Chapter 62
CHAPTER
SIXTY-TWO
LOOT
Without another word, I curl my fingers around Juliette’s bicep and gently, but firmly, guide her to my room. Once she’s inside, I close and lock the door behind me. We need to have a conversation. It’s overdue. I’ve been holding off because of the situation, but I can’t any longer.
“Have you fucked her?” Juliette demands.
“You want the truth?” I ask.
I’m not mad at Juliette, but I am pissed as fuck at Rocky, and if I thought I could get away with it, I would leave Juliette right here and deal with the bitch myself. But I have a feeling it would piss her off even more, so I stay where I am.
“I want the truth, Slade.”
Her voice is barely above a whisper, and I have no doubt that she’s dreading my answer. I’m going to tell her the truth, though. She wants it, and she deserves to have anything she wants, even if I know it’s going to cause her pain. Knowing Victor touched her causes me pain, too.
I can’t erase her past, and I know mine isn’t going to vanish, either. So even though I don’t want to say the words out loud, I do.
“I fucked her quite a bit over the years. But not since we got together. It’s only you, honey.”
She sucks in a breath, her lips trembling when she does.
I watch as her eyes search mine, and then she takes a step toward me, but only one before she freezes.
My fingers itch to touch her, but I don’t.
I’m hesitant. Victor hurt her, but she is also pissed right now.
I can’t deny I’m a little scared of her.
“The last week, you’ve been down here.”
I hum. “I have,” I confirm, dipping my chin in a single nod. “I’ve been giving you space, but also working. I got a whole boatload of shit dumped on me, and I’m the paperwork guy for the club.”
She flicks her gaze down to her feet, then slowly lifts her eyes up the length of my body to meet mine. “You don’t need to give me space, Slade.”
I snort, because as much as I want to believe her, I also know that she’s wrong.
I needed to give her her space because if I didn’t, I was going to need to touch her, to feel her, to hold her close just to remind myself that she was still alive.
And I couldn’t risk hurting her even more than she’s already been hurt.
“I did need to give that to you, honey. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you in any way.”
Lifting my hand, I glide my fingers down the center of her throat, tracing the bruised ring around her neck. I hate that she’s got that. I hate that I couldn’t protect her. So maybe my staying away wasn’t selfless.
“It’s hard for me to see your bruises and know that I wasn’t able to protect you. I feel guilty, and I haven’t been able to shake that. So it’s partially to give you space, but also because I fucked up.”
Juliette takes another step toward me, and then another. “She was playing me in an attempt to make us fight, to make me feel self-conscious. But the thing is, I knew what she was doing—it just didn’t stop the doubt from seeping in.”
“Nothing happened or has happened for a while. It’s only you, Juliette.” I hold my breath for a moment before I let it out in a whoosh and continue, “I love you,” I state. “Have loved you, really. Never felt this way about a single person in my life, and I don’t want to lose you.”
She stares at me, then blinks a couple of times before her lips curve up into a smile. I watch as she tilts her head back, her eyes never leaving mine. I feel her hand cup my cheek, and I hiss at the sensation of her touch.
“I love you, too,” she whispers as tears fill her eyes.
I’m not sure if I should kiss her or not, but I decide not to think.
I’m pretty sure I’ve been thinking far too fucking much lately, something I haven’t ever done before this woman walked into my life.
I’ve always just gone with whatever feels good at the time and not given much of a fuck about who or what happens.
I care now, at least when it comes to Juliette.
“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” I admit.
She smiles, lifting to her toes, and then I feel her mouth touch mine. She doesn’t deepen the kiss, but when her tongue glides across my bottom lip, I take it as an invitation. I’m not sure if I should, but my mind shuts off, and my body begins to take over.
Slipping my tongue into her mouth, I taste her. Tangling my tongue with hers, I grip her shirt at the waist, trying not to go full Hulk and tear the cotton fabric of her work shirt. I know she’s hot and sweaty from cleaning this place, and I also know that I don’t care.
I haven’t tasted her in over a week.
Reluctantly, and only because we both need air to breathe, I nibble on her bottom lip, tugging gently once before I break the kiss. Resting my forehead against hers, I close my eyes and attempt to catch my breath.
“I don’t know what I’m doing either,” she whispers. “But I never want it to end.”
Fuck.
Shifting my head back slightly, I look into her eyes, searching her pretty blue gaze with my own. I tuck a piece of stray hair behind her ear. “It’s never going to end, Jules.”
“How do you know?” Her voice is barely above a whisper. My lips twitch into a smirk. Lowering my head, I run my nose alongside hers, then brush my mouth against hers before I speak.
“Because you’re mine, honey, and I’m never fucking letting you go. Not ever. You belong to me.”