[Camden]Kendall makes a surprised squeak, her head pressing into my thigh as I try to get a clearer look at the car on our tail.The sharp pop of gunfire rings out, followed by a shattering sound as a bullet takes out the back glass, splintering it like ice.“Fuck!” I curse, jerking the wheel hard to the left, cutting in front of an oncoming truck. If this asshole wants to play chicken, we’ll play.The truck horn blares, a deep, shuddering roar that reverberates through the car.I speed up, riding so close to the massive truck’s grille that the heat of the engine seems to pulse against my back. My heart pounds in my ears, but I hold steady, gripping the wheel so hard my knuckles go white. Just before we make contact, I catch a glimpse of the trucker’s wide-eyed, horrified face, and then yank the wheel to the right, swerving back into our lane at the last possible second.The old Ford behind us tries to follow but veers off-road, bouncing wildly in the dirt as it struggles to keep up
[Kendall]Camden's still wearing a pair of sweats, and I tug them down with one hand, freeing his cock. It bobs up around my mouth, already half-hard, thick and throbbing in my grip. A groan escapes his throat as I wrap my fingers around his base, feeling his pulse beneath my touch.I’m not all that experienced with sex, but I’ve given head to my ex-boyfriend about a hundred times. He had always preferred it to sex. It occurs to me now, as Camden’s cock hardens against my palm, that my ex was a real asshole. But I didn’t realize that at the time.With Camden, I feel safe. I feel… powerful. I feel like he’s watching my every move, waiting for each touch, each lick, each slide of my lips around him. So, I wrap my lips around his cock, savoring the salty taste as I take him deeper into my mouth, sucking gently, letting my tongue drag along his length.His hips jerk up beneath me, one hand gripping the wheel, the other tangling in my hair, guiding me down. I can still feel pieces of gl
[Kendall]Camden pulls away from me, breathing in deeply like he’s been holding his breath, and moving his fingers out of me before lining up. He taps one of my hips while I’m still gasping.“Turn over,” he demands. “Want to see that ass of yours jiggling against me.”I do as he says immediately, turning over and getting up on all fours, spreading my thighs. He pushes into me almost instantly, and I moan loud and long.His cock stretches me out from a whole other angle, deeper and harder than before, and I can’t stop moaning. Camden grunts, thrusting forward, and I brace myself on the headboard. It slams against the wall as he fucks me, rough and insistent, and I’m glad we don’t have any neighbors because they’d definitely be hearing us.“Fuck me,” I gasp, feeling my walls tightening around him. “Fuck me hard, Camden.”“Don’t have to ask me twice,” he groans, slamming his hips against my ass, his balls hitting against my clit until I come again, shuddering and clenching around him.H
[Camden]“That’s it,” Kendall says. “It’s official.”I look up from my coffee, the warm, nutty aroma filling the kitchen. She’s standing in front of the open refrigerator, light spilling around her, wearing one of my T-shirts that just barely covers her thighs. The curve of her ass peeks out from under the fabric, and I stare, unabashedly, at the perfect view.After all, we’re kind of playing house right now, so I’m allowed, right?This whole setup will change when we’re back home, but for now, it feels dangerously like a life we could almost call our own. “Stop looking at my ass and listen to me,” she says, frustration in her voice as she shoots me a scolding look over her shoulder. I laugh, the sound echoing softly through the quiet, secluded house.“Okay, principessa. What’s wrong?”“We’re officially out of all food products,” she says with a huff, crossing her arms as she looks into the empty shelves. Her bare feet tap lightly against the cool tile, her brows furrowed. “You’ve g
[Camden]I don’t feel safe going to the corner store. Somewhere in public might be better, so I head to a big box store further up in this small town. “Why did you want me to come with you?” Kendall asks, something odd in her tone.“Maybe I’d miss you,” I mumble.“Really?” she asks with a grin.“No,” I confess, laughing. “I just worried that Marco might have someone waiting outside. I want you with me so I can protect you.” “Of course,” she mutters. For a moment, I think she’s upset, but then she smiles, and the tension dissolves.Kendall takes most things in stride. More and more, I’m seeing how different she is from Elora.Inside, she grabs a cart, pushing it as I trail behind her, feeling like her shadow. We pile it high, racking up a ridiculous amount of groceries.She picks out a few clothes too, glancing back with a small smile as she slips a couple of items into the cart without showing me. I can only hope some of them are lingerie.We hit nearly five hundred dollars by check
[Kendall]I sit at the table, absently watching Camden as he moves around the kitchen. The rhythmic chopping of vegetables, the sizzle of onions in the pan, is oddly calming.“I never learned to cook,” I admit, the words slipping out before I can stop them. “My father did all the cooking.”Camden glances over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow. “Can’t boil water?” he asks, teasing.I huff, half-laughing, half-defensive. “I can make boxed stuff,” I argue.He groans dramatically. “Your Italian ancestors must be rolling around in their graves when you say that.”I laugh lightly, but it’s tinged with something sad, something nostalgic. “Maybe.”Camden’s gaze drifts over the living room, where my clothes are scattered across the floor. His mouth quirks into a half-smile as he eyes the mess.“You don’t clean, either?”I pout, the teasing jab cutting deeper than I care to admit. “I do, just haven’t gotten around to it,” I say, trying to brush it off with a shrug. “My legs still don’t work.”He
“I just wanted to know if you have a girlfriend,” I ask, my voice small, unsure, as if the very question is stupid–It probably is though.Camden bursts into laughter, the sound deep and genuine, but I feel small under the weight of it. “Absolutely not.”I blink, my chest tightening. “Really? You don’t?”He shrugs, still grinning. “You know about my reputation, Kendall. You know that I don’t do relationships.”I hum softly, unsure how to respond. “Doesn’t mean you don’t have a girl who’d get mad if she knew you said that,” I tease, but the uncertainty lingers. I need to know.“Maybe,” he says with a grin. “But I don’t. Not right now.” His gaze turns intense, locking with mine. “What about you? Do you have someone at home?”“Don’t you think Elora would have told you about it?” I say, trying to deflect the question, but my voice wavers.He shrugs again. “She keeps your secrets.”“She does? News to me,” I mutter under my breath, unsure if I believe that. Camden’s eyes are still fixed on m
[Kendall]"Just close your eyes," he says. His voice sounds thick, wet, almost dripping with blood. "It'll be over soon.”~~~I wake up screaming bloody murder, the sound tearing out of my throat, raw and jagged. This time, I can’t hide it from Camden—he has to pull me into his arms, holding me tight, calming me down with his warmth, his touch.I’m trembling all over, my skin cold and clammy despite being wrapped in Camden’s strong arms. My breath is shallow, each inhale sharp and shaky as if I can’t quite pull enough air into my lungs.“What happened? Principessa, what’s wrong?” he asks, his voice urgent, rough with worry. His hands rub my back in slow, soothing circles, grounding me. Each circle is like a reminder that I’m here, with him, safe.“A dream,” I breathe, forcing the words out as I struggle to catch my breath. “Just a bad dream.”Camden’s brow furrows, shadows deepening the worry in his eyes as he studies me, scanning my face with a mix of concern and something else—somet
Ralph stared at me. I could tell he wanted to argue.I waited for him to say something, anything, that I could use to shut down any chance he had left of getting close to Megan.To my surprise, though, he reluctantly nodded. “All right…all right. I’ll…I’ll do what you say. So long as you promise you won’t stand in Megan’s way if she wants to see me someday.”I regarded him a long moment before releasing a long sigh. “I promise. I won’t stand in her way. And I promise that I will take excellent care of her.”Ralph dropped his head, looking defeated.“I know you will,” he whispered.At that moment, I heard Sadie rushing back to us.“The cops are on their way,” she gasped when she reached me. She looked between me and Ralph and then gave me a relieved smile. “I’m glad to see everyone is still in one piece.”“Barely,” I grumbled.She wrapped her arm around mine and hugged it.“Thank you,” she whispered.I smiled down at her, but I then caught movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning
CyrusI was at the very end of my control. My temper was about to snap. I kept reminding myself of Sadie’s words. Of my promise to her, but it was getting damn difficult to hold myself back. Ralph would just not give up. He kept pushing and pushing, bringing up Kate’s name and claiming Megan as his.It was infuriating. He kept saying he was a changed man, but he wasn’t taking responsibility for what he’d done. He wasn’t owning the fact that Kate wouldn’t have driven off the road that day if he hadn’t chased after her. I didn’t care that it was an accident. I didn’t care that he thought he loved her.In the end, it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter because Kate was still gone. And she was gone because of him.“You know what, Cyrus?” Ralph growled. “You think you’re so high and mighty. You think you’re so much better than I am, but the truth is, you failed Kate just as much as I did.”My whole body went cold. “What the hell are you saying?”Ralph had the gall to glare at me. “If you thou
I couldn’t comprehend that. It made no sense.“How could you claim to love her and yet hurt her as much as you did?” I asked in a soft, cold voice. “How could you love her, but you put your hands on her? Hit her and scare her? Manipulate her, so she remained submissive and broken?”“I was messed up,” he answered in a pathetic tone. “I know I was. I know what I did to Kate was wrong. If I could go back and redo everything, I would. I’d love her the way she deserved to be loved. I wouldn’t lay a hand on her, and I’d do everything I could to make her happy. There is nothing I want more than the chance to undo all that I did, but I can’t. It’s too late for me to make things right with Kate, but it’s not too late for me to make things right with Megan!”I stared down at him, debating whether or not I believed him. To be honest, he did seem to be truly remorseful. I didn’t think anyone could truly fake this kind of emotion.Still, just b
CyrusI waited until Sadie and Megan were out of the maze and out of sight before I turned back to Ralph. He hadn’t moved, which was smart of him. If he’d tried to go after them, things would have gotten bloody. I didn’t want to break my promise to Sadie, though. She’d been right about needing to keep my temper in check and not attack Ralph. I couldn’t risk Megan’s wellbeing or her placement with me.I also didn’t want Sadie to look at me like I was a monster. I didn’t want to disappoint her. She was counting on me to take care of this matter and protect our…family.Our family.I couldn’t believe she’d said that. It made my chest swell with eagerness, pride, and hope. She wanted us all to be together. She was staking her claim on me and Megan, and it made me happier than I could have imagined. However, that happiness was overshadowed by my anger toward Ralph, who appeared as the only remaining obstacle in the way of the happy and whole life that I knew I could have with Sadie and Mega
CyrusIt felt like an eternity before I reached the estate. Ralph had several hours of a head start, at least, and Sadie wasn’t answering her phone.“Pick up, damn it,” I said, clenching my phone so hard I was surprised I didn’t crack it. “Why aren’t you answering?”I tried one more time, but still, she didn’t pick up.A million thoughts were running through my head, and none of them were good. I couldn’t stop imagining all sorts of terrible scenarios. I was growing more and more afraid that I was going to be too late. What would Ralph do to them if he got to them first? I didn’t want to believe that he’d actually hurt Megan, but Sadie? Ralph had no reason not to hurt her if he thought she was in his way.When I finally reached the estate, I was in a state of utter panic. I sped up the driveway and came to a screeching stop in front of the house. Throwing open the car door, I bolted to the front door and burst into the house.“Sadie!” I called out. “Megan?”When there was no answer, I
SadieThe house felt empty without Cyrus. It was strange. There were still staff members around and security guards, but it seemed as though a significant presence was absent. Like something was missing from the estate.I maintained a cheery expression for Megan’s sake, but inside, I was a mess. I was afraid for Cyrus’ safety, first and foremost. Despite his confidence that Ralph wouldn’t dare do anything to him specifically, I wasn’t so certain. If Ralph was desperate enough, who knows what he’d try and who he’d go after?Apart from that, though, I just missed him like crazy. He’d only been gone a few hours, but it felt so much longer. I didn’t really understand why I was so desperate for him to come back. It was only going to be a couple of days…it wasn’t an unreasonable amount of time. Maybe it was because things between us were so undefined. We were together, but we weren’t, and it was hard not to let my insecurities creep into the edge of my mind without Cyrus around to put them
Cyrus“You listen to Sadie while I’m gone, all right. Be a good girl.”Megan nodded, her big eyes wide as she stared up at me. Morning had come far too quickly, and I was getting ready to hit the road back to the city. Sadie and Megan were standing in the driveway next to my car to tell me goodbye. Megan was still in her pajamas, and Sadie wore a pair of yoga pants and a tank top I desperately wanted to rip off her. She gazed at me with a worried expression, but I could tell she was trying not to let her anxiety show in front of Megan.“Will you come back soon, Uncle Cyrus?” Megan asked, reaching up to grab my hand. “I don’t want you to go.”I gave her a tender smile and lowered myself, so I was squatting in front of her.I patted her head and said, “I’ll only be gone a day or two. I promise, you won’t even notice I’m gone.”She stuck out her bottom lip. “Yes, I will.”I chuckled and nodded. “All right, maybe you will because you’re a very smart girl. You’ll have Sadie, though. You tw
CyrusTwo days after my picnic with Sadie, I was working in my office on the estate, trying to focus on my work and not on how much I wanted to hunt her down right that moment and bend her over. I was coming to realize that I could grow dangerously addicted to the woman…and I didn’t want to do a damn thing about it. I was happy to be addicted to Sadie.Just as I was deciding to give into my desire to go and find her, my phone rang. It seemed as though Sadie was being saved by the bell…for the moment.Picking up my phone, I saw that it was my assistant back at the New York office.“Hello?” I answered the call. “What can I do for you, Brenda?”“I’m sorry to bother you, sir,” she replied in her usual no-nonsense tone. “But I’m afraid we’ve had an issue arise, and we need you to come back to the city.”“What? What are you talking about?” I growled. “What’s going on?”“I’m afraid the executives over at Micourt are stalling in the merger deal,” she told me. “They’re refusing to move forward
“I know,” he replied, crawling up my body and kissing me once more. “I don’t want you to get off just yet, though. I want to make this last…and I want to be inside you when you do come.”I felt my cheeks flush at his words and my heart was beating so hard, I thought he had to hear it. He reached down to undo his pants and release his erection. I parted my legs wider and wrapped my arms around his neck, leaving myself completely open and vulnerable to him. He stared down at me, his eyes swirling with a heady mixture of lust and tenderness, as he slowly sank into me.My lips parted, and I gasped as he filled me, the sensation overwhelming and pleasurable but familiar at the same time. My body had grown used to his by that point. It welcomed his invasion with no resistance. When Cyrus had sunk into the hilt, he stopped and held himself still for several moments, his gaze never wavering from mine.“You feel so perfect,” he murmured. “Like you were made for me.”“When you say things like t