Page 16

Lucy

H e’s laughing, which either means I’m a fucking lunatic or it’s a dumb idea. I kick the dirt with the toe of my shoe and lean back on my hands.

“Too dark?”

“Never, I fucking love it. The way your mind works is one of my favourite things about you.”

Billy grins as he grabs my hand, pulling me up, and we walk through a little forest into a thicker brush. I admire how serene it is. Through the thicket there’s an old log cabin, along with a rundown shed.

“Who lives here?” I peer up at Billy, but he looks as surprised as I feel.

He shrugs. “Better get outta here before the owner comes out with a shotgun.”

He grips my hand, and we retrace our steps through the thick brush. When we get back to the trees, Billy turns and stares at me intensely.

“What?” I ask.

“Don’t you hear that? ”

He tilts his head and pulls me closer to him. My chest tightens as my breaths come out faster.

With caution, he walks as he glances in all directions. The only sound that reaches my ears is the symphony of birds in the trees.

When I look back at him, his mischievous eyes twinkle as a playful grin spreads across his face.

Exasperated, I let out a sigh, shake my head, and walk away.

Billy grabs the nape of my neck, gripping me as he pins me against a large tree, his hand moving from the back to the front of my throat.

My heart races, and heat pools in my lower stomach. The rough bark scrapes along my arms, but he doesn’t let me move. I drop the bag as his hands tug down my leggings, and soon he’s fingering me.

“Such a good little slut,” he whispers hungrily in my ear.

The sound of his belt opening and the heat of his body against mine are too much to handle. My muscles tense, and nerves run through my body. Billy pulls his digits away from me. I whimper and move my hips.

Billy thrusts into me, fucking me against the tree. His cock fills me so well.

“Don’t make a fucking noise,” he whispers against my neck.

I try to glance back, but he holds a tight grip on me, preventing me from seeing what’s behind .

Billy’s firm hold keeps me from moving as he pounds into me. Craving stimulation, I attempt to touch my clit, but he grabs both of my wrists, keeping them restrained.

A sense of unease washes over me as I strain my ears to listen, convinced that I can hear the distant shuffling and movement of someone else in the woods.

My tits are half out, my leggings around my ankles and the fear moves through my body like forbidden desire.

“Soak my cock, Lou.”

His words edge me, and I close my eyes. Sensations of pleasure run through me as his dick throbs in my pussy, and I clamp down and come for him. He fills me quickly and kisses my neck.

Once his breathing calms down, he pulls out and lifts my leggings back up. We situate ourselves as he lowers his head to brush his lips over mine. Grabbing the bag, he walks us towards the car.

“You really don’t know who lives back there?” I question, and he shrugs.

“Not a clue. Why? You wanna move?”

I ponder it for a minute. “Sorta. I mean, it’s quiet out here, smaller and hidden.”

“You’ve spent your entire life hidden. Why would you wanna do that now? ”

I say nothing. There’s beauty in staying buried. When no one sees you, it makes life easier to blend in the shadows.

“What’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours?”

“Nothing. Ready to dye your hair?” I’m eager to give him some attention.

He deserves so much after making my life so fucking good. He’s helping me see myself in the light he does. It’s healing things within that I didn’t even fucking know were cracked.

He tilts his head when he looks at me. It’s so sexy.

We reach the car and get in the heat from the sun, making it feel like a fucking microwave.

“You can pick the colour. You look at my ugly mug the most.”

“Kettle?”

“Touché.”

He rolls down all the windows, the wind whips my hair around as we drive down the road. Billy taps his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the metal that blares through the car.

It’s one of my favourite sights. We don’t travel for long before we reach a small building. He continues to the rear and parks the Cruze.

“I’ll have to drop the packages into the mailbox on our way back to your house,” he says before getting out of the car.

I follow close behind. He doesn’t go into the shop, but we round the building to a narrow staircase .

“They aren’t connected?”

“Nah, never felt the need to be that close to dead animals. I mean, I give them nicknames sometimes, but it isn’t something I want in my apartment.”

As we reach the top of the wiggly staircase, he unlocks the door, and we enter a little space. An old couch, worn and faded from years of use, rests against one wall.

On the other side, a small kitchen with a griddle is tucked away. The air in the room feels heavy with the sharp scent of disinfectant and lingering dust.

“Nothing fancy,” he mumbles.

“Why’d you furnish my place and not update yours?”

He pulls off his shirt, his tattooed stomach showing. “Because you’re more important, I’ll get a chair.”

He brings one out as he disappears behind a small door and returns with hair dye, gloves, and a comb. Billy takes his hat off and places it on the counter before turning back to me.

“I’m trusting you here.” He grins.

I roll my eyes as I cross the room to open the windows near the couch.

As I run my fingers through his tresses, and he moans, fiddling with his phone before the music fills the small space. I comb his hair to the side as I apply the dye and we work silently listening to tunes .

“I’ve never had someone do this for me. It’s oddly comforting.”

“I imagine playing with my hair makes me feel better,” I whisper.

“I’d do anything to make you feel better, Lou.”

“Why?”

“I’ve wasted more than half my life looking for someone to call mine. I think you might’ve saved me,” he whispers.

When his hair is done, I pull off the gloves.

“What could I possibly save you from?” I ask, his dark gaze burning into mine.

“Myself.”

When I reflect on how he’s saved me, I can’t help but feel grateful for the escape from the dark abyss that could have consumed me.

“You were fine without me.”

“Darkness surrounds me. I play with death for work, Lou. But you walked in, and I didn’t think you’d want anything near what I wanted, but I’m forever yours, and you’ll always be mine.”

I smile, his words touching little parts in my brain that make me feel like we’ll be alright. Maybe I’m not as broken as everyone has told me in the past.

“Well, that got deep. So, wanna set someone on fire?”

“No. I wonder if it makes more sense,” I say, sitting on the couch.

“Because of the shock?” he purses his lips .

“Yeah, like how long it would take. There are other things, but this would be the next scene I write, after filling out so many details and developing their relationship.”

“What’s the other thing?”

He leans back in the chair, toeing off his shoes. I observe his mismatched socks, a sense of joy washing over me. He’s the person I’ve been searching for all my life, a sanctuary where I can be myself.

“Well, since the eye socket won’t work, what about the skull?”

Billy twirls his moustache and bites his lip. “What do you mean?”

Heat climbs up my neck, realizing maybe it’s too far.

“Like, if you drilled a hole. Never mind,” I whisper.

Launching forward off the chair, he firmly grabs my chin, locking eyes with me.

“No. I’ll do some research. I got you, darlin’,” he whispers before kissing me hard.

Billy stands and heads to the bathroom. The water runs so quietly here.

I wander around the apartment. His bedroom is a corner of the small space with a curtain across it, an old single mattress on the carpet.

His clothes are folded and stacked on the floor. Several piles of bloodstained clothing sit in the corner, and my heart stops until I realize they must be workwear.

“What do ya think?” he asks from behind me. I jump.

Turning to look at him, it’s perfect. He almost looks like a sexy Joker.

“Love it. What do you want to do for dinner tonight?”

He walks into the room and drops the towel. My gaze sweeps his body and my core clenches.

“Pizza? We can pick it up on the way through town.”

Billy puts on a pair of ripped jeans, a black band tee and swipes a dark hat before placing it backward on his head.

“Ready?”

I nod, and he grabs my hand, leading me out of his room.

“You took me to the bookstore? Who ever let you go? ”

I turn to look at him. We’ve been at the laundromat for most of the day, and how he can make that fun is beyond me.

As we walk into the small store, books stretch across the walls, and he shrugs.

“Well, you need some reads to withstand your shifts with the Cotton Candy Whore.”

“Facts,” I say and grin.

I stroll along through the narrow aisles, glancing everywhere and picking up books. I didn’t even know we had a used bookstore here. The abundance of great selections causes my arms to fill.

“Want me to carry?”

“No, I’m done.” We’re the only ones in the store except for a very bored-looking teenager behind the till.

“You sure?”

“I have enough books. Let’s be fair. I don’t even need these.”

“If you need additional shelf space, tell me.”

“Stop. Don’t feed my addiction,” I whisper, and laughs.

“You’re my addiction,” he says before grasping the books and heading to the cashier.

Once I have the bag in hand, we’re out the door and he guides me to the car.

“Who’d have thought I’d find someone who can fuck and understand me?” I tell him.

“I’m so fucking glad you did,” he says.

As we drive home, his hand rests on my thigh while the grunge music blares through the speakers. I feel free, swaying in my seat to the rhythm of the tunes.

He grins at me. Today is everything I have to hold on to in order to get through the next few days.

“Ignore her bullshit. I can see you’re already stressing about it. She ain’t worth a single thought in your mind. Soon, if sales keep up the way they are for me, I can take care of you.”

I know that no matter what she throws at me, I’ll be able to handle it, because even if she took Miles away, she did me a solid and it led me to find the true love of my life.