18. Cora
eighteen
cora
S herlock Bones is getting antsy. His ear piercing barks have my nerves on edge. He must feel left out with Nash gone. I put him into my room to see if that helps him relax.
“They’ll be right back, sweetie. Why don’t you stay in here and catch up on your beauty rest?” But SB jumps onto the bed and continues to bark out the window. What has gotten into him? I close the door and return to the kitchen to clean up after breakfast.
Sliding the last dish into the dishwasher, I hear the click of the front door opening. It startles me, but I remind myself that I’m safe. However, it’s strange for Nash and Jack to be back already, since they only left a couple of minutes ago.
“Guys, did you forget something?” I call.
An icy shiver runs down my spine when there’s no reply. Something isn’t right. Heavy footsteps come from the living room directly towards me. My pulse slams against my throat.
“Nash? Jack?” I call again, voice shaking slightly. I inch toward the sliding glass door in the dining room, keeping one eye toward the front of the house. The sinister silence makes breathing difficult. Then a figure emerges in my peripheral vision.
“There you are, Cora. You weren’t easy to track down.”
Every hair on my body stands on end.
That slimy voice has haunted my nightmares since I arrived in Abalone Bay. I would recognize it anywhere.
Ryan.
I’m momentarily paralyzed with fear, every muscle frozen solid. Slowly, I turn my head until I’m face to face with a ghost from my past that I thought was buried months ago. Ryan’s usually meticulous appearance is anything but that. His hair is disheveled, and his clothing is wrinkled and covered with various stains. His energy is chaotic and unhinged, making me tense further, if that’s even possible.
“Ryan? What the fuck are you doing here?” I demand, even as my voice trembles. I frantically scan the room for an escape.
A wave of nausea washes over me when he steps forward. “What am I doing here? What a ridiculous question. I’ve come to bring you home. Please tell me that you’ve gotten this little rebellious streak out of your system, because no future wife of mine is going to behave like a bratty fucking child.”
His words hit me like a slap, causing me to physically recoil.
But then, anger. It surges through me like wildfire. The audacity of this pig, thinking he can barge in and stain my new life with his vile demands. “Home? I’m not going anywhere with you. Abalone Bay is my home now.”
I continue to inch around the dining table and to the living room, where I have a better chance of escape. The front door comes into view. Clueless to my plan, Ryan follows. But his forced smile starts to fade when he realizes he isn’t immediately getting what he wants. The sharp stench of alcohol rolls off of him, as if he’s recently taken a bath in a barrel of whiskey.
“No, you’re coming with me. Did you forget who you belong to, Cora? You’re mine, and will always be mine. Now, go pack up your shit so we can get out of this trashy hell hole. Mother has a plane at a private airport ready for us.”
This sends me over the edge. My vision goes red. What kind of woman would support her son’s delusional—not to mention illegal —attempts to control someone else?
“I’m only going to say this one more time. I will not go anywhere with you. You’ve stolen years from me, slowly chipping away at my soul until I didn’t even recognize myself. All you do is take and take until there’s nothing left. You may have fooled me once into thinking you were a good man, but you’ve revealed who you really are now.” I point my index finger towards him, chest rising and falling rapidly. “You, Ryan, are a delusional, obnoxious, and spoiled mama’s boy. I’m embarrassed to say that I ever thought you were worth my time. Now get the hell out of here, before I call the police and tell them about your harassment. About everything .”
My voice shakes due to how loud I’m screaming by the end. He’s testing my very last nerve at this point.
Finally in the living room, I should be able to make a run for the front door. However, my eyes must’ve lingered on the door for too long, because Ryan advances. I run, but he catches me quickly, digging his fingers through my hair at the back of my neck and yanking at the root.
Terror shoots through me as it becomes clear that he’s escalating. The near-feral look on his face indicates his willingness to hurt me to get what he wants.
“You aren’t going anywhere unless I say so, you stupid bitch.” I flinch, his slurred speech spitting in my face as he shouts. “Now stop being an embarrassment and pack a damn bag!”
Finally, he’s breaking his nice guy facade. That’s the only sense of satisfaction I gain from all of this. Otherwise, all of the rage that I’d kept carefully bottled up explodes as I fight to get away from him.
His patience easily wears thin. “Fuck this, I’ll buy you new clothes when we land. You’ll probably need an entire new wardrobe with all the weight you’ve gained since you abandoned me, anyway. Let’s go!”
His larger body corrals me towards the door. Opening the door with a jerk, he attempts to drag me through it. The searing pain on my scalp is almost enough to make me pass out, but I grit my teeth against it. Kicking and punching doesn’t seem to be slowing him down, but I have a new plan.
With shaking hands, I swipe my handbag from the floor and then let him pull me outside. A tacky, overpriced sports car waits with the engine still on.
There’s no way in hell I’m getting in that clotted mustard death trap.
In a final desperate push to flee, I try a distraction. I drop to the ground, moaning loudly. “Shit, I think I’ve hurt my ankle,” I lie, frantically digging in my bag with my free hand for the one thing that could help me get away.
“You’re kidding me,” he practically snarls, attempting to force me off the ground, but I don’t budge. It also doesn’t help that the brewery he apparently drank out of business makes him unstable on his feet. “Get up now , before I give you a reason to be hurting.”
With another violent yank on my hair, I cry out in agony at the shooting pain that seems to radiate throughout my body. I’m shocked that he hasn’t pulled out a fistful of hair by this point.
Ryan’s threat is the last straw. He’s taken too much from me, and it ends now. My fingers finally close around what I’m looking for, and I huff with relief.
“Let go of me, or you’ll regret it. This is your last chance.” My voice is powerful despite myself, but the dumbass doesn’t heed my warning.
Oh well, I did tell him that he would regret it.
My small pink taser is out, turned on, and dug into Ryan’s flesh before he can even register my movement, providing him the literal shock of his life. The device’s electric buzz is the sweetest music. Ryan instantly releases my head, dropping to the ground and writhing in pain. His muscles visibly contract as he howls.
Then, in the distance, I hear the wailing sound of sirens approaching. My chest loosens just a fraction. Clamoring to my feet, I race across the front lawn towards the end of the driveway, sobbing with relief when I see a ruby red fire truck.
The truck skids to a stop, followed by multiple police cars. In an instant, at least six or seven cops sprint over to Ryan and surround him, still whimpering on the ground.
The fire truck’s door opens, and Nash leaps from the driver’s side. “Cora!” Nash shouts, voice breaking at the end.
We crash into each other. His arms wrap around me, smoothing my hair and placing gentle kisses on every bit of exposed skin. The tension in my muscles dissolves like smoke curling into the air.
“Honey Bee, are you okay?” he asks, examining every inch of me. “Did he hurt you?”
Ryan shouts, and I look over to what is possibly the greatest sight of my life: him in handcuffs, getting shoved into the back of a police cruiser.
Without missing a beat, Nash advances on him, but I hold his arm as best I can. “You’re a dead man if you hurt a single hair on her head. Do you hear me?”
Jack appears next to us. “I second that, you disgusting piece of shit!” he yells. With a huff, he turns to me, pointing to a waiting ambulance. “We have an ambulance ready for you, whenever you’re ready to get checked out.”
Nash leads me over, making it clear that it’s non-negotiable. A paramedic gestures for me to sit down and gently checks my vitals. In the back of the ambulance with an ice pack on my aching head, a police officer with kind brown eyes approaches me.
“Hi, I’m Officer Lopez. I was hoping to hear your statement about what occurred here. The suspect is claiming that this is all a big mistake—trying to convince us to call his mother. As if that’ll do him any good.” The corner of her mouth quirks ever so slightly, barely noticeable if you weren’t already looking. “He isn’t talking his way out of arson, harassment, a DUI, and attempted kidnapping charges. He’ll be going away for a very long time.”
Ryan is finally going to jail, and for the first time in the past few years, I can breathe a little easier knowing he can't hurt me anymore. The fear he instilled in me won't disappear overnight, but in time I hope to forget him.
“Thank you so much. Is it okay if I bring her by the station tomorrow to give her statement? She needs some time to recover,” Nash interjects, then looks at me. “Unless you want to do it right now. It’s completely up to you.”
“Tomorrow sounds good. Officer Lopez, is that alright with you?”
“Absolutely. You’ve been through hell today.” A smirk grows on her face. “Now, I shouldn’t tell you this, but you might want to know that your ex is currently sporting a rather large wet stain on his pants.”
“He pissed himself?” I ask in disbelief. I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from bursting into laughter. That’s hands down the best thing I’ve heard in the past week. I can picture him now, horrified that he ruined some outrageously expensive pair of pants. What would Mommy think?
“Yep. Remember though, you didn’t hear it from me.” She chuckles and walks to the other officers.
In the ensuing silence, the adrenaline from the incident starts to wear off, and the need to go somewhere private pulls at me. The helpful paramedic that checked me out says that I’m free to go, but should take it easy for the next few days.
“Can we get out of here?” I ask Nash. “I need to get far away from here.”
He nods and leads me over to the fire truck where SB is already waiting for us, brought out by one of the guys on Nash’s crew. He wags his tail at us, panting and grinning the only way a puppy can, and I give him a pet. Minutes later, we pull into Nash’s house. Standing face to face in the silent living room, I suddenly feel unbelievably lucky to be back between these familiar walls.
“Cora…” Nash whispers, a tear runs down his cheek. “I thought I was too late.”
I close the distance between us, resting my head on his chest while his arms wrap around me, protective and strong. The beating of his heart soothes mine, reminding me that the nightmare I’ve been running from is officially over. Now, I can focus on healing.
I lean back to look into his eyes, reaching up to wipe away his tears with my thumbs. “I’m safe, and you were right there to help.”
He nods, but we’re both still on edge, unwilling to move from this very position in each other’s arms.
I move out of his reach, holding out my hand for him, which he takes immediately. “Come with me.”
His brows draw together. “Honey Bee?”
“I don’t want to think about today anymore. I just want to be here with you, to feel you all over me. No more what-ifs, no more fears. Just us.”
My request comes out more like a plea, but I don’t care. Today’s events made me realize that a world without Nash Montgomery is a world I’m not interested in. It’s impossible to deny it further: I’m in love with him. I want to spend the rest of my days earning his smiles, creating a home that I never thought I deserved.
Without words, Nash slowly peels off my clothes, brushing over my skin in the most delicious way and making me crave more already. He makes quick work of his own, and I have to take a moment to appreciate it. There will never come a time when the sight of him naked won’t make me weak at the knees.
He crowds me towards the bed and gently lowers me on my back before following. His arms cages me on either side of my shoulders to keep his weight from crushing me.
“I love you with everything I am.” His eyes search mine, the heat in them enough to make me melt. “You’re the love of my life, Honey Bee, and I’ll do whatever it takes for you to believe that.”
“You love me?” I whisper, wondering if I heard him correctly.
“I love you, Cora Dashwood. You’re stuck with me for as long as you’ll have me,” Nash declares, and there’s no doubting his sincerity.
Grinning like an idiot, I push up on my elbows and press my lips to his, trying to pour all of my hopes for our future into the kiss. He sips at my lips, taking control and making my head spin.
His tongue demands entry, and I’m more than happy to oblige. Nash’s strong hands rake across my body, his reverent touch making me feel utterly cherished.
“I’m going to worship every inch of you, and ruin you for all others.” Delicate kisses are placed on my neck and collarbone—a wicked contrast to his raving hands—with occasional flicks of his tongue. My body feels near bursting into flames. He continues his journey, kissing the tip of each of my breasts.
Through hooded eyes, his gaze holds mine as he pays attention to each breast, sucking and licking me into a frenzy. My back arches off the bed in an effort to get as close as possible.
“That feels amazing,” I gasp. My fingers grip the back of his head to keep him right where he is.
My nipple pops from his mouth all too soon, and I whine, but he rewards my patience with a light pinch between his fingers. The brief pain soothed by a slow lick of his tongue drives me absolutely wild.
“Stop toying with me,” I pant. “I need that tongue somewhere else.”
“You aren’t in charge right now,” he growls against my skin, and my heart skips a beat. “Trust me to make you feel good.”
I never truly understood what romance authors meant when they claimed a man growled. Well, now I can confidently say that I understand, and it’s making my lady bits very happy.
I feel my inner brat rise within me. “If you want to make me feel good, then be a good boy and stick your head between my thighs.”
Nash chuckles darkly, and slowly—much, much too slowly—travels down to where I need him the most. Thankfully, he doesn’t make me wait much longer as he settles between my legs, leaving teasing kisses on each of my inner thighs before spreading his tongue wide and lapping at my core. The first touch of his tongue has my back arching off of the bed.
He pauses. “Actually, I think I have a better idea.” Abandoning my pussy, he stands and walks to the other side of the bed where he lays down on his back.
“Get your ass over here and ride my face,” he demands, patting his chest.
I blink. I’ve never had anyone offer to let me sit on their face, and I’m momentarily stunned.
“You heard me. Get over here and let me taste that pretty pussy of yours.”
I don’t need to be asked twice. Some women my size might be hesitant to sit on a man’s face, but I sure as hell aren’t one of them. I crawl over to Nash and straddle his shoulders with my thighs. His large hands land on my ass, pulling my core closer to his mouth. I pull back just enough to tease him, keeping him from what he wants.
He just grips harder, making me gasp.
“Enough teasing, woman. Now, hold onto the headboard, because you’re going to need it.”
Nash yanks me towards him, devouring me like a starving man. Each pass of his tongue has me writhing, begging for more. His groans make the experience more intense, and I find myself climbing quickly towards the release I so desperately need. He’s set my nerves aflame, my hands white knuckling the headboard.
“Nash,” I whimper. “I need to cum.”
Nash starts to finally pay attention to my clit, applying gentle suction while swirling his tongue around the sensitive nub.
“You taste so fucking good,” he moans against my sensitive flesh, his hands pulling my body even closer. “Sweet like honey.”
My hips grind down on him, my thighs tightening around both sides of Nash’s head.
“Oh my God, I’m so close. Don’t you dare stop,” I beg.
Nash doubles his efforts, and suddenly my climax erupts from me. My body shakes as Nash continues to lap at my pussy, savoring every last drop of my release. He gently shifts me to lay next to him, peppering my face with light kisses. I turn my head and capture his mouth with mine, the fire in my veins reignited by the taste of myself on his tongue.
“You have a real talent for that, ya know,” I say, running my hand down his chest, fingers toying with the light smattering of graying chest hair. He’s going to be even sexier with more gray hair. I guess that’s a perk of dating someone almost ten years older than me: I get to watch him age like a fine wine.
He laughs, capturing my hand. Rolling himself on top of me, he lowers his head to place kisses onto each of my nipples. He then captures one in his mouth, sucking and teasing with his tongue. He shows attention to each nipple, slowly allowing his hands to travel down my body until his fingers brush against my sensitive clit.
“So wet for me.” He lifts his head from my chest and works his way back up my body with little kisses until he reaches my lips. I moan into his mouth when his fingers tease my entrance, and he slides one of his fingers slowly inside, working it in and out of me in gentle motions. He’s got me panting in seconds.
I need more.
“Do you need me to fill you, Cora?” he asks, removing his finger from my aching core before thrusting it back in. “Do you need your man to make you feel good?”
“Yes, I need you so fucking bad,” I whine.
Nash positions himself between my thighs and plunges into my core in one swift movement. A silent scream erupts from me as he stills, looking directly into my eyes, gaze unwavering. Brushing the hair from my face, he kisses my lips, making me feel cherished and loved amidst the passion. His hips piston back and forth, and I’m overwhelmed by how perfect his cock feels inside of me, filling me to my limits.
“You were made for me,” he grunts, continuing to chase his own release and building up my second. “You’re so fucking tight.”
With a few more deep thrusts, and my body explodes around him once again. Nash lets out a roar as he cums, his breath labored as he collapses on top of me with his head on my chest.
My arms wrap around his body, enjoying his weight, the feel of him over me.
He rolls off of me onto his back a short while later, pulling me into his side. “I love you, Honey Bee.”
His words heal something fractured in my heart, and tears prick my eyes. “I love you too, Nash. Forever.”