CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
SHAY
T he cold air hits me the second I step off the concrete steps of the holding area. I’ve barely been able to sleep the last few days, my mind replaying everything that happened. Blair, the fight, Blake, the blood. I didn’t think I’d be leaving here this soon, but somehow, I am.
The heavy door behind me clanks shut as I walk out slowly. A part of me doesn’t want to leave, doesn’t want to face the world outside. Not yet, anyway. But the other part of me pushes forward—the part that was so focused on getting Blair back and safe.
Reaching the front desk of the jail, the officer behind the counter looks up at me. It’s like he isn’t even surprised to see me standing there. He slides a small envelope toward me, and I know it’s my belongings. What little I had on me when they brought me in.
“Your stuff. Everything checks out,” he states flatly.
I take it and weigh it in my hands. Keys, wallet, and that’s it. I tuck it in my back pocket, then press forward.
The door buzzes loudly, and the heavy metal barrier slides open. I step forward, glancing back briefly as the door clatters shut behind me. My heart is racing, and my thoughts are all over the place, but one thing is crystal clear. I’m walking out of here because of my dad. He kept his promise.
The legal talk started almost immediately after I got here.
When I was brought in, they hit me with murder charges.
I’d done it in the heat of the moment, though.
A split-second decision fueled by an anger I couldn’t control, but the law rarely cares about that.
My dad, though, pulled the strings, talked to the right people, and painted the picture exactly as it played out—he made them listen, regardless of how brutally I had beaten Blake.
But that’s my dad. Henry Cornell. The man who knows the system inside and out and has always played by the book in case he ever needs a favor.
From what I understand, he used his connections to arrange an early release.
His team found a way to make it work, proving that the situation with Blake was, at the very least, a case of self-defense under the law.
The murder happened in the heat of an altercation, and though Blake had attacked me first, it couldn’t necessarily be proven.
Not with how I walked away and he didn’t.
But legally speaking, I acted in a way that could be justified.
That’s how he got me out. With a little creativity, some legal maneuvering, and, of course, the reputation he’s built over the years.
The fact I didn’t have a criminal record helped.
The fact that he could pull in favors and convince people to look at things differently helped too.
He made people see me as someone other than some hothead fighter.
I’m not stupid. I know I should’ve been charged with more.
I know what I did and what happened in that shed.
It could have sent me away for years. But Ol’ Henry kept his promise and made sure I didn’t have to sit in there any longer than I had to, and he made sure I wasn’t stuck with a felony that could haunt me for the rest of my life.
When I step outside, the sun is bright, and the air is blistering. My legs feel unsteady, but I keep moving forward. As I step further into the parking lot, the gates close behind me. The sound of the clearing buzzer and then the locks sliding into place echoes in my ears.
I turn, scanning the parking lot, and my eyes land on my Jeep parked over to the side in the back. I start toward it, my footsteps quickening with every step. As I get closer, the driver’s-side door opens, and Blair steps out.
She looks the same but different at the same time. Even with the little bit of distance between us, I can still see the black and purple bruises around her pale wrists. She looks happy, though. Happy to see me.
I don’t waste another second. I start jogging until I’m in front of her.
Grabbing her, I pull her into my arms, then lift her off the ground.
She lets out a surprised breath, but I squeeze her tighter, burying my face into her hair.
The scent of her is enough to fill every part of me.
Like a drug I didn’t even know I needed.
She doesn’t speak, but she doesn’t need to. Her arms tighten around me, her fingers digging into my back as if she’s afraid I’ll disappear if she lets go.
I set her down gently but let my hands linger on her shoulders. My thumbs brush against her skin. I just need to feel her—I need to reassure myself that she’s real. That she’s safe.
“I love you,” I start. “I think I’ve always loved you. But the first time I said it… it didn’t feel like enough. It wasn’t enough for what I feel for you.”
“I love you,” she whispers, and I come completely undone.
I pull her back to me and let her legs snake around me. Moving forward, I press her back into the side of my Jeep and anchor my lips to hers. The same desperation and need from the very first time I ever kissed her is back and stronger than ever.
Her hands rake into my hair as mine explore every inch of her body I can touch. Her skin is so hot, so soft. Our lips continue to move, kissing, biting, licking. Everything is sloppy and desperate, but she tastes so fucking good.
Reaching between us, her hands start pushing down the front of my pants. “Right now. I need you right now, Shay,” she pants.
I don’t fucking object.
Unlocking one hand from her body, I push it between us, then slide my pants down just enough to let my cock spring free. Her small hand wraps around my length and strokes it, base to tip, and rubs it over the front of her shorts.
I finger the leg hole of her shorts, the sweatpant-like material easy to manipulate as I pull them to the side just enough so I can enter her. She’s already wet, but given the position and how tight she is, I know we’ll need a little more help.
Moving my hand, I hold it up in front of her face. “Spit on my hand, Dollface.”
She obeys beautifully, her eyes hooded with lust. I then move my hand back down and coat the tip of my dick.
Once my length is fully wet, I move her shorts again and line myself up. She shifts her hips upward, giving me more access, and I slide inside. Her pussy swallows me whole and pulsates around me.
“Oh my God,” she whispers against my cheek.
“Are you okay?”
She nods vigorously, bucking her hips lightly. “Don’t hold back.”
As if I could when it comes to her.
I immediately begin to pound into her, pressing her tight up against the side of my Jeep.
I move my hand to her ass, sliding them under her shorts to grab her bare skin.
The little breathy moans Blair makes have my control snapping, fucking her so hard I just know she’ll be able to still feel me tomorrow.
My mouth finds her neck, tasting her sweat and that scent I’d be able to identify even in death.
I bite down hard and then smirk at the profanity that falls from her mouth at the action.
“Fuck.”
“Such a dirty mouth,” I murmur, moving my own up to her lips. “I’m going to fuck it later.”
“Shay, please,” she moans, head falling back against the window.
“Please, what?” I ask in a taunting tone, moving one hand from her ass to where we’re joined, thumb brushing against her clit.
“Make me come.”
Like I have to be told twice. I pick up my speed, my thumb circling her clit with renewed vigor. Her pussy clamps down on me, letting me know she’s close. My eyes move from where we’re connected up to her face, where her eyes are closed, beautiful fucking mouth slightly open as she shivers.
“Look at me, Blair,” I demand, and her eyes shoot open. “Look at the man you love when he makes you come.”
Her eyes meet mine, those green orbs filled with an emotion I know all too well because I feel the same thing. “I do. I do love you,” she says in a breathy voice, hitching as her impending orgasm inches closer.
“Yeah, baby, I know,” I murmur, bringing my lips to hers and kissing her hard as I give one firm pinch to her clit.
Like lightning, she falls over the edge hard and fast, milking me for all I’m worth as I swallow down her screams of pleasure.
Her teeth clamp down on my bottom lip as her whole body shakes around mine, her walls gripping me so tight I have no choice but to follow after her.
I groan out her name against her mouth as I twitch inside her, spilling into her, feeling my cum slip down my dick and over her pussy.
I press myself into her, locking my knees so I don’t collapse like a fucking idiot, my forehead resting against hers as our chests heave together.
I don’t know how long we stay like that before the droning buzz of the jail door goes off.
I let out a curse and pull out of her, pushing my dick back into my pants and moving her shorts back into place.
Blair giggles as she drops her legs from around me, feet landing on the ground. “You could’ve gone back to jail for that, but I would’ve joined you this time.”
I glare at her playfully but can’t keep it up for long as I see the joy on her face. “You’ve been trouble since the moment I met you.”
She smirks and wraps her arms around my neck. “And that’s why you love me.”
Fucking hell, she has me turning into nothing but a pile of mush.
“Yeah, Dollface,” I say, pushing a slightly damp piece of hair out of her face. “I do. Now, let’s go home.”