Anger suddenly flashes in me and I stalk up to her. She shrinks away and I feel more than a hint of satisfaction at her fear. I fucking told her that I’m not a white knight. I’m not here to protect her. I’m the one she needs protection against.
I push her back and pin her down. My lips claim hers. I’m demanding she surrender and she does. Still, I’m rough enough to leave bruises as my tongue seeks hers out. She whimpers into my mouth, but her hips are bucking into me.
Fuck, I need to bury myself in her.
I release her lips to sink my teeth into the soft skin of her neck. She cries out as the skin flowers red under my mouth. Still, some part of her is moving with me, working with me. Her hips are working against me like crazy and I sense she’s getting off on this.
It’s incredible.
My hand finds her throat and I hold tight as she grabs my hand. But she’s not struggling against me, she’s holding me in place. My lips touch the skin between her breasts and I want more. Grabbing the dress, I wrench it down. The sound of buttons scattering is dull to my ears as her perfect, luscious tits pop free of the yellow material and rock with the violence of the motion.
With a hungry growl, I pull one of her already tight nipples into my mouth. She’s sweet, soft, and as I look up at her, she’s lost. Her lips are red, her cheeks flushed, and there’s an excitement sparkling in her eyes.
But not fear.
Why not fear?
My fingers on her throat are tight, but not so much that she can’t breathe. And she’s not struggling. No she’s moving with me, but not fighting. Why not? She can’t possibly like it rough like this.
I like it rough. I like the struggle, the fight of two bodies coming together in explosive, hot, demanding sex. She whimpers, the sound all sexy excitement, and I have my answer. This isn’t helping my argument, it’s hurting it.
I release her nipple with a responding pop and take the other. My teeth tease and my cock pulses between her legs. She’s still trying to rub on me, and her heat sinks through my clothing and feels like heaven.
Fuck, she’s going to destroy me.
I jerk back and hear her suck in a deep breath. But she’s not letting me go so easily. She launches herself off the bed and into my arms, her legs winding around my hips. Spinning her with her momentum, I drop her on her back on the bed. We fall in a heap of lips and hands. I kiss her hard while her fingers struggle to free me from my pants.
Grabbing her hands, I pin both her wrists above her head and she whimpers.
“Please,” she gasps, her hips still bucking into me like she’s close and I’m denying her.
As reason slips away, I get ready to fuck her like this. With her dressed, her perfect tits out, her skirt pushed up her hips. With my clothes on, only free enough to ram into her with every throbbing inch I’ve got, ready to make her scream in pain and pleasure.
Some vaguely familiar song plays and she stiffens under me. It takes me a second to realize her phone is ringing. And she’s frozen, taken over by the unmistakable face of sheer terror.
Chapter Twenty-one
Camille
That ringtone… it’s Jackson calling me right now. While Dakin is over me, fucking rocking my whole world.
He halts, and I sense the extraordinary struggle within him to stop right now. “It’s Jackson,” I whisper and he’s quick to get off me and move around the bed to grab my phone.
“Should I answer it?” I ask, terrified and seeking validation and answers from Dakin. Why would Jackson be calling me? He’d threatened me. He’d threatened everyone I love.
Dakin takes out his own phone and thumbs the screen while handing me mine. “Answer,” he says in a no-nonsense tone and I nod.
Accepting the call, I hit the speaker button, needing Dakin to hear and back me up no matter what happens or what Jackson says.
“Hello?” I ask, hating how innocent I sound. Like I have no idea what’s going on. He’s going to see right through that. And it’s going to piss him off.
“Whore. How long did it take you to let Dark fuck you?” he sounds furious and spiteful. Hell, he sounds unhinged.
Staring at my phone as the seconds tick by, I answer his rude question honestly. “He hasn’t fucked me, Jackson, but that’s none of your damn business. We’re over, remember?” I say all too sweetly as he begins to make sounds that resemble an angry pug snorting. “I can fuck whoever I want.”
“The fuck you can.” His voice is so dark and threatening I feel my hands begin to shake. I set the phone on my lap so I can ball up my fist and try to hide the trembling. “You better not be lying, for your mother’s sake.”
My blood runs ice cold. “What did you do to my mom?” I ask, ready to kill him with my bare hands if he’s hurt her.
“Nothing yet. But what I do to her depends on you.” His voice takes on a calm that’s more terrifying than his anger. I glance up at Dakin who’s furiously texting on his phone.
“Here’s what you’re going to do,” Jackson says. “You’re going to meet me at the spot. You know which one. If you bring anyone, I’ll fucking kill her.”
“What do you want?” I ask, needing to know why he’s doing this to me. I feel tears threatening on the edge of my vision, and I know I’ll never forgive myself if I cry because of fucking Jackson. I’ve shed enough tears for this asshole. He doesn’t deserve any more of my energy.
But this is my mom he’s threatening. What had I said to her last? That I was off to class? She didn’t even get a chance to see how much I’m letting her down. Pain sears through me and I struggle to keep it together.
“What you owe me,” Jackson snarls. “All you had to do was see how stupid you were being last night. That you fucked up by dumping me. Then we’d have gone back to my place. I’d have fucked you all night long. And you’d be a real woman now. My woman.”
“Nobody owns me,” I say, a feeling of incredulousness bubbling up in me. Does this asshole really think that taking my virginity will make me his slave or whatever? This is nuts. He’s fucking lost it.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he says. The only thing more unsettling than the situation is the way he’s talking. He’s so very calm, so very reasonable. Like he’s not delivering lines like how I owe him my virginity. No, he sounds like he’s ordering a burger and a shake. Just a relaxed, calm tone, like it’s no big deal. “I own you. I groomed you. I pushed you until you broke. You were supposed to get mad and show me how much a woman you really are. You were supposed to fuck me.”
“You had this all planned out?” I ask. The more he talks, the more insane it gets.
“Yes!” He’s shouting now. “All you had to do was be fucking normal! Like the others!”
That strikes a nerve. “The others? What others?” I ask.
“I’m the one asking questions!” I hear how loud he’s being, and how angry he is. It’s terrifying. But he knows I’ll do anything to make sure he doesn’t hurt my mom. Even put myself in harm’s way. She shouldn’t pay for my mistakes.
“Okay. I’ll meet you there,” I say, resigning myself. This is how this is happening. No one can save me from this. I have to face this demon. My mom’s very life might depend on it.
The phone goes dead and I know he’s gone.
Looking over at Dakin, I see him studying me. “You have to call the cops.” He’s calm and controlled.
“I can’t,” I say. “I’d never forgive myself if he hurt her.” I wouldn’t. This is all my fault.
“I’ve got someone going by your house,” Dakin says, and I blink at him.
“Are you crazy? What if he’s watching?” I ask, feeling panic bubbling up in my guts.
Dakin shakes his head. “I’m sure he’s wherever you are meeting with him already. But I’m sure he doesn’t have your mom.”
“I can’t risk it.” Does Dakin not get it? None of this is worth my mom’s life. I don’t care about what he’ll do to me, I only care that he’s got her. “If it was your mom, what
would you do?” I ask, pleading with him to understand why I’m so scared.
Dakin hesitates.
“See?” I whisper, knowing he gets it now. And I suddenly know I’ve got to plan to ditch Dakin. If he follows me, Jackson will lose it. With my heart pounding in my chest, I stand up. “Okay,” I say, keeping my voice as calm as I can. “I need to get going.”
“I’m coming,” Dakin says, not taking no for an answer.
“Okay,” I say, a plan forming quickly. “Let me go pee. Then we leave.” I head into the bathroom and open the huge window that’s level with the tub. Outside, the roof to the patio slops toward the ground and I climb out on it.
With careful steps, I ease toward the short end and let myself down on the concrete fence. Squatting down, I drop off the edge into the neighbor’s back yard. Thankful they don’t have dogs, I slip out through their gate.
I know where I’m going. A place I swore never to go back.
Chapter Twenty-two
Dakin
I knock on the bathroom door, with a sense of dread knotting in my gut. The echo of my knock is enough to warn me she’s not in there. Turning the knob, I open the door and scan the room. It’s empty.
Shit.
Panic settles into my guts like battery acid. Fuck, what did she do? The window is closed, but I’m certain that’s what she must have done. It would have let her into the backyard. Or, more likely, she would have dropped into the Nicks’ backyard.
Rushing down the stairs, I hurry out the front door. In the road, I turn both directions, hoping to catch sight of her on the sidewalk. Nothing.
Sprinting into the neighbor’s yard, I open their gate to see if she’s in their backyard still. Maybe I caught her. Maybe I was quick enough and she didn’t get far. How much distance could she have really gotten in just a few minutes?
The Nicks are on vacation, so seeing anyone back here would be out of place. But there’s no sign of her or anyone else. No one I could even ask questions. Fuck.
Retracing my steps back out to the road, I pace back and forth, wracking my brain for a clue. He hadn’t said where to meet, just that she’d know the spot. I don’t know him well enough to know his creep haunts. Damn it.
She had to have gotten on the road. Lifting my hand to shade myself from the sun, I feel panic tightening my chest. Which way did she go? My heart pounds so hard I feel faint. I pace back and forth again, wondering how I managed to lose her.
And now she’s off to have a face to face meeting with the man who has clearly lost his mind. My sweet, gentle Camille is walking into the arms of a monster. And with the fact that there are witnesses to his previous crimes, he might make sure there isn’t one more to point the finger at him.
As my heart sinks to my toes, I hear my phone chime. Yanking it out of my pocket, I hope against hope that it holds answers.
It’s Cliff. Holy fucking Christ, it’s the one person who can help me. Fuck, finally some good news. Did you lose someone?
Relief. It’s relief I feel flooding my veins. Where did she go? I ask, staring at my phone like it’s some holy relic that can save me.
The white message bubble pops up almost instantly, like he was ready to text before I even asked. Toward Aspen. Then a right on Dovetail Rd.
I fucking owe you. I text like my fingers are on fire. And I mean it.
I breathe a sigh of relief that he’s still around, still watching her like I’d asked. Any sense of guilt I’d had for perhaps wasting his time is washed away.
Jesus, he might have literally helped me save her life. Thanks just doesn’t cut it. I don’t know what I’d do without him. Armed with this new knowledge, I rush into my garage and get in my car. The seconds waiting for the garage door feel like the longest seconds in my whole life.
I back out too quickly and put the car in gear. As I drive the direction Cliff told me to go, I wonder what the hell Camille is thinking. She doesn’t actually believe that he’s got her mom, does she?
In what world would her mother follow a creep like Jackson? I grab my phone to text Cliff.
Was she home? I knew he had someone checking since my first text back when Jackson was still threatening Camille.
Cliff is quick to respond. No answer, no BE.
Well, that’s good. His guy knocked but didn’t break and enter. Still, not answering doesn’t mean she’s with Jackson. She could be in the shower or out getting groceries.
Fuck. I should have put someone on her earlier. Still, I don’t believe Jackson was able to do so much while being tailed by cops. They’re looking for him, he has to know that. Would he really risk showing his face?
Questions without answers fill my mind, but I’m focused as I drive toward the crossroads Cliff told me to go to.
And as I turn, I see her. But, instead of letting her know I’m here, I fall back and let the few cars on the road pass as I park well behind her. Only when she’s turned down the road, do I follow her again, keeping a safe distance. She’s walking with her head down and I know she’s staring at her phone, perhaps texting Jackson.
Doesn’t she know she’s walking right into a trap?
Everything in me wants to jump out of the car, grab her and take her home while I hunt down Jackson and castrate him.
She’d never forgive me if I did, though. So I keep my distance and plan. Once I know where I’m going, I’ll have Cliff sweep the place and I’ll go after Jackson. We’ll take the son of a bitch down.
Chapter Twenty-three
Camille
I feel like I’m walking to my death. How dare he mess with my mom? She’d never liked him. She told me he gave her the willies. I’d rolled my eyes, of course, since the phrase she’d used was so terrible.
Still, back then, I’d had no idea that Jackson could be such an absolute terror.
I should have listened to her. I should have trusted her when she told me something about him bothered her. She was right. But I’d been so blind, so certain he was fine.
Sure, he bugged me too. His hipster, cooler than you, over inflated sense of self annoyed me. But it hadn’t made him seem dangerous. He didn’t seem like someone who’d attack. I had actually thought he’d calm down and be fun to hang out with.
And he had been, in the beginning.
But over time, he’d become more possessive and more demanding.
My fateful words from last night fill my mind. It’s hard to believe that only a day has separated all the insanity my life has been through. Everything was turned upside down. Now I’ve got the hots for Dakin.
Still, I can’t help but smile at what I’d told him. I hope it still stings. Fuck you, Jackson. Fuck you and your stupid haircut. Fuck you and your hipster bullshit. You’re not sensitive, or deep. You’re just a stupid prick who only wants to get laid.
I cross the railroad tracks, knowing where I’m going. A place he’d brought me once. A place where I’d found myself being kissed by Jackson back when I’d thought he was nice. We’d been sitting side by side on a swing that hung over the river. He’d turned to me and kissed me like I was the only person who existed in his whole world.
I was so stupid.
My phone lights up and I try to tell him again that I’m coming alone. I ditched him. I’m coming alone, I swear.
You better, bitch.
My eyes sting with tears. I’m doing this. I’m actually doing this. Looking both ways, I cross the road and know I’m getting close. This side of town is where things break down. The roads go from pavement to gravel and finally to dirt. The people out here are different, too.
Please don’t hurt her, I text him. I’m never going to sleep again. This is going to fuck with my head forever, I’m sure. Even now, my hands are shaking. Adrenaline is pumping through me and I’m certain I’ll pass out if I even so much as take too deep of a breath.
I’m fired up, exhausted, and terrified, a combustive mixture of emotion that’s fueling me. I wish it had been Dakin. I mean, I’m not an idiot. Virginity is a sh
am. Sure, I’ve never had a cock inside me, but I’m also not some pure, stupid girl. I doubt Jackson would even know the difference if I’d slept with Dakin last night.
Bloody hell, my life is such a damn mess.
I cross the dirt road and take the little-used path through the tall grasses. The hill is a bit steep, but I’m sure on my feet. I can hear the sound of water rushing, of the wind making the leaves overhead flutter, and the scent of water hits me like a runaway train.
Any other time, this would have been fun. It would have been a good experience. For any other reason it would have been.
“Jackson?” I call out, keeping my voice quiet. The grasses give way to a little clearing at the edge of the river. The water is moving lazily here and I half expect to see a group of teenagers swimming in the deep pool.
But this spot is pretty quiet. It’s not a well-known hang out. Not when down the river a ways there’s a huge spot where it all opens up and rocks let girls bake in the sun and the deep water lets people swim.
“Jackson?” I say a bit louder.
Suddenly, a hand covers my eyes and another covers my mouth. “Don’t make a sound.” Jackson’s whisper scares me and I comply, going limp in his arms. I don’t want him to think I’m going to fight. I don’t want him to hurt me.
“I loved you,” he whispers, and I nod, miserable as he speaks. He never loved me. Love isn’t trying to hurt someone. It’s not cruel. It’s not deception. It’s not everything Jackson has shown me over the last few days.
“If you scream, I’ll kill you,” he whispers. I nod, and he pulls his hand off my mouth slowly, as if ready to clamp back down if I make a sound. When I don’t, he releases my eyes and turns me around.
I see him look me up and down, and hate that I’m wearing this dress. “Lay down,” he says, and I look around.
“Right here?” I whisper, my throat aching as the words pass. He nods and I sit down in the dirt. Looking up at him, I hate him and myself. “Where’s my mom?” I ask, looking around.
“Shut up,” he growls, unbuttoning his pants as he drops to his knees before me. Suddenly, something black circles his neck and he lets out an odd gurgling sound as he’s hauled back. Behind him, I see Dakin, his arms flexing as he holds a strap around Jackson’s throat.
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