Savage Hearts (Queens & Monsters #3)(75)

After a long, silent moment, I burst into tears.

“Oh, fuck,” he says, appalled. “It was that bad?”

I pound a fist on his shoulder and drop my face to his chest, sobbing.

“Sweetheart. Sweetheart, stop crying.” He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight.

“I never cried before I met you! I swear to god, I never cried once! And now look at me! I’m a wreck!”

“You’re not a wreck.”

“I’m wailing like a banshee!”

He chuckles, making his chest shake. “It’s good to see the exaggeration didn’t disappear in my absence.”

“Stop laughing at me, you jerk!”

He exhales, murmuring, “Ah, my little bird.”

Then he simply holds me while I cry it out until only the occasional sniffle is left.

Embarrassed by the outburst, I decide to pretend like nothing happened. I wipe my face and change the subject. “Is there still a dead bear outside?”

“I don’t know. Did you move it?”

“Ha. No, I didn’t move it.”

“Then there’s still a dead bear outside. I’ll take care of it today.”

“I lost my glasses when it attacked me, but I found another pair in that giant sack you brought.”

“That’s good.”

“Where did you get that, anyway?”

“I robbed an optometrist.”

I lift my head and look at him. “Is that a joke?”

“No.”

“You robbed an optometrist?”

“A store, not a person. No one was there at the time.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He smiles at my befuddlement. “You’re so fucking adorable. Why does that make you crinkle your nose?”

“Because people only use the word ‘adorable’ when they’re talking about small animals. Do I look like a small animal to you?”

He narrows his eyes and considers me. “A little like a chevrotain.”

“What the fuckety-fuck is a chevrotain?”

“It looks like a woodland creature from a fairy tale. It’s about the size of a rabbit, but resembles a deer. They have big ears, skinny legs, and cute little noses. Instead of antlers, the males have tiny fang-like tusks. Some people call it the mouse deer.”

I glare at him. “Do you have a death wish?”

“They’re adorable!”

“Say that word one more time. I dare you.”

“I think if you could see the tiny fang-like tusks, you’d have a change of heart.”

“Yeah, the tusks and the big fucking ears sound super charming!”

He dissolves into laughter, lying with his eyes closed, his head canted back on the pillow, and his arms squeezing me tightly. He laughs so hard, it shakes us both and the bed.

I grumble, “Laugh it up, jerk. Get it all out of your system. Because as soon as I get my hands on a machete, you won’t be laughing anymore.”

He rolls me to my back and plants a big kiss on my mouth. Grinning from ear to ear, he says, “You’re not going to chop me up.”

“Oh, yeah? Give me one good reason!”

His eyes soften. So does his voice when he says, “You like me too much.”

The look on his face makes my heart skip a beat and my stomach clench. I glance away so he can’t see me melt. “You’re okay. I guess.”

He peppers soft kisses all along my neck and collarbone. “I guess you’re okay, too,” he whispers into my ear.

Only we both know what he’s really saying.

He rolls back onto his side, tucking me into his shoulder and twining his legs through mine. I wrap my toes around his muscular calf and sigh in contentment.

“I have something to say now.”

His chuckle stirs the hair near my ear. “Really? I can’t imagine.”

“A couple of things, actually.”

“Hold on. I need to prepare myself mentally. Okay, go ahead.”

“It’s a good thing you’re so pretty. That personality of yours is a deal breaker. As I was saying…Spider.”

All the warmth goes out of him like he’s been thrown into a vat of ice water. His body stiffens, and his voice turns hard.

“I don’t ever want to hear you speak another man’s name in my bed again.”

I know it’s all kinds of wrong that I find it hot when he’s possessive. Wrong, wrong, wrong, and yet so very fucking right.

And here I thought I was liberated.

“Fine. I’ll refer to him as The Arachnid from now on. Satisfied?”

He growls, “I’ve taken it easy on you so far, baby, because you’re not completely healed. But I’ll remember all this mouthiness when you are. Then you’ll be sorry.”

Or maybe I won’t. Judging by the heat in his voice, I’ll be getting plenty of pleasure from whatever punishment he has planned.

Bypassing his sexy threat, I say, “You told me you drugged him. Is he okay?”

“Yes.”

It’s terse. Angry. Basically a three letter fuck you.

I tilt up my head and kiss his jaw. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to make you mad.”

“You’re doing a crap job of it.”