Dropping her hand, I turned in the seat. My skin felt on fire. My soul felt on fire. But this time, I wanted the heat to stay. Because it was burning off the bad memories in my head, and it was filling me with Maddie’s light.

In my fucking head was Maddie’s light.

As I started the engine, Maddie’s hand sipped low on my stomach, my cock reaching for her touch. And with her mouth at my ear, she said, “Home, Flame. Take us home.”

She didn’t have to ask me again.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Maddie

I did not know what had overtaken me. But it was both terrifying and liberating at the same time. My body felt alive with Flame’s touch. On my thigh was a brand, the searing brand of Flame’s touch.

And my heart swelled when it had not felt like that of Brother Moses. It felt… special, and right, and only good things.

And after fearing I would never see him again, any barriers I had left crumbled to dust when I saw him running my way. I forgot to breathe, watching his dark eyes set on mine. In that moment, I had no past, nor did he, it was just us. One boy and one girl feeling the heady relief of reunion after separation.

And all I had wanted him to do when he was before me, was to hold me. I wanted to feel small and protected under the heaviness of his inked and pierced arms. I wanted to feel his hot skin beneath my cheeks, and I had wanted to feel his soft lips on mine.

And he had delivered. He had cared for me so softly. And I could see the same desperation to feel one another’s touch reflected in his eyes. And then something else took root. A feeling between my legs. A craving to have more of him. Because, and I was sure of this, I would never feel like this about anyone else. So mindless and free with my body and touch, so at ease and willing to fall into his arms.

And that is when I knew. I knew that what I was feeling was love. It had to be. Because it was all-encompassing and irrational, yet at the same time it felt so perfect and true.

And it had to be true, because in front of me was my Flame… and I was his Maddie. Two fractured souls made whole only by the other’s unconditional love.

My arms tightened around Flame’s waist, and I pressed a kiss to his shoulder, smelling the leather from his cut, as a falling tear from my eye was swept away in the cool breeze.

Flame stiffened, but I knew it was not from abhorrence of my touch. No, he too was feeling the same searing sensation that ran through me, running through him. And it was heady, and frightening, and delicious, in the most beautiful of ways.

The Hangmen compound appeared on the left, and my heart kicked into a sprint knowing that in just a few minutes we would arrive at the cabin. And I knew that after tonight, our lives would change forever.

Because they had to.

There was no way to stop what was coming for us with the force of a hurricane. And there was no desire for it stop either. It would finally free us both. In the only way it could—with each other.

Flame veered onto the dirt path that led to his cabin. He pulled to a stop and switched off the engine.

The night was still, and the owls hooted from the trees. My hands were still wrapped around Flame’s waist as he breathed in deep controlled breaths. I counted eleven, then on twelve his hand lifted and lay over mine on his waist.

For an inexplicable reason, my eyes filled with tears. I lay my head against his wide shoulder and inhaled. A wisp of gentle wind wrapped around us. Inhaling its earthy scent, I lifted my head from his back and released my hands from around his waist. Sliding off the saddle, I walked round the bike and entered the open cabin door.

I could feel Flame right behind me, and when he closed the door and turned the lock, the room temperature seemed to soar. Flame stood at my back, and I closed my eyes and breathed.

My hands shook with nerves, but I vowed to myself that I would do this. I would do this; not only for myself, but for Flame also. Though still trapped by the heavy weight of our demons, we needed to be freed. We needed to do this, to finally be free.

Forcing my legs forward, I walked into the bedroom. As I entered the doorway the small bed, pushed to the back of the small room, seemed to dominate the entire setting. The ironed white sheets that I had laundered and pressed, were still perfectly spread over the mattress. I swallowed in trepidation.

Heavy footsteps entered the room behind me and I could feel Flame’s presence at my back, like I was standing in the heat of the midday sun.

Taking a deep breath, I turned silently, only to see Flame’s huge frame blocking the doorway, hands fisted tightly at his side.

Stepping forward, and without looking up, I lay my hand flat to the bare skin of his heavily muscled stomach, gently moving my palm to run over the ridges and valleys of his abdominal muscles. Flame’s entire body tensed and a long hiss escaped from his mouth.

Lifting my other hand to join its partner on Flame’s hot skin, I drifted them up to his chest and pushed off the leather cut he always wore. The heavy material dropped to the ground, leaving only his fully inked and pierced naked torso. My hands stroked his hard body, edging over the scars and snakebite marks from his youth. As the pads of my fingers traced over those scars, Flame released a hard breath, skin twitching. But he did not stop me. Then as my hands continued north, I steeled myself to look up. And when I did, it was to find his dark eyes watching me with an expression so trusting, it almost brought me to my knees.

Flame’s lips parted and he whispered, “Maddie…”

Stepping closer until my body was flush against his, I tilted up my head, searching for a kiss.

Flame watched my mouth, then lifting his cold hands onto my face, guided his head down to mine. As our mouths connected, his lips were feather-light and they brushed so softly against mine.