Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty Four
Isaac
Sleep has never been a friend of mine, and after everything that has happened, I’d consider it my mortal enemy at this point.
But tonight, I feel my body relax with her tangled against me and my cock still deep inside her.
It almost feels like something close to peace.
Veronica’s breath is warm on my chest, the smell of her skin soothing and intoxicating, her knee hooked over my hip, straddling me while she’s sound asleep despite the small jerks in her body.
My fingers softly trace a pattern on her back, attempting to relax her, when I notice her fingers twitching between us.
A deep yawn leaves my mouth, my eyes burning and heavy with a sleep I fail to give in to…
but should. Let’s face it, I’m exhausted.
Yet, I can’t help the need to stay up longer than I should, guarding her rest the way I would back in that fucking basement.
Even though I can’t save her from the place that haunts her the most…
her mind. I close my arms around her, cradling her to me.
Hoping the feel of my steady beats can calm hers, the weight of her feels right, like she belongs nowhere else but here with me.
My eyes shut when I inhale the scent of shampoo. The smell of Ronnie invades my lungs, conquering any anxiety in its wake. I feel myself sink deeper in the warmth of her skin. The softness of her body, and before I know it, I’m surrendering to exhaustion.
“NO—STOP—” Smack. “GET.” Smack. Smack. Smack. “OFF.”
I barely get a chance to open my eyes before the blows land across my chest and face.
Her body jerks violently above me, her nails digging into my flesh as she tries to literally claw my face off.
She’s fighting, not even awake. Her eyes closed, her mind trapped somewhere far uglier than my room.
My heart hammers into my chest, adrenaline surging through me.
Grabbing her wrist, I yank her back down towards me, holding her as she violently thrashes against me. “GET. OFF.”
“Ronnie,” I choke out, trying to subdue her before she hurts herself.
I firmly grab on to her thick thighs before throwing my leg over her lower half and flipping us over, so I’m hovering over her.
Probably not the smartest move, but it gets her eyes to flutter open.
“Hey—Hey. I’m here. Ronnie, look at me.” Though it’s dark, I can still see the horror written all over her delicate features.
With a sigh, I release her wrist and cup the side of her face to bring her back to me.
“Look at me,” I breathe out. It’s no use.
Even with her eyes open, she still doesn’t see me.
She’s locked inside her mind. Her grey eyes, wide and unfocused, just as her mouth opens to screams. The sound pierces through the night. What the fuck?
The sound guts me. But it’s nothing compared to the way her voice sounds when she pleads.
“Please—stop.” She sobs, and I feel the fight leave her body beneath mine, her voice cracking.
“Please.” The sight twists my stomach and burns a hole in my chest. My eyes blur.
Fuck. I don’t have enough time to process, when she stills, her chest rising in quick and short breaths.
“Veronica!” Mariana calls from the hall, and the sound of racing footsteps echoes outside my door.
Just as I go to pull away, the door flies open, only giving me enough time to slide my cock back in my sweats.
“ISAAC!” My dad's voice booms behind me, looking over my shoulder.
I stare at him and my stepmother, who looks a little taken aback, before understanding settles across her features, all while trying to shield my sister.
She manages to push past them, seeing her siblings in a very compromising position. “Nix…”
“Isaac.” My name flies out of my baby sister’s mouth as she stares at us with her eyes wide and full of confusion.
“She needs me,” I mutter to them, hoping they understand.
My gaze moves back to Ronnie, who looks aware and fucking horrified.
“Iz,” she whispers, her bottom lip quivering.
Using my body, I shield our family from her view, caging her in.
“It’s just us,” I reply before waving them off and trying to cover the naked Veronica lying on my bed, while she sobs.
Focusing on the way her breathing stutters, and her fingers clench into my sheets.
She’s drowning.
Thankfully, no one says anything. I think we’re all in shock.
From her screams, from seeing her naked in my bed, probably connected the dots.
It’s not like our parents didn’t know she’s pregnant and that I’m the father…
They should know that our dynamic is forever changed, and if they didn’t, well, it didn’t matter, none of it.
“Go back to bed, I got her,” I grit out as I lie flat on my back and pull her into my arms, possessiveness surging through every cell in my body.
As I rock her in my arms, cradling her with my love, my body bears the weight of her sobs.
From my bed, I watch as the door closes silently.
Tomorrow there’s gonna be a lot of explaining on my part, but right now, she needs me.
And who am I kidding… I need her.
“Iz,” she sobs. “I can’t make them stop.”
I listen to her fears, to the nightmares that plague her mind, all while holding her until the shaking stops, until she’s breathing in tiny, uneven puffs against my neck.
My body continues its steady rhythm, rocking softly, as my hand runs down the length of her back, helping her fall back to sleep.
This time I didn’t follow her there, not after that.
I just hold her, feeling the melody of her heart.
I’m terrified of closing my eyes again and letting her go through this alone…
The sun rises, my bladder screams for me to get up, even as Ronnie sleeps soundly in my arms. I reluctantly pull myself away from her and make my way out of the room.
When I step into the hall, Mariana is standing by the edge of the stairs.
Her eyes locked in on my door, and then on me.
“Good morning,” I mutter while walking towards the bathroom, feeling her eyes on me with each careful step I take.
She doesn’t say anything, and guilt works its way up my throat, curling like vines around me.
I take my time, enjoying the nuance of it all.
How much we take for granted… It was only days ago that we were trapped in a basement with basically no kind of hygiene.
No real autonomy. Nothing. My eyes drift to the scars that adorn my wrist from being restrained.
The thin, jagged scar left as a reminder that I was shot and somehow survived.
I hate it, being constantly reminded of what happened to us, and as much as I wanted to shove it down, I failed to escape it all.
After doing my morning routine, I head out of the bathroom and walk down the stairs.
Each step feels like I’m walking into judgment and not the folks’ kitchen.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee fills my nostrils, and the rays of sunlight filter through every window in the house.
Everything is so quiet… so still.
When I round the kitchen, Mariana stands with her back turned towards me, near the stove.
Wearing her usual two-piece button-down navy pajamas and bear slippers, Nixie got her for some special occasion.
Alerted by my presence, she turns around to face me, with a cup of coffee in hand.
“Sit,” she softly demands while offering the yellow mug in her hand, leaving me no room to refuse.
I grab the mug, cupping it between my hands, letting the warmth of it seep into my bones.
For a moment, we stand there in silence, staring at each other, wondering who will speak first. My heart lurches to my throat.
I can feel its rhythm climb higher and higher.
Right now, I’m not sure we’re mother and stepson.
Or more like, the man who loves her daughter and a concerned mother.
Maybe we’re just people holding way too much…
“Go on, sit.”
I do as I’m told, tracking her movements before she joins me with a red mug between her hands.
The smell of coffee and love thick in the air lingers between us like an unwanted cloud.
“I’m sorry…” Before I can ask why, she lets out a small, shaky breath and continues.
“I heard the screams,” she says softly, looking down at her coffee as if it could offer her any insight on how to help her with her daughter.
“And all I wanted was to help her. I’ve never heard anything like that come out of my daughter. The fear I felt.”
I swallow hard before blowing the steam from my cup.
Blinking away tears that are quickly gathering and taking a sip.
The bitter taste of the coffee floods my taste buds.
“When she was a little girl, I tried my best to shield her from the horror that would happen in our home. Selena will always comfort her. When we realized you guys were gone… I didn’t sleep.
I couldn’t eat. All I could think of was that I wasn't there to protect my little girl. Then hearing her…”