He extends his hand, and like an idiot, I take it. Why not? I can do this until Monday. He takes me up a back staircase. The plush carpet drowns our footsteps. I don’t take the time to check out the walls or the upstairs décor. I’ll only be here for forty-eight more hours. We’ll get this out of our system, and my life can return to normal.
Chapter 26
Rip
It takes all my willpower not to go into the shower with her, but I don’t. I lie in the middle of the bed and wait. After lunch, we came back to bed, but instead of fucking again, she put on one of my tees and slid into bed beside me. She rested her head on my shoulder and watched television.
I knew she’d come today, and I knew she’d come alone. It worked exactly as I predicted, and now I have her where I want her. She wants me. I know she does, but she’s worried about what her sheriff daddy and school principal mother will say.
Yesterday
My alarm app beeps, and I stare at the screen. Whoever is out there has their high beams on, and I can’t see who it is, but I have an idea. I do nothing. But Rose turns on the siren and lets it go. I still don’t budge. Eventually, he shuts it off and dims the high beams. Minutes later, I put my Glock in my waistband and go outside.
He’s leaning on the hood of his car with both arms crossed. I wonder what took him so long to have this pointless conversation. I unlock the gate, approach, and tower over him. He stands to his full height, and I still tower.
“Stay the fuck away from my daughter, King,” he hisses.
I give him nothing beyond an icy glare.
“Do you hear me? My daughter deserves more than scum, and that’s all you are.”
“Stay off my property,” I counter. “And get off your high horse.”
He moves closer, and so do I. “My high horse? I know you have no family, but I care about—”
I cut him off with my humorless laugh. “You what?” I taunt.
He steps back and looks away as if chastened.
“I wonder how your wife would feel if—”
“She’ll never know,” he says. “But you’re not going to use my daughter as a bargaining chip. Find someone else to toy with.”
I get in his face. I intimidate most people with nothing but my size. I barely have to glare at them, and that’s enough to make them run in the opposite direction, but not Sheriff Rose. He stands straight and looks me directly in the eyes.
“Get off my property,” I repeat.
“Listen here, you fucking thug.” He puts his hands up as if he’s going to grab my collar.
Snatching his wrists, I shove him away without a word.
He stumbles back a few feet, but he doesn’t fall. He runs a hand over his bald head. He looks as frantic as he did the night he nearly lost everything.
“Not my daughter,” he begs. “Not my family. She has nothing to do with—”
“She doesn’t.” I don’t offer any other explanation. There will be a time for us to talk about this, but not now. And when we talk, it will be me telling him how it’s goingto go.
“Why?” he asks. “Why her?”
I don’t answer. In fact, I’ve had enough and walk back into my house.
She pokes her head out of the bathroom as if she’s not expecting me to be in my bedroom. She has a towel wrapped around her, so I get up and give her another one of my T-shirts. She takes it without a word and returns to the bathroom.
I follow her in, open the small linen closet, and pull out the same lotions she keeps at home. I don’t know if she notices the box of tampons I have for her. I stand and watch her through the mirror. I pull at the towel, and it falls to the floor. She hands me one of the bottles, and I pour some in my hand before I rub it on her. I start with her shoulders and glide my hands down her entire back. I cup her ass and rub more lotion on it before I do her legs. Once I’m done with her back, I turn her around and do the same to her front, careful not to rub lotion on her breasts because I plan on sucking them soon.
“You’re beautiful,” I whisper. I put my index finger underneath her chin and tilt her face up. “Don’t be afraid of me.”
She looks into my eyes.
