Broken Bond by C.J. Primer

39

VANESSA

My fingertips ghost over the delicate lines of the drawing in my lap, in awe of the painstaking detail that went into every stroke of the pencil to create it. It’s a

depiction of me- like every other sketch in this book- and in this one, my eyes are the

main feature, crinkled at the edges, a

giveaway that I’m smiling even though my fists are tucked in front of my mouth to hide it. My hair frames my face in loose waves,

every strand etched with such precision that

you can see the movement in the drawing like it’s captured a moment in time.

Callum is so freaking talented, and something hot burns in my chest every time I look through these drawings, his love poured onto every page. It’s a heady feeling, being his muse. Being the subject of his art, the object of his affection. It’s immense and

overwhelming. Nobody sees me like Callum Conway does.

The sound of a key turning in the lock of his apartment door yanks me out of the trance I’m in, and I jerk my head up, looking

toward the door as Cal lets himself in. He

freezes in the threshold when he sees me seated on his couch, exhaustion and uncertainty written all over his face.

That’s not the only thing on his face. I’m just as taken aback by the sight of him; not because I wasn’t expecting him to return home, but because he’s covered in blood. Crimson lines track down his face, dripping from his saturated hair. His grey t-shirt is splattered and soaked through, and blood coats his tattooed forearms and cakes his knuckles.

“What are you doing here?” Callum asks tentatively, still hovering in the doorway.

I quickly bring myself back from the momentary shock of his appearance,

flipping the sketchbook closed and holding it close to my chest as I rise to my feet.

“Your neighbor let me in with her spare key,” I provide. “She was pretty cranky about it and definitely skeptical that I was your girlfriend. I had to sweet talk her and show her these to prove it.” I hold out the sketchbook to indicate before stooping to slide it onto the surface of the coffee table.

The corner of Cal’s mouth ticks up. “Mrs. Donnelly,” he breathes, his shoulders. sagging as he takes a step inside and swings. the door closed behind him. “She’s a mean old bitch, but she’s a real gem.”

I crack a smile at the accuracy of his description. She had some choice words to describe Cal as well, but despite their barbs, it’s clear that they share affection for one another.

He takes another step further into the apartment, and I suppress a gasp when the light hits him and further illuminates his

macabre appearance.

“Is it done?” I ask quietly, even though the answer to that question is written in red all

over his skin. After Vee filled me in on all the

details of what went down this morning with Troy, I came straight here, knowing I

wanted to be here for Cal when he returned.

Knowing he’d need me.

He nods solemnly, grinding to a halt rather than continuing into the living room to join me. “I… I didn’t want you to see me like this,” he grits out, avoiding eye contact and staring down at his bloody palms.

My bare feet pad against the floo

as I make

my way closer, stepping right up in front of him and reaching up to cup his bloody jaw, ignoring the mess in favor of the man.

underneath it. “You don’t have to hide from

me,” I say gently.

to meet mine, the look in them haunted. “I’m a monster,” he rasps, flinching

insist, moving with

to retreat

the sticky blood on his face

wrap his fingers around my wrist and lifts my hand from his face, lowering it between us, his

my skin.

heart. It thumps beneath my palm as his eyes meet mine again. “If you’re a monster, then you’re my monster,” I say resolutely,

deter me from pressing closer, stealing a soft, iron-tinged

kiss.

move against mine, his arms. banding around my waist tightly to

tender and cautious, almost like he’s

I respond by deepening it, sweeping my tongue. against the seam of his lips. I put all my intention behind it, reassuring him that I’m here. That I love him exactly as

not going

(3)

brings me to my knees. It’s like he’s stripping himself bare for me, letting me see every part of him- the frayed edges, the jagged,

The tender lover.

steadfast perseverance. And I love him for all of it, the complicated mosaic of good and bad, ugly and beautiful. All of it makes him who

you in

the hand and tugging him

toward his bedroom.

focused on me as the room begins to fill with steam. I

glob of shampoo onto my palm, reaching

the bubbles turn pink

it up, massaging his scalp with my

around my waist and

relaxes

nudging his body underneath the stream from the showerhead to wash out the shampoo. “Is he dead?” I ask cautiously, rinsing the pink suds from his strands.

“Probably wishes he was right

arch a brow.

of a

“He’s in time-out.” 9.

else’s misery- but I can’t stop the grin from spreading across my face. “The basement?” I ask.

on the skin of my lower back. “Uh huh. He’ll stay there for

pack for his transgressions.”

a washcloth and squeezing body wash onto it. I work it into a lather, then go

mutters as I scrub the blood

take them in. Sounds like Spence is gonna

3

a shot

it. But we can

as I dip the washcloth under the stream to rinse it, wringing out the pink- tinged water to splash

up to his. “He threatened you,” he states coldly, the silver of his wolf flashing in his irises. “Nobody gets away

heart rate picks up speed as a smile

ur girl

of my chest slapping against his. “You’ve always been my girl.” His lips crash down

chasing his, and when he tilts his head to deepen the kiss, my legs get a

into my eyes intently. “I love you, Ness,” he rasps, pressing his forehead to mine and squeezing his eyes closed. “I love you so fucking

importance of this moment with him. We’ve finally put the ghosts of the past to bed, and now we can just… be. We can move forward. Together.

when I feel the twitch of his

emotional stuff right now, but our slick, naked bodies obviously have other ideas. The persistent thrum between my thighs is getting hard to ignore, and as I slide my palms down the hard planes of his chest, something comes over me

my descent, dropping to my knees in front

at me, his teeth sinking into his lower lip on a wince as I wrap my hand

slide the head of his dick past my lips,

me come undone as I control his pleasure. I take him in as far as I can, the head of his cock bumping the back of my throat before I

faster, relaxing my throat and taking him deeper, slurping and licking and sucking until I feel his thighs begin to tremble. He’s right on the edge, but then suddenly he’s pulling out of my mouth, yanking

clouded with lust, desire

brace myself while he angles my hips, and then in one powerful thrust, he slams home, a ragged

around him from the abrupt intrusion, pain quickly giving way to mind-numbing pleasure as he grips my hips tighter and starts to pump in and out, setting a punishing pace and hitting a spot deep inside that has me seeing stars.

his pelvis slapping against my ass

around my front to cup my breasts, squeezing and kneading them roughly as he continues to hammer into me.

my nipples, sending a zing of pleasure straight to my core.