His lips slowly twitched. “As a gentleman, I think you should sleep off the drugs in your system.” Again, his wide, full lips curved wickedly. “Unless you plan to move your hand lower, then I might forget I’m acting the gentleman because, really, I’m not all that gentlemanly.

It’s the beauty that helps us return from the harshness. If it wasn’t there, we would have nothing to live for.

It’s nothing compared to happiness.”I snorted through gritted teeth. “What happiness?”“Exactly.”“Reality interrupts—” Jaw clenching, my nostrils flared as I felt a gush of blood flow.A whisper. “Life.” His blink was slow. “The mother of all bitches.”“And the beauty?”“Its absence is duly noted.”“Only to be found by those later.”Another swipe of my cheeks. “Once they’ve suffered to the point they scream for death.”“Full circle.”His hand found mine in a gentle hold. “Pain needs to be felt.

Jack’s face was now buried in his hands, his elbows still on his knees, and he hunched as he fisted his hair. “Ezra?” Evidence of his anguish to come was unmistakable in the catch of his voice.Ezra’s was solid. “Yes?”“Don’t let me kill myself.