Page 27 of Craved By You (Dark Desires Duet #1)

He detailed his rationale, revealing the events following Janice’s death.

He described an immediate, almost addictive draw to the taste, yet emphasized it wasn’t enough to drive him to do indiscriminate killing.

He outlined his methodical process, explaining how rigorously validated his findings had to be before he would plan his next moves, determined to avoid condemning innocent lives based on mere suspicion.

Did I comprehend his motivations for killing those specific individuals? Yes. They had, in my view, earned their fate. It was the act of consumption itself that remained perplexing in my mind.

A morbid curiosity flickered within me… Did tattoos alter the taste? I immediately questioned why I was even considering such a macabre thought. It was always said that Jeffrey Dahmer had commented on how they tasted terrible, and part of me wondered about the validity of that statement.

I’ve seen him eat regular, non-human meat before.

Right? I started to think back on all of our dates to see if I could remember what he ate.

Sure enough, his normal go-to was steak, lots of seafood, and he loved bacon.

Maybe he stuck with those because, aside from the steak, he didn’t get the other stuff from the people he killed.

Not that I would know, he was probably capable of getting anything.

My stomach started to gurgle at the thought, and I was worried I was going to be sick. “Okay, let’s talk about something else.”

“ You don’t have any other questions you need me to clarify?” Colt asked hesitantly.

“ I’m good.” I didn’t mean to snap at him, but I couldn’t think about this anymore, otherwise I was going to be forced to become a vegan.

Colt looked so vulnerable as he stared at the table and I couldn’t help but feel empathy toward him.

He did what he felt was best for him, and had carried his secrets around for years.

I couldn’t imagine the weight that had fallen from his shoulders now that our little group knew.

There was probably a part of him that worried that so many of us now held that information.

More importantly, though, would we be able to work our way past this?

I sat back and watched him, still wrapping my head around everything. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be short.”

He attempted to smile, but his face was full of hurt and anguish. “No, no. I deserved that. You have every right to be upset with me.”

“ I do have one more question.” I hesitated. “This is something you can stop? The uhm…”

I shivered at the mention of it again as he clarified, “Human consumption?”

Nodding, I finally replied. “Yes. That.”

Colt gulped and I felt like he was taking way too long to answer my question. “I think so,” he finally said.

I wasn’t going to let this go. “Can we turn your think into a yes?” He could spend the rest of his time on this earth being my real-life Dexter for all I cared. It was just that one detail that I wouldn’t be able to overlook.

His fingers reached up and began toying with the hair that spilled over my shoulder. “I would do anything for you, sunshine.”

I smiled, questioning if I was making the right decision or if I was wearing whiskey goggles that were preventing me from seeing the truth of what I was getting involved with. “I’m tired, I think it’s time for me to go home.”

“ I can’t let you drive.” He slid out of the booth and held out his hand. “I’ll take you.”

“ Oh no” I yawned, “I rode with Haileigh.” I looked over and caught her hanging all over Ryder and Chris. “Though I don’t suppose she’s ready to go yet.”

It didn’t take long before Colt was talking with the group while I stood by the booth, waiting while he made arrangements. Haileigh turned and gave me two thumbs up as she beamed with happiness and mouthed I love you.

???

As soon as Colt got me home, I found myself rushing to the bathroom, retching every last drop that I could muster into the toilet.

It had been a long time since I had been drunk like that.

Colt held my hair and rubbed my back until I knew that I was done.

He helped me up off the floor without saying a word and stepped out of the bathroom to let me clean myself up and brush my teeth.

He returned a few moments later with a fresh bottle of water and encouraged me to drink some.

I took a few swigs and then it hit me how exhausted I actually was. I wanted to sleep for days.

Finally, after the small detour, we made it into my room. I plugged in my phone and crawled onto my bed, snuggling into my pile of pillows. Colt tucked me in and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Goodnight, sunshine. Text me in the morning.”

“ You’re leaving?” A sadness took over at the thought of sleeping alone tonight, regardless of the fact that I had done so every night for the past month. “Please, stay?”

“ Are you sure?” He seemed hesitant. “It could be the whiskey talking.”

I was quiet for a moment, gathering my thoughts and questioning myself on all levels. “Please?”After a pause, I felt Colt get in behind me.

My bed seemed so small with the two of us in it compared to his massive one, but the mattress was soft, and the temperature in my apartment was just right.

“Are we okay?” Colt asked as I snuggled back against him, his arms wrapping around me.

“I just want to make sure I’m not looking into this wrong. ”

“ My brain is screaming at me to run fast and in the opposite direction,” I murmured, his heart turning into a frantic drumbeat against my spine. “But my heart is compelling me to stay.”

Colt tightened his grasp around me and kissed the back of my head. “You make me so happy, I am sorry I ever hurt you.”

I tried to reassure him. “It’s okay.”

“ It’s not.” He wasn’t going to let this go. “I will spend a million lifetimes doing everything I can to make this up to you. I don’t deserve you.”

“ We all make mistakes,” I whispered quietly. “Now let’s sleep.”