by Vi Carter
“You never have to hide from me.”
I didn’t need his comfort right now. I want to hurt him so badly. “Shut up, Rian.” I slam my mouth on his. He doesn’t return my kiss, refusing me what I need. Ready to break, I grind my pussy against his cock. With a growl, he rolls me onto my back and starts tearing at my clothes.
“Fuck me hard,” I pant between breaths, begging him to take me away from this moment.
“No more running from me.” His eyes flash with a warning.
“Get off me.” I push him away, but he doesn’t move.
“Get off me, Rian.”
His hands leave my face and grip my wrists, dragging my arms above my head. “You’re not running this time.”
“Why the fuck do you care?!” I’m screaming. No one has ever cared. Why him?
“Because I love you, Willow.”
My body tenses, and I’m not sure I heard him right. I’m shaking my head. “You don’t even know me.” Tears leak from the corners of my eyes.
“I might not know your past, but I know you. I know when you're pretending or lying. I know how I feel.”
My heart threatens to rip from my chest as his moss-green eyes devour me.
“Willow.” Father Cooney’s voice is like a splash of cold water across my burning soul.
“I have to go back in. I have to make this right,” I whisper to Rian.
He gets off me and helps me stand. I have no idea what is going to happen. I’m expecting Rian to demand I come with him. “Should I come with you?”
I run a shaky hand across my face. “I don’t think so, Rian. You should go home.”
He’s already shaking his head.
“What do you expect me to do?”
“Go in and say your piece. Pack your bags, and let me take you home.”
“Willow.” Father Cooney calls again.
“I’ll just be a moment, Father.” I try to keep the bite out of my words.
“This isn’t going to work.” How could he not see that? What we were doing was wrong.
“Willow, you just don’t get it. I’m not giving you up.”
“You don’t get it. I can’t do this.” I pronounce each word, and for the first time, I think I’m getting through to Rian.
He runs his hands across his face. His bandaged hand makes me think of him saving me.
“Rian…” I want to explain, but I don’t know how. I care for him, it’s more than care, but I can’t allow all those emotions to filter through me. “This ends now.” Shivers assault me, and I’m not sure if it’s from his hardened gaze or the damp grass that had penetrated through my clothes. I glance back at the house. Father Cooney is still waiting. “If you care about me, you’ll leave.” I don’t look to Rian as guilt gnaws at me, but fold my arms across my chest and start walking back to the house.
The cabin is quiet when I step in, and each second that ticks by, I’m waiting for Rian to bust through the door and drag me out, but it doesn’t happen. The door opens and closes behind me, and I can’t stop myself from looking just to be sure. Father Cooney’s normally soft eyes are narrowed as he glares at me like this is my fault.
I push that thought aside and move over to Luke.
“Are you okay?”
“What the hell do you think?” Maria surprises me with the level of anger she directs towards me.
Luke groans as he tries to sit up. His face is a bloody mess.
“I’m sorry.” My voice is low.
“I think it’s best you leave.” Maria rises from beside Luke.
“That’s very fucking forgiving of you.” Everyone inhales sharply at my language. I hold up my hands before she can respond and leave the room. Father Cooney doesn’t stop me as I go into my room and pack. I’m dying a little inside as I pick up the black phone. I’m staring at it even as Barb steps into the room.
“I don’t blame you,” she says.
“It doesn’t matter. Everyone else does.”
“You can’t control what other people do. They know that. I think everyone is just in shock. It was crazy, but don’t go.”
My finger hovers over Rian’s number. I had just told him to leave, but could I really stay here?
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
RIAN
I flex my fist several times before glancing back up at the cabin. The small windows are lit up. I’m not finished yet. My blood still roars. I still hunger for violence. The door opens, and Willow appears with luggage that’s nearly the same size as her. A red-haired girl steps out after her, I can’t hear what they are saying, but it looks like she’s trying to encourage Willow to go back inside. Willow smiles, and it’s fake, before waving a black phone at the girl. She steps out onto the gravel, and I watch her as she drags her suitcase behind her hunched frame. I let her walk out onto the road before I start the car and slowly drive behind her.
She glances back and blinks from the severity of my lights. I hate how unafraid she is—a girl alone on a dark road. The priest would have had a lot to answer for if anything had happened to her. I put my foot on the pedal and drive past Willow. Stopping, I get out and open the trunk. She doesn’t stop walking as I approach her and take the luggage from her hand. She’s still holding the phone tightly as she climbs into the front seat. I feel more settled with her beside me as I continue to drive. The violence that raged inside me slowly fades away.
“I can’t go home.” Her words are spoken to the night sky.
I had no intention of taking her back to her mother.
Each time she glances at me, there is a deadness in her eyes that scares me. I want to apologize for ruining her weekend, but I’m not sorry. The thought of Luke anywhere near her is enough to reignite the violence in me.
I pull up at the gates, and Willow glances at me, her brows dragged down. “The garden center?”
“It’s my garden.” I grin as I climb out and unlock the chain around the gates. The car idles behind me as I push them open. Once we are through, I relock them. Willow glances behind her at the fading gates in the red tail light as I drive through the gardens and to my home.
“I’m still renovating,” I say once we pull up.
Willow ducks her head down to look up at the large two-story home. She can’t see much in the darkness.
I get out and get her luggage out of the trunk. She’s beside me as I open the door and step into my home. I’ve never brought anyone here. Turning on the lights, I turn as Willow steps into my home. Her gaze is filled with awe as she looks around the entryway, and I have a sudden desire to see my home through her eyes. My hall has its original mosaic flooring. The white slide and sash windows are also original: I had the doors and high skirting boards restored.
I close the heavy red door behind her, and she continues to look around . “This is your home?” Her voice bounces around the empty hallway.
“I’m still renovating.”
She glances at me from over her shoulder, and I can’t help but think she looks perfect in my home. I don’t want to take from her right now. I want her to give herself to me freely. Her cheeks darken. My intentions, I don’t hide. I want Willow. I always have, but having her in my home, alone, with no-one to interrupt us, is making this moment harder than I could have ever imagined.
She looks away, but I see the broken look in her eyes. It’s there under her curiosity, and I’m sure she will cave at any second from all her pain. Her movements are gentle as she leans in and flicks on the light to the main sitting room. It’s a shell, with only its original fireplace. The rest of it has been stripped back. Lights are set up in the middle of the floor, along with all my tools.
“Are you doing it yourself?” She turns but keeps her back to the doorframe, her hands are tucked behind her back.
“Yes. It clears my mind. When I’m here working on the house, I’m just working.”
Her eyes smile at me. “Does your father know?”
“No. No one knows.”
Her eyes widen.
“Come on.” I reach out my hand for her, and she bites her lip. She places her small hand in mine where it belongs.
“I haven’t done much. I’ve been stripping it back and allowing the original features to breathe.” I take her through an empty dining room and down a hall. We enter another room that I might have as another sitting area. Double doors that were made from wrought iron open out onto my favorite part of the house. I turn on the lights in the indoor greenhouse, and they come to life.
Willow’s hand leaves mine, and I want to reach out and take it back, but instead, I focus on her face as she takes in all the large plants that had no one to tame them. The room is like a jungle, and I know I will leave it this way. I’ve hung lights from trees and some randomly placed in the clay of the flower beds. She keeps walking with a look of pure wonder on her face. She stops in the center where a small white table and chairs sit. I’ve been working on stripping back all the layers of paint to try to get to the original.
“Wow.” She smiles, and I know it’s real. Her eyes are still puffy from crying earlier. She still looks haunted, like someone who just stepped out of a war zone.
“Yeah, this is my sanctuary.”
“You are so lucky to have all this.” She glances around the room. It’s hers too. She just doesn’t know it yet.
“There is a lot of work to be done. I could always use some help.”
She won't meet my eye now as she starts to leave the room. “I don’t think so, Rian.” I follow her, wanting to make her stop, but something tells me not to touch her.
We are back in the hallway again, and she’s staring at the front door. Picking up her suitcase, I carry it upstairs. The winding stairs have been sanded back, the wood of the banister under my hand is soft. Her light footsteps on the stairs make me grin. My intentions for getting her upstairs are the furthest from pure. I pass several rooms and enter the only one that is decorated.
My bedroom.
I flip on the light and drag her suitcase in. This is where she belongs. I turn to face her as she steps in. Her gaze bounces from me to the red bedding. It was for her.
“Red?”
I grin. “You noticed.”
Her wild brown eyes focus on me, and she frowns, but it slowly disappears as I take a step towards her.
“You can stay here with me tonight.” I reach out and touch her face. She leans into my touch, and she has no idea how happy her response makes me.
“Rian…” She’s ready to protest, but with her lids closed, I know it won’t take much to bend her to my will.
“I want you to stay with me tonight.” She continues to lean into my touch, and I press my lips against her swollen ones. My body stills hums, remembering what she feels like.
Her lips move slowly under mine. Tonight, I don’t want to go slow. I want to give us both what we need. My lips push harder against her, and she sucks in a sharp breath. She stops kissing and leans away before snapping back towards me. Her mouth is hungry, and I’m all for feeding her.
Lifting her towards the bed, she’s already tugging at her cardigan. The heat of her skin under my hands has me touching every piece of available skin as she removes her shirt. She’s breathing heavy when my mouth leaves her, and I run my lips across her neck. Her pulse pulses against my lips—my cock is painfully hard. I reach back and unclip her bra, letting her breasts bounce free. She’s flushed when I look up at her. There is a moment's hesitation in her eyes. Taking a nipple in my mouth, she cries out. I know I’ve won as I suck and nip at the sensitive area while my hand forces her legs open, and I rub her damp pussy through her trousers. I wanted this angel on all fours, and I wanted to fuck her hard. I release her breast and pull my shirt off over my head before returning to her other nipple. She cries out again, and it makes me work faster. Pulling at her trousers, the button gives way, and I yank them down along with her panties. Her wild eyes are glazed over as she stares up at me.
“You want me to fuck you hard?” I ask her, spreading her legs wide.
“Yes,” Her wild eyes match her hungry voice. I move down between her legs and plunge my tongue into her pussy. Her back arches as she cries out. Pushing a hand down on her abdomen, I continue sucking her clit. She’s squirming under me, and my cock is pushing against my trousers painfully. I push a finger into her tight pussy. It’s soaking, and my finger enters easily. Her panting is growing faster, and she’s squirming more. I don’t want her to come. I slow down and lean back, removing the rest of my clothes.
Rising up, I move in between her legs. I place the tip of my cock at her opening and ease in slowly. Her gaze is on me, and the wonderment and lust that swirls in her dark eyes has me wanting to fuck her hard. It takes so much effort to move slowly. She’s wider this time and wetter. Once my cock is fully in, I pound faster, her head rolls from side to side and she’s too close to coming. Removing myself from her, I turn her around.
“Get on all fours.” She does and cocks her ass in the air like she’s done this before. I want to punish her but remind myself this is her first time in this position. Gripping her hips, I position myself at her opening, knowing there’s no holding back this time. I rock my hips forward and bury my cock in her pussy. Her cries rush from her lips as I fuck her like I’ve always wanted to.
Her cries rise, and I don’t want her to come yet, but I can’t stop fucking her perfect pussy. I feel the rush of her juices across my cock and move faster inside. She slumps slightly, and I grip her hips, yanking her back to me as I bury myself fully inside. She’s still grunting as I lose myself in Willow. I’m close to coming, and when she calls my name, it’s all it takes for me to empty myself into her sweet swollen pussy that was made just for me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
WILLOW
I’ve been awake for a while now, and my heart won’t calm. I’m in Rian’s bed. A stupid smile tugs at my lips as I run my hands across the quilt cover. I was allowing myself to believe that the red was picked for me. One large arm is thrown across my waist, pinning me in place against him. His body is rock hard, but I still want to move closer to his warmth. I turn slowly, and my heart pounds a bit heavier.
He’s asleep. His face looks gentle, and I have the urge to touch it, so I do. I try not to think about what today will bring. I try not to think of the hurt that has come before this moment. My chest feels tight, and I’ve never wanted to tell someone what happened on that day. I’ve never felt the need to share my deed with someone else, but right now, I want to share it with Rian. The tips of my fingers trace his face and a muscle tenses in his jaw, alerting me. He’s awake. I don’t stop touching him. I give myself this moment with him. Moss green eyes send my heart rate skyrocketing, and I don't stop the smile that tugs at my lips.
“Good morning.”
“I’d like to wake up like this every morning.” His hand tightens around my waist, and I don’t stop him as he drags me until our bodies are flush. His cock grows hard, and my smile melts away. I kiss him first, my body humming with a want that can’t seem to be satisfied.
A ringing phone has me stopping. I’m looking for mine but can’t remember where I put it.
“It’s my phone.” Rian climbs out of bed naked, and I lie back down and drink him in. He picks up his phone from somewhere on the ground.
“It’s your mother.” He doesn’t turn to me as he holds the ringing phone.
“She must be worried. Answer it.”
He glances at me now. “What will I tell her?” There is a bite to his words.
“That I’ll be home soon.”
Rian turns away, and I slip out of the bed as he answers the phone. “Yes, Catherine.”
I grin as I can imagine how pissed off that makes her. The way he says her name showcases his dislike for her.
“She’s here. Safe and sound.”
Rian watches me as I start to pull on my clothes.
“I’ll have her ….Yes, I did.”
The button on my trousers is missing. I consider getting a f
resh pair, but when I see the snarl on Rian’s lips, I tug my shirt on.
“You told me she was with him to provoke me. Consider your work done, Catherine.”
I stop getting dressed. My mother had told Rian that I was with Luke? What was she doing?
“He’s lucky to be alive. I’ll have her back soon.”
Rian takes the phone away from his ear. So much swirls in his eyes. He’s angry, but whatever words he has against my mother, he keeps them to himself.
“I should go back.” I button up my cardigan. Rian tugs on his trousers, and each motion is angry, and I fold my arms across my chest.
“I’ll wait downstairs,” I say, and he doesn’t look at me, just nods.
I run my hands through my hair as I arrive downstairs. I glance back up to see if Rian is coming, but he’s still banging around. I want to see the greenhouse one more time before I leave. I slip down the small hall; everything looks so different in the light of day. It’s perfect. This house calls to me, I think it calls to my soul. I need someone to strip me back and let me breathe. I wonder who I am under all the fake smiles and controlled emotions. It’s been nearly ten years.
My throat burns when I think of that little girl. Stepping into the greenhouse, it takes my breath away, just like it did last night. I walk through it and let my hands touch the wildness of the plants. One grows so high that it bends from the glass on the roof.
There is a wildness here that I want to become a part of.
His footsteps are heavy as he enters the space, and I don’t stop until I find the center of the room.
“It’s absolutely beautiful, Rian,” I say without looking up at him.
My heart pounds initially with the thought of what I want to do, but it settles quickly, and soon there is that moment knowing that it’s time to shed my skin.