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.

meet mine, the look in them

I insist,

him to retreat

the sticky blood on his face

am,” he whispers hoarsely. He reaches up to wrap his fingers around my wrist and lifts my hand from his face, lowering it between

my skin.

eyes meet mine again. “If you’re a monster, then you’re my monster,” I say resolutely, pushing up on my tiptoes to brush my lips against his. I taste the metallic hint of

mouth, but it doesn’t deter me from pressing closer, stealing

kiss.

tension slip from his body as his lips begin to move against mine, his arms. banding around my waist tightly to

and cautious, almost

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 he is, and

not going

(3)

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

The talented artist. The tender

him for all of it, the complicated mosaic of good and bad, ugly and beautiful. All

let’s get you in the shower,”

by the hand and tugging him

toward his bedroom.

shower and help him peel off his blood-soaked clothes. His chest rises and falls with heavy breaths, 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

it hurt,” I murmur as I squeeze a glob of

makes the bubbles turn pink

his scalp with my fingers.

winding around

he relaxes

showerhead to wash out the shampoo. “Is he

eyes, his blue-green gaze colliding with mine. “Probably wishes he was right about now, though. Chase let me

a brow. “Meaning?”

real sign of a smile I’ve seen from him

“He’s in time-out.” 9.

to find satisfaction in someone else’s misery- but I can’t stop the grin from spreading across my

a jerky nod, his fingertips idly tracing circles on the skin of my lower back.

for his

onto it. I work

going with him,” Cal mutters as I scrub the

old pack will take them in. Sounds like Spence is

3

shot

it. But we

sigh as I 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 away… why all the

he states coldly, the silver of his wolf flashing in his irises.

rate picks up speed as a smile creeps across my

ur girl

the skin of my chest slapping against his. “You’ve always been my girl.” His

glide together, my tongue chasing his, and when he tilts his head to deepen the kiss, my legs get a little wobbly, liquid fire coursing through

my lips with a loud pop, pinning me against him as he stares down into my eyes intently. “I love you, Ness,” he rasps, pressing his forehead to mine and squeezing his

up the 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.

feel the twitch of his hard-on against my belly. We may be dealing with

getting hard to ignore, and as I slide my palms down the hard planes of his chest, something comes

dropping to my knees in front of

lip on a

slide the head of his dick past my lips, swirling my tongue around the crown before taking him in deeper. His hips jolt

him in as far as I can, the head of his cock bumping the back of my throat before I slide back, guiding

taking him deeper, slurping and licking and sucking until I feel

clouded

my palms up against the tile to brace myself while he angles my hips, and then in

around him from the abrupt intrusion, pain quickly giving way to mind-numbing pleasure as he grips my hips tighter and starts to pump

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

my breasts, squeezing and kneading them roughly as he continues to hammer into me. I hiss in a breath

a zing of pleasure straight to my core.