Chapter Twenty
Penny
I ’ve spent all evening, while Jack was off doing whatever it is he does, trying to coax out answers from Zella. I know she likes and trusts me, but she clams up any time I mention her mother. It breaks my heart for her.
“Does your dad ever hurt you?” I ask, hating that I even have to refer to Jack as her father.
Her brows furl and she looks down at her lap, shrugging.
“You can trust me. You know that, right? We tell each other secrets.” I take one of her small hands in mine. “You didn’t tell on me that you already knew me. You call me Penelope instead of Penny when your dad is around. I won’t tell anyone.”
When she doesn’t speak, her body trembling, I know it’s from fear. She’s afraid he’ll somehow find out. It pisses me off that he’s got her mind warped so badly.
“Did you know daddies are supposed to be kind and gentle and funny?” I ask, squeezing her hand. “My dad is a hero. A doctor. You were going to see him once, but then your dad got mad and took you away. Remember?”
She nods, her brown eyes lifting to mine. It kills me how much she looks like Trey. Same soulful eyes filled with pain. With Trey, he nearly died from an accident and remained in a coma. It’s his reason. Hers is Jack. It’s terrible that a child should be so afraid.
“Want to hear a bedtime story?”
Her lips curl into a sweet smile. “Yes.”
“Once upon a time there was a beautiful queen. She had blond hair,” I say, tugging at one of her curls. “She found a handsome king with big feet like yours.”
A small giggle escapes her when I tickle her feet, warming cold parts of my heart I never knew existed.
“One day, they had a lovely little princess who had hair like her mother and eyes like her father. Everyone thought she was the most beautiful girl in all the land, especially Knight Penny.” I grin at her. “Then something terrible happened. An evil dragon stole the queen and princess. He took them far, far away. The king was under a magical spell, fast asleep, so he didn’t even know they were missing!”
“That’s sad,” she whispers.
“It’s okay. The king was strong and he woke up. He made a friend with Knight Penny and together they decided they would slay the dragon, save the princess, and find the queen.”
Her brown eyes twinkle. “What happened? Did they live happily ever after?”
The front door slams, rattling all the windows in the house, making us both cry out in surprise.
“It’ll have a happy ending,” I quickly reassure her. “I’ll tell you the rest another day.”
I turn off her lamp and nearly run into Jack as I exit her room. He peers into the darkness. “Was she well behaved?”
“A perfect little princess.”
“Hmph. Right.”
“Shh,” I admonish. “She’s asleep.” I pull the door closed and start for the living room. It creeps me out that he follows me, but it gets him away from Zella’s room, which makes me happy.
“The other day I was drunk,” he says. “I didn’t drink much tonight. Didn’t want you to think I was always an asshole.”
I force a smile. “Okay.”
He studies me for a long moment and then pulls some money out of his pocket. “Zella likes you. I like you. You might just become a permanent fixture one day.” His words are meant as a joke, but I don’t like them.
“It’s late. I need to go home.”
He sighs. “I said I was sorry, Penelope.”
“Okay,” I say again, keeping my expression neutral. “See you around.”
His hand curls around my bicep, making the blood freeze in my veins. “I’m just a lonely man. I didn’t mean to hurt or offend you.”
“Good night, Jack.”
I tug my arm free and he lets go. My heart hammers in my chest as I race to my Jeep. There has to be a way to make my story come true for Zella. I want to be her knight in shining armor who saves her from the monster in her world and returns her to her parents.
That sweet girl deserves it.
The door is unlocked at Cal’s cabin, but the lights are off. After locking the door behind me, I blindly find my way to Trey’s room. Dad wasn’t keen on me spending the night again “with Charlotte,” especially after this weekend and then today at school, but I wasn’t asking. I was telling. He knows I do what I want.
Light shines from the crack under Trey’s door. Relief floods through me that he waited up for me even though it’s almost midnight. I push open the door and frown to see the mess everywhere. Trey is sitting on the bed, leaned against the headboard, a stack of letters in his hand. He’s shirtless and in his boxers, which is distracting because he looks so good, but it’s his face that draws my attention.
Something about his expression kills me.
Despondent.
Devastated.
Hopeless.
I drop my bag and keys to the floor after closing the door and walk over to the bed. He doesn’t stop me as I clean off all the mail and move the box off the bed. His eyes don’t lift, even when I shed my clothes and crawl into bed next to him, wearing nothing but my panties.
“Hey,” I murmur, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “What’s wrong?”
He hands me the letters in his hand. “She’s been trying to reach me.”
I take the letters and read the first one. It takes me a few moments to read through them all. Dread twists inside me for reasons unknown to me.
“This proves you’re the father,” I say softly. “Zella is yours.”
“Which we already knew. You saw her that day,” he reminds me. “She looks just like me. I hate that she’s there all alone with him. We don’t know what kind of shit he does to her.”
I have a pretty good idea.
And she’s not always alone. Sometimes she has her knight.
“Samantha can do something with this, right? She can help?”
“I’ve already called her and sent her copies. She thinks she’ll have approval by tomorrow,” he murmurs.
“That’s great news,” I rush out. “Then we can bring her home.”
He takes the letters, stares at them for a long moment, and then sets the stack down on the end table. “We have to find her.”
Lacey.
He wants to find Lacey.
“I think she’s hiding because she’s pregnant and scared.” He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She begged for me to come save her. I didn’t know. Penny, I didn’t know.”
“Shh,” I murmur, curling around him to give him comfort. “We’ll find her.”
And then what?
Will Lacey want to make up for lost time with him? Be a family?
Zella deserves that. Just like in her story. Problem is, that story fucking sucks for me.
“If I’d known, I would have gone there to save them,” he murmurs. “I would have. I wouldn’t have left them all alone. I hate that she thinks I abandoned them when they needed me.”
“But you didn’t know,” I whisper.
He’s quiet for a long time. Then, he flips off the lamp, scoots down in the bed, and pulls the covers up. I remain sitting up for a few minutes, wondering if I should stay or leave. For the first time since I’ve started this relationship with Trey, I don’t feel wanted.
It fills me with dread.
Sick, oily dread.
The thought of not having this thing between us evolve into more feels like a bad joke. A tease. Nothing but a tiny glimpse into a future I truly wanted but wasn’t meant to have.
I don’t belong with him.
She does.
I start to slide off the bed, but a strong hand grips my bare thigh. “Don’t leave me, baby. I need you.”
My heart does a chaotic tremble. I slip back under the covers, lying flat on my back. He rolls on top of me, his lips fusing to mine in a needy way. His body finds its way between my thighs, spreading me open for him. The moment his cock rubs against me through our clothes, I let out a whimper.
“I want you,” I plead. “Please.”
“You’re not ready,” he murmurs.
I slide my palm beneath his boxers, gripping his firm ass. One of my hands slips between us and I pull his cock out of the front of his underwear. He grunts, thrusting against my hold on him. I try to imagine what it would feel with him inside me, stretching me to my limit. It sounds terrifying, yet also oddly thrilling.
I want it.
I want him.
He grips my hand, pulling it off his dick, to bring my palm to his lips. His kiss is sweet and gentle, but the way his bare cock grinds against my pussy that’s covered by a thin layer of material is anything but gentle.
“Fuck, you make me insane for you,” he growls, pinning my wrist against the pillow above my head.
With my free hand, I pull my panties aside, needing to feel him against me. His hard, thick cock slides against my bare clit, sending shivers rioting through me.
“Penny,” he practically snarls. “You’re not ready.”
To prove his point, he rubs the tip of his dick along my slick slit, teasing at my entrance. I freeze, unable to move or speak. All I can focus on is the ragged sounds of our breathing.
It’s noisy.
Too noisy.
“I want you,” I whimper. “But I’m scared to do…that.”
He leans forward, kissing my mouth. “I know, baby. What if we do something else? You trust me to make you feel good?”
“Yes,” I breathe. “Please.”
He sits up and then grabs something from the bedside drawer. I can’t hear what he’s doing, but I hear a cap open. “I’m getting my dick nice and slick,” he explains, the darkness hiding his actions from me. “If it’s too much, tell me to stop and I will.”
He maneuvers my legs until they’re up in the air, the backs of my thighs pressed against his chest. I feel exposed, but I do trust Trey. He said we weren’t having sex. That calms me down because I know he’ll stay true to his word. His thick cock slides between my thighs and comes up, rubbing along my clit.
Oh, God, that feels good. It’s so slippery.
He grips my thighs, pressing them together. It’s then I realize he’s going to fuck my thighs while rubbing his dick against my clit. It’s almost like sex, but not scary. No, it feels really good for me and based on the feral grunts coming from him, he must love it too.
“Touch your tits, Penny. Pinch those nipples. Pretend they’re my teeth.”
“That’s weird,” I say with a smile.
“Nah, baby, this is weird, but you’ll like it.” The cold lube splatters on my chest. “Rub on them now.”
I grumble in faux annoyance that he got me messy, but the second my fingers slick across my nipples, rubbing the lube in, I see stars.
“Oh my God,” I whimper.
He chuckles. “Told you. Now let’s pretend I’m fucking you so hard you won’t be able to walk for a week.”
It’s easy to pretend with all the pleasure assaulting me all at once. Although, there’s an aching emptiness I wish he would fill. I may be afraid to take this step, but I still want him. That want doesn’t disappear.
As he fucks my thighs, he grips my ass, lifting me up for a better angle and spreading my cheeks. His balls slap against my ass with each thrust. We’re both sweating as he drives us closer and closer to climax.
“You’re so fucking perfect,” he hisses, his movements growing uneven.
His words send me over the edge. I’ve always been imperfect in every way. A broken version of my siblings who actually are perfect. I know I’m not perfect, but the fact Trey thinks so has me succumbing to the pleasure he’s gifting me. I cry out as my orgasm overtakes me, unable to continue my ministrations on my hard, sensitive nipples. He growls before heat jets over my stomach, soaking me in his release. His thrusts slow to a stop.
The room grows quiet, but this time it’s a sated, happy kind of comfortable. I wish I could see his face right now. I know he’d be giving me one of his ravenous stares I love so much. He grips my thighs, spreading me apart, and then crudely smears his cum all over my stomach. It tickles and a small giggle escapes me, making him freeze.
“What?” I demand, suddenly self-conscious.
“Nothing.”
“Liar.”
He rubs cum over my nipples, teasing them. “Just you.”
“What?” My voice sounds tight and almost bitchy.
“I thought your moans were the best sound I’d ever heard. Turns out, it’s that cute as fuck giggle. Now I’m wondering how to make it happen again.”
“Don’t think about it,” I warn.
Of course he already did.
He spends the next few minutes tickling me until I’m screaming at him and promising bodily harm.
“Asshole,” I grumble as he escapes the bed, narrowly missing a swift kick to the gut.
“You love me.”
With those words he heads to the bathroom and starts the shower. I lie on the bed, sticky with his cum and still grinning in the dark.
The light turns on, blinding me. I squint at him, scowling. His sexy smirk does me in. I drink in his muscular body and cocky aura.
“I got you dirty. Now it’s time to clean you up.” He makes a gesture with his head for me to follow.
Like the lovesick girl I am, I scramble off the bed after the stupidly hot boy.
This thing between us is fiery and intense. It grows and grows each day, an unstoppable inferno. All I can do is cherish each moment, hoping it’s not the last.
As soon as we find Lacey and get Zella back, I have a feeling I’m going to lose him. It’s painful and I should walk away now, but I can’t.
Even if this is all we get, I’ll take it.
It’s more than anyone has given me my entire life. I’ll be damned if I don’t enjoy every second like it’s the last.