by Nicole Fox
She shook her head and looked at Hunter. “I never trusted anyone to help me, and look where it got me.”
“I don’t blame you. How could you trust anyone when the man who was meant to love you and Opal the most treated you so badly? No one would expect you to trust people after that.”
“But when I finally wised up—or really, when it finally got so bad that he started to hurt Opal too—it was too late. I waited too long. I completely failed my child.”
“No, you didn’t. You got her out of a bad place and into safety. Now she has a teacher she loves who will help keep her safe, you both have me to protect you. And this thing will get worked out. She’s away from her father who hurt her, and I’ll make sure he’s never around her again.”
She shook her head and kept shaking it. “I’m no good for Opal. Maybe I just need to trust the system. If they’ll take her some place safe and keep her safe, then maybe that’s what I should do. Jeremy already knows where we are. It’s only a matter of time until he comes or sends someone to kill me and take her. I can’t keep her safe. They should just take her and put her somewhere else, away from me.”
# # #
Hunter pulled her close. She was practically hysterical. And now she was just talking crazy. He chose his words carefully. He already knew what had to be done. Take Jeremy out and prove to CPS that he was the monster, not Vanessa.
“I don’t think you should let them take her like that,” he said. “That would cause Opal more pain and disruption in her life. Just wait for Nicholas to come back, and we’ll talk to him. Opal will talk to him again, and he’ll probably bring in more people to talk to her, and they’ll see.” And, in the meantime, he would find a good time to leave them and hunt down Jeremy.
But then, something hit him. This wasn’t Vanessa’s fault. Opal had looked over at him, too. He realized what it must’ve seemed like to Nicholas. This wasn’t Vanessa’s fault at all. It was his. And then, with a sense of dread, he reminded himself that this was why he couldn’t be with Vanessa. He was no good for them. They needed a steady man and he couldn’t give them the life they deserved.
“I want to protect you both,” he said. “I want to be here for you both. But I think you’re thinking about this all wrong.”
“What do you mean?” she whispered, wiping at her eyes.
“I think I’m the reason Nicholas doesn’t believe you and Opal.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Well, think about it. Look at it from Nicholas’s perspective. He gets a call about a woman abusing her daughter from a very concerned, wealthy, and well-connected father. He probably assumes Jeremy is some decent citizen type, making a difference in the world. Nicholas comes to investigate and the kid isn’t even there, but there’s some guy. He assumes the mom was running around with this guy, because he’s the bad boy type while the father is the straight-laced type. He thinks you’ve sent Opal off to spend time with me, and just want to keep her from her father. Like you’re trying to move on with a new guy and start a new life. And since the new guy is clearly dangerous and has a past, then maybe the mom isn’t the innocent little lady she comes off as. Probably even thinks the whole reason you want Opal is so you can get money from Jeremy. That crap happens all the time.”
Vanessa stared at him in shock. “You’re serious?”
“You don’t think it seems like that?”
“I—but—no, he can’t.”
“I’m sure he does. I intimidate people without even trying. I’m sure Nicholas felt that and assumes I’m intimidating you and Opal into doing what I want.”
“That’s crazy!” she shrieked.
“It doesn’t matter. That’s what it looks like. But I think we can fix it pretty easily.”
“How?”
“I need to leave. It’ll give you leverage and make things easier for you both.”
At first, he thought Vanessa’s voice had gone up a few octaves, but then he realized that it was Opal who had shouted, “No!”
She ran into the room and swung her little arms around Vanessa’s waist. “No!”
Vanessa and Hunter exchanged looks. What exactly had she overheard and what was she protesting?
“Opal?” Vanessa asked. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want Hunter to leave!” She turned to look up at them both. “He can help us, Mommy. I know he can.”
He didn’t know what to say and it seemed like Vanessa didn’t either. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
Opal dropped her voice to a whisper. “I saw his guns.” She looked at Hunter, as if making sure it was okay that she’d seen. She was probably afraid he would yell at her like her daddy did.
“You did?” he asked in a light tone.
She nodded. “They’re kind of scary, but I know you can keep us safe. That’s what guns do, right?”
“If they’re used correctly, yes,” Hunter said. Though, he certainly didn’t intend to use them keep Jeremy safe. Quite the opposite. The more he got to know Opal, the more he wondered how in the world any man could hit a child, and especially this child. She was so sweet and innocent. He couldn’t even picture getting angry enough to do something like that. But maybe that was his own past speaking. All he could ever imagine was taking out his anger on people who deserved it. The ones who did horrible things like beat their children and wives. His hand involuntarily clenched into a fist. It was becoming his favorite thing to image all the different ways he might kill Jeremy. Right now, he was most in favor of strangulation. He wanted to feel that man’s neck in his hands, and watch the light die in his eyes.
“You both keep me safe,” Opal continued.
“Well, we’ll certainly do our best,” Vanessa said.
“You have to do what he says, Mommy.”
“I am, honey.”
“No, you’re going to let him leave. But he can’t leave. He has to stay. You both have to be here to protect me.”
Hunter raised his eyebrows and looked at Vanessa. Maybe somewhere in all the games of Candy Land and all the talks, all the times he told her how he was hurt as a child, when he tried to make her see he had gone through the same thing. Maybe all of that had worked after all. She did trust him, and she wanted him so stay around.
Hunter put a hand on Opal’s shoulder. The sudden urge to protect this small, fragile child rose in his chest and grew hotter. He would do anything he had to for her. “I won’t go anywhere. I’ll stay right here and protect you.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hunter
Hunter peeled the door open slowly and looked over Opal’s sleeping form. It was the fourth time he’d checked on her. This time, unlike the last three, she was sound asleep. The day had upset her enough that she’d had trouble falling asleep and then staying asleep. It seemed that now things had finally calmed enough for her to drift off and get her much needed rest after a stressful day.
Now that Opal was sleeping, he knocked lightly on Vanessa’s bedroom door.
“Come in,” she said softly.
He closed the door behind him. She was sitting up in bed, holding a book. It seemed like such a normal thing to be doing that he raised an eyebrow. She tossed the book aside.
“Kind of pointless to try to read when I’ve read the same page about five times now.” She gave him a sad smile.
“Opal is sleeping. Finally.”
“Good.”
“So, what do you want to do about—”
“Hunter?”
He stepped closer to her, wanting nothing more than to slide into bed beside her. “Yeah?”
“I don’t think I can talk about this anymore.” Her voice started to shake. “Can you just… hold me?”
His mouth pulled into a half smile. “Sure.”
He kicked off his shoes and pulled back the covers to slide in behind her. She nuzzled back into him and he wrapped his arms tight around her. When she pressed back into him, her ass pressing against his groin, he felt his dick go hard. He
always wanted her. He couldn’t get enough of her.
He wrapped his legs over hers and curled around her. With his body, he was showing her how he wanted to keep her close, to keep her safe. He wished he could just say it. That he could open his mouth and tell her how he felt. That he knew he wasn’t what they needed, but that he wanted her all the same. To admit that maybe the reason Jeremy was still alive was because Hunter didn’t want this to end. He hadn’t even allowed himself to think about that fact. But it was the truth.
He never took this long on a hit. Never. Usually it was days, maybe a week or two if things were complicated. But he kept drawing things out with Vanessa. Putting off leaving to find Jeremy, convincing himself that he couldn’t leave them for even a few hours because something might happen. But deep down, he knew the truth. Once Jeremy was dead, she wouldn’t need him anymore. And he needed her to need him.
He couldn’t be in their lives forever, but he was there now, and now was all he had. He had to take full advantage of every moment. And in this moment, there was only one thing he wanted to do.
Hunter let his hands move along her arm and down the length of her body. They found their way to her breasts, cupping and squeezing them gently over the fabric of her nightgown. She moaned softly when he pinched her nipple, and it made his cock twitch in his now too-tight pants. He shifted his hips to give it more space, but he’d need to get his pants off soon.
He roamed down her stomach and between her legs. Her pussy was hot against his hand, and when he pressed down, circling her clit gently, he felt her grow wet. He lifted her nightgown so he could feel her bare skin against his hands.
“You are so hot,” he whispered in her ear.
Vanessa moaned in response and pressed her hips against his hands and against his dick, moving back and forth.
She reached her hand back to run her fingers through his hair. “I need you.”
He kissed along her neck and slipped his hand into her panties. Her lips slipped wetly between his fingers. Every time she moaned, Hunter’s cock throbbed, longing to be inside her. It strained against his jeans. He had to set it free. He unzipped his jeans and kicked them off. He pressed his bare dick against the thin fabric of her panties.
When she pressed into him, he couldn’t take it anymore. He might come right now if she kept rubbing on him and moaning like that. He slipped her panties down and pulled her hips back. Her ass cheeks were hot and he rubbed between them for a moment. He had to calm himself down first or this wouldn’t last. He needed it to last.
Hunter used his foot to get her panties fully off and brought one of Vanessa’s legs backward over his. He rubbed the tip of his cock in her wetness, then pressed it inside her. She cried out and arched her back as he filled her.
With his hand, he circled her clit while he moved in and out of her slowly. He explored her body, appreciating every curve. From her hard nipples to soft breasts, her wet labia and flat belly. She was a gift all for him to play with.
Her moaning picked up. He thought she was getting close. He could go at any moment, but he wanted to really set her off. He returned his hand to her clit and flicked her between his fingers. Vanessa responded exactly how Hunter wanted. She cried out and pulled at his hips to bring him in deeper.
He sped up his thrusting as he flicked and circled her harder. He felt her tighten as she cried out again. He gave a few hard thrusts and let himself go, flooding into her.
Holding her close, keeping his dick inside her, Hunter went limp. Eventually, he slipped out of her and together, Hunter and Vanessa’s heart rates and breathing slowed. She turned to face him, nuzzling her face into his chest. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her warm body against his.
He hoped that somehow what he was feeling got across to her.
# # #
If the day started out difficult, Hunter had made it much better. She felt safe again, lying in his arms. Somehow, it was like nothing much mattered and nothing could go wrong when they were close like this. Every time they made love it was amazing. She wanted more and more, and that made her try any way she could to fit him into the picture of their lives.
He was even starting to get so close to Opal, and she obviously liked having him around. After Nicholas left and Opal got upset about Hunter saying he was going to leave, it had given Vanessa a lot to think about. In the midst of trying to keep her safe, she hadn’t put enough thought into the fact that she was bringing someone into Opal’s life. This was the first time it had happened. In the days when she first left Jeremy, she had thought carefully about how she would introduce someone to her when she started dating again. There was a whole plan to make the process slow and easy on Opal. But that had gone out the window when Jeremy called.
Having Hunter around hadn’t seemed like bringing someone into Opal’s life, because Vanessa wasn’t dating him. She was sleeping with him and had feelings for him, but somehow, without having the technicality of dating in place, she hadn’t processed his presence in the same way. Now it seemed like if he went away, it would hurt Opal. And that was the last thing she wanted to do. It was why she’d decided to date someone for at least a few months before introducing them. She didn’t want people coming in and out of her life all the time.
Now that the damage had been done, she couldn’t stop trying to make him fit in. Things were just too good when he was around. His past and his job didn’t seem to really affect them right now. She thought about what it would be like to know he was going to work. To kill someone. Or what it would be like to see the money come in from a hit. What would she say when people asked what her boyfriend did for a living? Did he have a cover story in place already? And there was always the chance he could get caught and leave them forever or for a long time. What would she say to Opal then?
Chapter Twenty
Hunter
“What do you say when people ask what you do for a living?” Vanessa asked, breaking the silence.
Great. Where was this coming from? “Umm. Usually I say construction or sales. Sales allows for a varied schedule and income.”
“What do you sell?”
“Medical equipment. I use to say insurance, but one time someone wanted a quote. So that didn’t work too well.” He chuckled. What a nightmare that had been to talk his way out of.
“Have you ever thought about doing something else?”
“Sure.” He’d pictured hundreds of job options. Tried to imagine himself there. Especially now that he met her.
When he didn’t elaborate, she asked, “Like what?”
“I don’t know. A bunch of things. I just don’t think I’m cut out for any of them.” He hated to say it, but he couldn’t be something he wasn’t. He didn’t want to lead her on or make her think that somehow she could change him.
She didn’t respond, and he wondered what she was thinking.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sure that’s not what you wanted to hear.”
“I don’t know what I wanted to hear, actually. I mean, if you had a different job, and were made for office work, you wouldn’t be the person you are. And I like the person you are. Too much maybe.”
“I’m not what you and Opal need.”
She sucked in a breath. “I know that. On some level. But when you’re here, it’s so good. You fit into our world. Whatever you think we need, we need safety and security, and you provide that. Wasn’t it clear today in the way Opal reacted?”
“It just made me think that she’s a scared little girl, and I wonder what will happen when I kill her daddy. Will she hate me or be grateful? Or will you just lie about it forever?”
Vanessa stilled and her breathing grew heavier. He realized in her silence that she was still hoping they could send Jeremy to jail instead of killing him.
“If it doesn’t come to that, fine,” he said. “But what if it does? And what if this whole Jeremy thing blows over and everything is great. What happens when the next hit comes in? Are you going to tell her what
I do for a living? No. So, you’re going to lie to her. All the time. And I’ll have to lie to her, too, to protect her. She doesn’t deserve that. She deserves a father who can be there for her and be honest and support her family in a way that doesn’t involve breaking the law.”
“But…”
He waited, but she didn’t continue. “Vanessa, you need someone straighter than me.”
“I had that. He didn’t turn out to be anything good at all. On the outside, he was wealthy, from a good, well-connected family. Went to a good school, was going to be successful and all that. And look how that turned out. I don’t think anyone is completely good or bad, and even if you do things most people consider bad, you’re a good person on the inside. I see it and so does Opal.”