Drayton #2
His face sobered. “I didn’t have Penelope here. I hadn’t taken this position fulltime during those months, but I did have to leave her. Sometimes for days at a time. The restraints—I learned the hard way. We both did.”
“Do you love her?”
Multiple expressions swept over The Unavowed’s face.
“Ask me if I would walk through hell to protect her. Ask me if I would bring war on the entire world if it meant saving her. Ask me about anything but love.”
“Because you don’t? Or because you can’t?”
Seconds passed. “I once found a kitten. My uncle, who raised me, saw me cuddling with it. It was tiny. Barely a few weeks old. Helpless. Shaking. What do you think happened to that poor kitten, Mrs. Pennington?”
Marian’s lips parted, and a sadness swept over her as she kept quiet.
“It was a hard but necessary lesson. Love doesn’t exist on the outside for me. Not where everyone can see. Love is weakness. A future king, or the father of one, is unstoppable. Unmovable. He is a force, and there is no softness to be found. Not where others can bear witness.”
“I understand.”
“I know you do, Marian. Maybe more than others.”
A voice cut off any response I thought to give.
“You’re not keeping them past tonight. Marian and Drayton are coming home with me.”
“Jesus.” The Unavowed rolled his eyes. “I was hoping to avoid him at all costs. I see that’s not the case.
” He turned, glaring into the room. “Stop being so dramatic, Mr. Wexler. We’ll battle specifics with them in your territory.
I got what I need for now.” He turned back to us.
“Congratulations. Your witness has arrived. Pair him with the doctor. I need someone I can trust in the room. I’m leaving. I will see you in the morning.”
“Not Elec.” Marian rushed past, but I grabbed her waist, pulling her back to me.
She was so startled, I saw the fear flash with something else.
They collided as she stared up at me. All I felt was heat.
It spread from the middle of my body, radiating out, covering every inch as I dug my fingers into her lower back.
Thump-thump.
Thump-thump.
Love. Hate. So much fucking love.
“It has to be someone on our side. Bram is married. We must respect that. Elec will do.”
“Drayton.” She swallowed, and I knew reality was starting to hit hard. I could feel it too as it mixed with the overwhelming lust. It shouldn’t have been there, but all I had ever wanted was her. How, when, or why didn’t matter. It was her. It was always Marian.
“Look at me and they won’t even exist. When we’re together… no one ever does.”
Back and forth, Marian’s eyes studied mine.
“Alright. But… how do we—I mean—”
I didn’t let the questions overwhelm her.
My face lowered slowly so that she wouldn’t be caught off guard.
I pushed under her hair to settle my palm on the back of her neck, and I lowered, gently meeting her lips.
Neither of our eyes closed, but her lids did get heavier as I deepened the kiss and pulled back.
“Take off your panties and leave them here. I’m not doing this consummation in the bathroom.”
At my step, Marian tried to pull me back to her.
“I—It’s going to be messy.”
I reached over, grabbing a towel.
“Take off the panties. We’re already covered in blood anyway.” I licked my lips moving back in to pull her closer. “Besides, you bled the last time we were together too. It didn’t bother me then; it doesn’t bother me now.”
She obeyed, and there was only the slightest resistance as I led her into the bedroom. Elec was by the door, standing next to the doctor we’d seen before. Marian looked over, but I quickly angled her face up to look at me.
“They’re not here. It’s just us.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“It will be.”
I walked over, pulling back the blankets and laying out the towel. Marian shifted nervously but kept her gaze on me as I unbuckled my belt, letting it hang open.
“Lay on the bed.”
Nervously, she nodded, climbing on and pulling the dress up as she adjusted herself on the towel.
I pulled back the covers even more, unfastening my pants and letting them fall to the floor.
I had nothing to hide, and I didn’t give a fuck who was here.
I was back to focusing on Marian. Trying to figure out what was best for her, despite there was still the part of me that was fighting against the love and hate that came at knowing she wasn’t guilty anymore.
Time. Time. So much was stolen from us. Where would we have been in our lives had her mother not ruined everything?
Would we have kids by now? How old would they be?
How strong could our love have grown after all those years?
Climbing over, I eased her legs wider as I rested inches above. Tears were already racing down her face, and I hadn’t even touched her yet.
“Keep your eyes on me.” I reached down, letting my fingers trace her inner thigh. I didn’t move closer, I just caressed, letting her get used to my touch. “I’m going to walk you through this. I’ll tell you everything I’m going to do before I do it. Okay?”
“Yes.”
Marian sniffled, and I brought my hand closer. More, she shook, and her teeth started chattering again.
“I’m going to touch you. Before you try to argue, don’t.”
Her body stiffened beneath me, but Marian didn’t say anything.
Her stare shot to the ceiling, and she momentarily held her breath as I moved my hand closer.
I took my time, letting my touch linger and last. When I finally reached her pussy, Marian let out a small sound.
She shifted, swallowing hard as my fingers traced down the center of her slit.
She was so wet. Blood. Arousal. I didn’t know nor did I care as I kept my attention on her expressions and began moving into a slow rhythm.
“Look at me.”
Green eyes lowered to mine, and I added the slightest bit of pressure. Marian began to move against me, letting her mouth open as her breaths turned even heavier. The sight was a knife and a dream twisting into who I was.
“There we go. Keep watching me.” I moved in even closer, feeling the fire on my stomach scream as I shifted, easing a finger inside of her.
“Drayton.”
“I should have told you I was going to do that. I…” Green was pulling me in. Stealing me from sanity. Her eyes. There was always something about her eyes… “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She sniffled. “I—Can you come closer?” Her lids squeezed shut for a moment, and when they opened, more tears left her. “If you could—You don’t have to but, if you could kiss me again, maybe—"
I was already lowering, hungrily moving my lips into hers. I eased my finger free, massaging into her pussy before I dipped it back in deep.
“Two fingers.”
Marian moaned as I captured her mouth again, arching as I slowly slid my digits deep inside her. A small whimper sounded, but it didn’t stop her from reaching her arms up to wrap around my neck to pull me closer. Slowly, I thrust, cursing as I broke from her lips.
I was so hard. So fucking ready for something I’d spent a damn decade fantasizing about.
Love and hate were haunting me. Goading me.
Her condition gave me the easy way out of my guilt, but I couldn’t escape the feeling as if I’d been cheated in my revenge.
Not to her, anymore, but to Melissa. To circumstance.
I tried not to think about that as I withdrew my fingers, grabbing my cock.
With the pre-cum dripping from me and the blood I knew was all over my fingers, I stroked my length, internally cursing the part of me that could have come on the spot.
“I’m going to be easy. Slow.”
“Alright. Just…Just—”
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“It… can hurt. It can hurt.”
I squinted through the nagging that picked at my brain. I lowered even more, capturing her mouth as thoughts swarmed. I pushed the head of my cock into her entrance, refusing to go further as I held to my length, fisting and trying to eliminate the pleasure so I could think.
… can hurt. Can…
“Afterward—” I withdrew, easing a little more into her. “After me—How many people have you been with?”
I shouldn’t have kissed her. I didn’t even allow her to answer as I thrust my tongue into her mouth. Did I want to know? Did it have to be now?
Marian moaned, breaking from me to gasp as I pushed in even more.
“I tried. I tried so many times.”
I slid out, only to thrust in halfway.
“Tried?” Again, I fucking couldn’t help myself. I kissed her, burying myself as she jerked and cried out into my mouth. One thrust. Two. More. More.
Once again, Marian turned from me. “I was never free to—I’m always watched. Always followed. Elliot—I couldn’t, but then I…couldn’t. I wanted to. I-I.”
“You didn’t. Couldn’t. Fuck. It was always supposed to be me.”
I could have come right there. I could have ended this stupid consummation shit for good. I refused. I kept thrusting. I kept stealing her mouth and losing myself as she clung to me with every ounce of strength she had left.
Material rubbed over my wounds leaving me thrusting even harder.
The pain was morphing into anger, but there was no anger towards her.
Not even at the fact that she tried to fuck other people.
I had in my earlier days. I tried to fuck Marian out of my system.
I couldn’t. She lived here. She was part of me like no one had ever been.
It’d always been her. It would always be her.
“Drayton.”
I was trying to slow. Trying to be gentler.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No. I—” She cried out, and her fingers dug into my back. “Don’t stop, okay? I—” A deep moan. It had me smiling as I adjusted my hips, grinding myself into her. I could tell from the clawing of her nails that it hurt, but she was so close to an orgasm. She was right there.
“Open your eyes. Look at me.” I kissed her hard for only a moment before I pulled back to meet her stare.
I was so thick, and she was tightening as she stayed on edge.
I kept close, nipping her lip. Pushing deep as I added pressure over her clit.
Marian’s legs drew up and she lifted her head into my neck as spasms shook her.
Her legs jolted, and I let the pain from her dress surge all over as I pushed even deeper, shooting my cum deep inside her.
We were both breathing heavy. Both processing as I lifted to gaze back into her face. In that moment, came a truth I could no longer deny. It gutted me, but it didn’t change what I knew. There’d be no revenge.
“What happened is done. All of it. Us. Them. This. None of that matters anymore. The Unavowed spoke of a death. My death. Ours. It’s the past that’s dead. Our future starts now.”