Uncontrollable Temptations (Tempted #3)(86)

I turned to Bianci. “Tell Vic, a deal is a deal and when I give my word, I don’t go against it,” I said, removing my gloves and shoving them into my pocket.

“Riggs, gonna need a hand,” I said, as I straddled my bike.

“I got you,” he said hoarsely.

I revved my engine, closed my eyes for a moment, and as Jimmy screamed I peeled away from Temptations.

I’m coming to take your last scar, Sunshine.





Chapter Thirty-Six




I forgot what the world was like before it slipped from beneath my feet. I waited for my life to flash before my eyes, the poignant moments I was never supposed to forget, but they didn’t come.

Maybe it wasn’t the end.

I took deep breaths through my nose, fighting the dryness of my mouth and repelling against the handkerchief that threatened to choke me. I didn’t know how much more I could take and wished for peace. So, when the sound of the door crashing against the wall came I didn’t dread it. The twenty-four-hour mark had to have hit by now and it would all be over.

It was my time.

Goodbye, world.

Goodbye, Jack.

“Holy shit,” said a voice I didn’t recognize as one of my three captors. It was huskier, gravely and vaguely familiar but I didn’t dwell on it. If I put a face to the voice, then it was just one more person I’d have to say goodbye to.

“He’s barely got a pulse,” the voice said.

Fading.

Goodbye.

Then it came to me. The sense of touch. Someone else’s touch. Strong hands touched my shoulders, calloused fingers traveled gently up my neck and paused on my cheeks. The fingertips pulled the tape from my mouth, prying my dry lips further open to remove the handkerchief.

Air.

I took a deep breath through my mouth, the muscles in my jaw aching.

Feeling.

I felt those fingertips touch my lips and I tried to speak but I succumbed to the gentleness, the faint feeling of security enveloped me and I was lost to anything else. I felt the person lean over me and gently untie the knot from the blindfold wrapped around my head blocking my vision. The blindfold fell from me and I was blinded by the light as the darkness shed.

I blinked.

Dark soulful eyes gazed into mine and I heard the gasp escape my lips.

“You,” I sobbed, the word barely audible.

“Me,” Jack whispered.





I relived those few moments when Jack rescued me every night for a week after he brought me home. One would think that dreaming about my time captive would be considered a nightmare, but my rescue was no nightmare and I welcomed the dream. The moment the blindfold dropped to the floor and my eyes met Jack’s was pure bliss.

Those eyes, the darkest eyes I had ever seen.

The ones that got me every single time.

I remember staring into his eyes and seeing the change in them when adoration turned to love. It was the moment he looked at me as if I was an angel that had dropped from the sky and landed at his feet. The first time he uttered that single word.

You.

Who knew one word as simple as that one would hold so much meaning? One word tied to the biggest revelation either of us would ever know.

I know now the meaning of the word, you. At least for me and Jack, I do. It means finally being aware that I’ve found the missing piece of my heart. It means I’ve waited my whole life for you and now here you are. It is knowing that because of you I am now complete. It means you’ve healed me. It means I love you.

You, you’re everything.

You’re the moon and the stars.

You’re my whole world.

You’re the one I give my life too.

And with discovering what you meant for us, I also learned another word.

Me.

A single word that affirms every promise.

Me, the one who will pick you up when you fall.

Me, the one who will chase away all the demons.

Me, the one who will always heal you.

Me, the one who promises to always complete you.

Me, the one who owns your heart.

Me, the one who loves you more than anyone.





Chapter Thirty-Seven




I could stare at her for the rest of my life and it still wouldn’t be enough. I could hold her in my arms until death called me home, and they’d still feel empty. I sounded like a pussy but it was true.

I’ve always felt out of control, a man not in charge of his life because of his illness but she’s healed me. I’ll always fight with my maker, always be a manic-depressive but I don’t have to fight those battles alone. Lacey won’t have to wonder if her dad will come back from his latest episode because I will always drag myself away from the darkness.

I’ve got sunshine now.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I whispered, as I wrapped a strand of hair around my finger and stared into her groggy eyes.

“Mmm,” she murmured, stretching her body. “Morning.”

I let the hair fall from my finger and took her hands in mine, glancing down at the bruises fading from her wrists and kissed where the ties marked her skin. I placed her arms around my neck and dragged her warm body over mine and stared up into her eyes.

That first glimpse of those eyes, after I asked her for a slice of pie, I recognized the pain and sadness reflected in them. I knew some of her story but not all of her scars.