35. BONES

35

BONES

I pace at the foot of the stairs as I wait for Wynter to come down. Charlie’s already been to pick Summer up from the gates and I drove Wynter back up here so she could finish getting ready.

The entire time I’ve been hovering down here. I keep expecting her to appear and tell me she’s changed her mind.

Running my finger along my collar I loosen the tie around my neck slightly. I’ve gone all out for tonight, wearing a black suit with a white shirt and dress shoes rather than my usual boots.

I can’t fuck this up.

Wynter steps into view in her black stilettos. She’s got a full face of makeup on and I’m proud of her for not slipping back into her fears about her reflection. Even without me, she’s always been strong.

A tiny black dress hugs her body, barely covering her pussy and from this angle, I can see she’s bare.

My cock strains painfully against my pants and I have to adjust it so I don’t end up coming from the way my piercings send a tingle to my balls with each twitch.

She watches me closely and I swear there’s a hint of red on her cheeks that wasn’t there a moment ago. My little viper is playing with me. There’s no way she went without panties for her own benefit.

“You look gorgeous, my love.”

Wynter smiles as she descends the stairs. When she reaches the bottom step I can’t stop myself from grabbing her hips and pulling her in for a kiss, but she turns her head away and I graze her cheek instead. I let out a growl of frustration.

“I don’t kiss before the first date. I’m Wynter.” I stare at her dumbly as she holds her hand out.

Seems she really does want to play tonight.

Taking her hand I bring it to my lips and kiss her scarred knuckles. “Noah,” I say and her eyes widen the slightest fraction like she was expecting to hear Bones.

Bones is always going to be a huge part of me, but now that I have the company and some closure for my family I’m starting to accept Noah again. Hopefully, Wynter wants both sides of me.

With her hand in mine, I lead her to the car and drive her to our date. We don’t say much on the way. Things are tense, but not in a bad way. The air is fucking electric and every time she uncrosses her legs I swear I can smell her fucking pussy. I’ve not had a taste for weeks and I’m ravenous. I'm so fucking desperate that I've spent every moment I can with my face buried into the patch on my sweats that she came on.

She’s all I’ve craved and I’ve come close to giving in. Each night I watch her on the camera until she’s asleep then I sneak inside the cottage and watch over her as she sleeps. Sometimes she murmurs my name as she dreams and when I check her pussy she’s soaked. I’ve been good and not touched her. If she caught me then it would either fix everything and we’d fuck or she’d be done with me forever. I can’t risk the latter.

There are still nights when she cries out for help and I’m always right there to pull her from her nightmares. I gently insert my fingers into her mouth and I watch her suck them as I wish it was my cock her lips were so perfectly pursed around.

“Where are we going?” Wynter asks, pulling me from my depraved thoughts. “I didn’t know there were any restaurants out here.”

If she was expecting to be wined and dined then that’ll have to be date number two.

I pull up in the parking lot outside the cemetery and Wynter cranes her neck to see the sign next to the gate.

“You brought me to a cemetery? Why did I expect any different?” she sounds pissed off.

“Trust me. This will be way better than some stuffy restaurant.”

She crosses her arms in a huff and I chuckle.

When I walk around to open her door she makes a show of ignoring my hand and storms past me to the gates. I unlock them with the keys from my pocket and she asks, “Do I want to know why you have those?”

“It’s nothing bad,” I tell her as I push the gates open. “I know a guy that works here, he helps me dispose of anything when I need it.”

“Oh, of course,” she says, understanding everything.

Pressing my hand to her lower back, I lead her along the dark path to where there’s a small glow of lights ahead.

I paid my guy a hefty tip to make this grave sight as morbidly romantic as possible and to unearth the grave for me.

Wynter’s footsteps start to slow the closer we get to it.

“If you’re actually part of a cult then I’m out,” she says nervously.

When we get close enough I take the lead and step ahead of her.

She looks around at the black rose petals and lit candles scattered all over. “What is all this?”

“Our date night.”

“You said we wouldn’t be killing.” She looks nervous as she holds her arms tight around her middle.

“I wasn’t lying. He’s already dead.” Stepping aside I reveal the headstone of Tommaso Abato with his rotting corpse lying underneath.

“Noah,” she whispers barely loud enough for me to hear.

“I know that you wish it was you that killed Tommaso. Well, now you can end him forever. Destroy his body for good.” I gesture to the canisters of kerosene next to the grave.

She picks one up and it sloshes loudly. “I don’t understand.”

Circling around her, I wrap my arms around her waist and settle them on her stomach, my fingers skating southwards. “Burn him. Turn his corpse into ash and be rid of your demons forever,” I whisper close to her ear.

She turns in my arms, the kerosene between us acting as a cock blocker. “You did all this for me? You’re crazy.” She may say that but I see that sparkle of insanity in her own eyes.

“Certifiably for you, little viper. You know you want to do this. Tell me how much you need it.”

“I do,” she says as she looks down between us. “I’ve missed being near you and having you inside me, but I’ve also missed the violence. You’ve turned me into a murderer. A monster. But I’ve come to realize I don’t need to be ashamed. That version of me is what saved my life and brought me back to Summer.”

With one finger I tilt her chin back up. “It’s not a version. That is exactly who you are. But you’re not a monster. You, Wynter, are a goddess. You’re indestructible. You’re powerful. You bring men to their fucking knees.”

She swallows and tears brim her eyes. “Thank you for saving me.” Tossing the can aside, she grabs my head, pulling me in for a kiss. There’s no easing into it or coyness. It’s pure feral need as our tongues fight for dominance. We’re both as vicious as each other, forcing our tongues in deep and biting each other's lips until blood is exchanged between us.

“Little viper, you’re the one that saved me.”

The moonlight bounces off her eyes as she stares into mine. “I love you, Noah. But I need to know that you're aware what you did was wrong.”

Love. I’ve craved it from her since the first moment I saw her in that house and I’m never letting it slip through my fingers again.

“I should have told you. You were so much stronger than I gave you credit for and I see that now. I don’t regret keeping your sister safe. I love her as my own. But I swear I will never keep anything from you again. Do you believe me?”

Wynter presses her forehead to mine and sighs, “Yes. I believe you. And thank you for this gift.”

With a devious smile, she picks up the kerosene and douses what remains of Tommaso in it. I hand her the key to finally bringing her all the peace she deserves. A lit match.

I watch enraptured as she drops it into the grave and the fire lights her from below. Silhouetting her as this perfect goddess of death that crawled straight out of the fiery hell that molded her.

I reach into my pocket for a small box. As she turns to face me, with a smile on her face, I drop to one knee and open it. Her eyes go wide as she looks down at the engagement ring topped with a large blue gemstone.

“Wynter, my love, you are my sole existence for breathing. I will never leave your side. Even if you hate me, even if you want nothing more to do with me I’ll still be here making sure no one will ever touch you again. You will always be mine and I want to always be yours. Will you give me that pleasure?”

Her bottom lip trembles and my heart stops as I wait for the no . Like I said, if she doesn’t want me I’ll find a way to accept that. I’ll make peace with it and protect her from the shadows.

“Yes,” she says and my heart explodes. “You’re mine, Noah. You have been for a long time, I was just too full of my own hate to admit that.”

Holding her hand out for me, I take it and don’t waste a second to slip the ring on her finger.

“It fits perfectly,” she points out as she admires it.

Of course, it does. I measured her ring size when she was sleeping. I’ll tell her that later. Right now, I don’t want to risk ruining this moment.