Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
RORY
“Rory? We’re home,” Caden murmured, snapping me out of my thoughts as I turned my attention to the open car door, finding him standing there waiting for me. “C’mon. We can’t let anyone see you like that.”
I looked down at myself, holding my hands out in front of me to check all the blood. It was drying, the metallic smell filling the air around me.
“I killed your dad,” I said, wondering why the fuck he wasn’t screaming at me.
“I know. I hope it hurt him too,” he said flatly, offering me his hand. “Shower.”
“I’ve got to burn my clothes. And your car seat,” I mumbled, a nervous chuckle coming from him.
“Just the clothes. The car’s fine.”
“But—”
“I’ll get Skeet to hook me up with someone who can clean it.
Right now, you’re sitting out in the open, covered in blood for everyone to see,” he said gently, taking my wrist and pulling me to my feet.
I let him drag me into the house, my knife still tightly in my other hand, and he didn't force me to put it down as he got to my bedroom and locked us inside.
“You need to get in the shower. Can you do that? I need to delete the security footage of you looking like this.”
I nodded, walking into my bathroom and closing the door behind me. It took a second for me to convince myself to put my knife on the sink, then I stripped out of my clothes and turned the shower on, waiting for it to heat before stepping under the hot spray.
I scrubbed the blood from my skin and hair, the shaking in my hands easing.
A strange sense of peace washed over me at the thought of Tristan being gone, but guilt hit me too. Caden hated his father, but I’d still taken him away from him.
Was he only being nice right now to lure me into some kind of trap?
Had he even processed what I’d done or was he in denial?
Once I knew I was clean, I stepped out and wrapped myself in a fluffy towel, eyeing myself in the mirror.
Did I look different? I felt different. Stronger, maybe.
“Rory? Are you okay?” Caden called through the door, reminding me that he was waiting for me and I’d taken forever, so I opened the door to find him getting ready to knock. “I didn’t think you’d heard me. What can I do?”
“Whatever nasty shit you have planned, can it wait until tomorrow?” I asked quietly, making him frown.
“What do you mean?”
“I killed your dad. You’ll want to hurt me, right?”
His face softened and he hesitated before reaching for me, dragging me closer as I clutched the towel.
“Baby, he deserved so much more than the ending he got. Years’ worth of torment should’ve earned him months’ worth of torture until he begged for death. The things he did to you? Fuck, Rory. Did he touch you today? Skeet said he wasn’t sure.”
I shook my head, leaning into him since he didn’t seem to give a fuck about his clothes getting wet.
“He tried, but failed.”
“Thank God,” he murmured, tightening his arms around me. “I know you probably want me to leave you alone, but—”
“No,” I blurted out, closing my eyes as he kissed the top of my head. “Stay.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, and I looked up to find sincerity on his face.
Maybe he was still in denial about what I’d done?
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” he replied, cupping my cheek.
“You protected yourself. I’d never be mad at you for that.
He wasn’t more than a sperm donor to me, who made my childhood hell, but to you, he was a monster.
I’m sorry you had no choice, but only because I’m worried about you. I don’t give a fuck that he’s dead.”
“It feels different to last time,” I said softly, burying my face in his chest. “I don’t feel much at all, other than relief.”
“That’s because last time the person was a stranger. Your emotions are tied to this one.”
“I still murdered someone.”
“No, you survived. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you from this if Slash is playing some kind of game. We have the best lawyers in the country,” he assured me. “Let me help you dry your hair.”
I didn’t argue, hating to admit that I enjoyed him looking after me. He seemed so genuine, his touches gentle as he blow-dried my hair and brushed the knots out.
Once I was dressed, we burned my bloodied clothes, and I mourned the loss of my favorite jeans. It made me wish I could stab Tristan all over again.
Caden forced me to eat a sandwich and drink a glass of water before leading me into the theater room, and I didn’t fight him when he pulled me down onto his lap to keep me close.
It was almost as if he was holding me together to stop me from breaking.
“I slept with Lukas,” I mumbled randomly as he turned on Netflix, his reaction surprising me.
“I know.”
“He told you?”
“No. Skeet did. At first, I was pissed, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t really have the right to be mad. He’s been there for you and you have a lot of history together. You have a right to forgive him,” he said with a sigh.
“But?” I asked slowly, making him chuckle.
“But nothing. I can’t force you to forgive me.
It’s my fault all this bullshit happened anyway.
I should’ve called it all off instead of hurting you, but I got so mad that you fell for Jensen.
I let my jealousy control me, and all I did was fuck everything up.
The guys might have stuck around, but they’re still pissed at me.
I didn’t just lose you, I almost lost my best friends too. ”
“They won’t turn on you.”
“No? Then how come Jense and Luke haven’t told me that you crashed with them over the weekend?” he snorted.
“I told them not to.”
“Exactly. They chose you over me. I can’t fault them for that because I should’ve been putting you first too.”
“You broke me, Caden,” I whispered, holding his gaze as his arms tightened around me.
“Let me put you back together again,” he answered, lifting a hand to tuck my hair behind my ear. The motion was sweet, making me feel a whole different type of vulnerable.
“You always made me feel, and maybe that was why it hurt so badly when you fucked me over. I need you, but I don’t trust you not to take it away again.”
“I need you too,” he replied, raking his fingers through my hair to gently pull me closer. “There’s nothing and no one in this world that I could ever love more than you. I’m not going to risk losing you again once I get you back.”
“Are you sure you won’t run again?”
I’d barely gotten the words out before his mouth was on mine, and I moved to straddle him, not feeling close enough. My body buzzed, feeling alive for the first time in hours, and I kissed him harder as his hands dropped to my waist.
I needed rougher, it wasn’t enough. I didn’t want to think, I just wanted to feel.
I threaded my fingers through his hair and pulled, grinding on his lap and making him groan.
“I should stop this, right?”
“Or you could get naked and start putting me back together like you promised,” I answered, tugging on his shirt. “Fuck me. Make me feel something.”
“I’m going to fucking hell,” he muttered before pulling back to remove his shirt, my hands instantly dropping to his pants. His sweats were low on his hips, but I struggled to get them down far enough to push them out of the way, making him chuckle. “I’ve got it.”
I climbed from his lap to get naked, past the point of caring if this was a bad idea or not. I’d deal with a battered heart later if he was lying, but right now, this was exactly what I needed.
I’d barely gotten my panties off before he grabbed my waist and pulled me back onto his lap, his lips trailing across my jaw and neck as I reached between us to align myself with his cock.
Both of us groaned as I sank over him, his fingers running through my hair as he pulled me down to kiss him. I rocked my hips as his kiss became more desperate, my nails digging into his shoulders as I bounced a little, wanting him deeper.
A sense of shyness took over though when I realized he’d pulled back to stare at my face, and I blushed at the intensity of it like an idiot. My movements slowed as his thumbs stroked my hips gently, my voice quiet. “What?”
“You’re so fucking beautiful, Aurora,” he replied without hesitation, my heart thumping harder. His words seared into me, wrapping around my stupid heart and lighting the spark inside that he’d snuffed out at school that day.
“Really?”
He lifted me, placing me on my back across the couch as he moved between my legs to take over, pushing inside again and making me gasp.
“I love you so fucking much.”
“Even after—”
“I love you more because of everything. You have no idea just how much, baby,” he murmured, trailing his lips down my throat as emotion rendered me silent. His thrusts remained controlled as tears burned my eyes, and I took a shaky breath as I finally got my thoughts together.
“I love you too.”
He slowed, his fingers moving between us to gently toy with my clit. “You don’t have to say it back. You can take all the time in the world.”
“I can’t do this without you and the guys. Promise me that you’re on my side,” I begged, crying out as he started fucking me harder.
“I’m never going to hurt you again. I promise.”
My arms wrapped around him to keep him close as he fucked my emotions back into place, and by the time he gave me my millionth orgasm as he finished, I was sobbing.
“No matter how dark it gets inside your head, I’ll always pull you back out,” he murmured as he cleaned the mess he’d left between my legs with his shirt before lifting me. “Fuck the movie. Jacuzzi and a nap?”
I was exhausted, and it honestly sounded good, so I let him carry me up to his bathroom, where we soaked in the tub until our skin looked like prunes and the water was cold.
Caden
Rory was asleep the second I placed the blanket over her in her bed, and I sat on the edge of the mattress, stroking her hair as I stared at her. I shouldn’t have touched her when her emotions were such a mess, but I was desperate to get my hands on her.