Protecting Her Heart

by Chance Carter

  "You don't know what you're saying." His voice was cold. Direct. I could tell things were about to take a turn. The only question was, was I ready for it?

  "I know exactly what I'm saying."

  Donnie charged up to his full height, towering above me with a menacing expression. I held his gaze, jutting my chin out.

  "If you try to leave me I will make you fucking regret it," he growled. "You like that cushy job of yours? You like having a fucking place to live?" He stepped toward me and I stepped back.

  Was he going to hit me? Keeping my arms crossed was the only way I knew to keep him from seeing my shaking hands but it made me feel vulnerable. I lowered my hands to my sides but clenched my fists.

  "I don't care what you do. No amount of threatening will be enough this time. I'm through. And you know what, Donnie? This is your fault. It always has been. Every time you've pushed me around and mistreated me, you've been pushing me further and further away. It's too late now."

  I turned to leave, finished with this conversation and finished with this life, but Donnie grabbed my shoulder and dragged me back. I stumbled and nearly fell back onto the bed but managed to catch myself in time to stay upright.

  "Don't touch me!" I shrieked. "Don't you dare lay a fucking hand on me ever again!"

  "Don't fucking walk away from me!" he screamed back.

  "You. Don't. Own. Me!"

  I bit out each word with all the pent up malice I'd been saving up like tarnished pennies.

  "You had your chance and you blew it! You don't make decisions for me anymore. We're over!"

  Donnie didn't pull me back when I stormed for the door this time, but he followed me down the hall, stomping and screaming.

  "I gave you everything! I made your life so fucking good! You don't just get to walk away from that!"

  "I'll run then!" I shot over my shoulder. "I'll skip. I'll fucking dance away if I have to."

  Donnie threw his hand out just as I reached the front door. I managed to open it a crack before his bodyweight slammed it closed again, and when I turned around I found him glowering down at me.

  "You're making a mistake," he seethed.

  "No, this is the first thing I've done in years that hasn't been a mistake. Now are you going to let me leave or am I going to have to call the cops?"

  I watched his expression flicker as he weighed his options and horror sent icy tendrils up my spine. I didn't want to know what kind of nasty ideas were crossing his mind, and I worried that his darker instincts would win out. I was in danger every second that I spent with him, but never more than that moment. He could have killed me and I wouldn't have been able to stop him. He was bigger than me, stronger than me, and so much crueler. I anchored my feet to the ground and held my breath.

  Donnie's hand pulled back, and he ran his thumb down my cheek. "Baby, please don't go."

  I let out a breathy sigh. He seemed to think that meant I had succumbed, but it was really a sigh of relief. He leaned down to kiss me and I stopped him with a hand to his face.

  "I've been gone in my mind for a long time," I said. "Not that you ever noticed."

  Was it hurt that crossed his face? Did I care if it was? It was hard to be with someone for so long, to live with them and share every part of your life with them, without developing some sort of attachment. But any pity or sympathy I felt for Donnie was buried so deep under all the resentment and agony that I stared at him in cold indifference. Then, straight backed, I turned and opened the door.

  Donnie followed me out onto the deck. "What can I do? I'll be better, baby, I promise. Please don't leave me."

  Now he just sounded pathetic. I laughed bitterly under my breath and strutted over to my car, yanking open the door and sliding in without even sparing him a parting remark.

  "You'll be back!" he cried as I started backing down the drive. "You can't survive without me!"

  I flipped him the bird, smiling serenely. Not a fucking chance.

  I rolled into the motel's parking lot just as the sun was stretching long rosy fingers over the horizon. The dry heat kissed my bare thighs and arms as I walked to the building, promising a long, hot day ahead.

  It felt like there was a little bird trapped in my ribcage, fluttering this way and that, filling me with excitement and trepidation. I'd just done the unthinkable, and now I was free. Completely free. It was just as scary as it was liberating, since I faced a world of unknown obstacles ahead. At least with Donnie I knew he would always be my main opposition. It was exciting to think that I'd have new dragons to slay, even if I did feel like a foal taking my first steps outside of the womb.

  One thing I knew for sure was that the man whose door I searched for down the long line of motel rooms was the most exciting, most dangerous unknown of them all. He had eyes like a dust storm and made my core sizzle every time he looked at me. There was an electricity between us that demanded exploration. And there was nothing stopping me.

  Room 103. I stopped at the door, hand hovering just below the room number. Then, with a wide smile, I knocked.

  Chapter 14

  Jack

  I was a light sleeper, always had been. Our house growing up wasn't in the nicest neighborhood, and as a kid I used to jump at every sound.

  When I got older, the noises still woke me up, but I could get back to sleep without shitting myself worrying that a murderer was coming in to get me. Except by then my sister was at the age where she started worrying about monsters. I don't know how many times I woke up to her saying she'd had a bad dream or heard something scary, and I never minded since it was impossible to be mad at a girl with eyes as big and sad as hers.

  When my mom got sick, I would wake up every time I heard her coughing or groaning in pain in the middle of the night and go help her. She always told me to stay in bed, but I kept going to her anyway.

  I didn't have to be a light sleeper for the knock on my door to rouse me. I sat up in bed and cursed, both due to the sharp complaint from my ribs and also from the realization that my mystery knocker was probably Donnie. I didn't know how he found me. It didn't really matter. If he'd come to finish what we started yesterday, then I was going to indulge him. As long as he came alone, or at least as long as his idiot friends kept out of it until it was their turn.

  I threw on a pair of pants but stayed shirtless. It wasn't even seven yet but it was already goddamn hot in my room. I lumbered over to the door, undoing the latch and opening it wide.

  A punch to the gut would have been less breathtaking than the sight of Melissa standing on my doorstep, still wearing the same cute little pajama set she’d worn for our midnight rendezvous. She was smiling confidently, exposing two bright sets of pearly whites, and something seemed different about her. The girl hadn't slept all night but she looked brighter than I'd ever seen her. Happier. I smiled too, unable to help myself. She was contagious.

  "What did you mean when you said you'd claim me as your prize?"

  I cocked my head to the side, puzzled. Hadn't I already answered this?

  She must've sensed my confusion.

  "Be specific," she urged.

  Oh, this was right up my street. I would have much rather show her what I meant, but if she wanted to hear me say it, then I'd give her everything she could take and then some.

  "I meant that after I beat up your boyfriend, I was going to take you with me, probably to somewhere just like this." I ran my hand down the door frame, the metal cool against my fingertips. "From there, sweetheart, I would’ve stripped you naked and made you cum on my cock so many times that you’d forget what day it was."

  Her eyes widened, pupils dilating and filling her irises with black. She let out a little sigh, and my cock strained against the front of my jeans.

  "You won the fight," Melissa said quietly. "Are you going to take your prize?"

  I didn’t hesitate even a second.

  "Damn fucking straight."

  I grabbed her chin and slammed my mouth down on hers, blood burn
ing under my skin. I'd gone from sleepy to horny so quickly that my brain still hadn't caught up, but luckily my cock had. Her pillowy lips parted for me like melted butter and I slipped my tongue inside, massaging her tongue and pulling forth little moans of pleasure that made my cock ache.

  We walked back into the room until the door closed, then I pressed her up against it, wrapping one of those slender legs around my hips so I could grind my hardness where it would do the most good.

  Melissa needed this, I could tell. She was almost frantic in how she touched me, running her hands everywhere and anywhere, fighting back against my kiss with a frenzy of her own. Hell, I needed this too. I'd been sexually frustrated since the first moment I laid eyes on her, and only now was I letting myself feel that frustration to its full extent. I craved her to my bones, like I'd never wanted another human being in my life. Her skin was hot and soft under my touch and I touched her all over, stroking along her thighs, her feather soft stomach, her slender neck. Her hands wandered over my bare chest and I let out a hiss as she found my cracked rib.

  "I'm sorry!" she whispered.

  I chuckled, kissing down to her neck and sucking. "My whole body could be broken and I'd still want you to touch me."

  She moaned and arched back. I sucked her skin between my teeth and nibbled, savoring her sweetness. She was the best prize I'd ever fought for, the only one I'd ever risk so much for. I'd get the shit kicked out of me over and over again, relive that day from hell a thousand times, if it meant I got to end the day with Melissa in my arms.

  I captured her wrists and held them above her head. Her tits heaved with each heavy breath and I dove between them, licking and sucking the soft flesh, grinding my cock against her heat until I thought I would explode. She was fucking gorgeous. I lifted her other leg around my waist and let go of her wrists so I could balance her juicy ass in my hands, squeezing with relish and walking us over to the bed. I let her down gently, laying her across the pillows like a priceless artifact.

  "I'm glad you came," I said. "I was worried it was going to be Donnie knocking down my door."

  "No Donnie talk," she commanded. "No talk at all. I'm your prize. Treasure me."

  “You’re a commanding little minx, aren’t you?” I grinned. "Sweetheart, I’m going to treasure the fuck out of you."

  I slid her tank top over her head, hissing with pleasure when I saw she was, indeed, going braless underneath. Her nipples were perfectly round and peaked with lust, and I sucked each delicate pink nub into my mouth in turn while she writhed beneath me. I scraped my teeth over them as I sucked, and Melissa squealed with pleasure. She squealed even louder when I slipped my hand under the waistband of her pajama shorts and stroked one finger along her wet seam. Her hairless pussy was warm and wet, and her folds parted easily for my probing finger. I kissed up to her neck as I began to explore her, sliding my finger into her tight heat and making her hips curl up from the mattress. My thumb rubbed in circles over her clit and I timed each thrust of my finger with the scrape of my teeth on her throat. She tasted so good. She felt so good. I couldn't wait to be inside of her, to stretch her wide and make her scream my name in rapture.

  Melissa's hand cupped my cock through my boxers, squeezing the outline of my shaft with her delicate fingers. My eyes rolled back into my head and a shiver coursed through me like an electric current. I'd never wanted someone so bad. I'd never felt so powerful and yet so goddamn weak all at once. This woman held me in the palm of her hand—quite literally—and I found myself thinking I would do anything and everything to please her. Satisfaction wouldn't be enough. I wanted to ruin her, to exhaust her so fully and completely that she could never leave my bed.

  I pulled back enough to inch her shorts over her hips and down her long legs, and Melissa kicked the fabric off once it reached her ankles. My boxers went next, and though I felt another stab of pain as I maneuvered them off of me, it seemed like it was coming from somewhere distant. The pain couldn't reach me here, with this goddess of needs and wants. It was all pleasure and only pleasure.

  Melissa's gaze lowered to my turgid cock and widened. I smirked. I never had anything to worry about in the dick department, but seeing the expression on her face still felt good. Long and thick, my dick was probably my favorite thing about myself. If all went to plan, it would soon be Melissa's favorite thing about me too.

  She reached for me, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck to tug my lips back to hers. I kissed her hard and deep, grinding my length up her stomach as our bodies flattened against each other. She felt so good, every inch of her soft and sweet and perfect. Her nails scraped down my back just hard enough to make my hair stand on end and my cock throb.

  Another second without being inside her would kill me. I shot out a hand to the wallet on the dresser, cracking open one eye so I could fish out the condom I kept there. She snatched it from my hand and I opened my other eye to look down at her.

  She read the question in my eyes. "I want to put it on," she said, pushing my shoulder until I backed up a little.

  I felt another pulse of heat radiating between my thighs and gritted my teeth, watching hungrily as she tore open the packet and reached between us to start rolling the condom over the head of my cock.

  Every touch of her hand on me sparked electricity that I felt deep in my balls. She made something as mundane as putting on a condom feel erotic and new, and by the time she'd finished rolling it down to the root I was shaking from the need to get inside of her.

  Melissa lay back, staring up at me with half-lidded eyes and a sexy little smile that drove me wild. I found her entrance with the head of my cock and pressed inside a little, testing her.

  "Fuck," she moaned.

  She was tight, and my second push went a little further before I had to pull back. My forehead was sweating, arms shaking. I pressed forward again, and this time I slid down to the hilt in perfect, velvety heat.

  The pleasure was indescribable. Melissa wrapped her legs around me and angled her hips up to press me inside further and I saw stars. Her body felt like it was made for me, designed to bring the purest pleasure. I sank into her heat and pulled back over and over again, dialing up the sensation each time. We kissed hungrily as our bodies writhed together. She bit my lower lip and held it and I growled, ramping up the intensity of my thrusts to show her who was boss. Of course, that was exactly what she wanted me to do, and Melissa's keening wail as she approached her climax soon filled the room. Fuck, was it a turn on.

  I slammed harder, pulling one of her legs over my shoulder to change up the angle. Melissa's hands dug into my back and she thrust back against me until the room echoed with our ragged breaths.

  Heat and searing pleasure bubbled up inside of me, and I knew I wouldn't last much longer. Melissa was so close though—I could feel it in the way her pussy gripped me, could see it in her glassy eyes and tense expression. She was desperate for her climax and I was just as desperate to give it to her.

  I slung her other leg over my shoulder and reached even deeper inside of her. She shouted out some colorful expletives and then, like a dying star, she exploded right beneath me. The air rushed from my lungs as her spasms milked my swollen cock, and I slammed harder and harder until finally I released inside of her. My body turned inside out and the world turned upside down, and it was more than just intense.

  It was heavenly.

  I let Melissa's legs go and collapsed on top of her, shaking. For a while all we could do was breathe together, and the aftershocks of my orgasm rolled over me one by one.

  It was light outside by the time we finally fell asleep, and the closed curtains glowed with the promise of a new day. I held Melissa tight and decided, right then and there, that I wasn't going to let her go.

  Chapter 15

  Melissa

  I woke slowly and with a happy smile on my lips. The happiness was purely to do with the fact that I'd just slept better than I had in months. The good sleep was probably because I was more t
ired out than I had been in months, but I had to chalk some of it up to my sleeping companion. Some of the happiness too.

  Jack was still passed out next to me, one long leg tossed over mine and his face turned to the wall. He looked different when he was sleeping, and I rolled onto my side to observe him for a little while.

  The sun had passed over the window, which meant it was sometime in the afternoon. I didn't want to check my phone to find out what time exactly because I was worried of what else I might find, and I wanted to extend this pleasurable mini-vacation from reality as long as possible. Before long I would have to face the decision I made last night.

  And the fall out.

  Jack's lashes were long for a guy's, something I hadn't noticed until I saw how they swept his cheekbones while he slept. His hair was rumpled and his jaw unshaven, but he still looked like he belonged in a cologne advertisement or something. The tattoos that ran up both his forearms blossomed over his shoulders and chest, and I reached over to trace the outline of a skull, wondering what all of his tattoos meant. I'd never had so many questions about a person before.

  That thought reminded me of how little I knew about Jack. I knew he had a sister and that he grew up in Bell Springs. I knew that his mom had passed away a few years ago, and I knew without him having to tell me that it had been a truly devastating loss. He was kind and compassionate, but Donnie had seemed that way to me too at first.

  What was I doing?

  I pulled my hand back but stayed watching him, listening for the rise and fall of his breathing in the dimly lit space.

  How did I know that this guy wasn't just using me too? We'd never talked about what this was or what we wanted, and I was in serious danger of having my heart broken by him. He waltzed into my life out of nowhere, magically possessing every quality I longed for in a partner, and that was dangerous. It wouldn’t take long for me to fall for him, even if I hadn’t already begun the process. And make no mistake, I had. I was one stiff breeze away from tumbling right down that crevasse and I knew better than anyone that falling was a helluva lot easier than climbing back out.