you are cheating on me, if you break my f*cking heart…” She brushes her lips against mine, and a sharp piercing sensation slashes through my bottom lip. I hiss and pull back; bringing my finger to my lip, I find blood. She f*cking bit me.

“I’ll f*cking destroy you,” she whispers. My dick strains against my jeans from her hostile words. My cock aches to be inside of her. The way her eyes are hooded with a sense of darkness, I couldn’t care less about the fog clouding my mind.

“You’re my ol’ lady, Cherry. I own your ass, and don’t you forget that,” I growl, trying to put her in her place, but for the life of me, all I want is to hear her scream my name.

“If I’m your ol’ lady, then f*cking prove it, Lip,” she sneers, her eyes darting over my shoulder. I look at what she’s glaring at, finding Dolly leaning against the club house with her arms crossed, waiting for me to return.

“You jealous, baby?” I turn my head and squint my eyes in question, an arrogant smirk fitting my face.

“Prove it,” she repeats, stepping up to me, her fingers grasping my leather cut. “You say I don’t really know you, so show me the real Lip.”

I smirk and tilt my head back. This could either go badly, or be very, very good.