Chapter 28 Desmond
Iwasn’t sure before, but something about that call helped me to believe they definitely got this.
Not that we have much more choice; Vince’s guys can’t find shit, and usually they're all we need. So now we wait, and I have a good feeling that all we're waiting for is a delivery.
I’m damn near giddy with the thought of handling Carter. I’m not one to draw things out. A little fun, maybe, but handling them and being done is always for the best. The longer you hold on to evidence, the easier someone will find it.
Carter might be the exception.
With all he did to Kat and continues to do even after she found it in herself to walk away and start over.
Fuck, he deserves so much more. Maybe I’ll get creative with it.
I know Alex, Dad, and Vince are curious about who the ‘Demon’ on the phone is, but I couldn’t care less. As long as they deliver, they could tell me she’s the fucking tooth fairy, and I’d happily take their word for it.
Which is why, when Kat excuses herself for the night, I’m more than happy to follow her out and leave them to use those big ol' brains.
I’ll take one-on-one time with my girl over any of that shit any day.
It’s late, so Addy is asleep, but even still, I half expect her to make her way there and slip into bed with her. She’s been known to do that, and I don’t blame her. Addy is a wonderful cuddler, but she doesn’t.
Instead, she heads downstairs and toward the kitchen.
Oh, maybe some late-night cookies. Fuck, those peanut butter cookies were so damn good.
But she doesn’t stop in the kitchen; she moves to the back sliding glass door and moves outside, leaving the door cracked behind her.
The urge to follow her is enough that I’m moving even before I really register it, but I stop at the door, watching her move through the yard.
She needs a minute; I know that. It’s why she left and tried to act like nothing was wrong.
I should give her a minute, but fuck, I really don’t want to.
She looks lost, wandering until she reaches the far side of the yard.
For a solid minute, she just stands there looking up at the sky, standing under the stars, before she finally seems to register the cold.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she rubs at her arms before she moves over and all but collapses on the outdoor couch near the firepit.
That gives me an idea.
With a deep breath, I steady myself and turn away from the window, hurrying through the house to grab what I need.
I can’t fix everything for her right now. We don’t have Carter; he slipped through our fingers, but we will. I’d give her the fucking moon from the sky if she asked for it, no matter what it is or how hard it is to obtain.
She’s worth it.
She’s worth everything.
It takes me a few minutes as I run around like a madman, every second feeling like too much time with her out of my sight.
I’m not quiet when I slide the glass door open. Instead of the door near the kitchen, I chose the one in the lounge, which is much closer to the fire pit. The second my eyes land on her, I feel relief flood me before my heart squeezes at the sight of her cheeks stained with tears.
Creative for sure.
I wonder if there’s a way to look up ways to torture people without leaving a footprint. I’ll have to remember to ask Vince later. I’m sure he’ll be happy to help me; he usually is, even without a good reason.
The second she sees me, she rubs at her face in a desperate but useless attempt to hide her tears.
I don’t like that either, but we can work on that.
I move around the couch to set the tray on the table before I walk around the back of the couch and shove one of my sweaters over her head, making her squeak in surprise and give me a dirty look when I free her.
But I see the way her lip twitches, and I know she’s not really mad.
I mean, how could she be angry at a face like this?
“What? You looked cold.” I tell her with a sweet smile that makes her roll her eyes. I drape the blanket across her lap and watch the way she snuggles into it.
Yeah, definitely cold.
I’m glad I took a second before rushing after her. It’s not in my nature to think things through, but for Kat, I do because she deserves only the best.
Phase two.
I move to the firepit and find the knob to turn it on, and in seconds, we have a beautiful, warm fire roaring for us.
“Oh, you don’t have to do all that, Des. We can go in.” She tries to stop me, but I wave her off. This might not have been the plan, but it’s a beautiful night, and I can see she needs this, which means I do too.
“Too late, we’re already out here, and now I’ve got a craving, so...” I shrug as I move back to the table and see her brows pull in confusion.
“A craving?”
“Mhmm.”
“For what?”
I don’t answer; instead, I turn around with a skewer in each hand, a marshmallow on both ends.
“S’mores, of course.”
Fuck me, the way her face lights up.
Yeah, this is my best idea ever.
Well, so far, it has room to get better still.
We work in comfortable silence as we roast our marshmallows, and I watch Kat’s face scrunch up in disgust when I let mine burn to a crisp before popping it right in my mouth.
“Gross, doesn’t it just taste like ash?” she asks, and I almost choke on the gooey mess.
“What?” I cough before clearing my throat and trying again. “If it tasted like ash, do you think I would eat it?”
She shrugs, pulling her perfectly golden roasted marshmallow off the fire, and I shake my head as I grab her graham crackers and a Reese’s, the superior s’mores chocolate filling.
Watching someone eat shouldn’t be so fucking hot, but I’ve found there isn’t a thing she can do that isn’t attractive, not to mention the sounds she makes.
Her moan feels loud in the otherwise quiet night, and my cock throbs in response, ready and willing.
“Oh my god, this is amazing, Des,” she gushes before shoving more in her mouth, and I lick my lips at the pretty picture I’ve painted of it being my cock she’s devouring.
I shake the thought away as a smile pulls at my lips, happy to have been able to help her feel better.
I hate when she cries; it makes me want to kill people and throw up at the same damn time, but it’s even worse right now because there’s nobody to kill, yet.
“I’m glad you like it. Oli makes his with those fudge stripe cookies instead of graham crackers, and they’re pretty good too, but not s’mores if you ask me,” I ramble as I watch her finish her s’more, her tongue darting out to lick up a bit of marshmallow off her lip before she pops her finger in her mouth to do the same.
Fuck, it’s suddenly hot out here, and I’ve got a feeling it has nothing to do with the fire.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask, reaching for her skewer and putting another marshmallow on the end.
Any progress I’d just made melts away as she turns back toward the fire, a faraway look on her face.
The urge to do something, say something, anything, is so strong that I lace my fingers together to stop myself.
I’d love nothing more than to distract her from this, but that doesn’t fix anything long-term, and I can’t stand the thought of her like this, sad and afraid, but the idea of her dealing with it alone when we’re not here to help her tears me up inside.
“I’m putting you all in danger.” I’d been so deep in thought that I almost didn’t hear her heartbreaking whisper.
“Kat.” I watch as her marshmallow catches fire, but she doesn’t move it despite looking right at it; it’s as if she’s looking through it.
“He’s never going to stop, Des, and I don’t want to be the reason something happens to any of you,” she gasps, squeezing her eyes closed and shaking her head as a tear rolls down her cheek. “Not again,” her voice trembles, and that’s my breaking point.
I scoop her up into my arms and pull her tight to my chest, feeling the way her body shakes as she cries for the second time tonight over this stupid piece of shit.
“He will never, ever get his hands on you or any of us ever again. Vince’s guys are going to find him, and we’re going to take care of this.
” I rub a hand down her face, cupping her cheek and gently tilting her head back so that she looks up at me.
Tears fill her red-rimmed eyes, falling down her cheek and making my heart squeeze in my chest. She gasps for air around a broken sob, and I feel the sting in the back of my eyes.
“He can’t have you, Kat. You’re mine now, and I’m never going to let you go.” She looks up at me, her eyes wide in disbelief, and I could almost laugh if this weren’t so damn serious.
Still, she doesn’t realize just how much she means to me, to us. The lengths to which we would go to keep her safe and by our side, but she will.
As soon as Vince’s guy finds this sick son of a bitch, she’ll know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her.
We sit together, with her wrapped up in my arms, and it’s just us; she’s all I see, all I want.
I’m not sure what she sees when she looks into my eyes, but after a moment, a smile pulls at her beautiful, full lips before she throws her arms around my shoulders and buries her face in the crook of my neck.
I feel the tears that stain my skin as her arms squeeze me like she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she lets go.
I press a kiss to the top of her head, holding her just as tight, breathing her in.
This woman is my future, my everything.
I’m not sure how long we sit like this before I feel her begin to calm, her breathing evening out, and her arms loosen as she moves away. The last thing I want to do is let her go, but I manage, somehow.
“Sorry,” she mumbles, wiping at her face without looking up at me.
“Hey, none of that.” I hook my finger under her chin and force her gaze back to mine, leaning in to brush my nose against hers, making a smile pull at her lips.
“Sometimes we just need to let it out. I’ll always be here for you, for whatever you need, Kitten.” Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pull her onto my lap, her legs falling to either side of my lap so that she’s straddling me.
“Whatever I need?” she questions, raising a brow at me.
“Anything,” I tell her without hesitation, and the smile she gives me in return makes my heart swell.
Then she rolls her hips, and that’s not the only thing that swells. I growl, my hands dropping to her hips as my head falls back.
Which is how I spot our audience.
I lean in, pressing my lips to her neck to hide my words.
“Don’t look now, but we have an audience. I think he might be looking for a show, Kitten.” She freezes, clearly surprised, but it only lasts a moment before she’s once again rolling those sinful hips, making me groan and lose my train of thought.
“Who?” she breathes the word, and I swear I can hear the excitement. I’d forgotten how much she enjoys being watched.
“Oliver.” Her breath hitches, no doubt not expecting him of all people. I bite down on her neck, and she moans, letting her head fall back so that I have better access and Oliver can see exactly what I’m doing.
“We wouldn’t want to disappoint him.” She meets my gaze, and I see the mischief that dances in her eyes.