Page 49 of A Bond Beyond Blood (The Butcher’s Daughter Trilogy #1)

G annon

I tried and failed to mask the shock on my face when Vinny opened the door. Failed , because the glint in his eyes was a clear sign he could see that I’d heard every word.

But... shit, could I have heard him correctly? Was he stepping aside?

He couldn’t possibly be willing to let her go so easily.

But he’d said that if she wanted me—or Elias, which I’d have to dissect later—he’d give us to her on a silver platter...

I blanched as those words sank in as the threat they surely were.

Vinny snorted as he stepped aside to allow me to enter. “If you think I’m going to go easy on you, you’re dumber than you look.”

“Stop saying that,” I murmured, shooting him a glare. “I don’t look dumb.”

He chuckled. “Sure, kid.” I’d made it all of three feet inside when his hand clamped down on my shoulder and he yanked me back to him.

“She’s upset tonight, fragile,” he whispered so low there was no way Jackie could hear him from her perch on the counter.

“Really beating herself up over some shit, understand me?”

I nodded. My gaze flicked to hers, immediately registering the redness of her eyes, the wet cheeks. She smiled softly and I itched to go to her.

“Feed her. Make her feel good. Get her to laugh a bit.”

“Yeah, okay.” I tried shrugging out of his grip but it only tightened.

“Nothing heavy tonight. No deep talks about what a fuck up you are. No apologies. I don’t want to scent even a hint of salt on those cheeks when I come back.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.” Fuck . My shoulder was seconds away from shattering into a million pieces in his grip.

“And I will be back.”

“I know ,” I growled.

Finally, he released my shoulder, leaving a painful ache in his wake, then slapped me on my back and said, “Good talk! You two have fun tonight.”

I scoffed as I looked up at him, but he only had eyes for her, sharing some unspoken bullshit with my girl before winking and glaring at me as he left her apartment.

When the door clicked shut, I sighed.

“Hey, G.”

Smiling, I looked over at her. “Hey, baby. Wanna talk about it?”

She licked her lips, considering, then shook her head.

“You hungry?”

She nodded and I strode into the kitchen, picking up on the scents that filled the space. Her tears, her arousal, a hint of blood. My head whipped to hers. “Are you hurt?”

“What?” Her brow furrowed, then she looked down at her hand and said, “Oh.” With a soft laugh that tightened my balls, she said, “I cut myself slicing the coppa. I’m okay though.”

I moaned as my mouth watered, finally picking up on the scent of my favorite meat. “You got coppa?”

She smiled sweetly, ducking her head. “I know you probably don’t eat it, but—”

“Don’t need to, Jackie, but goddamn, you know it’s my favorite. I'll eat that whole thing if you’ll let me.” She grinned then, finally , a big, wide smile that lit up those sad eyes, and made my heart forget to beat.

Then she jumped off the counter, crashing against me in the next instant.

I wrapped my arms around her, tucking her against me fiercely because it’s where she belonged. dropped my nose to the crown of her head to breathe in the familiar scent of her.

“Oh my god,” she groaned, laughing as she pushed out of my arms. “You guys are going to give me a complex, always smelling me like that.”

My hackles rose at the thought of anyone else getting to pull Jackie’s scent into their lungs, but I couldn’t say I blamed them. She did smell fucking good. Refreshing. Sexy. “Blame it on the heightened senses. You smell like...” Sex. Love. Safety.

Home.

I shook my head. “Just really good. You smell really good.”

T he closing credits had nearly finished, but Jackie snored softly beside me on the couch, tucked into the crook of my arm, and I couldn’t bear to move her. Waking her would bring an end to the night, and leaving would break my heart all over again.

My muscles were stiff from holding still for so long, afraid that if I jostled her, I’d ruin the moment, break the spell.

Anytime I got to be close to her like this again, close like we used to be, back before I broke her heart, it healed a broken little part of me. And I was starved for those fleeting moments, starved for the healing I likely didn’t deserve but wanted nonetheless.

I dropped my hand to her bare thigh, testing. She was warm beneath my palm, and I tried to stay still, tried to be content with just that connection, but I ached to touch her.

My palm itched with need.

So I slid it slowly upward, cresting over the soft swell of her ass, the slight bottom half that was exposed by the pull of her short sleep shorts. She stirred and I froze.

Lifting her head slowly, she met my gaze, her blue eyes sleepy and...

Fuck.

Wanting .

“Gannon,” she breathed, the sound like a balm to my fucking soul.

She licked her lips and pushed up, bringing that soft mouth to mine. I gripped her ass, nearly moaning with relief when she shifted, bringing herself onto my lap. With her thighs spread over mine, I could grab onto both cheeks now, sinking my fingers into those thick, supple mounds.

My hands flexed and she whimpered, deepening the kiss as she rocked forward, tentatively seeking my hardness.

I lifted my hips, obliging, and she sucked in a breath, then rocked again.

Her hair cascaded around us, filling my nose with the scent of her. My girl. My Jackie. All over me, surrounding me, kissing me.

My cock swelled, twitching to get closer to her, eager to get past the layers of clothing between us.

The thundering footsteps on the stairs outside told me that wasn’t going to happen.

I froze, waiting for Vinny to rip the door off the hinges and break my neck.

But he stopped on the other side. Waiting.

What’s his game?

“Gannon,” Jackie breathed, kissing my unmoving lips. She pulled back, brow furrowed as her eyes flicked back and forth between mine. “G?”

With a sigh, I dropped my hands to the couch. “Your boyfriend’s home.”

Her gaze flicked to the door, and I swear the scent of her deepened, grew more pungent. It slipped past my nose and down to grip a fist around my balls.

Jesus fucking Christ , was she turned on by the idea of him catching us like this?

He’d choke me with my own erection, and that probably wouldn’t even be the worst of it!

When she looked at me again, she laughed at my wide eyes.

“Relax, Gannon. He’s not going to hurt you.”

Vinny snorted on the other side of the door and her eyes sparkled with mirth.

What was I missing? I was definitely missing something.

“Thank you for coming over.” Jackie smiled in that soft way of hers and another piece of my broken heart snapped back into place. She was coming back to me. Little by little, baby steps, even, she was making her way back to me. We’d be okay again.

“I should get to bed,” she said, a hint of regret tightening her voice. “I have to be downstairs early tomorrow.”

I inhaled a deep breath, wincing when my cock twitched against her heat.

Jackie shivered and rolled her hips forward absently.

I glanced back at the door. He still hadn’t come inside. What the fuck was happening here? He had to be able to smell her the way I could, right? Was that a vampire thing or just a me thing, like, because I was so attuned to her already?

The door opened and Vinny strode inside.

“You heard her. Time’s up, kid. Tick tock.

” His gaze landed on her and he didn’t even try to hide the hunger in his eyes.

He licked his lips and I dropped my head back, staring at the ceiling as, in my peripheral, she climbed off of me, then strode down the hall to their bedroom without another word.

“Fuck me,” I murmured.

“Not this time, kiddo. But you did good. She’s definitely smiling.”

Before I’d even managed to pull myself off the couch, throbbing cock and all, he’d disappeared down the hall.

The bed creaked as he tossed her on top of it, followed by murmuring I couldn’t quite make out, and then Jackie made a sound of pleasure I’d never heard before that grabbed a hold of my cock and shattered my pride all at once.

Jesus, what was he doing to her?

Something thumped against the wall, then she screamed his name, and I swear to God I’ve never moved so fast in my life.

I was down the stairs and halfway across the street before I even realized I’d taken a step forward.

I glanced back at her apartment, thankful I’d at least thought to close the front door behind me, then I stared longingly at that door.

This was one of those times that throwing myself off the balcony without landing on my feet would have come in handy.

But since I would land on my feet, I let that thought anchor me.

Because I would land on my feet with Jackie, too. He may have her now, but she wanted me. A lot. And if we were competing, it really wasn’t a fair fight.

I had years on Vinny Ricci. Decades.

I couldn’t lose.