December (The Oliver Brothers Book 1)
Page 28
Once a mirror shatters, it’ll never look whole again, even if you put all the pieces back together in all the right places.
I am a broken mirror.
I am a dead planet.
His thick brows draw together as he watches me. I curse myself inwardly. I should have taken a shower and put on makeup. Gray likes the lipstick I’m never seen without. He loves that my lips taste like strawberries from it. I should have worn the velvet sugar perfume he loves. Gray goes wild when he presses his nose to a random spot on my body and inhales deeply. He says I smell like frosted cupcakes. Maybe I should have put on a fresh dress and combed the knots out of my hair. Gray loves my hair, and it’s in a sloppy bun right now.
I need Gray distracted.
If he’s distracted, then he won’t be able to see how utterly broken I am.
Gray knows Luke left a scar on me.
He just doesn’t know the extent of the damage.
Luke didn't beat me physically. Physical abuse isn't his repertoire. No. Luke loved to leave deeper scars. You could conceal a bruise, and make it as if the nasty blemish disappeared altogether. But you can't hide from the mental wounds. Mental wounds are nasty. They tend to pop up when you least expect it.
Mental scars are the worse.
It's a constant assault in a battle that seems endless. Luke loves to leave the kind of sores that fester and become infected, the kind of scars that will never heal. The abuse he left me with marked me for life. The damage he did to me is permanent as the fully formed bones in my body.
I can’t be with Gray because he doesn’t understand the kind of hurting woman I am today. I am injured. I am used up. I am nothing but a shell of the woman I was.
He holds my chin up with his thumb and forefinger. Gray lifts my face. I have no choice but to meet those bewildering eyes. He always held the power to penetrate through my many facades.
I want to turn away.
I want to hide.
But I can’t.
He stares at me, taking his time to roam over my face and regard my panicked expression.
“Why do you hide from me?”
His fingers tighten on my chin when I attempt to turn away. “The bacon will burn.”
Gray holds my gaze when he removes the sizzling pan from the burner and sets it on the countertop. He turns the stove off and looks at me expectedly.
Holding my breath, I gaze into his honey-colored eyes and try to forge my expression into a smiling one, a believable one.
His brows knit together. “You’re smiling.” He releases my chin and taps his fingers against my lips. “But I don’t buy it.”
“I’m okay.”
“No, beautiful sad girl, you’re not okay.” He suddenly lifts me off the ground and presses me close to his side. He’s carrying me.
“Where are we going?” I giggle as he brings me down the hall.
“I’m taking you back to bed,” he says sinisterly low. “I’m going to get some answers out of you, even if I have to make you delirious with many, many orgasms.”
“Gray.” I pout playfully. I’m loving every second of this. “I was cooking you breakfast.”
“Oh, I will feast.”
My toes curl again in his boots.
January (The Oliver Brothers #2)
Available Now
ABOUT AUTHOR
Thank you very much for purchasing and reading my novel. If you like what you have read, please leave me a rating on Amazon.com and tell a friend or two.
I’m on Goodreads, so check me out and add me as a friend because I have none. I would love to hear from you.
Follow me on Twitter, if you like: @quiettamichelle
I’m also on Facebook.
I’m an independent author with an eclectic taste in all things, especially writing. I was born and raised in North Carolina. I’ve been writing for four years now, and I’ve been self-published since 2013. Writing fills me with joy and wonder. I’m extremely passionate about my craft. I’m achieving to be better as I continue to work. As a writer, I promise to give you the best of what I do. My job is to entertain you, and I take my job seriously. I invite you to share my journey with me.
Other Books by Q.M. Watson:
January (The Oliver Brother #2)