Chapter 14 – Billy
BILLY
My body goes rigid at Craig’s voice, but I keep my focus on Carla. She’s frozen against me, every muscle locked, her breathing already going shallow. The parking lot suddenly feels too exposed, too dangerous.
“Not now, Craig,” I say without looking at him, my hand finding the small of Carla’s back. She’s trembling.
“Not now?” Craig laughs, ugly and mean. “When would be a good time to discuss your betrayal, Billy? When you’re done playing house with the wolves?”
My bear surges forward, wanting to face him, to end this.
But Carla makes a small, wounded sound that cuts through everything. Her fingers clutch at my shirt, and I can feel her slipping away, back to that basement. Not because of Craig’s words, but because of what he represents: bears from Black River, Leon’s men, and her captivity.
“We’re leaving.” I scoop her up without warning, cradling her against my chest. She buries her face in my neck immediately, her whole body shaking.
“Running away again?” Craig calls after me. “Just like you ran from your family? Your responsibilities? Your father’s in prison because of you!”
I stride to my truck, focusing on Carla’s weight in my arms, her rapid breathing against my throat. Nothing else matters. Not Craig. Not his accusations. Just her.
“Can’t even face me like a man,” Craig continues. “The great Billy Lennox, too weak to stand and fight. No wonder Leon was ashamed of you.”
I fumble with the truck door, managing to get it open without putting Carla down.
She whimpers when I try to set her in the passenger seat, her arms tightening around my neck.
“Okay,” I murmur. “Okay, sweetheart. Hold on.”
I slide in with her still in my lap, her skirt bunched up around her thighs. The door slams shut, muffling Craig’s continued taunts about my betrayal, my cowardice, and how I’m not welcome in Black River anymore.
My hands shake as I start the engine. Not from fear, but from the effort of not going back out there and tearing him apart. But Carla needs me more than I need to defend my honor.
She’s so small in my arms, curled into herself like she’s trying to disappear. Her breathing is too fast, too shallow.
Panic attack. Full blown.
“Breathe with me,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady despite my rage. “In through your nose. Out through your mouth. That’s it.”
The drive home is a blur. I take corners too fast, probably breaking several traffic laws, but I need to get her somewhere safe. Away from reminders of Black River and what happened to her there.
At the cabin, I carry her inside, kicking the door shut behind us.
She’s still shaking, still lost in whatever nightmare Craig’s presence triggered.
I sink onto the couch with her straddling my lap, her face still hidden against my neck.
Her skirt pools around us, and I can feel her trembling thighs pressed against mine.
“You’re safe,” I murmur, rubbing circles on her back. “You’re home. He can’t hurt you here.”
Gradually, her breathing evens out. The trembling lessens, but she doesn’t lift her head, doesn’t loosen her death grip on my shirt.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers against my neck.
“For what?” My hand cups the back of her head, fingers threading through her hair. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Dinner was perfect and then I just... froze.” Her voice cracks. “I couldn’t even speak. And you. He was saying those things about you, about your father, and you just walked away.”
I try not to be offended that she thinks I’m so much of a hothead that I’d jump straight into a fight with an idiot like that. That’s exactly what he wants.
“Because you needed me.” I pull back enough to see her face and cup her cheeks. Tears track down her face, and I brush them away with my thumbs. “His opinion about me doesn’t matter. Yours does.”
He can hate me all he wants. The only person I want to like me is right here.
“But he called you a coward. Said you betrayed…”
“I know what he said.” I hold her gaze. “And I’d do it all again. Saving you wasn’t a betrayal. It was the first right thing I’ve done in years.”
She searches my eyes, then rocks against me cautiously. The movement sends heat straight through me.
“I don’t feel strong,” she whispers. “I feel... empty. Numb. Except for when you touch me.”
Her hands slide up my chest, fingers spreading over my shoulders.
“Then I feel everything.”
“Carla...” My voice comes out rough.
“Make me feel something else,” she pleads, rolling her hips again. “Please. I need to replace this fear with something good.”
My control is hanging by a thread. She’s warm and soft in my lap, her scent changing from fear to something sweeter. Need.
“Are you sure?” I search her face. “We don’t have to do anything.”
She silences me with a kiss, desperate and hungry.
I groan against her mouth, my hands sliding to her hips. She tastes like chocolate from our shared dessert, sweet and addictive.
“Please,” she breathes against my lips. “I need you. Need to feel alive.”
Something in her voice breaks through the last of my resistance. My hands tighten on her waist as I kiss her back, pouring everything I feel into it. She makes a soft sound of relief, melting against me.
Her fingers work at my shirt buttons while I push her sweater up, breaking apart only long enough to pull it over her head. She’s wearing a pale pink bra that makes my mouth water.
“Beautiful,” I murmur, pressing kisses to her throat, her collarbone. “My beautiful, brave mate.”
She arches against me, offering more. I take my time, mapping her skin with my mouth, feeling her come alive under my touch. Each gasp, each shiver, replaces a little more of the fear.
“Billy,” she moans when I find a sensitive spot. “Please. I need more.”
I shift us, laying her back on the couch, hovering over her. Her skirt has ridden up, revealing black lace that makes my cock throb. But I force myself to go slow, to make this about her.
“Tell me what you need,” I say against her ear.
“You. Just you.” She fumbles with my belt. “Inside me. Now.”
I help her with my jeans, shoving them down just enough. When I discover how wet she is, we both groan.
“The skirt stays on,” I growl.
She laughs, breathless and beautiful. “Whatever you want.”
I slide her panties aside and sink into her slowly, watching her face. Her eyes flutter closed, lips parting on a sigh of pleasure.
“There,” she breathes. “Oh god, right there.”
I move, slow and deep, savoring every inch of her. She meets me, thrust for thrust, her nails digging into my shoulders. The fear is gone from her eyes, replaced by heat and need and something deeper.
“Look at me,” I command softly.
Her eyes open, locking with mine. The emotion there steals my breath.
“Mine,” I growl.
“Yours.” She agrees, clenching around me. “Always yours.”
The confession triggers something primal in me. I increase my pace, driving deeper, and she cries out in pleasure. Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me closer.
“That’s it.” I encourage. “Let go for me. Let me see you fall apart.”
She does, spectacularly, my name on her lips as she shatters. The sight and feel of her coming undone beneath me pushes me over the edge. I bury myself deep, groaning her name as I follow her over.
We stay joined, catching our breath. I press kisses to her temple, her cheek, anywhere I can reach.
“Better?” I ask.
“Perfect.” She corrects, running her fingers through my hair. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For choosing me over your pride. For walking away from his taunts to take care of me.” She cups my face. “For making me feel safe enough to feel everything else.”
“Always.” I promise. “You come first. Always.”
“He’ll be back,” Carla says quietly in the darkness. “He wants to hurt you. To make you pay for choosing me over the clan.”
“Let him come.” I find her hand in the darkness. “He can’t hurt me with words. And if he tries anything else, I’ll handle it.”
I might not want any trouble, but if I have no choice, I remind Craig that I’m still my father’s son. The strength and power that he admired in my dad lives inside me, and I’ll use it if he forces me to.
As she drifts off to sleep, I lie awake thinking about Craig’s accusations.
Coward. Traitor. Weak.
Maybe I am all those things in his eyes. But I’m also the man who chose love over loyalty to corruption.
And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.