Page 50 of Branded By Shadow

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For a minute, I can’t move.

Don’t want to.

Her body is soft under mine. Hot. Shaking in little aftershocks. Her fingers trail over my back, light now, almost dazed.

The room comes back slow.

Red motel light.

Old carpet.

The hum of the lamp.

My cut is within reach. So is the gun beneath it.

Danger still outside.

Talia beneath me.

I lift my head.

Her eyes are half-open, dazed and too damn trusting.

“You with me?”

She blinks once.

Twice.

Then gives me a tired, crooked smile.

“I think your haunted bed is jealous.”

Chapter 7

Talia

IwakeupbecauseI’m warm.

And my thighs ache.

Heat crawls up my face even though no one is awake to see it.

I lie very still and take inventory like that’s a normal thing to do after losing my virginity to a terrifying biker on a motel floor.

Arms? Functional.

Legs? Questionable.

Heart? Loud.

Dignity? Missing, presumed dead.

Jayce breathes against the back of my neck. His chest is pressed to my spine. One of his legs is tangled with mine beneath the blanket. His hand rests low on my stomach, broad and warm and possessive even in sleep.

Something in my chest goes soft in a way I do not trust.

I should be thinking about Brianna.

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