Page 235 of Love Me in the Dark

“No, there won’t,” she said, raising her eyes to mine.

“You’ve been gone over a week, Gabby. People will have noticed. At least your job will have. You’ll probably lose it, well, unless you decide to go to the cops.” It was an option for her, and one I had to resign myself to accepting if she did.

“I won’t be talking to the police,” she spoke softly.

“Well. If you do, I would understand.” I raked a hand through my hair. “What I did… what I’ve been doing.” I sighed. “Fuck, I’m a monster.”

She slowly climbed off the bed and settled herself on her knees before nudging my hand with her head. “No, David. You’re not. Not anymore.”

“Gabby, you don’t have to do that anymore. Get up.” I reached down to help her to her feet, but she pushed my hands away.

“I don’t have to, but I want to.” A tear slid down her cheek. “It may be fucked up, but I don’t want to go home, David. I want to stay here. With you. Like this.”

“Fuck, Gabby. That’s just because of what you saw outside. You’re in shock. This isn’t what you want.” I grabbed her arms and dragged her up to her feet. “You don’t want to be with a man like me.” I didn’t deserve her. I didn’t deserve anyone.

“I am not.” She shoved me away again. “I could have told Cherise everything, but I didn’t. I didn’t even want to, David. I could have run out the back door of that clinic and been on the road before you even knew it, but I didn’t want to.”

“Gabby.” I stepped closer, capturing her face between my hands. “I’m not a good man. You’ve seen what I can do, what I’m capable of.”

“I saw you protect me. Again.” She held my wrists. “Yeah, I know what you’re capable of, and I know I can take it.”

What the fuck was I supposed to say to that?

“I’ve been fucking with your mind since you got here.” I shook my head. “You don’t know what you want.”

“I want you. I want to curl at your feet when we watch movies. I want to play with you in the yard. I want to have quiet dinners with you, and I want to help you grow your veterinary practice. I want the quiet this place has, and I want the chaos your attention brings.”

“Gabby, I don’t do normal. This shit we’ve been doing, it wasn’t fake on my part. I love whipping you. I get hard as fuck when I walk you on the leash. That stuff, it’s who I am.” She had to understand, I was who I was.

She leaned up on her toes and brushed her mouth against mine. A soft touch at first, but it wasn’t enough for me. I sank my hand into her hair and held her firmly, taking the kiss deeper and deeper until she softened beneath me.

When I broke the kiss, her lips were swollen, her pupils dilated. She ran the tip of her tongue over her top lip.

“Can we get a prettier collar? Maybe one with little gems on it?” she asked softly with her eyes lowered.

Sweet Jesus.

“You want a collar with gems?” I repeated the question, positive I’d lost my mind. Maybe Jason had shot me and not the other way around.

“I do.” She nodded. “And a new bowl with my name on it. I don’t want to use anything that you’ve used with anyone else.”

I ran my knuckles over her jaw and sighed. She’d look damn cute in a pink collar with diamonds on it.

“I’m supposed to take one more job,” I said lowly.

She stared at me, as though she already knew what I was going to say. Of course, she did. Gabby saw right through all the layers of bullshit, right down into my core.

“I canceled it.” I stroked her cheek. “I won’t be taking any more jobs. I’ll put an offer on the clinic with what I have and take a loan for the rest.”

Her full, pink lips pulled wide into a smile. “I have savings, David. Not much, but I can help. We can do it together.”

I shook my head. “How the fuck did a monster like me get so damn lucky?”

“The world is a fucked-up place, David. Better to be with people who understand you and love you for it than wandering around alone trying to fit in places you don’t belong.” I got a sense she wasn’t just talking about me.

“If you’re staying, then I’m not sure what the fuck you’re doing in that damn dress. Get it off.”

Her face lit up with my words. She yanked the dress over her head and tossed it toward the bed. Slowly, she sank back down to her knees and rubbed her cheek against my leg.