“You fixed my fence,” I murmur and he gives a curt nod, “your hands must be sore.”
“They’re fine,” he says throatily.
“Please let me have a look. This work can be pretty rough,” I say and he holds out his big palms. All of me could probably fit just in his two hands or at least that’s what it feels like. I inspect his skin, brushing my hands over his palms but luckily there’s nothing that’s going to need any extra attention. I flood with relief and look up, only to find that Revenge has closed his eyes and he keeps gulping as if nobody has cared for him this way before.
Surely someone must have...
It can’t be that he only knows a brutal world. He’s not a brutal man so it doesn’t make any sense.
“Revenge,” I whisper and he opens his eyes and the need in them makes me gasp and he cups my neck, pulling my forehead to rest against his and I stop breathing.
“You will touch me like that again,” he groans between his teeth. “You will never again lay your soft hands on a man other than me. Understand that.” Swallowing I nod and he lets out a low, primal growl. “You’re mine,” he moans, “from this day, I lay my claim on you. I claimyou. All of you.”
“Rev...,” I whimper when he cups me between my legs on top of my dress and my eyes roll back in my head.
“Just because this is between your legs doesn’t mean it belongs to you,” he grits and gives me a stroke that makes me unravel and I hold onto his shoulders, to avoid falling. “It’smine. Say it.”
“Yours...,” I pant and he takes his hand back, stroking my cheek, as if pleased with me and his voice turns lullaby gentle.
“Walk back into the house, lamb. Move slow and don’t run unless you want me inside of you before you reach the porch. And lamb...,” he brushes his lips over my temple, “one day I’ll catch you without warning.”
I gasp. Slowly moving away from him, I watch him clench his fists and my heart’s pounding. I turn around, walking slowly. It’s the most excruciating experience of my whole life to walk away from him while his eyes burn a deep, yearning hole through me.
By the time I’m in the hallway, one thing is clear. That I have been singled out and claimed by a male who hides something under his clothes. My eyes flutter. I don’t care who he is or what he is as long as I amhis.
4.
Revenge
When I’m done at the farm it’s already late in the evening. Entering the house, I’m struck by a strange feeling.I belong here.A mobster on a farm and yeah, this isn’t my normal kind of environment but its Addie’s and I’m meant to be wherever she is.
I find her in the living room, drowsing off in front of the unlit fireplace with an orange cat in her lap. The cat hisses at me, jumps down and scrams and Addie blinks. She twitches when she sees me looking down at her and she scurries.
“Fell asleep on accident...,” she murmurs but I’m glad she did. It was obvious she needed a break. Blinking, she glances at the little clock above the fireplace and she gasps, “You been out working this whole time? Rev, you shouldn’t have!”
She calms when I brush her cheek with my knuckles and she swallows. “It was the least I could do,” I rasp, “you’ve shown me great kindness, lamb. You’ve done this thing before?”
“Done what?” she breathes and her face shines like honey from a lamp’s golden light.
“Welcomed a man like you did me, fed him, looked after him...”
Addie nods and I tense. “I was raised to be hospitable. Go out of my way to make sure people feel welcome.”
Dragging a pained breath, I turn around because it infuriates me to think of any other men she doted on and fussed over and it pisses me off so hard, I want to break something but then I feel her hand on my back.
“I never let them inside the house. They ate and slept in the barn,” she whispers, “no lines were ever crossed. Promise.” Easing, I give a slow nod and she walks around me. “You must be tired,” she murmurs but I’m not. I’m notorious for my stamina, for my energy reserves that my brothers joke are my only good trait. “I know I am.”
Then I guess we’re going to bed and I follow Addie as she leads me upstairs to a dark hallway and she doesn’t bother turning on the light as if she feels right at home with me. Biting her lip she says, “I’ll let you have Beau’s room, unless you’d like another?”
“I want to sleep in yours. With you in your bed,” I rasp and she gasps, swiftly turning around.
“Rev! If my brother was here, he’d kick your butt for talking that way.”
Her brother borrowed money from me and I came here to kickhisass, for not paying me back but now I’m just gonna settle for his pretty sister instead.
“You don’t like a dirty mouth on a man, lamb?” I ask and she shakes her head.
“We wash dirty mouths with soap around here,” she whispers and the corners of my mouth twitch. I’ll teach her to like it, talk dirty in her ear until she starts asking for it. She lifts her chin. “I may just be a milkmaid but I was taught not to cave for gentlemen.”