“But, you’re twins…”
“Oh, see, but the family has a system,” I point out. “Redmond came out first, so he had the position first. Edmond only got to be head of the family because Redmond didn’t want it.”
“So, by keeping you, Redmond was pretty much securing the next generation?”
“In his mind, yeah. Until he realized that having me would be a liability. Then, I was better off dead.”
“And… that’s why he said you died?”
“Yep. I went from being a liability to being a secret weapon.”
“If that’s true, then why did he push to get Beth back?”
By this time, I’m just driving down the road. I’m going on autopilot, lost in the memories and the pain. Torch thinks he’s getting the whole story. He’s getting the briefed-up, prettied-up version. He can’t know of the pain of knowing that your father hated you, that he saw you as stupid and useless because you had one leg longer than the other that caused you to limp. Finding out I suffered from dyslexia and ADHD together was the final straw. I was stupid and deformed. That’s when I was no longer a weapon, but a tool to get his good daughter back. That’s when he came up with the plan to use me to trap Beth.
“Let’s just say that a daughter with a bum leg—among other problems—was expendable. The heir to the throne, so to speak, had to be beyond reproach.”
“What a fucking twisted…”
“Monster,” I finish for him, because that’s what my father really was. At his core, he was a complete monster.
“I’m sorry, sweetness.” Torch reaches to squeeze my hand.
I don’t know what I have going on with Torch. It has me constantly confused, but it feels… good. It feels right.
It feels safe. No wonder I want to keep him. Forever.
“You look worn out,” I whisper to her as I carry her to bed. I start at her feet, taking off her shoes, then her socks, letting my fingers and thumbs massage the soles of her feet.
“Been a long day.”
“No kidding. I’m sorry, sweetness. I should have thought better and demanded that you let me drive.”
“I could do it,” she says. “Besides, it’s not your job to think about my weaknesses, Hunter. I’ll deal. I always deal.”
“It’s not a weakness, Katie. There’s not a fucking thing about you that’s weak,” I tell her, and that’s the God’s honest truth. Katie might be the strongest person I’ve ever known. I can say that and don’t even know half of the real hell she’s been through.
“Hunter, I know…”
“You know nothing. You know what’s been drilled into you by evil. That’s it. Does your sister think of you as weak, Katie?”
“Hunter…”
“Because I’ve met Beth. She’s an amazingly sweet and loving person, but she has nowhere near the grit you have.”
“Bethie has this ability to see people and… and love…”
“I don’t doubt it a bit, and it’s a wonderful ability,” I tell her, cutting her off. “But you, Katie, you have a will made of iron, grit, and determination that sees you through everything.”
“Grit? Iron? You make me sound so sexy, Hunter. You’re taking my breath away,” she jokes. How many times has she used humor to deflect compliments because she doesn’t believe them? I bet I couldn’t even begin to guess.
I help Katie to stand, then start to unbutton my pants.
“Hunter?”
“Undress, sweetness. Bare yourself to me,” I tell her.
She probably doesn’t know it, but I’m not talking her body. She begins slowly taking her clothes off. Nothing else is said and nothing can be heard in the room but our breathing. Once we’re both naked, I pick her up and walk to the small half-hall that has a small closet to hang clothes and a full-length mirror before moving into the bathroom. I stand her up in front of the mirror, then turn her around so she’s looking in the mirror. I’m standing behind her. I can see her face staring back at me. Her face goes pink with embarrassment.
“Hunter,” she whispers, confused.
I hold her hips and pull her back against my body so that our skin is touching from her back down to her legs. I pull her hair away from her neck and expose it on one side. I run my face against it, letting my beard tease her, and brush the tender skin. My lips find her ear and I place gentle kisses along the shell. My hands find hers and I place mine over them, moving them, palms flat, against the curve of her stomach.
“Look in the mirror. I want you to see what I see,” I tell her, allowing my breath to be just one more thing to tease her.
“I need to lose weight. I gained—”
I bite her shoulder hard, knowing I’ll leave my mark there, but I want her to stop.
“You’re perfect,” I correct her. “Look at how your stomach curves. So sexy. So feminine, it makes me hard just following the lines of your body.” I move our hands up along her ribs. “Until you, Katie, I never realized the way a woman’s ribs are formed that highlight and angle her body to make her fit perfectly against a man.” I continue telling her this while I kiss her neck, letting my tongue follow the path my lips make.