AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Eight years. Since the first time I asked you, in the woods behind your parents’ house.” A wry smile twisted his lips. “So don’t take all the credit. Or the blame. I’ve said and done a lot of things, but I’ve always told you the truth.”
“You have.” I rested my cheek against his shoulder. As much as Will had armored his emotions in the past, everything he’d ever said to me had been honest.
“I could never hate you.” His hands moved down to squeeze my waist. “And you’ll never be too easy for me. The way he threatened you…” Will shook his head. “I should have warned you. I knew this would happen.”
“Me too,” I said quietly. “Ever since last night, I’ve been expecting to get fired.”
He took a deep breath. “Do you want to keep your job?”
“Will—”
“It’s up to you.” Will looked pale now, a greenish cast to his face, but his jaw was set. “I’ll go back if you want.”
“No,” I said forcefully. “No, I don’t want that. But if you’re having second thoughts—”
Will swore under his breath. “Never,” he muttered. “But the last thing I want to do is fuck up your future, Andie. I couldn’t live with myself if I took that from you. You love your job. You told me you can’t afford to lose it.”
My stomach twisted. Will was right; my job meant a lot to me. My life in the city revolved around it. I’d worked countless long hours and late nights, dreaming of climbing that particular ladder. Yet I didn’t hesitate as I met his eyes.
“But I love you more. And I can’t afford to lose you.”
Will sucked in a long breath. That stunned look from last night was creeping over his face, like a sunrise breaking.
“So I didn’t dream you saying that,” he muttered.
“It was real,” I said softly. “There are other jobs. Richard always controlled this one. If I stay, he’ll still have power over me. And whether we’re together, or — or not, I want you to be happy. You were dying last night, Will. I saw you. You were in a cage with no light or air.”
He pulled me into his embrace. “Last night, you also said ‘I’m yours.’ Did you mean that too?”
“Completely.”
His breath stirred my hair. His arms tightened around me.
“Mine,” he said slowly, as if he were trying out the word. “I didn’t think you ever would be. We fit together.”
I let out a shuddering breath, molding my naked body to his. Will was right: we fit together. My petite curves found the nooks and shelters in his long, lean frame. My thigh parted his, and he clasped it with his legs.
“Are you mine too?” I murmured.
“Fuck, yes. I have been for so long.”
An impish impulse drove me to tease him. “Are you sure?” I tickled his ribs, making his teeth flash in a surprised laugh. “What does this mean for us? Are you my boyfriend now? It’s pretty weird to be in a relationship with your cousin.”
“Jesus.” His face contorted, fingers squeezing my upper arms. Blowing out a breath, he loosened his grip. The way he looked at me, so much longing written in his eyes… “I don’t care what people think. Remember when I said I’d fuck you on the sidewalk for everyone to see? Back in the fall? I meant it. Just to show the world we belong together, that you’re my girl and anyone who has a problem with it can go screw themselves. You know what I do care about? You. All of you. My sweet, savage love.”
Hearing Will talk this way sent a tidal wave of wanting through my body.
“Tell me.” I cupped his strong shoulders.
“Really, baby?” He was the one teasing me now. He licked my neck, and I dissolved into laughter. “You want to hear how much I care?”
“Yes.” My breath caught. “Because Richard said you couldn’t. I know he’s wrong, but…”
A cloud passed over Will’s face. “He scared you. He never should have gotten near you. Okay, Andie, I’ll tell you.”
When he spoke, his voice was rasping, spilling out in a torrent as he slid kisses down my neck.
“You’re probably the only person I’ve ever cared about. I’ve wanted you for so long, and I thought it made no sense. I’ve been hoping since I was fourteen, okay? And I didn’t like it. I didn’t like how much I wanted you, because I thought it gave you control. And us being cousins? Just made me want you more. You were off-limits, so I had to prove I could have you. But it also felt like you knew me, like we fit together. When my parents and I showed up at your family’s house eight years ago, I could tell you knew who you were. You were quiet, but you liked to run wild in those woods behind your house and you didn’t fucking care, back then, what anyone thought. Out there with you, I didn’t care either. I realized how much I hated my life, how trapped I was. You made me realize it. That was when I thought of running away. I would have, Andie, with you. Anywhere. And after that, I couldn’t get you the hell out of my head. My quiet little red-haired cousin. I didn’t know whether to love you or hate you, because you were always there, in my head, in my body, fucking with my life, reminding me that it was empty. When I invited you to Bryce Wingard’s graduation party, I couldn’t say if I wanted to make you mine or get you out of my system. All I knew was that I had to have you. I wanted to make you admit how much you loved my life, how jealous you were, how much you wanted to be part of it. And you were so fucking infuriating, because I failed to do any of that. Then you came last summer. The more I tasted of you, the more I wanted. Until…” He shook his head. “We talked. Held each other. I wanted more of that too. I don’t know when I fell in love with you, because I thought it was impossible. You’d never be with me, Andie. Not with your cousin. Spoiled. Empty. On his father’s leash.”
