Chapter 19 #2
One of her hands braced against the table while her other looped around the back of my neck.
She didn’t take her eyes off me, while my focus was on where our bodies were joining.
She wasn’t extremely wet yet, but I didn’t care if it hurt her—if it hurt me.
None of that fucking mattered right now.
I simply needed my cock seated inside her, reminding me that while she hadn’t told me everything, we were still us.
We’d talk this through. I could get through hard things with someone without taking it to the extreme.
Couldn’t I?
I thrust into her hard, burying my cock inside her to the hilt. Her mouth stayed pressed shut, her eyes holding so much emotion as she let me fuck her in front of him. I blocked enough of her body with my own that he couldn’t see her exposed, but there was no mistaking what I was doing.
Staking my goddamn claim.
The table shook as I fucked her, my hands gripping her hips painfully. Despite the way I was taking her, her hand was gentle on my neck, not even grazing me with her nails.
It only fueled me to thrust harder. Deeper. With more desperation to feel something than I’d ever felt before.
My head slowly lowered with each thrust, and I hadn’t realized she was guiding me closer. My forehead hovered near her ear, and she turned her head to the side, whispering in my ear, “I’m sorry.”
The choked sound of her voice hit somewhere no one had ever touched before. My chest hurt with how sincere she sounded. How pained she felt over me now knowing the full story.
She should have told me, she should have—
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Her apology followed each thrust, digging itself deeper into my soul than before. She felt remorse, and I felt…pain.
I trusted her. I kept her alive. I was with her in ways I’d never been with anyone before—
In one fluid motion, I pulled my gun from its holster under my shirt, aimed without looking, and murmured, “Ears, Grace.”
She shook her head. Why did she want to feel pain for her own wrongdoing?
With my free hand, I covered one of her ears and pressed the side of my head to the other in an attempt to block it as best I could.
Then I fired.
I didn’t have to look to know I had hit my mark. Tyler sat bleeding out behind us, a hole straight through his heart.
One, two, three more thrusts, and I spilled every last drop of cum inside her. As I did, she whispered, “I love you.”
My entire body cracked, tears gathering in my eyes for the first time in a long fucking time.
My hand fell from her head to slam onto the table beside her. Her body flinched while I stood there panting.
I allowed no more than ten seconds to pass before I slid out of her and tucked my cock back in my jeans. I holstered my gun, turning my back to her.
Minutes of silence passed, not a creak or distant car to be heard. Someone was likely on their way here now, and while running might buy us time, it was inevitable that one of us would have to face this at some point. It might as well be now.
“Get out of here, Grace.” My voice was gravel.
A hand pressed between my shoulder blades, soft and gentle. I didn’t deserve her softness. I deserved the cutthroat part of Grace, the one that would shoot me for being an asshole. I wanted her to make me hurt for hurting her just now.
What the fuck was wrong with me? I couldn’t handle these thoughts floating through my mind, faster than any bullet. Grace grounded me, but she also worked me up to the point of no return.
“He recruited people,” she said slowly, quietly. “Tyler wasn’t cut out for killing people himself, so our boss cut him a deal. He looped me in that night, and refused to let me go until I’d had enough. I was stuck in the job, but at least I could stop dating him.”
“When was that?” I turned to her, needing to understand. “When was it enough?”
Her lashes fluttered, but she held my gaze. “He never prioritized me during sex. But it wasn’t just that. He also didn’t respect me when I didn’t want to have sex. So he took and he took. And I could never fight back because he told me he got me a better life by getting me the job I have now.”
My hands itched with the urge to bring him back to life simply to make him hurt more. Him stealing from her made it sound like he didn’t make nearly as much as she did, and I wondered if that caused him to have some sort of power trip with her. Either way, there was no excuse.
“Grace.” I choked on her name.
She shook her head, running a hand up my chest to rest on the side of my neck. “I deserved what you did, Henley. I did enjoy it. Please don’t compare yourself to him.”
I bit my tongue until a metallic taste filled my mouth. I’d never forgive myself, but she didn’t need to know that.
She reached up, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. I leaned into her, returning the kiss.
“I meant what I said,” she murmured against my mouth. “I love you.”
My hand wrapped around her wrist, squeezing softly. “I didn’t doubt it for a moment.”
Her mouth left mine, and I knew not saying it back was a shot to her heart.
But how would I know if I truly loved her?
Every time that question passed through my mind, I was left second-guessing myself.
What did love feel like? Was it the way she consumed every part of my being, or the pain she elicited in my chest when I thought something was wrong?
Or was that simply worry?
I tore my hands through my hair after stepping away from her and faced the mess behind me.
Maybe love was knowing I couldn’t stand here with the knowledge that danger was about to burst through that door and take one of us from the other. And if it was, that had to be enough.
I grabbed her hand, deciding to deal with Tyler’s body later. Right now, I had to keep my girl safe.