Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
BANNER
I’m on her the second the words are out. I pick her up and slam my mouth on hers as she wraps her legs around my waist. I cup her ass and walk her inside, kicking the door closed behind us.
I spin her around and press her against the wall. Every nerve in my body is electrified as I finally get to what I’ve been dreaming of for years.
She rips open my shirt, making the buttons fly everywhere. She grins against my mouth as I return the favor and tear at her shorts. We keep going until both of us are naked. I pick her back up and press her into the wall once more.
“Tell me you want this.”
“I want this. I want you,” she whispers.
Hearing her voice after being deprived of it for so long almost drives me into a frenzy. I fist my cock as I hold her up with one hand under her ass and drag the blunt head across her slick entrance.
“Condom?”
“I’m clean and I have the implant. I haven’t been with anyone since Alec,” she whispers again. I growl, covering her mouth with mine in a short, brutal kiss.
“He’s not a part of this. Of us. He might have your past, but your future is all mine.” I slam inside her, making her scream. I give her a moment to adjust, my lips pressed to her ear so I can tell her what a good girl she’s being.
Once I feel her relax, I pull almost all the way out and slam into her again.
“I take it this means you’re clean too,” she moans, as I set a punishing pace. Her fingers dig into my shoulders as she holds on for dear life.
“As if I’d ever put you in danger.”
She chuckles, but that quickly turns into a gasp when I go deep. There’s a savageness to our lovemaking, a combativeness—almost like our anger at so many wasted years is fueling our lust.
I curse when she drags her nails down my back, scorching a path that I’ll feel for days and bringing me ever closer to the end. I don’t want this to ever end, but I knew the first time I got to be inside her was going to slay me.
“Play with your tits for me. I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind since I saw them covered in nothing but lace and blood.”
“Freak.”
“Only when it comes to you.”
I feel her flutter around me and know that she’s close. I wrap my hand around her throat and watch her pupils dilate a second before her eyes roll into the back of her head.
“That’s it, baby. Come for me. Give me everything.”
She squeezes my cock so tight as she whimpers my name, I’m half surprised it doesn’t snap in two. Only when I know she’s done do I let myself go, filling her up and marking her in a way that makes her mine and nobody else’s.
Once we’re done, I grab a towel to clean us both up before I carry her over to the sofa and pull her into my lap. Unsurprisingly, my dick starts to harden again, but I ignore it.
“You spoke.”
She tenses, but I hold her and say nothing until she relaxes once more.
“Your voice wasn’t damaged in the crash?”
She shakes her head before looking up at me with pleading eyes.
“You’re not ready to talk about that yet? That’s fine, Sorrow. There’s no rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
She blows out a relieved breath before kissing my jaw and snuggling further into my arms.
“I’m sorry he hurt you.”
“It’s not your fault.” Her voice breaks, and she winces.
“Don’t. Your throat’s not used to you talking. Maybe just keep it to a whisper.”
She sighs but nods. “I meant what I said. It wasn’t your fault. It was Alec’s.”
“I can’t…I mean, why?” I shake my head. “There is nothing you can say, is there? Because there is never a reason to hurt a woman, especially the woman you love.”
“He never loved me, Banner. It took me a long time to realize that what we had was a fucked-up mess. He wanted to own me, and I wanted to be free. It was always going to end in disaster. I just couldn’t have predicted—”
I cover her lips with my finger. “No more talking. I can hear how much your throat is hurting.”
“I need to tell you something first.”
I tuck her hair behind her ear as she bites her lip. “I’m listening.”
“The night of the crash?”
I nod slowly.
“I wasn’t the one who’d been drinking. Alec was. He grabbed the wheel, and that’s all I remember until I woke up in the hospital. I don’t drink. I never have because of my mom.”
I blink, her words slowly seeping in past the anger at the thought of Alec grabbing the wheel. He could have killed them both. Instead, he died because he was an idiot, and Sorrow paid the price for it.
“You went to jail because you were over the limit.”
“I’m not lying.”
“I know.” And it’s true, I do. I believe every word coming out of her mouth. “But someone made it seem like you were, and you’d better fucking believe I’m going to find out who.”
She’s back to not talking the next day, and I get it. It’s a lot. I’m just grateful it was me she chose to trust enough with her secret.
I take her to my house to make her breakfast, and text Blake to let him know I’ll be in later.
“About the house.”
I wait as she types her answer into the text-to-speech app on her phone.
I’m just tidying it up.
“So you’re moving back here then?”
She shakes her head, making me narrow my eyes at her. Oh, I’ve got news for you, Sorrow. If you think I’m letting you leave me now, you’ve got a lot to learn about me.
“So you’re selling?”
She nods with a shrug.
“How much do you want for it?”
I’m not sure what it’s worth.
“I’ll buy it.” Her eyes almost pop out of her head. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s just a house. Plus, the sooner you sell it, the sooner you can leave, right?”
She winces, but I push forward.
“It’s why I bought this place. So that I could keep an eye on it, and when the opportunity came up, I could buy it and then burn it to the ground.”
Her mouth drops open in shock before she gets to her feet and storms out. I grin down at the counter. Yeah, she’s pissed, but I don’t think she’s realized why just yet.
Two minutes later, she walks back in and stomps over to me. She folds her arms and looks up at me.
I slide my arms around her. “While it’s true that was my plan, plans change.” I reach back for her phone and grab it for her, passing it over and waiting for her to type out her response.
“So what do you want me to do with it now?”
“I want you to spend time with me. We can paint the place together and get it ready for the market. But I won’t lie, I don’t want you to leave.
I think we owe it to ourselves to explore this thing between us.
And I know it’s too early for me to move you right in here, but I’ll settle for moving you in next door.
I think it’s time to hand in the motel key for good. ”
“Okay,” she mouths.
“Yeah?”
She grins before wrapping her hand in my T-shirt and yanking me down so she can kiss me.
“Definitely yes.”
We pull apart when the front door slams open and a tearful Katy walks in.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go.”
“What the fuck happened?” I growl as Sorrow hurries over to her and wraps her arms around her. Katy doesn’t answer, too busy crying on Sorrow’s shoulder. I give them a minute and finish making the food, adding a plate for Katy.
Once Katy has calmed down, Sorrow leads her over to the table and urges her to sit. I place the food in front of her, but she just stares at it, unseeing.
“Tell me what’s wrong.”
She lifts her head and looks at me. “Mom and Dad heard about what went down at the diner with you two. The whole town is talking about it.”
“Shit, I should have given you a heads up. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care about that, Banner. I’m happy for you both.
I care that they think they can forbid me from seeing you or having a relationship with you anymore.
They threatened to cut off all financial support.
Not just for college, which I’m fine with because I don’t even want to attend, but also for food, clothes, and textbooks.
I’m happy to get a part-time job and buy them myself, but I don’t trust them not to have me blackballed so that nobody will hire me. ”
“Are you serious? What the fuck is wrong with them?” Sorrow looks like she’s two seconds from blowing, but I glare at her.
“Oh no, you don’t. You’re not going anywhere.
They don’t get to throw their weight around and call the shots, not when it comes to you two.
You walk out to try and spare us, and I’ll spank you so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a week. You’re not leaving me.”
Sorrow swallows, but my sister bangs her head against the table. “My poor traumatized ears.”
I roll my eyes at her. “And you, Katy cat, are moving in here. They fuck with you, they fuck with me.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’m a little pissed you even felt you needed to ask.”
“You’re the best, Jake,” she whispers.
I walk over to her and kiss the crown of her head. “Fuck them. They either come to their senses or they’ll lose us both.”
“Honestly, at this point, Banner, I’m not even sure they care.”
“Put them out of your head and eat this. Then, why don’t you do something with Sorrow for the day? Maybe go for a drive down by the lake or a swim. Something away from all the bullshit.”
“Actually, that sounds pretty good. What do you think, Sorrow?” Katy asks.
Sorrow gives her a thumbs up. Good, they could both do with a break.
“Well, while you ladies have fun, spare a thought for me, stuck in the office.”
“Ah, but you have the best view.”
“What view? The parking lot?”
“I was talking about the view inside the building.” She waggles her brows, making me gag and Sorrow laugh.
An hour later, after the food is gone and the dishes are done, I’m grabbing my things to head into work when there’s a knock at the door. Katy and Sorrow, who are both on the sofa, look over at me with a frown before they get to their feet.
“Stay here. I’ll get it. If it’s my parents, the last thing I want is either of them near you.”
I head for the door and yank it open to find two cops on my doorstep. One I don’t recognize, the other is Detective Smith.
“You’ve got to be shitting me. Aren’t you sick of arresting my woman yet?”
Smith smirks and pulls out a set of cuffs. “Well, it’s your lucky day then, because I’m not here for Miss Wells. I’m here for you.”
I see Katy and Sorrow coming my way, but I shake my head at them. “Stay back.”
“Mr. Bannerman, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Katy Bannerman. You have the right to remain silent…”
I tune him out as I look at my girls, horror bleeding all over their faces. And here I am, helpless to do anything about it.
“So this is their new angle then—have their son arrested because they don’t like the woman he’s in love with? How pathetic.”
I stare at Sorrow’s stunned face. “Didn’t plan on saying it like that the first time.
Turns out handcuffs bring out the beast in me.
” I give her a wink before I’m spun around and frog-marched outside, where the neighbors are gathering to see what’s happening.
People are tired of seeing them turn up for Sorrow, so this will really send them over the edge.
“How the mighty have fallen. They’ll have this shit spread all over Tempest before the day is out. Not sure your boss will like that.”
“You’re a fucking idiot, Smith. The only one who’s going to feel the repercussions from this bullshit is you. I hope it was worth it.”