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.

eyes flicker up to meet mine, the look in

I insist, moving with him,

him to retreat

his cheek with my thumb, the sticky blood on his face smearing

to wrap his fingers around my wrist and lifts my hand from his face, lowering it between us, his eyes transfixed on the

onto my skin.

his 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, pushing up on my tiptoes to

deter me from pressing

kiss.

begin to move against mine, his arms. banding around my waist tightly to anchor me. Or maybe

cautious,

the seam of his lips. I put all my intention behind it, reassuring him that I’m

going

(3)

we break the kiss, and when I stare into his eyes, the soul- shattering vulnerability in his gaze nearly 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, broken pieces, the scars of his past trauma. Above all,

The talented artist. The tender lover.

mosaic of good and

in the shower,”

the hand and tugging him

toward his bedroom.

his gaze intently focused on me as the room begins to fill with steam. I undress after him, neither of us saying a word as we step into the shower together and I guide him underneath the

made it hurt,” I murmur as I squeeze a glob of shampoo onto my palm, reaching up to scrub it into his hair.

bubbles turn pink as I

up, massaging his scalp

winding around my waist and his eyes slipping

relaxes into

showerhead to wash out the shampoo. “Is he dead?” I ask cautiously, rinsing the pink suds from

“Probably wishes he was right about now, though. Chase let me get a little… creative with

arch a brow.

real sign of a smile I’ve seen from him

home. “He’s in time-out.” 9.

cruel and wrong to find satisfaction in someone else’s misery- but I can’t stop the

jerky nod, his fingertips idly tracing circles on the skin of my lower back. “Uh huh. He’ll stay there for three days, under

for his transgressions.”

a washcloth and squeezing body wash onto it. I work it

I scrub the blood from behind his ears.

will take them in. Sounds like Spence is gonna stay,

3

have a shot at building a

it. But we can

dip the washcloth under the stream to rinse it, wringing out the pink- tinged water to splash at our feet. “So if Troy’s locked

tipping my face 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

roughly, the skin of my chest slapping against his. “You’ve always been my girl.” His lips crash down onto mine, his

claiming kiss stealing my breath. Our lips glide together, my tongue chasing his, and when he tilts his head to deepen the kiss, my legs get a little wobbly, liquid fire

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

I breathe, soaking up the importance of this moment with him. We’ve finally put the ghosts of the past

my hips closer, drawing a short gasp when I feel the twitch of his

ideas. The persistent thrum between my thighs is getting hard to ignore, and as I slide my palms down

to my knees

pop open in surprise as he peers down at me, his teeth sinking into his lower lip on a wince as I wrap my hand around

head of his dick past my lips, swirling my tongue around the crown before taking him in deeper. His hips jolt forward, his fingers digging into the damp

my knees, there’s something powerful in this position, watching the man above 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 slide back, guiding my movements with my hand wrapped firmly around his

pump in steady thrusts, perfectly in sync. with the bob of my head. The way he starts to unravel only boosts my enthusiasm – I start to move faster, relaxing my throat and taking him deeper, slurping and licking and sucking until I feel

mind is clouded with

Callum spins me by the waist roughly, pinning my chest against the shower wall. I slap my palms up against the tile to brace myself while he angles my hips, and then in one powerful thrust, he slams home, a ragged scream tearing from my throat as he buries every thick inch

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

my… Callum… oh god,” I babble, his pelvis slapping against my ass

my breasts, squeezing and kneading

sending a zing of pleasure