Page 84 of Rev

I can’t even look at her. I’m torn up. All my cold, all my hard, it’s gone. She melted it. And I needed that shit. It was all I had.

She kisses my chin, my cheek. Beneath my eyes. God, so fucking tender. Can’t handle it. Can’t stop it, either. Fingers on my face. Touching everywhere—nose, upper lip, eyes, eyebrows, cheeks, ears…god the ears, why does the ear touching do that to me?

“Why do you do that?” I ask, my voice rougher than I intend.

“Do what?” Surprised, confused.

“Touch my face like that.”

I feel her shrug. “I like your face. It’s handsome.” Pause. “It’s affection, Rev, that’s all.”

“Drives me fuckin’ nuts.”

“Good nuts or bad nuts?”

“I dunno, Myka.” I shake my head. “It’s…shit. I dunno. Just tears me up inside. Makes me…like my heart is gonna crack or somethin’. I don’t fuckin’ know.”

“Rev, honey.” She lightly pinches my ear in her fingers, thumb tracing the shell. “Have you never been shown affection before?”

I flinch yet again.

Shake my head, shrug. “No.”

“Every time I call you honey, you flinch.” It’s a question.

“Hurts.” Can’t open my eyes. Turn my head away. “Too sweet. Can’t fuckin’ handle it.”

“Please look at me.” I shake my head and she cups my face. “Please?”

Can’t deny that tone, that razor-sharp cut of tenderness slicing through me. I force my eyes open, knowing my guard is down.

I am fucking terrified.

Never been this scared in my life. Not ever.

Fucked her once, and she’s down to the very goddamn core of me, inside me, melting me. What the fuck kind of magic does this woman wield?

Her deep wild hot blue eyes are wet, shimmering. “There you are.” God…damn, as soft and tender as the skin on the underside of her breast, her voice is.

I choke on the knot in my throat.

She rubs my lips with her thumb. “Hi.”

I’m tensed, hard, ready to bolt. So scared I could smash my fist through a brick wall. Shaking, literally.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” My voice is ragged, rough as gravel.

“Rev, baby.” I shake my head, but she’s fucking relentless. “It’s okay.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

She touches a kiss to the corner of my lips. “Because I like you. I want you to know how I feel about you.”

“You don’t know the shit I’ve done, Myka.”

“I have an idea. I’ve seen you hit huge men so hard they go down with one punch. You don’t just do that willy-nilly. The fight? You took a heck of a beating like it was nothing. You broke that Eddy guy’s wrist and ribs like it was nothing.”

“That ain’t the shit I mean.”