Page 99 of Hotter 'N Hell

I ran my hands through the hair on his non-injured side and smiled at him the best I could. “You were a priest two days ago. You’re still a priest. I think your head injury is causing some confusion.”

The hand on my wrist tightened, and his other hand rested on my arm. “Dimples, I chose you. Told the Berrys. Sent my request to the bishop on Sunday morning to start my laicization. I want you.” He paused, and a small cough came from the back of his throat. “I love you.”

I didn’t want to keep making him talk like this. His words sounded sincere, but I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to believe them.

“That’s not from the hit on the head. They talk out of their headabout weird shit when that happens. He sounds sane,” Bane said behind me.

I begged to differ.

“Considering that he was almost beaten to death over me, I’m thinking his wanting me isn’t sane.”

The corners of Jude’s mouth twitched, and then he winced. “Deserved it. Your face on Sunday. Deserved it.”

I shook my head. “No. You did not deserve this.”

And I still wasn’t sure he knew what he was saying.

The sound of the trapdoor opening was a relief. Dr. Burl was here. I watched the door, continuing to cup Jude’s face, waiting for him anxiously. He needed to walk faster.

But it wasn’t Dr. Burl who walked into the room.

Gathe’s eyes swung from where Jude had been hanging to where I held him. Anger surged inside me, and I jumped up, spinning around to stand in front of Jude while pulling out my gun and pointing it at Gathe.

“Stay the fuck back, you crazy son of a bitch!” I warned.

He held up both hands, not reaching for his own gun. “Whoa,” he said. “Why are you down here?” He paused, and his eyes shifted to Bane, staring at him, completely unaffected by any of this.

“You brought her down here?” Gathe asked him.

“Yeah, I did. You got a problem.” It wasn’t a question, and Gathe knew it.

His eyes swung back to meet mine. “Put the gun down, Saylor. You’re not gonna shoot me.”

I inched it just enough to miss his arm before pulling the trigger.

“FUCK!” he shouted, jumping back. “Are you serious? I did this for you. That sorry asshole hurt you.”

I let out a flat laugh. “This isn’t how you handle it. You don’t kill people. How many girls’ hearts have you broken? Dozens. Noone ever beat you over it.”

He tilted his head to the side. “This isn’t about some random girls. It’s about you.”

“I warned him that Gathe and Than would kill him if he made you cry again,” Bane said behind me.

Jude’s hand grabbed my waist this time, and I turned to look back at him.

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “Put the gun down.”

I didn’t want to. But his hand squeezed my hip, and something about that gesture, his silent pleading, got to me. I lowered it.

“Only for you,” I said. Then turned to look back at Gathe. “I won’t forgive you for this.”

He nods. “Fine. But you’ll see in time that I did it because I love you.”

“That’s not the way to handle it. Regardless of how he feels about me, what choice he makes, I love him. So, that means I don’t want him beaten and hanging in a freaking dungeon.”

Jude’s hand squeezed my hip again. I turned my back to Gathe, not wanting to look at him.

“I love you.” He repeated the words.