Chapter 21
Ramsey~
I had stayed away from Emerson all day yesterday, but Deke, Liam, and I had made sure that one of us had been near her throughout the day. Her accusation that Liam and I were just as bad as a guy that would resort to rape had gutted me, and I knew that Liam hadn’t fared any better.
After she’d left us standing in the hallway the other day, I had called Deke, and he had joined us in finishing off Jamie, Ricky, and Roman. We’d driven them to the lake, then had dragged them into the thickness of the surrounding trees. They’d started to come to on the drive over, but we’d made it to the lake before they’d become aware enough to run.
Deke, Liam, and I had waited until they had been fully alert before informing them of their fates. Jamie had done his best to explain that it’d all been one huge misunderstanding, but Liam had gotten there in time to hear Jamie tell Emerson that they were going to fuck her until there was nothing left of her to fuck, and that hadn’t sounded like a misunderstanding to me.
By the time that I’d been done with Jamie, Liam had been done with Roman, and Deke had been done with Ricky, all three guys had been a bloody, broken, paralyzed mess. The beatings had been so brutal that they were going to spend the rest of their lives sucking their food through a straw.
As we dropped each piece of shit off at home, I had calmly explained to whichever adult had answered the door-whether it’d been a parent or housekeeper-what had happened, and what would happen should anyone feel the need to call the police on Deke, Liam, or me. After that, I’d gone home feeling confident that the situation had been handled, and that Emerson was safe.
When I’d seen her striding across the lawn at school the next day, I’d been floored by her resilience. It’d made me question what she’d been through even more to know that she could endure attempted rape and still show up to school the next day.
My fit against the wall had also had the entire student body speculating on what was going on, but unless Emerson said something, they’d have to keep speculating because Liam, Deke, and I weren’t talking. I did end up sending out the word that Emerson was officially mine, and that if anyone so much as mispronounced her name, then it’d be the last thing that they ever did. Needless to say, everyone was confused by my inability to make up my mind, but I didn’t care. As long as they towed the line, everything would be okay.
Now I was breaking into Emerson’s aunt’s house…well, not really breaking in. When Bailey had tried to corner me yesterday to ask me what was going on with Emerson, she had inadvertently let me know that she’d be visiting her mother this weekend in the Hamptons, and that Emerson would be home alone until Sunday night. The stupid bitch had also joked that Emerson didn’t know the key code to the alarm, thus how I was able to be in her house now.
It wasn’t even nine am yet, but I figured that I had a better chance of catching Emerson at home if it was fairly early. I had no idea what she did on the weekends, so I hadn’t wanted to miss her while I’d been planning my little breaking and entering.
I headed up the stairs, figuring that her room must be on the second floor somewhere, and it wasn’t until I tried the third door on the right of the hallway that I saw Emerson on her bed still sleeping. I quietly made my way into her bedroom, and like a certified creeper, I walked over to her bed, then stood over her, just watching her inhale and exhale in complete peace.
Christ on The Cross, she was fucking beautiful.
I stared down at her for a few minutes before I decided to take my life in my own hands. I moved to the other side of the bed, then began undressing. I stopped at my boxer briefs, but only because I imagined that she’d be waking up in full ass kicking mode, and I didn’t want to engage in combat with her while my junk was free and hanging all out.
I opted for climbing into bed with her quickly rather than slowly and stealthily. I didn’t want to take the risk that she’d wake up before I had a chance to get comfortable. So, like a complete lunatic, I pulled back the light blue comforter and matching sheet, then slid into bed beside her.
Emerson startled awake as my arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back towards my body. “Jesus Christ! What the fuck, Ramsey?”
“Shh, baby, go back to sleep,” I chuckled as I nuzzled the back of her neck with my face. I knew that I should be scared for my life right now, but the fact that she automatically knew it was me in bed with her had me smiling like a fucking loon.
Emerson squirmed for a good couple of minutes more, but the more that she tried to pull out of my hold, the tighter that I held her. She finally gave up on a deep sigh. “What are you doing here, Ramsey? And what fucking time is it?”
I snuggled her body closer to mine as I answered, “It’s a little past eight-thirty, baby.”
She let out a deep groan, but she stopped pulling away from me, so I was considering that a win. “What the hell, Ramsey? Why are you breaking into my house and waking me up so early in the morning for?”
“I broke in because I didn’t think you’d willingly let me in, and I hadn’t planned on waking you up,” I answered honestly. “I was hoping to crawl in behind you without waking you.”
Emerson got comfortable, and I wanted to pump my fucking fist in the air. “You’re right. I wouldn’t have let you in. But you’re completely touched in the head if you thought you could climb into my bed without waking me, Ramsey,” she smarted. “Considering how I’ve never slept with a guy in my bed before, I would have noticed you, no matter how ninja-like you thought your moves were.”
My heart warmed at her comment about never having slept with a guy in her bed before. “Are you going to kick me out of your bed?”
I could hear her sigh, and she kept me waiting for a few seconds before she quietly whispered, “No, I’m not.”
Three little words.
Three little words never had such an impact on me before. It gave me hope that she would give me a chance to make everything right with her. With my heart beating erratically inside my chest, I leaned forward, then pressed my lips to the back of her neck before settling myself against her warm, delicate, feminine body. Emerson felt like Heaven in my arms, and I never wanted to leave this spot.
We laid quietly for a while, reveling in the peace and comfort of being the only two people that existed for right now. I could hear her steady breathing, and the calming rhythm put me at ease. This felt real, and it also felt right.
Now that I was done being confused, done feeling threatened by this little sprite in my arms, I could see clearly what all the fuss had been about. It’d taken almost losing her to see what’s been in front of my face for days.
I was in love with this girl.
It had to be love; there was no other explanation.
When I compared this girl- who I’d only known for a matter of two weeks -to Deke and Liam, it was no contest; I’d choose her. So, since I loved Deke and Liam like they were forged from my own flesh and blood, that had to mean that whatever I felt for Emerson was stronger than love. I mean, I could fucking feel her, for Christ’s sakes.
There was also the fact that I wanted to undo every selfish, cruel, hateful thing that I’d ever directed at her. I’d never been sorry for anything that I’d ever done before, so this was new. In my head, my actions had always been justified. However, when I thought of how Jamie, Roman, and Ricky had their hands on her and had seen what her body looked like, there wasn’t enough soap on the planet to cleanse my soul of that regret.
I loved this girl.
Without a doubt.
Granted, she currently hated my guts, to which I didn’t blame her, but that wasn’t going to deter me. Now that I could identify my feelings with absolute certainty, and I knew what I wanted, Emerson was going to be mine.
No matter what.
“Baby?” I whispered just in case she’d gone back to sleep.
She didn’t seem awake, but she didn’t seem completely asleep, either. “Hmm?”
My heart felt like it was going to beat itself right out of my chest. I was certain that I’d never been in a situation that had caused me so much anxiety before. Emerson’s attack yesterday was probably the closest that I’d ever come to shock and panic.
I’d always been in control because I had always managed to control everything around me. Being able to control people went a long way to being able to control any situation and its outcome. However, I’d never been in control of Emerson; not since the moment that I’d first laid eyes on her. She’d actually been the one with all the power and control in this situation.
I was also about to give her more.
“I love you, Emerson,” I whispered in her ear.
Her entire body froze in my arms, and I knew that this was going to be bad.
Really bad.