sudden burst of personal information. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, me too. Anyway, after she died, everybody thought that I was too young to really understand what was happening, so nobody told me about her.”
“Who was ‘everybody’?” she asked.
“My Dad. My four older brothers. My grandparents and aunts and uncles. The neighbors, the teachers.” He shrugged. “ Nobody told me the truth, Maria. Dad said that Mom had left us and everyone just went along with it.”
“Wait… they wanted you to believe that your mother had just – just abandoned you all? And they thought that was better than telling you she’d died?”
“Yep.”
She stared at him. “But that’s monstrous.”
His gorgeous mouth turned up in a twisted smile. “That’s exactly what it was.”
“So how did you find out the truth?”
“A kid at school told me.”
“Oh, my God,” she said, horrified, imagining how Dillon must have felt. “What did you do?”
“I believed him. It was the only thing that made any sense at all, and I was grateful to know the truth.” He turned his coffee cup around and around in his hands absently. “I knew that Mom would never just up and leave us. She loved us, she’d never have done that.”
Maria nodded.
“I went home and told Dad that I knew and from that day on, I never fully trusted him again. I didn’t trust any of them.”
“I can see why,” she said quietly. “Do you talk to your family now?”
“It’s better since I got back from Iraq,” he said. “But it was rough for a good long while there. And this is why I don’t like lying, not even for the sake of being kind, not even to yourself. It’s no fucking good. It’s like – like a slow-moving bacteria and I have no interest in being infected ever again. You get me?”
“Yes.”
“So. Tell me the truth now.” Those eyes were blazing at her again. “You going to let yourself feel honestly? Be honest about if you’re hurting or angry or upset? No downplaying it or talking yourself down?”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “Good.”
They looked at each other, their eyes locked hard, and Maria actually felt the air between them sizzle. Her first instinct was to lower her gaze, to turn away, to deny what was happening and what she was feeling – but this time, she didn’t. This time, she held his stare and let someone see what was going on inside.
Dillon saw her dark eyes heat up with desire and he was suddenly damn near breathless. All he could think about was being inside her body while those eyes glowed up at him from his bed. He’d bury his hands in those curls, hold her head still, force her to hold his eyes while she came hard and strong. No hiding from what she was feeling or what was happening. He thought it’d be the most fucking beautiful and breath-stealing thing he’d ever seen.
Oh, fuck. I want her. She’s mine to have, and I want to be hers.
“OK,” she said now. “I’ll call Bethany.”
He nodded as she dialled the witch’s number. She had a fixed, focused look on her face and he watched as her lips tightened.
“Bethany?” she said. “Have you got a few minutes?” Pause. “Well, thirty seconds is actually more time than I need – ten should do it. Yes. Ten. Well, what I wanted to say is that you’re fired.” Pause. “Yes, fired.” Pause. “Are you actually pretending that you don’t know why? Really? Did you think that you could behave the way that you have been and for there not to be consequences? You broke the contract the second you reneged on the agreed-upon price.” Pause. “Oh, so now you can offer me the original price? How kind of you, but no thank you. You’re still fired. Goodbye.”
She disconnected and right away, her phone rang. She cocked her head. “Bethany.”
“You gonna answer?” Dillon said.
“Nope.” She turned the ringer to mute. “I have to go and talk to Eric about how he can help me now that I’ve fired the florist two days before the
“Yeah, me too. Anyway, after she died, everybody thought that I was too young to really understand what was happening, so nobody told me about her.”
“Who was ‘everybody’?” she asked.
“My Dad. My four older brothers. My grandparents and aunts and uncles. The neighbors, the teachers.” He shrugged. “ Nobody told me the truth, Maria. Dad said that Mom had left us and everyone just went along with it.”
“Wait… they wanted you to believe that your mother had just – just abandoned you all? And they thought that was better than telling you she’d died?”
“Yep.”
She stared at him. “But that’s monstrous.”
His gorgeous mouth turned up in a twisted smile. “That’s exactly what it was.”
“So how did you find out the truth?”
“A kid at school told me.”
“Oh, my God,” she said, horrified, imagining how Dillon must have felt. “What did you do?”
“I believed him. It was the only thing that made any sense at all, and I was grateful to know the truth.” He turned his coffee cup around and around in his hands absently. “I knew that Mom would never just up and leave us. She loved us, she’d never have done that.”
Maria nodded.
“I went home and told Dad that I knew and from that day on, I never fully trusted him again. I didn’t trust any of them.”
“I can see why,” she said quietly. “Do you talk to your family now?”
“It’s better since I got back from Iraq,” he said. “But it was rough for a good long while there. And this is why I don’t like lying, not even for the sake of being kind, not even to yourself. It’s no fucking good. It’s like – like a slow-moving bacteria and I have no interest in being infected ever again. You get me?”
“Yes.”
“So. Tell me the truth now.” Those eyes were blazing at her again. “You going to let yourself feel honestly? Be honest about if you’re hurting or angry or upset? No downplaying it or talking yourself down?”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “Good.”
They looked at each other, their eyes locked hard, and Maria actually felt the air between them sizzle. Her first instinct was to lower her gaze, to turn away, to deny what was happening and what she was feeling – but this time, she didn’t. This time, she held his stare and let someone see what was going on inside.
Dillon saw her dark eyes heat up with desire and he was suddenly damn near breathless. All he could think about was being inside her body while those eyes glowed up at him from his bed. He’d bury his hands in those curls, hold her head still, force her to hold his eyes while she came hard and strong. No hiding from what she was feeling or what was happening. He thought it’d be the most fucking beautiful and breath-stealing thing he’d ever seen.
Oh, fuck. I want her. She’s mine to have, and I want to be hers.
“OK,” she said now. “I’ll call Bethany.”
He nodded as she dialled the witch’s number. She had a fixed, focused look on her face and he watched as her lips tightened.
“Bethany?” she said. “Have you got a few minutes?” Pause. “Well, thirty seconds is actually more time than I need – ten should do it. Yes. Ten. Well, what I wanted to say is that you’re fired.” Pause. “Yes, fired.” Pause. “Are you actually pretending that you don’t know why? Really? Did you think that you could behave the way that you have been and for there not to be consequences? You broke the contract the second you reneged on the agreed-upon price.” Pause. “Oh, so now you can offer me the original price? How kind of you, but no thank you. You’re still fired. Goodbye.”
She disconnected and right away, her phone rang. She cocked her head. “Bethany.”
“You gonna answer?” Dillon said.
“Nope.” She turned the ringer to mute. “I have to go and talk to Eric about how he can help me now that I’ve fired the florist two days before the
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