Page 116 of Pretty When He Bleeds

He scoffs, his fingers tightening on my hips. “You wish you had me wrapped around your finger.”

I grin. “I know I do.”

Damon huffs a laugh, shaking his head, but he doesn’t argue. He just pulls me closer, his hands warm and steady on my back.

We sit there for a while, letting the silence settle around us, letting the reality of everything sink in. The letter, Caleb’s words, the weight of it all.

Damon exhales. He moves slightly, one hand coming up to thread through my hair, his fingers dragging against my scalp in a way that makes me shiver. “You think Caleb really meant it?”

I frown slightly, pulling back to look at him. “Meant what?”

His throat bobs. “That he wasn’t going to change his mind. That nothing we could’ve done would’ve stopped him.”

I swallow hard, my chest tightening. “Yeah,” I say, my voice rough. “I do.”

Damon’s jaw clenches, his eyes flicking away for a second before he sighs and nods. “Yeah. Me too.”

And that, more than anything, feels like something breaking loose between us. Like an understanding. Like a piece of the past that neither of us could let go of finally slipping away.

“I lied, you know,” he says and I watch as his throat bobs. “Caleb wouldn’t have hated what you’ve become. I’m sorry for saying that, I just said it to hurt you.”

I nod, thinking back to the time we thought we hated each other. “I know, babe.”

He moves suddenly, his hands gripping my hips, and before I can react, he flips us, pinning me to the mattress with his weight. I let out a surprised breath, blinking up at him as he smirks down at me.

“Done being soft?” I tease, dragging my fingers down his chest.

His smirk widens, his eyes darkening as he leans in close, his nose brushing against mine. “Oh, I like being soft with you.”

I arch a brow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to the corner of my mouth, then trailing them along my jaw. “But I love ruining you more.”

A shiver runs down my spine, my hands gripping his waist. “Oh, yeah?”

Damon hums against my skin, his tongue flicking over the spot just beneath my ear. “Mhm.”

I laugh breathlessly, my body already heating under his. “Fuck, you’re needy today.”

He pulls back slightly, raising an eyebrow. “Today?”

I grin. “Okay, always.”

“Damn right.”

Then, before I can say another word, he kisses me—deep and slow, his fingers gripping my jaw as he takes his time, as he makes it clear that I am his, that he’s not going anywhere.

That whatever the fuck this is between us?

It’s real.

It’s ours.

And it’s just getting started.

The End