Chapter 5
CHAPTER
FIVE
GARRISON
We’ve checked three shelters. Names on lists. Faces in crowds. Volunteers shaking their heads with sympathetic looks that don’t mean anything except not here.
Not here. Not yet.
I glance over at Willow as we walk back toward the SUV, the parking lot lit by harsh floodlights and flashing emergency vehicles. She’s quieter now. Too quiet.
Her shoulders are tense, her arms wrapped around herself like she’s holding something in. Fear. Hope that’s starting to crack.
My jaw tightens. I hate this part. The waiting. The not knowing.
“We’ll keep looking,” I say as I open the passenger door for her.
She nods, but it’s automatic. Not real.
“I know,” she murmurs.
She climbs in without meeting my eyes. I close the door gently, circling around to the driver’s side, my mind already working through options.
It’s getting late. She needs rest even if she won’t admit it.
I start the engine, pulling out of the lot, the road ahead lit only by the headlights cutting through the dark.
“There’s another shelter about twenty minutes out,” she says quietly, like she’s trying to convince herself to keep going.
“We’ll check it tomorrow,” I reply.
She turns to me, something sharp in her eyes. “What if they’re there now?”
My grip tightens slightly on the wheel.
“They could be,” I admit. “Or they could be at one we already checked. Or somewhere else entirely.”
Her lips press together.
“That’s not helpful.”
“No,” I say.
Silence fills the car again. Heavier this time.
I exhale slowly. “You need rest, Willow.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not.”
Her head turns sharply toward me. “I can’t just stop.”
“I’m not asking you to stop,” I say, keeping my voice steady. “I’m asking you to take a few hours so you don’t collapse while we’re trying to find them.”
That lands. I see it. The fight in her softens just slightly.
“I don’t want to sleep while they’re out there,” she whispers.
Neither do I. But I don’t say that. Instead, I pull into the parking lot of a hotel that’s somehow still operating, emergency lights glowing in the windows.
“We’ll start again at first light,” I say. “I’ll take you to every shelter within a hundred miles if we have to.”
She looks at the building. Then back at me. And I can see it— she’s at her limit.
“Okay,” she says, barely audible.
Relief moves through me, quiet but real.
“Okay.”
—
The lobby is crowded, but I manage to get us a room. One night. That’s all. Just enough for her to sleep. Just enough for me to figure out what the hell we’re doing if we don’t find them tomorrow. The elevator dings, and we step inside. The doors slide shut behind us with a soft click.
And just like that— It’s quiet. No crowds. No noise. Just her. I hit the button for our floor, then lean back slightly against the wall, my eyes flicking toward her.
She’s staring straight ahead. But I can see it now.
The cracks.
The way her breathing isn’t steady anymore. The way her hands are shaking just slightly at her sides.
“Hey,” I say softly.
She turns toward me— And then she’s there.
Close. Leaning into me like she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.
Her head rests against my chest, her body pressing into mine like she’s trying to hold herself together.
My arms come up automatically. One wraps around her shoulders.
The other settles at the back of her head, my fingers threading gently through her hair.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur.
She exhales shakily, her hands gripping onto my shirt.
“I can’t find them,” she whispers. “I can’t—what if—”
“Hey,” I cut in softly, tightening my hold on her. “We don’t go there. Not yet.”
Her fingers curl tighter against me.
“They said to stay put,” she says, her voice breaking slightly. “He said he was coming, and I stayed, and now I don’t know where he is—”
I press my cheek lightly against the top of her head, my hand moving slowly through her hair.
“It’s not your fault,” I say quietly.
She shakes her head against me. “It feels like it is.”
“It’s not,” I repeat, firmer this time.
She doesn’t argue. She just leans into me more. And I hold her. God, I hold her. Like it’s the only thing keeping her together.
My hand keeps moving through her hair, slow, steady, grounding.
“It’s going to be okay,” I tell her.
I don’t know if that’s true. But I need her to believe it. She tilts her head up slightly, just enough that I can see her face. Her eyes are glassy. Red around the edges. But locked on mine.
And something shifts.
That same pull. Stronger now. Because this isn’t just attraction. This is everything. Her hand slides up my chest, resting over my heart like it did that night in the garage. My breath stutters.
“Garrison…” she whispers.
I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. I made a promise. I swore—
But she’s looking at me like that.
Like I’m the only thing keeping her grounded. Like she needs me. And God—I need her too. My hand stills in her hair, my other arm tightening around her waist.
“Willow…” I warn, but it comes out rough.
Weak.
She doesn’t stop. She doesn’t pull away. If anything, she leans closer. And then—she kisses me. Soft at first. Just like before. Just like the first time. But it’s different now. Because this time—
I don’t hesitate. I kiss her back. And it’s not careful. Not restrained. It’s everything I’ve been holding back since that night, since the roof, since the second I saw her again. Hell—it’s everything I’ve been holding back since the night in the garage.
My hand tightens in her hair, tilting her head just slightly as I deepen the kiss, pulling her closer like I can’t get enough.
Because I can’t.
Her fingers clutch at my shirt, her body pressing into mine, and every nerve in my body lights up at once. Heat. Need. Something deeper. Something dangerous.
I’ve wanted this. God, I’ve wanted this.
Her lips move against mine, soft but urgent, and it feels like something breaking open inside me, something I’ve been trying to keep locked down for too long.
I don’t think.
I don’t stop.
I just—Feel.
Her breath catches, and I pull her closer, my arm firm around her waist, anchoring her to me like I never want to let go.
The elevator dings. The sound cuts through everything. But neither of us moves. My forehead rests against hers, both of us breathing harder than we should be.
And reality starts to creep back in. I just crossed a line I can’t uncross.
We move to the room. She presses herself against me the second the door closes, her hands sliding up my chest, her lips finding the pulse point in my neck. I groan, my hands gripping her hips, pulling her flush against me so she can feel how hard I already am.
“Fuck, you’re eager,” she whispers, her teeth grazing my earlobe.
“You have no idea,” I growl, my hands sliding down to cup her ass, squeezing hard enough to make her gasp.
I pin her against the wall, my mouth crashing down on hers. Her tongue slides against mine like she is starving for it. Her hands fumble with my belt, her fingers working quickly, desperately.
“Slow down,” I murmur against her lips, but she just shakes her head, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
“No. I’ve been thinking about this for two years. Dreaming about it. Dreaming about you. About you taking me. About becoming yours.”
I groan, my cock throbbing as she finally gets my belt undone, her hand slipping inside my boxers to wrap around me. “Fuck, Willow—”
She said yours. Like she wants to belong to me. And that’s all I’ve thought about for two fucking years. The pining, the yearning, everything I’ve ever wanted is coming true in this very moment and the single thread of restraint I’m clinging to is is shredding.
She strokes me, slow at first, then faster, her thumb swiping over the tip of my cock, spreading the pre-cum that was already beading there. “You like that?” she asks, her voice a purr. “You like how I touch you?”
“Yes,” I hiss, my hips jerking into her hand. “But I want more.”
She smirks, dropping to her knees right there in front of the bed. “Then let me give it to you.”
Before I can protest, her lips are wrapped around the head of my cock, her tongue swirling over the sensitive flesh. I groan, my hands tangling in her hair as she took me deeper, her mouth hot and wet and perfect.
“Fuck, Willow—” I gasp, my hips bucking involuntarily. “You’re gonna make me come if you keep doing that.”
She pulls back just enough to look up at me, her lips glistening, her eyes dark with lust. “That’s the point, isn’t it?”
I didn’t have a chance to answer before she takes me back into her mouth, her hand working the base of my shaft as she bobs her head, taking me deeper each time. The sounds she makes—wet, sloppy, filthy—had my balls tightening, my orgasm building fast.
“Willow, I’m gonna—”
She didn’t stop. She just hollowed her cheeks and took me all the way to the back of her throat.
The last thread takes over and I push her away.
I can’t do this. Not like this. Not to her.
I won’t let myself cum on her pretty little lips.
I can’t do that to her. I can’t defile her more than I already have.
I’ll please her, but under no circumstances will I let her please me. It’s the only way I can keep some semblance of the promise I made to her father.
I take her clothes off, her bra unclasps, her panties torn away. She is even more stunning naked—full, heavy tits, a waist that flares into hips made for gripping, and a pussy that is already glistening with arousal.
I push her back onto the bed, my mouth crashing down on hers as my hands explore every inch of her. She moans into the kiss, her nails raking down my back as I pinch her nipples, rolling them between my fingers until she is arching off the bed.
“Garrison, please—” she whimpers, her thighs parting for me.
I don’t need to be told twice.
I kiss my way down her body, my lips trailing over her collarbone, her stomach, the inside of her thighs. She is trembling by the time I finally settle between her legs, my breath hot against her pussy.
“You’re so wet for me,” I murmur, my fingers sliding through her folds, teasing her clit. “So fucking ready.”
“Yes,” she gasps, her hips lifting off the bed. “Please, Garrison—”
I don’t make her wait. I bury my face between her thighs, my tongue dragging up her slit before circling her clit. She cries out, her hands flying to my hair, her fingers tangling in the strands as I lick and suck, my tongue working her in slow, deliberate strokes.
“Oh god—” she moans, her thighs trembling around my head. “Don’t stop, don’t stop—”
I don’t. I keep going, my fingers joining my mouth, sliding inside her, curling to hit that spot that made her scream. She is so tight, so hot, her walls clench around my fingers as I fuck her with them, my tongue never letting up on her clit.
“Garrison, I’m gonna—” she pants, her back arching off the bed.
“Come for me,” I growl against her pussy, my fingers pounding into her, my tongue flicking her clit. “Let me taste you.”
That was all it took. She comes with a cry, her pussy flooding my mouth, her juices coating my chin as I lap up every drop. She shudders beneath me, her body trembling as the orgasm rips through her.
She finally collapses back onto the bed, her chest heaving, I crawl up her body, my cock already hard again. “You’re insatiable,” I murmur, kissing her deeply, letting her taste herself on my lips.
“Take me, Garrison.” She begs.
“I can’t sweetheart.” I say.
“But I want you. I have wanted you forever. We’re together. Why can’t we be together?” She asks. The look on her face is heartbroken and I want to give her everything I have and more. But I hold back. I hold back for the promise.
“We will one day.” I promise. “I have to make things right with your father. And then we can be together, and we will be together, in every way imaginable.”
She shakes her head and lays down on my chest. I don’t think I’ve ever been tested like this.
I don’t think I’ve ever had to show more physical restraint in my life.
But it will be worth it to truly be with Willow.
No guilt. No shame. No hiding. I can truly claim her…
I just have to work it out with her dad first.
And that might be easier said than done.