by KA Graham
“Jackson, stop. Right your wrongs? I gave you years to do just that, but it never happened. Please! I don't want this!” I'm losing my grip on reality, and I can't let him do this to me. I won't be his victim... not again.
“I always loved it when you begged,” He whispers in my ear. He yanks me by the hair, pulling me toward the bed, and tossing me like a rag doll. He unbuttons and jerks my pants down with such force I know there’ll be bruises tomorrow. He crawls on top of me, trapping me with his arms and legs, and licks the tears that are streaming down my face away. He sits to the side with his right leg draped over my stomach, pinning me on my back. Ripping my panties in his haste, he roughly inserts two fingers into my dry pussy while twisting my nipples through my shirt with his free hand.
Please God...
As I start to thrash my arms, trying anything to get him off me, the door is literally knocked off its hinges, wood splinters flying everywhere. Go figure. Bars on the windows, yet the door splits like nothing. I see my Raven, and I know everything will be ok. He’s found me. He didn’t give up on me. I start to cry harder out of pure happiness. Yes, even though I'm half naked and crying, I'm happy.
Jackson is so engrossed in what he's doing to me, he doesn't even notice the chaos that has ensued around him. Fucking drug addicted asshole! He's instantly on high alert when he's pulled off me by Dominic. Raelynn was right, he's my very own sexy superhero!
I see the look on Dominic's face as he’s witnessing for the first time what Jackson has done to me. It shames me. I never wanted him to see me like this.
“Sparrow, get the fuck out of here. Now! Go to my truck, the keys are in the ignition. Drive to Raelynn’s as fast as you can. She's waiting for you. Remember, I love you. Only you.”
I'm standing in just a tank top and ripped up panties, still in shock and trying to will my body out the door. Dominic throws me his jacket, and I gladly accept it.
Jackson’s on the floor. Crying. Fucking crying. He yells at me as I'm heading toward the mangled door. “Please don't leave me, Bella. I'll die without you.”
You're already dead.
My heart breaks for what has become of him. “I will die if I stay,” I whisper.
I walk out, not looking back. But hearing him yell my name over and over again in that pathetic tone chips away at my soul. You can't save everyone. They have to learn to save themselves.
21
You owe me a pizza, asshat.
I’ve been at Raelynn’s for two days now without so much as a word from Dominic. I've called and messaged him a hundred times with no response. I'm freaking the fuck out wondering what's happened.
Is he ok? What happened to Jackson? Why the hell haven't I heard anything from anyone? Where the fuck are the police? Why haven't I been questioned?
I'm driving myself and Raelynn crazy with all my speculations and manic reactions. I think I've cleaned every inch of her house, twice nnnnnnnover. Third time’s the charm, or so they say.
“Cracker! If you clean another inch of this house, I will ransack the shit out of it. Then you'll really have something to clean. Calm your ass down, and have a drink with me. Please, Bella.” She takes the duster from my hand and replaces it with a beer. I chug like it's my lifeline, so she quickly hands me another.
Cheers.
“I'm scared, Rae. Where's Dominic? Why hasn't he shown up yet? It's been two days. What if something happened to him because of me? I'll never forgive myself.”
“Bella, that man has more than proven he can take care of himself, and you. He’s a good man. Maybe he just needs a breather to get his head clear. He’ll come back to you. I promise.”
“You didn’t see the look on his face. It was full of shame and guilt. He was scared - for me, because of me. I can’t take that back. I can’t fix it.”
“Just give him time, babe. He’ll come around, I know it. I see the way he is with you, and he’s not going to let Jackson take that away.”
We decide we need food since neither of us has eaten much the past few days, and I could seriously go for some greasy pizza and a few more beers. Knowing it’s best that we don’t leave the house, we order in.
Time seems to stand still after a while, and I'm very close to chewing my own damn arm off when the doorbell rings. I run to the door, swinging it open wide and almost fall to my knees at the sight of Dominic. I just stare at him, not sure what looks more appetizing, Dominic or the pizza he's holding in his hands.
“Ms. Kramer, did you order a supreme cheese pizza, with a side of me?” He stares at me - through me - deep into my soul. I can't bring myself to look away from him, scared this will turn out to be just my imagination playing tricks on me.
“For fuck’s sake, Dominic! You scared the living hell out of me. I've been worried sick.” As I say all this, I charge at him, slamming my tiny fists on his chest repeatedly. He grabs my wrists and lifts me up so my legs can wrap around his waist. The pizza has been forgotten as it lays on the ground, and I sob into his shoulder.
Crying for what I almost lost.
“I told you I'd come for you, Sparrow. Did you really have any doubt? You're mine. Only you. Remember? I love you, Ms. Kramer.”
I kiss him with every ounce of passion in my body, never wanting to be away from him again. The pain throughout my body is intense, but my need for Dominic is stronger.
Raelynn walks up and gives us a bear hug, wrapping her arms around us both. Not bothered by the fact that she's interrupting my session of mauling him to death. That's my girl though, no shame.
“It's about damn time we see your sexy superhero self. You had our girl running circles for days. I was about to junk punch her!” We all laugh, even though we all know that she was close to doing just that.
“So now I’m a sexy superhero with a hot ass?” He smirks, but we know he's loving the praise. He gently places me back on my feet, and instantly I miss the connection between us. The warmth, comfort, security that being in his arms always brings.
“You may have my girl in knots, but you owe us a pizza, and an explanation, asshat! Pizza first, or you may become dinner. Not in a good way. Momma’s starving!” Raelynn yells, for all to hear.
I laugh a little too hard, holding my side, and eagle eye notices. “Isabella, you should be resting, not getting yourself worked up over me. I'm fine.” I pull him closer, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest. I can feel the beat of his heart against my cheek, soothing me. The drumming sound is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.
Looking up at him, Dominic’s facial expression says it all. It's not over yet, and I'm terrified to know what or who is still out there.
“Ladies, we need to talk so, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer it if we took this into the house.” He grips my hand tightly as if he's hanging on for dear life.
Maybe he is…
22
Trouble follows us at every turn.
We sit down on the couch with Dominic holding my hand tightly in his. So tightly that I think I've lost all blood circulation in that hand. Honestly, I don't mind as long as he stays here with me.
Raelynn interrupts my thoughts, “Ok, Barnes, I've had enough of this guessing game. Just tell us what's happened or God blessed, I'm going to put my foot up your ass. I'm not getting any younger, and I'm still waiting for that damn pizza.”
That woman could give any man a run for their money.
He looks between the both of us and starts to speak. “I have an old friend that works for the state police. He did an extensive background check on Jackson when I found out he was sniffing around. He also gave me the tracker that I planted in your phone. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but in the end, it's how I was able to find you. He’s got himself into some bad shit and owes money to quite a few people. He's in deep, Isabella. As of right now, he's in a facility that will help him detox. Not saying it will work, but he wasn’t given the choice. Of course, he didn’t quite make it there before I roughed him up a b
it, giving him a taste of his own medicine. After he’s detoxed, he’ll be escorted back to Oregon to serve his time for all the crimes he's committed. That is if other people don’t get to him first. Not that the bastard wouldn't deserve it if they did.”
My mind can't begin to register what he's telling me. How did I not know any of this? I knew Jackson had problems, but not to this extent. “What kind of crimes? Who are these people he owes? What the hell does this have to do with me?”
“Isabella, remember the bartender you told me about? The one that had said Jackson supposedly paid him to find you? Well, there's much more to that story.” He stops and runs his hands through his hair several times which tells me what’s about to come out of that beautiful mouth isn't going to be good. Whatever it is he has to say, I know I'm not going to like it.
I release a heavy sigh. “Just tell me, Dominic. Please? I need to know everything, especially if it's going to put you or Raelynn in any kind of danger.”
“Jackson wasn’t only interested in gambling and drugs. He was also quite fond of fucking woman... violently. One of those women was the wife of Pax, the bartender. Yes, she willingly fucked Jackson, but she got way more than she had bargained for. She ended up with several stitches in her cheek and bruises covering her body. That drug-addicted piece of shit used a wooden spoon handle on her… inside her. Pax pretended to be helping Jackson find you, but he had other intentions. Intentions that involved taking you from Jackson. Out of revenge. He knew the only thing in this world that asshole cared about is you. Jackson became quite talkative as he was pleading for me not to beat him to death with my bare hands.”
That's when I finally see Dominic’s bruised knuckles and panic begins to set in. “I'm fine, Isabella…”
It could've been so much worse. All because of me.
The hits just keep coming. How could I live with someone for years and never knew what he was doing behind my back? I knew Jackson had his demons, everyone has them, but his ended up hurting not only himself but others as well.
“God, I knew Jackson had problems, but I truly believed his anger and sexual tendencies only went so far. I knew he had cheated, but never like this. If he weren’t locked up, I’d kill him myself, that dirty rat bastard! To think at one time he was my everything. So what happens now? Is Pax still coming for me?” My voice wobbles on the last few words and the tears start to fall, and knowing the panic attack isn't far behind, I go outside for a breather.
Life sure has a way of grabbing you by the balls.
The patio door opens a few minutes later, and almost instantly I can feel his breath on the back of my neck. How did I get into this mess? How could I bring Dominic and Raelynn into this? What the fuck am I going to do?
“Dominic, please? I just need a minute. Everything you told me is a lot to take in. I can't believe that I was living with such a monster. Add to that the fact that you could’ve gotten yourself killed trying to save me. I’m just having a little trouble taking it all in.”
“I'm sorry, Isabella. I know it’s a lot, but you have no choice. We will deal with it though. Together. Remember, only you. I will always try my damnedest to protect you. I love the fuck out of you, Sparrow.” He holds my face in his hands and kisses me softly on the nose, then both cheeks.
“How can you love someone who's brought so much shit to your doorstep? I don't even like myself much right now. I'm so tired, Dominic. I just want to be free, truly free of all the demons that keep holding me hostage.”
“You will, Isabella. I’ll help you. We’ll do it together. God knows I have my own demons to bury once and for all. You said no more secrets, right? I think it's time I tell you about my past, and why I’m the way that I am.”
I’ve always known he has secrets of his own, and I haven't wanted to pry, but I think he’s right. It's time to be one- hundred percent honest with each other.
“Dominic, I don't want anything or anyone coming between us. I agree that it's time we both tell the truth. The truth about everything. Past and present. I can't bear to have any more lies or secrets between us.”
Secrets and lies never stay buried forever.
He looks at me with sadness in his eyes. “Only for you, Sparrow. Only for you.” We embrace like there's no one else in the world but us. At this very moment in time, it feels as if we're untouchable. He's become the air that I breathe.
The moment is interrupted when we hear Raelynn shouting from inside the house. I had almost forgotten we weren't alone. “The pizza is FINALLY here bitches, come and get it!” As we walk back in, hand in hand, I hear Dominic’s stomach rumble. I guess we’ve all been preoccupied these past few days.
23
I love you with all my broken pieces.
Dominic has demanded I stay with him, and when I say demanded, I mean demanded. He tries to hurry me out of Raelynn’s house. He's in a rush, telling me, “You have five minutes, then I'm going beast mode on that ass of yours. Don't worry, Isabella, Raelynn will be fine.” He slaps my ass as he passes me to wait in the truck.
He has an obsession with it, which I don’t mind at all.
I don't want to leave Rae, but I know she's safe, and we’re only a ten- minute drive away. Plus, we all know she's going to refuse to come with us, anyways. Stubborn woman! Then again, that's why she's my person. She's the other half to my crazy, even if she thinks she's the sane one. Plus, she has Dixie. Out of sheer boredom one day, we taught her to growl when she hears us say, “Sick balls, Chopper!” It riles her up and has us in stitches every time. Damn dog.
I ease myself into the truck after Rae and I promise to talk daily. Now that we know Pax is out for revenge, and Jackson (even though he may be locked up at the moment) will always be a threat, we all need to be aware. “What's the plan, Mr. Barnes?” I slowly start rubbing my hand up and down his leg as he starts to drive off. By the way he's groaning, I know he's agitated and wanting to punish me for distracting him.
“If you don't stop what you're doing, my plan involves pulling this truck over and having my way with you, Ms. Kramer.” His words cloud my brain just thinking about how much I want him - need him - now. So I start to entice him a little more. After thinking the worst, not knowing if he was dead or alive, I plan on showing him just how much he means to me. Sometimes I feel I’d die without him, and that scares the living hell out of me.
I slowly unzip his pants, grabbing his already hard cock. Working him from the base to the tip, I rub my thumb over the head spreading his pre-cum, making him squirm. He quickly pulls over into an abandoned parking lot in the middle of the woods. That's one thing about being in a small wooded town, there's always a private place. He unbuckles both our seatbelts, gets out of the truck, and makes his way to my side. Pulling me out of the truck, I know he's ready and willing. At that moment, I could care less who sees us. I need him more than anything. I need to feel him. I need to know he's with me.
“Isabella, you've been a very naughty girl, teasing me like that. Do you deserve a punishment? Tell me.” He looks at me with pure fire in his eyes, a look I will never get sick of.
“Please…I need you. I need this.” I have no shame in begging him for what I want. He turns me around so I'm facing the hood of the truck.
“Hands on the hood, gorgeous. Don't move. You know the rules, so be a good girl, Isabella.” He unfastens my jeans, pulling them down as he bends over and bites my ass in preparation for what's to come. I can hear his unsteady breaths behind me as he slips two fingers into my soaking wet pussy from behind. “You're so wet for me. All mine.”
“Yes, Dominic. I fucking love you. You saved me from myself.” I push my ass back into him so he knows I’m very willing to take what he's giving.
“Are you sure, Isabella? After what happened the other night, I don’t want to hurt you. Ever.”
“You could never hurt me, Dominic, and I need you. I will deal with the pain if it means having you. I'm ok, I promise.”
Dominic can turn any pain into pl
easure.
With those words, his movements become frenzied, and he removes his fingers, slipping his cock into me hard and fast. He's pounding into me with such vigor, I have to grip the sides of the truck so my legs don't give out on me. I can feel the cold air of the night enveloping me. I'm on fire, and the brush of air cools my heated body.
“Yes! Please, Dominic. Harder!” I'm begging like a sex-crazed maniac, and I don't care. He's brought me back to life, and I will never want anyone else. With the intensity of how we react to each other sexually, it's a good thing I'm on the pill. I'm not ready or capable of motherhood right now, but still, the thought makes my heart flutter a bit.
Dominic spanks me, hard. In doing so, I can no longer hold my orgasm in. He thrusts with an urgency while grabbing my wrists, so I'm flush with his body. It ignites him, setting his own orgasm free. He jerks inside me, no condom hindering the connection between our bodies; the way it should always be between us.
If I died right now, it would be a happy ending to my story. I never thought I'd have the love and compassion mixed with the dirty deeds of a man like Dominic Barnes. He's surprised me in so many ways, my heart and soul have been set free.
“I'm never letting you go, Isabella. You've also saved me, more than you know. We will get through anything as long as we have each other. Thank you, gorgeous.” He smiles sincerely as we clean ourselves up the best we can when we’re in the middle of nowhere. Climbing back into the truck, I'm at ease, but I still know in the back of my mind we're not out of the clear. Pax wants revenge, not that I can blame him, but at what cost?
24
Time for a heart to heart with Mr. Barnes.
Waking up in Dominic’s arms is an amazing feeling. After we got back to his place, we were both sated from our outdoor sexcapades and exhausted from the day. Deciding a good night's sleep was in order and we could have that heart to heart in the morning, we went straight to bed. Now that morning is here, the time for truths has come, which requires caffeine. Lots of caffeine. My nerves are shot, and like the crazy that I am, caffeine calms me like no other. Normal people go for coffee in the morning to feed their caffeine addiction, but I go for the energy drinks. Dominic has stockpiled the drinks in his pantry for me.