Davenport Harbor (Six Degrees Book 3) by Mayra Statham Page A

’ could be.
    "I …”
    “ It ’ s okay. I get it. ” Her soft hand cupped my jaw, and I leaned down and kissed it.
    “ I ’ m not a good man, ” I admitted like a damn moron without a filter.
    “ John. ”
    “ You should tell me to go home, ” I kept going. SHUT UP! A voice inside of my head yelled at me.
    Both of her hands were now holding my face, her lips hovering over mine, and my own breathing and hunger picked up.
    "No one is perfect." Her voice was soft. "You keep saying you're not good, but I've seen what bad looks like. You don't have that in you. ” Her eyes sparkled as she hypnotized me with her huge eyes. “ You kept a woman and a baby in your home. You looked after us and had no idea what you were getting yourself into."
    "Anne," I tried to argue, but she kept talking.
    "I've lived with a monster," she whispered, and my body froze. I was holding myself completely still, knowing that what she was admitting wasn’t easy. Still touching my face, her cheeks a slightly brighter shade of pink, she continued, "I didn't know he was one until it was too late and even then I tried, John. I really, really tried." Her huge eyes were glassy, and all I wanted to do was find that little worm that hurt her.
    "I tried to get away. I did. ” She closed her eyes, the emotion bared in them keeping me speechless. “ The first time he … I left....then I went back. I believed he would change. I know it sounds stupid, but I really did. I believed it, deep in my soul. ” A tear escaped, and I brushed it away immediately with my thumb. “ I was wrong. I was stupid and naïve. The second time he hurt me, I left. Maybe if he weren’t who he is … he made it impossible to leave. My point is, I've lived with a monster. You might be beastly once in a while, growling about things here and there, but you, John Davenport, are no monster."
    "What did he do to you?" I asked her, my voice strained, and she shook her head.
    "It doesn't matter. Not anymore. When I found out I was pregnant with Zoey, I planned and escaped. It took him a year and a half to find me."
    "Does he know about..." I started to ask, but Anne shook her head furiously.
    "No! He..."
    "Tell me his name and I'll take care of it," I growled, and she once again surprised me. Leaning in, she kissed me. "That ’ s not why I shared. My point is you're not a bad man."
    "I'm not a good one either," I retorted, and she gave me a small smile.
    "No one ’ s perfect, ” she instantly replied, and hope streamlined through me. “ Stay," she requested again, and I couldn’t help nodding, leaning in, and kissing her lips softly. Tenderly. Before things got out of control, I stood up and started to unbutton my dress shirt when she shook her head.
    “ May I? ” Her voice was thick, and I nodded.
    I was about to embarrass myself when I watched her lick her full lips as she moved closer to the edge of the bed, then kneeling on the bed, her hands reached out and starting at the bottom of the shirt.
    Slowly, her delicate fingers worked the buttons of my shirt. The small pads of her fingers grazed over my stomach, and I shut my eyes tight. Feeling the sensation of her hands on my skin, I couldn’t help but let my head fall back. My heart was roaring in my ears, and all she was doing was fucking touching me and not even sexually. Not really. But every touch from her ignited me unlike anything I had ever experienced. She pulled my shirt completely off. One of her hands stayed at my shoulder, the other roaming over my bare chest with feather-light fingers, and I miraculously found the strength to not push her down on the bed and have my way with her.
    “ Wow, ” she whispered into the silence, and I opened my eyes. She was looking at my body with wide eyes, biting her lower lip, “ I didn ’ t think men like you really existed other than in like Wolverine movies, and even then… ” she rambled, and I laughed.
    “ Wolverine movies? ” I asked, smiling, enjoying her touch