Sinful Magic (Book 3 of the Ink series)

Chapter 28

Waking up next to Slade Andrews was incredible.

It was the moment I waited for, the moment where it was just me and him. No drama, no girl's busting into the RV, no emotional battle in my own mind on whether or not I should be there.

I rolled over and smiled. He was hot when he slept. I ran a hand across his bare chest. He was more than I ever imagined when I thought about the guy I would sleep with for the first time. Most girl's slept with an average boy, and Slade was so not that.

I gave myself a pat on the back for bagging such a hot guy. And rested my head beside his and touched his hair. His eyes fluttered but he continued to sleep, one arm behind his head, the covers almost not covering what lie below.

I wondered if he saw me like I saw him. Was I the best thing he ever laid eyes on? Was I everything he expected me to be?

Was I the kind of girl he was used to I thought as I stared at his lip ring and his tattoos covering so many parts of his body, the stars and the skulls, the flames and the darkness that exuded from his skin.

But nobody understood him like I did. And I knew that sounded story book and that many others said the same thing about their boyfriends. But I believed it. I understood Slade in a way nobody else did.

"What are you thinking about?" Slade asked stroking my hair. He caught me staring at him.

I hoped he didn't think I was some freak.

"Thinking that everything for once feels right," I said. "Here we are, no interruptions, no nothing." I smiled as he moved closer.

"Oh the possibilities," he said with a smirk. "But, there is something I need to do right now."

My frown was apparent. Slade's smirk turned into a smile. He took me by the chin and planted his lips on my mouth making my inside aches for more of him. My fingers traveled through his hair, pulling him closer to me.

"Was that what you needed to do?" I asked. We connected again.

He nodded his head keeping his lips on mine.

Once again I was reminded how good everything was.

"I wish this is how it could be every day," I told him.

"Why couldn't it be?" He pulled me on top of him. "Are you telling me you still have no faith in me?"

I rolled my eyes staring down at his beautiful image. One I could get used to seeing every day for the rest of my life. "Because things don't work out that way, life isn't that simple."

My life never proved to be that simple. My parent's ruined their marriage and the ending of my teenage years, the ones that were supposed to be the most important.

Slade ignored my negativity. "It couldn't be simpler. I care about you."

I waited for more. And this time he didn't fail. "I'd even be willing to throw the l word around." He laughed at me as I tried to slap him for being so careful, he said it once before.

"Just one time I would like you to take your feelings seriously." I grabbed his hands off of my rear end and brought them above his head pinning them in place for added dramatic effect.

"Should I write you a love song?" He smirked. "And by the way this doesn't intimidate me, it turns me on."

I refused to give in. "I don't want a love song."

"Every other girl in the world does," he said lifting his head trying to lure me in with a kiss.

I kissed him. "How do you know that things will work out alright this time? What if the coven or the mayor tries to ruin our lives for something we did or didn't do like they always seem to do?"

"Because I took care of it," Slade assured me. "If I hadn't we wouldn't be back here."

I shook my head. "What does that mean? Do you think because you tell me it's over that I am going to believe it?" Things weren't that simple.

"I would like to think that you would," he said with a nod.

I released my grip on his wrist and climbed off of him sitting at the edge of his bed. Slade touched my back, planting a kiss on my shoulder. "Some things are better left unsaid. I'm not trying to lie to you, everything is taken care of. That's all you should be worried about."

I wasn't feeling reassured. "You killed Audrey. I don't understand how they would let that go," I said, frowning.

"What?" he said.

I hoped I wasn't right. "You're keeping it from me because you did something, just like the night of the accident. Am I right?"

Slade didn't answer.

I was uncomfortable and panicked. Whatever he did I was sure it wasn't good. I was sure that I would lose it if I heard any more bad news in my life. But I needed to know.

"It doesn't matter. Just listen to me when I say that it doesn't matter and let's enjoy the way things are," he tried to get me back into his bed. And that would have been my first choice.

"I can't stop thinking about it," I admitted fighting off his lips; I pressed a palm into his chest stopping him. "What do they want you to do?"

Slade shook his head growing irritated with all my questions. "Hope. Let it go."

"Does it involve me?" I pointed a finger at myself.

"It has nothing to do with you or me," he ran a hand through his hair getting up. "Can we just not talk about this anymore?"

I let out a long breath of air, trying to tell my mind to stop. It was bad enough Slade once again made peace to keep bad things from happening. I didn't need to add unneeded stress on top of it.

"Fine, I won't mention anything else about it." He sat down beside me, thankful from the look on his face that I wasn't badgering him anymore. "I trust you, and I don't think you would keep anything from me that would hurt me."

"Or us," he said. "I know in the past I've made decisions that screwed up your life and the life you could have with...me. But this time I am trying to do whatever it takes to give you what you want."

I smiled and threw my arms around him. "Do you know how great that is to hear?"

He gave me a weird look. "Oh, here we go. Are you getting emotional on me again?" He kissed me before I could argue that I was and that he could get used to it. It was him after all who caused all my joy. He never said something so sweet before.

"It's great is all," I said settling back into the pillows of the bed.

Slade nuzzled against my neck throwing an arm across me. "That's why your idea is so crazy."

I traced one of his tattoos. "What idea?"

"Killing the mayor, if we want a new start, if we want to have everything work out we need to get the hell out of Cherry," Slade said.

I turned away. As romantic as it seemed to run away with the guy I was crazy about it also saddened me. Even when my family and I were at odds I still loved them. And I still wanted to be around them and share in their lives.

"How can one man be so evil?" I said.

Slade stroked my hair. I rested my head against his chest; the warmth of his skin reminded me that sometimes evil and dark things weren't so bad. If not for something evil I wouldn't have been laying there with Slade. On the other hand because the mayor was so evil we never knew what was to come.

A lot of evil people walked the world. And I thought it was unfair they existed.