Page 151 of Shamed
“Wait, you still think those bad things about yourself?”
A soft sigh leaves his lips as he slides to the side, keeping one leg draped over mine but allowing me movement again. “I’m working on it. I’ve been talking to someone about it as well.”
“Really?”
His chin dips, dark eyes brushing over my face. “I figured you were right . . . that while you were working on yourself, I should work on me.”
I reach up to finger the strands of hair falling over his forehead. “I’m glad.”
Silence encompasses us as we stare at one another, absorbing the closeness between us, while dusting light touches across our bare skin.
Looking up at the painting above my bed, Mase smiles. “You’re just like that dahlia, you know? It appears black at first glance, but you just need to look a little closer to see there’s a beautiful color there.”
God, he practically reaches in and tears the black tendrils out of my mind with his words. And I know for sure that I’ll be able to face anything with him by my side.
“Will you come with me to talk to a lawyer with my parents when it’s time?”
“Absolutely.” He leans in, pressing a soft kiss on my lips before settling back on the pillow beside my head.
I let out a contended sigh, watching the beautiful man in my bed as his gaze wanders around my bedroom, settling on the old window.
“You know, I still have a spare bedroom. If you ever get too cold here, you can always come back.” A small smile tugs at my lips as he turns back to me. “I’d prefer if you slept in my bed, though.”
With a soft laugh, I snuggle in closer. “I think I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You should also know that you’d need to share the space with my cat.”
I rear back, my eyes lighting up. “Your cat?”
“Mm, I got her to keep me company.”
Pressing my lips together, I nod while trying to bite back a smile, then reposition myself against him. “I’ll keep that in mind as well.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Mase
Iroll to a stop in front of one of Chicago’s tall downtown buildings, its height looming above us, large and intimidating.
People pass by, none the wiser about why we’re here, and what we’ve beenthrough.
Amazingly, we got a parking spot close to the front door, though I have a feeling that might have been arranged.
“Are you ready?” Jayne’s voice reaches across the space, soft and comforting, though I know underneath it all, her heart is thundering.
I swing my gaze to her sitting in the passenger seat of my truck, taking in the summer sunlight filtering through the window, shining on the golden strands of her hair that’s now back to its original color.
Just one of the many small steps she’s taken to reclaim the life she led before hiding herself away.
While I thought she was beautiful before, the fact that she’s no longer keeping herself chained to the rotting past shows in her appearance.
She still carries the heavy weight of her mistakes and choices, and I doubt she’ll ever release them, no matter what I say. But even so, there’s a lightness to her now, like she’s shed the poison that was slowly killing her.
Her eyes are filled with life, and every time she looks at me, she brightens mine.
“Yeah.”
Gaze dropping to my hands, she smiles softly.
