He reached up, turned off his headlight, and grinned when the darkness really enveloped him. He was living on the edge, and loving very fucking minute of it.
Adrenaline moved through his veins at the power he felt.
He turned on his headlight again and drove the ten minutes it took to get where he really wanted to go. He finally reached her house and slowed down. He dismounted, and for a second just looked into the sky, and closed his eyes.
It was time to make things with Constance set in stone.
Constance had left the cemetery twenty minutes ago, come home, and was cleaning because she was too restless. After deciding she needed to move on, to not be the type of woman who was morbid and only focusing on the past, all she thought about was Vengeance.
The knock on the door stilled her. She glanced at the clock, saw it was far too late for her to have anyone over, and contemplated not answering it. She also thought about calling Vengeance.
What if it was Craig? After him showing up at the shop, and the weird feeling he gave her, Constance felt like things were not right.
“Constance, baby?” Vengeance’s voice came through and she felt her brows lower. Dropping the rag she was using to clean, she headed to the front door and looked through the peephole. Sure enough, it was Vengeance.
After unlocking the door and pulling it open, she stared at the man she realized she had fallen in love with. “Vengeance?” She said his name softly.
He was in her house, had the door shut, and pulled her into an embrace before she could think. He was kissing her senseless, and when he broke away she was gasping for air.
“Vengeance, what are you doing here?”
“I’ve wanted to tell you this a while ago, but I didn’t know when the right time was, or how you would react.”
“What’s going on?”
He took a step back and smoothed a hand over his hair. “I want you as mine. I fucking love you. I want you as my old lady, to show off, to let everyone know that if they fuck with you they deal with me.”
She was silent for a second, not sure what to say.
“Baby, tell me something, anything.”
She didn’t know what to say, but she knew what she felt. This was fast, sudden … but God, she loved him.
“I love you,” he said softly. “Be mine, just be mine.”
She couldn’t help but smile, feeling elation fill her. “I love you too, Vengeance, and I want that. God, I want that.”
“I fucking love you, baby.” He grabbed her around the waist and hauled her on top of him so she was straddling him. “You’re my old lady. Mine, and I’ll let the world know that.”
“Be with me, Vengeance. Make me feel alive.”
And he did just that.
17
One month later
One month had already passed since Vengeance came to her house and told her how he felt.
Maybe Constance should have felt weird being on an official date with Vengeance. But it felt right and good. He had taken her on a bike ride through the back roads of town, then dinner at a small bistro. And to top it off he’d taken her to see a chick flick.
At first glance Vengeance didn’t seem like the type of man to even care about pleasing his woman in the means of going on dates. But she’d noticed something different about him right from the beginning, and since they got to know each other she knew he was the one for her.
He was being honest with her in every way. Even if he hated the movie she’d picked out, he pulled her close while they sat and waited for it to come on. He made her feel loved and wanted, and she didn’t want that to end.
She wanted Vengeance in her life forever.
“You want to get some drinks?” he asked and pulled her close to him as they left the theater and made their way toward his motorcycle.
“Sure, or we can go back to your place.” She grinned.
“Baby, don’t tempt me.”
She chuckled.
“Or we can see another chick flick where the guy doesn’t realize he fucked up at the end of the movie.”
She started laughing again.
He stopped and had her turned so she looked up at him. They stared into each other’s eyes. He cupped her cheeks, and for a second did nothing but stare at her. Constance’s heart beat harder and faster the longer she gazed into his dark eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.
“I want you to know I’d never fuck up. I’d never put your happiness on the back-burner. You always come first. Always.”
Her heart stalled for a second.
Vengeance rested his forehead against hers, breathed out slowly, and she smelled the chocolate and popcorn he’d eaten in the theater. It was a sweet, yet intoxicating aroma.
It was strange that this man, who was rough around the edges, could have this soft side.