Chapter 18 Phantom #2
“You two pieces of shit killed rats and left them in my pool. You endangered the lives of our kids, not to mention violated the court’s order.
Breaking and entering. Felony damage to property.
Who knows what other laws you broke. And why?
Because in your cracked-out little skulls, you thought you’d scare Poppy for asking to get her bills paid? ”
“It was the only way I could hurt you,” Shayla says.
“What about hurting yourself?” I ask, suddenly mad as hell that she’s on shit. “You were never an addict, Shayla. What the fuck happened?”
She doesn’t answer, but her silence says enough. Dylan. Dylan’s been into the shit since I met him, but I had no idea he was this far down the rabbit hole. A little weed, a little coke, who gives a fuck. But this?
“Who busted up your face?” I point at Dylan. “Because they sure as fuck didn’t do nearly enough.”
“I did it.” Shayla was quiet. “It was me. I got mad after the rat thing. He was supposed to do it before the court appearance, but he said he couldn’t get close to the house.
I did it myself, and then…” She looks at me, real tears in her eyes.
“Then I beat him with a rolling pin. I don’t know what came over me.
I’m so angry all the time. I feel sick. I’m scared. ”
She’s got spit in the corners of her mouth, and for the first time, I can see how truly broken she is. It softens my heart to see, but just a little. Not enough to put my knife away.
“You’re right, Phantom. It’s the drugs. I’m not myself. I haven’t been myself for a long time.” She drops her face into her hands and sobs. This time, unlike before, the tears are real. “I can’t do it anymore. I want to stop. I just can’t.”
Dylan puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close. I gag a little in my mouth, but I just shake my head. And then I make a plan.
A plan that’s going to get me, my girls, and Poppy the life we deserve and the peace we want.
By the time I get back home, I’m exhausted. The house is dark and quiet, but the television is on. Poppy is curled up on the couch, watching a movie on silent with just the captions. As soon as I come inside, she jumps from the couch and throws herself against my chest.
She doesn’t ask anything, and I don’t say anything.
I lean my chin against the top of her head and breathe in the expensive scent of her hair. She laces her hands behind my back and holds me like we’ve been doing this for years and not weeks.
It’s way too soon to feel that I love her, but I love this. Who she is. How she holds me. The fact that she is here. I love this. I didn’t want to go back to the compound, join the party, drink myself sick, and sleep with anybody willing and warm.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do that again. Not if Poppy’s waiting here for me.
I click off the television and lace my fingers through hers. We climb the stairs, passing by the kids’ closed doors. Everything is quiet. Everyone is asleep.
“I need a shower,” I tell her once we’re in our room.
“Alone?” she asks. “Or do you want company?”
As tired as I am, there’s never a time I’ll say no to this woman. “Come on.”
I turn on the taps, and we strip out of our clothes. I stand under the spray and let the hot water hit the top of my head.
“Come here.” She motions for me to step out from under the water. She turns off the faucet and flips the dial so the tub starts to fill. She sets the shower curtain outside of the tub and sits down, gesturing for me to sit in front of her.
I do as she says, positioning myself between her legs. She drips a handful of shampoo into her palms and gets to work massaging and soaping my head.
“Sweet Jesus,” I tell her. “No wonder people pay an arm and leg for this. You’re incredible.”
She laughs, and I rest my hands on her knees while she scratches and massages my scalp. We don’t talk, the sound of the tap filling the tub the only sound in the room.
“Are you hurt?” she asks quietly. “You’re bleeding, Phantom.”
I look down at my arm and notice the places where I picked glass from my skin are dotted with dried blood and a couple of gouges.
“It’s nothin’,” I tell her. “I’m all right.”
She doesn’t press me, and I’m grateful. I don’t want to talk. I don’t like what I felt tonight. I have to be careful now because I have people to be careful for.
After she’s done with my hair, she works the shampoo deep into the knots in my neck. It feels so good, I just want to sleep. Let my head roll back and lose myself in her touch. But the bathtub is full of soap and blood, dirt and sweat, and I feel relaxed but not clean.
“Let’s rinse off,” I tell her. I take her hand, and we stand. I drain the tub and flip the showerhead back on. We rinse off, wrap ourselves in towels, and climb into bed slightly damp.
The lights are off, and I make sure the house is armed. Then I shut off my phone. Stella’s party is still in full swing, no doubt. There’s nothing anybody’s going to need me for, and if they do, fuck ’em.
Under the covers, Poppy snuggles against me, her damp hair sticking to my chest. I don’t even mind. It smells sweet and expensive. Like her.
“Talked to my mom tonight,” she says softly.
I grunt. I’m sure she wouldn’t tell me about this if the news wasn’t good. I’m clearly in no mood for any more bad news.
“She thinks you’re sexy.” Poppy laughs. “A little weird coming from my mom, but she’s not wrong.”
I let myself smile at that. “Hmmm.”
“And,” she continues, “she said she’s proud of you.”
My eyes fly open at that. “Come again.”
“She’s proud of you. She knows who you are, Phantom. She knows about the club, what you all do. I guess you have a reputation around town.”
I do have a reputation, so I can’t imagine what the fuck Lori Davis would be proud of me for. If it’s worth telling, I’m sure Poppy will share it.
She doesn’t say anything more, though. She presses her ass against me, and my cock takes notice.
“You going to tell me?” I ask. “Or should I fuck it out of you?”
She moans, a deep, sexy sound, and the blood in my entire body shoots straight to my cock.
“Is that last thing an option?” she asks. “You’re tired.”
I say nothing. Just nudge her ass cheeks with the head of my massive erection. “More than an option. Now, it’s a need.”
“Will the kids hear?” she asks.
“Depends on how loud you scream.” I roll over and grab a condom from my bedside table.
The lights are out, and with the room-darkening curtains, I can’t see her gorgeous eyes, her damp curls.
But I can feel the curve of her hip, the ways she shifts her weight and sighs as I lie on my side and slip my hand between her thighs.
“Your clit is my new favorite thing,” I whisper, stoking her,
I cover her mouth with mine, kissing her until she whimpers. I slide the condom on and feel between her legs. She’s soaked for me.
“My good girl,” I breathe the praise against her lips.
Then I kiss her, flicking my tongue against hers, tasting her as my cock slides in deep, seating myself as far inside her as I can go, and then I drag my cock out slowly, making sure she feels every single inch of me.
She gasps, and I cover her mouth with mine.
“Shh,” I remind her. “That’s a good girl. Take all of me.”
I jerk my hips hard, thrusting so deep she thrashes her head against the pillows. I feel her legs wrap around my hips and her feet dig into my ass cheeks, pulling me closer. Deeper inside her.
“Good girl,” I mumble, my vision going dark as I close my eyes and focus on long, slow, deep thrusts.
I piston my pelvis, every muscle in my body burning as I try to control my movements.
The bed doesn’t creak; Poppy doesn’t cry out.
We’re silent, and yet between us, there is a fucking parade of sound and sensation.
I know I’m hitting the right spot when Poppy’s hands claw my back greedily. “Phantom,” she whimpers, her voice little more than a gasp. “You feel so good.”
“How do you want to come for me?” I ask.
She writhes beneath me, working her hips to meet my every thrust. But then something feral unleashes in her.
She’s gasping and digging hard at my back, lifting her hips like she’s grinding out an orgasm against my body.
I feel her tits smash against my chest, and I lower my mouth to hers again, kissing her lips until our teeth bang together as we fuck.
It’s nasty and needy, hard and quiet. Restrained and yet totally out of control.
I don’t bother holding back. I come hard, shaking and dripping sweat onto her.
I feel her walls clench as I come, and she’s falling apart beneath me, shuddering and panting, her heavy breaths the only sound she allows herself to make. My good girl.
I want to smack her ass, lick her cunt. Taste her, touch her, and do every godforsaken thing she’ll let me do. But not tonight. Tonight, I’m going to hold her close and fall asleep with her hair tangled on my pillows.
Tonight, I’m going to sleep with the woman I’m going to make mine forever.
Knowing that, I’ll be able to rest easy. We’ve got all the time in the world.
Pretty soon, we’ll be free.