Chapter 21 #2
“Good girl.” Shiver. “You, Tempest, and Raiden are moving in with me. Your condo downtown is being emptied as we speak. When we land, we’re going straight to Gold Coast, where the children already have their rooms set up.”
One second passes, then another, and I continue to gape at him. Trying like hell to break his spell, I shake my head.
“You…what?”
“Keep up, Sweetness, we have a full agenda,” he says, dropping a light kiss on my forehead, which has the intended effect of completely disarming me.
“While you were sleeping, I rectified the mistake you made seven years ago by putting my name on my children’s birth certificates. They’re no longer Tempest and Raiden Rivers. They’re Sandovals now.”
My mouth drops open. I mean, I can’t really argue with that one, even though it’s heavy-handed as fuck.
“What in the hell, Storm!” I shout, pushing him back. When I do so, I notice a Band-Aid in the bend of my elbow. “What the fuck! Did you inject me with something?”
Air is a precious commodity, and it seems like my body is completely devoid of it. The dim lighting makes the shadows stretch, and I grab my head with my opposite hand.
“Nah, I didn’t inject you with anything. The doctor took some blood for testing and gave you some medicine to help with pain.”
“You’re out of your fuckin’ mind,” I state, knowing that the man in front of me has to be certifiably insane.
Storm smiles, further proving my point.
“You think I’m crazy, Sweetness?” He tilts his head again. “Maybe a little. But what am I more than that? I’m protective. And you’ve put yourself at risk time and time again, and that’s stopping now. Especially now that my kids are involved. I’m sure you can understand that. Right, baby mama?”
“Don’t call me that,” I whisper absently, then shake myself. I will not let this man run all over me.
“I want to speak with Tempest and Raiden. Get Yennifer on the phone,” I demand.
“You will soon enough,” he murmurs. Indignation has me curling my fingers into a fist, completely intending on punching him square in the jaw.
That’s enough.
I surge to my feet and push him back with all my strength. He stumbles a step, and I feel a moment of righteous victory until I realize a) he clearly let me push him, and b) I’m flying through the air toward the mattress.
I grunt when I land on my back, and in a flash, Storm looms above me, his body wedged between my legs. He feels like he belongs there, and I hate myself for the thought and for the way my pussy wakes up and starts making my panties wet.
“Get off of me,” I bite out, pressing at his chest.
“Sure,” Storm says. “As soon as you stop grinding your pretty pussy against my dick.”
My mouth drops open as I suck in a shocked breath.
“Am not!” I shout. “I’m not moving any-fucking-where.”
Storm laughs.
“You most certainly are, Sweetness. I already told you. Last night was the last time I sleep away from them.”
I push against his chest again.
Storm rocks against me as if getting comfortable, but I know he’s trying to make me hotter with the feel of his semi pressed against my core. I bite my lip to keep from moaning.
His face hovers inches from mine, our breaths mingling, and his eyes locking on mine like he’s daring me to break.
“You feel that, Shae?” he growls, his voice rough with restrained desire. “That’s you , not being able to stay away from me. You know what I mean.”
“No, Storm. I don’t know what you mean,” I hiss, pressing harder against his chest, but I know I’m lying.
I know exactly what he means.
I feel the heat between us, the pull that’s been there all along, but I refuse to let him use it against me. Not now. Not after everything.
“You’re insane,” I mutter, eyes flashing with defiance. “You really think I’ll just accept you blowing up my life?”
A smirk dances at the corner of his lips, and he shifts, grinding against me just a little. My breath catches, but I refuse to let him see it.
“Here’s the thing, Sweetness,” he says, his voice almost too calm.
“Whether you love me or hate me, I’m never letting you go.
I’m never letting them go.” His hand moves to my throat, not choking but holding me there—an anchor that feels both possessive and protective.
“So, you, me, and the babies will be together like a family, like we always should have been. And if you try to stop me, you’ll find a more hateful nigga than you’ve ever imagined I could be. ”
I hate him. I do. I should.
But something inside me trembles at the threat in his voice, not from fear, but because I know he means it. He’s always meant it. And that’s what terrifies me most.
“Storm, you’re crazy?—”
“I know,” he interrupts, his lips brushing against my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. “But that doesn’t matter, Shae. Not anymore.”
I try to push him off me, but it’s useless. He’s already settled his weight over me, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m completely trapped. Not just physically, but emotionally, too.
He stares down at me with a dark, knowing expression, as if he can read every secret I’ve buried deep inside.
“This is your choice now: you fight me, or you let me protect you the way I always should have.”
His grip on my wrist tightens, and for a heartbeat, I can’t breathe.
“I’m so goddamn angry at you, Shae, but the thought of anything happening—” He cuts himself off, looking off as if he’s envisioning my demise in real time.
“I was weak before. I didn’t stop catastrophe from happening to people I loved, and I’ll be damned if I let it come for any of you. So, it is what it is, Shae. But remember, there are no lengths I wouldn’t go to keep you and our babies safe.”
And with those words, he kisses me, but it’s not rough like I expect it to be. Instead, it’s gentle, tender, as if he wants to savor the feeling of his lips pressed to mine.
So, I let myself fall into the embrace, too.
I let myself picture what this crazy demand he’s making looks like—what it feels like to be in his presence again.
I hold on to the moment, but then, I let it go.
Storm pulls away from me and rests his forehead against mine.
Remember, Shae….
Steeling myself, I say, “Storm?”
“Yes, Sweetness?”
I draw in a slow breath.
“I’ll do what you want, because I want Tempest and Raiden to be safe, too.”
His shoulders relax, and he presses another kiss to my lips, just a gentle press for a heartbeat.
“But,” I begin again. “There’s no way I’ll ever trust you again. And if you hurt our kids? You haven’t seen evil yet.”
Storm gives me his full attention as I make the vow, and I don’t flinch.
Finally, he says, “I wouldn’t expect otherwise.”