Damaged and the Outlaw (Damaged #4)

“Shh…” she hissed. “You’ll jinx it.”


“Okay, baby.”

Raven stripped down to her panties and tee then crawled into bed. She glanced back at me and made clear no fucking was occurring. I just smiled as I removed every stitch of my clothes. I slept naked and her life lesson wasn’t changing this fact.

Raven cuddled next to me. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. I spent all day thinking about you.”

“Were you naked?”

“Yeah, mostly.”

Eyes closed, Raven grinned. “If you’re not tired, you don’t have to stay with me.”

“I didn’t sleep well last night. I was too busy missing you.”

Raven laughed then held onto me tightly. “I feel weird.”

“I’m sorry I drugged you. I really thought you were going out with a guy.”

“Yeah, then it would have totally been okay.”

“Tell me you wouldn’t be jealous.”

“Psycho jealous, but I’d stay away. I want to protect you.”

“You’re not a jinx, tulip. Since I’ve met you, things have been better. Loving you is a gift, not a curse,” I said then added quietly, “I wish you’d say you loved me. I’m feeling insecure.”

Raven brushed her lips against mine then glared down at me. “Asshole. No way are you insecure.”

“True, but I want to hear it. I’ve tossed my balls into your damn purse. I just want to know you’ll take good care of them.”

Giving me a little smile, Raven caressed my cheek. “Promise me nothing bad will happen if I say it.”

“I promise, kiwi. If anything bad happens, it’ll be because of what I did years ago.”

“You were a hero and don’t call me kiwi. Dex used to call me Kiki.”

“Why?”

“I have no clue. He smoked a lot of pot. Likely killed too many brain cells.”

“No more kiwi then.”

Raven studied me in the darkness and I loved those eyes. They were wise and innocent at the same time. They were the eyes of the woman I loved, but she was still afraid.

“I love you,” she whispered then looked around like the house might fall on us.

“Those words are like music.”

“I’d rather die than have something bad happen to you. I mean that.”

“I feel the same way about you, rosebud.”

“No sex,” she muttered, removing my hands from her butt.

“You want to punish me. Well, what’s more of a punishment than caressing your sweet ass and knowing I can’t spend any time inside you.”

“Oh, in that case,” she said, returning my hands to her warm skin. “Suffer, bitch.”

“I am sorry I drugged you.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Well, I am now that I know you weren’t going on a date. Had I known you were still wrapped around my finger, I totally would have handled things different.”

“I’m going to sleep now.”

“I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Promise,” she whispered and I heard real fear in her voice.

“I promise, Raven. Nothing is taking me away from you.”

Her breathing shifted and slowed as sleep took her. While I was tired, rest didn’t come quickly. The last twenty four hours, I thought of nothing besides making Raven admit what I knew. We belonged together.





Chapter Twenty One – Raven


Waking up next to Vaughn felt like heaven, even if the reason I was at the cabin was insane. I couldn’t believe he had drugged me. Or maybe I could. Vaughn lived in his own world and apparently his behavior made sense to him.

I put aside his crazy and focused on how he loved me. I loved him too. If only it were that simple, we could be happy. Even for average people, nothing was simple and Vaughn wasn’t average. Despite my fears, in my heart, I knew he was mine.

Getting up, I dressed in my running shorts and tee before walking to the kitchen. I dug around in the drawers until I found coffee grounds. Soon, the coffee was brewing and I was fixing the lamp I’d yanked from the wall the night before.

Vaughn appeared as I poured us coffees. His expression was unreadable, but I knew he was waiting to see my reaction.

“Don’t be afraid,” I said as he remained stuck at the doorway. “I can’t kill you since I don‘t know the way home.”

Grinning, he walked over and took his cup of coffee. “I love you. Nothing changed from a good night’s sleep.”

“I’m still afraid. So no, nothing’s changed.”

Vaughn leaned back against the counter and studied me. “You hungry?”

“No. Can we sit outside and drink our coffee?”

He reached for my hand and I let him take it. Even if I wanted to be angry, he looked vulnerable. I didn’t have the heart to kick him when he needed me to hold him.

The front of the cabin had a porch with five large steps leading to what I assumed was the yard. The cabin was stuck in the middle of the woods. Around us, large trees hovered and I liked how quiet it felt. Only the birds chirped and bugs sang.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, pushing my hair behind my ear.