"You're Spencer," she had said.

The thing is, I knew my name, but there was a good and an evil inside me. They were at war, and I couldn't decide which was winning. With every bit of my being, I wanted to be the good guy for Adrienne, the Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet, and carry her away to a castle. I wanted to give her the world because she deserved it, but the dark thoughts still held me back. The moment in the alley with Rodney made the monster return. It made me doubt myself. Was it too late for me to change?

So many people had been murdered in front of me, and I'd used my own hands to take someone's life. I fed people's drug addictions because I wanted to make a simple buck. The gang taught me to be cold, allowing hatred to fill my heart. I lost myself to an evil darkness, and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to recover.

Then, she placed her warm hand against the cool skin of my cheek, forcing me to look at her. Her blue eyes glistened. "I know you still think you're a bad person, and I know you still think to that night when you killed her, but Spencer, you're a different man. You've made some mistakes, but you are learning from them." I tried to turn my face away from her, but her hands remained firm against my cheeks. "You can't let him win."

My eyes met hers again. "What?"

She dropped her hands from my face, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You can't let Cayden win. Prove to him that you can change."

As I stood there, my eyes roamed over the small human in front of me. She had endured so much. I was surprised she still had the strength to fight for me, but she did. Now, I had to find the strength to fight for myself. The distance between us decreased as my feet carried me forward. I put my hands against her face as I pulled her lips to mine.

Her breathing was heavy as her body melted into me. Her lips were demanding as they moved with mine. The next thing I knew, we had made it back to my apartment, and I lost myself in her.

"Spence," she moaned out, her nails digging into the skin on my back as her body arched up into mine. I placed my hand around her throat as I penetrated her one last time. Her eyes locked onto mine, a soft glassy coating over them. I loved her with my eyes as much as my body, our souls mingled in the quiet moments between action and stillness. The cold room felt warm. It was hard to hold back, to make the moment last. I was caught between the intoxication of the climax and extending something I never wanted to end.

I gripped what was left of the black lace, tilting my head to give her a soft kiss. Her taste was like a drug to me. I removed my hand from her throat and rolled over beside her on the bed. I closed my eyes. She was silent beside me for a while.

My eyes flashed open. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?" I turned to look at her.

She was laying with her hands resting on her stomach. She looked at me with the biggest smile. "No. You didn't hurt me. I just, I don't really have words to describe how I feel right now." She touched my cheek with her fingers.

A playful grin spread across my face. "So, you're saying that sex with me took away your words?" I winked at her.

She laughed and rolled her eyes as she lightly shoved my chest. "Yes, Spencer that's exactly what I'm saying."

The sarcasm in her voice made me chuckle. "Damn. Well, I think I should receive an award or something."

She laughed, but didn't say anything further. I placed a soft kiss on her forehead before pushing myself out of the bed, heading over across my dirty floor to the bathroom. I figured she didn't want to talk right now, so I decided to clean myself up.

After the shower, I sat on my toilet. Hot steam swirled around the bathroom. I glanced at the scar that ran along the back of my calf. It was just another one to go with my collection.

My fingers traced along my tattoos on my arms that covered numerous scars. When I first joined the gang, Cayden wanted to teach me how to use a knife like a professional. It started with a demonstration, and I was his target. He left cuts along my arms that took months to heal.

How did I get so deep into the gang that I didn't see who Cayden truly was? I let him into my mind. He took pieces of my soul. He had transformed me into the same heartless demon that resided inside him. My fists clenched in frustration, trembling as the thoughts from earlier in the alley with Adrienne returned. I can't let him win. After I got my life together, I would return to the Southside. I stood up and took a deep breath, heading into the bedroom.

Adrienne was sitting on my bed with her legs folded, hanging her head in her hands. Her blonde hair was a mess as it framed her face.

"Hey," I said simply.

Red, tear-rimmed eyes stared back at me, with watery streaks falling down her rosy cheeks. The room was a blur as I made my way over to her, kneeling down in front of her and placing my hands on her soft thighs.

I gently grabbed her face, wiping away the tears with my thumbs. "What's wrong?" Seeing her tears caused my heart to ache. Her pain was my pain.

She attempted to shake her head, but I held it firm in my hands. "Use your words, baby girl. I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

She sucked in a deep breath. "The events of today just caught up with me. Cayden beating me, telling you about Nix, almost relapsing. . . I'm sorry," she said, closing her eyes.

My head tilted so my nose ran along the skin of her thigh. "Don't be sorry. You're always so strong. It's okay to have a moment of weakness, baby girl."

She opened her eyes as she ran a hand through her hair. "I have nightmares about him finding me."

I kissed her soft skin again. "He will never touch you again, Adrienne. You have me to protect you." I wanted to soothe her, to make all the bad memories go away, but I knew all too well the memories never faded. "I'm so sorry I let you get dragged back into another dangerous situation. Cayden will pay for what he did to you. I know I wasn't there with you when Nix touched you, but I'm here now. I'll always be here."

She managed a weak smile as she glanced down at her hands that rested in her lap. "I just remember how it felt when he touched my body. It burned. It left scars on me."

Anger rushed through me. Nix had left her broken, and Cayden left her bruised. It was my job to put all her pieces back together. There was a silence between us. My thoughts raced.

She reached up to touch my face, tearing me away from my thoughts. Her eyes studied my face before her sweet voice filled my ears. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.

I looked at her, hoping she couldn't see the hatred in my eyes. "I was just thinking about what I would do to Cayden or Nix if they ever tried to touch you again."

She tilted her head. "What would you do?"

I felt the darkness return to my heart, and I let out a heavy sigh. "I would kill him, but it wouldn't be a fast death. I wouldn't give him that satisfaction. He deserves to suffer. I would make it as slow as possible. I would drag it out until he couldn't stand anymore. He would beg me for death." My fingers brushed along her skin.

She shivered, but her eyes never left my face. "You aren't that person anymore, Spence. If you were to go through with that, you wouldn't be any better of a man than they are."

I let out a deep breath. "I just can't imagine what I would do if something happened to you, Adrienne. You're my everything. I couldn't live in a world without you."

"You'll never have too." She ran her fingers through my hair as a sigh escaped her lips. "I just don't know how long it will take for me to get over my past. What if I'm broken forever?"

I laughed because she felt the same as I did. "Well, we can be broken together. Just know, from this point onward, you will always have me by your side. The love I have for you is real, and together, we can conquer any challenge thrown our way." My lips curved into a smile.

She ruffled my hair with her hand as she smiled at me. "It's nice to have someone who loves me despite all my faults."

"Always, baby girl." The bed frame creaked as I used it to push myself into a standing position, and I offered my hands to her. She placed her small hands in mine, and I pulled her until she was pressed against my body. Her hands traced along my waist above the towel, sending a shiver down my spine.

My tongue flicked along her ear, and I inhaled the scent of coconuts. "You're asking for another round."

A soft, happy laugh escaped her lips as her cheeks flushed a bright red. I smiled and kissed her cheek before stepping back to let my eyes run over her body. The black lace lingerie was ripped with the fabric hanging by mere threads. I ran my fingers down her sides. "Looks like this might need to be replaced."

She glanced down at it with a shrug of her shoulders. "Yeah, someone decided to get a little rough," she said, raising an eyebrow at me.

I let my jaw drop and raised a hand to my face. My eyebrows arched high as I stared at her. "What? Me?" I shook my head. "No way."

She rolled her eyes.

I smirked at her. "You wanted it rough. You were begging for it, actually."

She bit her lip as her hands ran up my chest, exploring each tattoo and scar with her fingers. "I can't help what I like, Spence." She bit her lip as she looked up at me.

I tilted my head so that the distance between our lips decreased, but hesitated. Her breathing caught in her throat. The anticipation was unbearable because she closed the last bit of space, pressing her lips to mine.

Our lips fitted perfectly as if they were meant for each other. Moving against each other, feeling each other. I grabbed the back of Adrienne's neck, growling in the kiss as she whimpered in pleasure

After a minute, my hands wove into her hair and pulled her head back. My tongue brushed along her collarbone. "How much do you like it?"

She let out a soft breathless moan. Her body became helpless in my arms. Her eyes fluttered closed while her breathing became uneven. I loved the effect I had on her. My pulse quickened, fueling the desire to be inside her again. It overtook my body. When I was with her, all my struggles disappeared. The threats from the Southside faded from my mind. My hands gripped the lace again, threatening to tear it further.

I pulled her body closer to me. "You still haven't answered me, Adrienne."

Her eyes opened. "I like it a lot. It feels so good when you touch me, when you use every piece of my body." She pushed her thighs together.

I felt a shiver. She knew what to say to arouse me, but I wanted her to crave it just as badly as I did. I wasn't going to give her a release until she was begging me for it. "Why don't you go take a shower and freshen up? I'll be waiting for you when you get out." I released her and spun her in the direction of the bathroom door.

She smiled over her shoulder as she entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I settled onto the bed and closed my eyes as I let out a long, slow breath.

To be around Adrienne was to finally not be alone. All of my life, I had been isolated—in a windowless room, in a doorless room—until all of a sudden, she strolled into my life. She grabbed the pieces of my heart and forced them together again. She gave me strength when I had none and hope when I thought it was lost. She stood beside me during my darkest mistakes. She smiled with me during my happiest moments.

After a few minutes, she returned with a towel wrapped around her body, and her blonde hair was damp as it swung around her face. I opened my arms for her as she skipped to the edge of the bed, kneeling onto the mattress beside me. She stretched her body to press her soft lips against mine, and my hands snaked around her waist, pulling her on top of me.

She pushed her hips down against mine. "I need you, Spence. My body craves you."

A lustful groan escaped my throat as her hands removed the towel from around my waist. This was what I wanted for the rest of my life. It was beginning to seem possible.