Chapter 47
47
Two Months Later
“ E arl McGrey, a man wrongly convicted of a crime nearly a decade ago, will walk free from prison today,” the reporter says, standing in front of the courthouse, wearing a bright yellow raincoat with the hood up.
The camera pans to Earl walking down the steps. Paula and a group of attorneys are behind him, holding umbrellas over their heads.
“Earl, how does it feel to be free after all these years?” the reporter asks him.
She reported on his story when he was first sentenced. I remember she was very biased and made sure her viewers knew she believed he was guilty.
Honestly, I hope Earl doesn’t even answer her.
I scoot in closer to the TV. They’ve only shown his mug shot from years ago when the news broke about his innocence. Staring at him through the screen, I see the tenseness in his face.
He looks down at the microphone with sunken eyes. “All I’ll say is that I’m happy justice is finally being served, and I wish that my grandmother were here for this moment.” He peers up at the sky as if talking to the heavens. “From day one, she fought for my innocence. I hope those responsible will receive the same harsh punishment I was given. Maybe more since they not only committed the crime but also let another man go down for it. They stole a decade of my life and put my grandmother in an early grave.” He tips his head down. “That is all.”
Poor Earl.
Another reporter asks if he’ll return to Blue Beech, but he ignores the question. He ducks his head, and an attorney guides him away from the crowd to a black SUV.
The night Jenna was arrested, River and Ava found Greg. They drove to his beat-up home and sat outside until the police arrived. Greg didn’t go easily. He pulled out a gun, fired two shots, and threatened to murder everyone else and himself. They Tased him and dragged him out of the house.
Josh was still serving in the military, and according to Paula, they took him off base, and he’s been arrested.
Jayden died in a car accident five years ago after being hit by a drunk driver. The irony.
I refused to help Jenna. So did Adrian.
She was given a public defender, and the prosecution gave her a plea deal to testify against the others. She ended up with immunity, which pissed me off. She was just as involved as them.
Adrian found an apartment closer to town, and Earl moved back into the loft where he was staying. Pete and Agnes had no problem renting the place to him. Turns out, they weren’t trying to steal his home. They wanted to help his grandmother. They even told her she could stay there until her death, and they’d just keep their horses there.
I turn off the TV and toss the remote onto the couch when someone knocks on my door.
“Come in,” I call out, standing.
Adrian walks in and smiles.
“You know, you don’t have to knock. ”
“This isn’t my place, so yes, I do.”
I bite my lip, taking him in while he walks in my direction.
God, he’s so damn hot .
He wraps his arms around my waist when he reaches me. “If a certain someone would move in with me, we wouldn’t have to have this conversation every time I knock.”
Now, I think he does it to mess with me.
That’s about the 39,439th time I’ve told him knocking was unnecessary.
I run my fingers along his collarbone. “I’m still considering.”
“And I’m still waiting.” He grabs my hand on his collarbone and kisses it. “The invite is open indefinitely.”
“Glad to hear there’s no expiration date.”
We rotate between staying at each other’s houses. Thankfully, we haven’t had a case against the other again. Someone tried, but Adrian turned them down. He hands most cases to me anyway, which some people find odd when they reach out to him for representation.
I tease him that it’s because he’s afraid of a little competition.
It’s really because he’s started helping his mother at the PEP part-time.
Chills run up my body, and I stand on my tiptoes to kiss him. “Happy birthday, my love.”
“You’ve said that to me already,” he says against my lips. “You said it when I woke up this morning, after morning sex—which was an amazing gift, by the way—after lunch, and after lunch sex.”
I wind my arms around his neck. “Are you saying you’re tired of hearing it? Should I forget my plan of birthday sex tonight too?”
“Hell no. I love hearing your voice and definitely love the sex.”
I lower my hand to rub his cock through his jeans and smile as it hardens. “God, I love you.”
“I love you more.” He presses a kiss to my nose while thrusting his hips forward. “And I have to say, you look sexy as hell in that dress and even more when you’re teasing my cock.”
“This is your favorite dress, right?”
“Yes, because it holds a great memory.”
“Hmm …” I move my lips to his neck. “Remind me what that memory is again.”
“When you got crazy drunk and rode my dick in nearly every inch of this place.” His cock jerks as he slips his hand under my dress. “God, you make me so fucking hard,” he groans, this one strangled.
“It sucks we have to leave,” I whisper against his skin.
“It’s my party. I can be late if I want to.”
“It’s rude.” I gasp when he turns us, pushing me against the wall, and shoves his hand up my dress, into my panties.
“I’d rather be rude than walk in with the biggest hard-on in my life,” he grumbles, pushing my panties down my legs and flinging them over his shoulder.
“Fine,” I say with a fake moan of annoyance while lowering my hand to unbuckle his pants. “But we need to make it quick.”
“I got you,” he says, attacking my mouth with his. “I know exactly what you love, where your sensitive G-spot is. I’ll get us there in no time.”
He nips at my lips, biting at the corner as I shove his pants down. A million sensations flush through my veins. We’ve had sex so many times, but my body always throbs for him. I’ll never get enough of him.
My hand flies to his hair, pulling at it, when he hitches my leg over his, squats, and thrusts inside me.
“Fuuuck,” I moan, gripping his shoulder with his first stroke.
He grunts in my ear, pinning me against the wall, and starts fucking me wildly. He tilts his hips up—he wasn’t kidding when he said he knew exactly where my G-spot was. The man has mastered every sensitive spot in my body.
“Please,” I beg .
“Please what, baby?” he groans in my ear before shoving my hair off my shoulder and sucking on my skin there.
“Fuck me harder,” I gasp.
He bites into my skin and pounds into me.
Our bodies hit the wall with so much force that photos shake.
I scrape my nails down his back and then push them into his bare ass. He takes one of my hands, pinning it against the wall, and straightens his back while circling his hips, his cock hitting every angle I want.
“I’m close,” I say, peering up at him.
His eyes are closed, and his lips are pinched together.
“Yes, Essie, take my cock,” he says, moving faster and grasping a fistful of my hair. “Let me fill your pussy with my cum for my birthday.”
I hold his face, digging my nails into his cheeks, and kiss him as my body comes apart. It takes him only a few more thrusts before he releases inside me.
“Hello!” someone calls out, knocking on the door.
“Please tell me you locked the door behind you,” I whisper to Adrian, fear in my voice.
“I didn’t lock the door behind me,” he whispers.
My mom knocks on the door again. “Are you in there? I thought I’d catch a ride with you since your dad and River are meeting us at the party.”
“Jesus,” Adrian hisses. “And you don’t think it’s a good idea to move in with me?”
I tap his shoulder. “Oh, please. She’d probably show up there unannounced too.”
At least she didn’t barge right in.
I’d be mortified if she found us like this.
His face squeezes as he slowly pulls his cock out. I stare down, licking my lips and momentarily forgetting my mom is outside the door. It’s already hard again. Adrian never has problems going multiple rounds .
“Just one minute,” I yell as Adrian lowers me from the wall. “I, uh …”
I nearly trip as I start scrambling to find my panties.
Adrian scoops them up, tossing them to me, and shoves his cock inside his pants. I hurriedly pull them on.
“Going to the bathroom really quick,” Adrian says, signaling to his pants.
I nod, attempting to fix my hair on the walk to answer the door.
As soon as I come into my mom’s view, she looks at me in confusion.
All I can say is, thank God my dad isn’t with her.
It’s more than obvious I was just fucked.
“You look nice,” she says, the words slowly leaving her mouth. “Though, I do have to ask, did you lose your hairbrush?”
I hear Adrian snort and look past my shoulder to find him leaving the bathroom.
“No.” I fight with the tangles. “I couldn’t find my boot and had to reach underneath the bed for it. My hair got tangled up, and I didn’t get a chance to fix it.”
Adrian really needs to stop taking his orgasms out on my hair.
I snatch my bag and sweater. “Welp, we’d better go before we’re late.”
My mom nods, fully knowing the situation. “You take a minute to do that. I need to grab something from the house and will meet you at your car.”
“An A for the lie,” Adrian says in my ear, coming behind me after my mom leaves. “Good thinking.”
“I’m always quick on my toes,” I comment. “Just like you’re quick in bed.”
He swats my ass. “Oh, I’m punishing you for that later.”