by Stefani, Z.
“If not for me, you would never have known that you married a slut.”
He shook his head. “You’re delusional as well as evil.”
“Fuck off, Ian,” she hissed, before taking a generous drink of vodka.
“I’m going to see if your son is all right.”
“Have fun with that,” she sneered, before grabbing the bottle and leaving the room.
Ian could only stare at her retreating form. Who was she? The woman was not fit to be a mother. How could she be so damned cold-hearted?
He didn’t want to be like that anymore. When the time came, he wanted his children to respect him because they loved him—not because they feared him.
***
The night’s chaotic events had finally come to an end. Gavin was on his way to prison, and the police were finally finished gathering evidence. The yard was beginning to look more like a front lawn than a sideshow attraction.
Heaven felt great relief when they drove to the main gate of Julian’s home. No house had ever looked so good to her. She was ready to take a long hot bath and curl up in bed with Julian. She wanted to sleep and get this maddening night over. She wanted to wake up to a bright, shiny morning and a fresh new start. She wanted to leave the night’s horrible events in the past where they belonged.
“What’s going on?” Heaven asked as she saw a gang of Julian’s cousins walking around the main gate.
“They’re securing the grounds. They’re also checking the locks and the cameras on the gate. Gavin had destroyed most of them before he entered the house,” he finished as he parked his car close to the house. “We’re going to make this place impenetrable.”
“This house is humongous; that’s going to take forever.” Her eyes widened at the thought.
“I know; that’s why I need to get started soon.”
She had no more than opened the car door when she felt herself swept up in Julian’s powerful arms.
“What are you doing?” She held him tightly.
“Carrying you,” he answered. He didn’t intend to put her down anytime soon.
“Why? My legs are stiff…I prefer to walk.”
“You’re injured.”
“But I can walk.”
“No.”
“It’s only a bump on my head; you don’t have to carry me,” Heaven said as he carried her to the front door.
“Either I carry you, or I go back to the hospital and get that wheelchair.”
The front door opened, and Heaven’s eyes grew wide as saucers.
“What the hell?” Heaven gasped, seeing a group of armed women all dressed in black.
“Darling, oh thank god you’re all right!” Sybille cried as she ran towards her daughter.
“What is this?” She pointed to the group of women.
“They are here for your protection.”
“I don’t need a gang of scantily dressed working girls with guns to protect me, Mother,” Heaven protested.
“How do you feel? Are you in terrible pain, my dearest?” Sybille pushed the hair back from Heaven’s face.
“I’m perfectly fine,” she lied.
“She has a concussion,” Julian informed Sybille.
“Oh, dear god no!” Sybille wailed as she dropped to her knees.
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t say anything, Julie,” Heaven whispered to him.
“What’s wrong?” Coco ran out.
“Heaven has a head injury!” Sybille cried.
“Oh no!” Coco, Heaven’s normally stoic aunt, was visibly shaken.
“It’s only mild; not even a true concussion,” Heaven snapped.
Sybille jumped to her feet. “Don’t get upset, darling, you could hurt yourself.”
“You need to rest,” Coco added.
Julian nodded. “I agree.”
“Head injuries are dangerous; people have been known to die.” Tears ran down Sybille’s cheeks.
“Will you let me down so I can reason with these women?” Heaven snapped at Julian.
“No,” Julian said, refusing to argue or let her down.
“Don’t fight him, dearest, you should not be walking around with a concussion.” Sybille fussed over her only child. “You should be in the hospital!”
“Why aren’t you in the hospital?” Coco asked.
“They said I was fine.”
“They sent my only child out on the street with a traumatic head injury? They have put my daughter in mortal danger. I will have their jobs by morning!” Sybille’s angry tone was diminished by her overdramatic stance of righteousness.
“It’s just a bump! I’m perfectly fine.” Heaven was losing her cool.
“It’s still a head injury.” Coco actually sided with her sister.
“You’re back!” Everyone looked to see Maude skip towards them. “How do you feel?”
“Maude is here too? Who is watching the business?” Heaven snapped, wishing they would remember the business and leave. She loved them, but right now, the dramatics were too much for her aching head.
“It’s closed until further notice,” Coco answered her.
“Our girl has a concussion, Maudey.” Sybille sobbed dramatically.
“Oh, god no!” Maude cried, tears instantly springing to her eyes.
“She’s becoming more like Sybille by the day,” Heaven whispered as she rolled her eyes.
“Why Sevigne? What has she ever done to anyone?” Maude looked up as she continued to cry. “This isn’t fair!”
“It’s fine, it’s only mild!” Heaven exhaled as if she’d been holding her breath for a year.
“And I think she’s in shock,” Sybille added.
“I’m not in shock!” Heaven yelled.
“You need to calm down, darling; it’s not good to yell with a head injury,” Sybille scolded her.
“Oh, for god’s sake, get me the hell out of here,” Heaven hissed to Julian. Her head was beginning to throb, and she was unable to tolerate the dramatics a moment longer.
Sybille smiled. “Don’t mind her; she’s always grouchy when she’s sick or hurt.”
“Very grouchy,” Coco added.
“Yes, you need to rest, and we’ll take care of everything else.” Sybille kissed Heaven’s cheek.
“We don’t need guards, Mother. Gavin is in jail,” she insisted from over Julian’s shoulder.
“We don’t want to take that chance, dearest,” Sybille replied whimsically.
“You’re going overboard,” she yelled back at her mother as Julian carried her away.
“Please put her to bed, Julian, before she does further damage with all that yelling!” Sybille called to Julian as he reached the top steps.
“That woman is insane! She actually brought a squad of armed guards.” Heaven was amazed.
“The guards stay,” Julian declared before heading towards their room.
“Are you serious?” she asked in shock.
“Yes.”
“You’re actually siding with my mother?”
“Yes, your mother is concerned, as am I. I’m willing to do anything to keep you safe.”
Heaven’s frustration disappeared with his soothing words. She smiled and kissed Julian on the cheek. How could she be irritated with them, when all they cared about was her safety? She was being selfish, and she suddenly felt ungrateful.
“I know, and I’m sorry if I seem ungrateful. I’m not trying to be…I’m just tired, and my head hurts a little.” She pouted in sadness. She was feeling a little woozy, and the ache in her head was increasing.
“I know,” he assured her as he slid his hand up and down her back.
Julian laid Heaven on the bed as if she were a porcelain doll.
“But you have to admit that Sybille is overreacting a bit.” Heaven shook her head.
“Is she overreacting or are you underreacting?” he asked as he grabbed her nightgown from the dresser.
Heaven rolled her eyes as she stood up. She had no more than taken a step whe
n Julian barked at her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to the bathroom.”
“No.” He stalked towards her.
“No?” she repeated before he scooped her up and carried her to the bathroom.
“I don’t want you doing any unnecessary tasks,” he informed her.
“Like what?” she questioned him as he walked back towards her.
“Anything that involves movement. I don’t even want you to leave the bed without my assistance. The doctor told you to take it easy.”
“Yeah, but he didn’t tell me to play dead.”
“I don’t want you walking around.”
“My legs aren’t broken…I can walk to the bathroom. Are you going to help me pee as well?” she remarked crudely, to which Julian promptly grinned.
“I would love to,” he answered before setting her on her feet before the toilet.
“I bet you would. I need to take a bath.”
“I want you to wait until tomorrow, you could hurt yourself.”
“I won’t, I’ll be careful. You can help me. I need to wash away this night…I need to be clean. I can still feel Gavin’s horrible touch.” She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. “I need to get it off.”
He understood what she meant; he was having a similar reaction. He nodded and began to fill the bath. He would make sure she didn’t overexert herself or get her bandage wet.
She walked over to him. He looked down at her, her disheveled appearance and the slight bruise now forming on her cheek. He knew there was a large bruise and a small cut on the back of her head. He grabbed her and held her tightly to his chest.
“I don’t want to let you go,” he murmured as he held her close.
Julian took a deep breath and inhaled her scent. It was the smell of her hair, the way her body pressed against his, the subtle lightening of her amber eyes when he made her cum, and the way she said his name—they all drove him insane. It was everything about her. He never believed he would love anyone more than himself; it had never seemed logical. Love had never made sense to him; it had always seemed too reckless to be healthy. Now it made all the sense in the world.
“I don’t want you to let me go either,” she said, her voice muffled by his shirt. Her head was resting against his chest hard enough to leave an indentation.
She had been trying to be strong and not let her emotions overpower her. But at that very moment as Julian held her, she felt the dam break. She was safe in his protective arms, and the reality of it all hit her like a brick.
The crazy night, the blackmail, the pictures, the videos, the sharp pain in her head, the abduction, and the memory of what Gavin had done—it all came to a head. She had almost lost Julian…she had almost lost it all. She came very close to never seeing him again. The thought alone could take her to her knees in anguish. Suddenly being strong for the sake of being strong didn’t seem so important to her.
She started to cry. The tears flowed from her eyes like a water faucet, and her body shook with the force of her sobs. She dug her fingers into Julian, holding onto him for dear life.
Julian, shocked and saddened by her tears, held her closer to him. He was no more used to her crying than she was. Her legs were wobbling too hard for her to stand upright, so he held her even tighter.
“Let it out, baby, you’ve been strong long enough. It’s time to let me take care of you,” he whispered as he rubbed her back.
Where those words would once anger her, they now brought her relief. She didn’t want to be strong right now. She needed to do what came natural for once; she needed to release her pent-up emotions. It felt like a soda can had been shaken inside of her, and she was finally pulling that tight tab.
With one arm wrapped around her and the other one under her butt, Julian carried her over to the settee. He sat down, and her legs straddled his lap. She pushed her face against his chest as she continued to cry. He held her close, kissing the side of her face as he continued to rub her back.
“I-I,” she stuttered as she sat back to look at him. She tried to catch her breath and slow the tears long enough to speak, “He almost k-k-killed you. I d-don’t know what I would have done if he’d…" she choked on her words.
“I don’t want you to worry about me; Gavin will never get his hands on me. The only way that he can hurt me—is by hurting you. I can’t even stand the thought of him near you again. So right now I need to focus on you.”
“But I am worried,” she said with vulnerability.
“Shush.” He put his finger to her lips before stroking the side of her face, trying to ease the pain he saw in her eyes.
She alone was the reflection of his love, and the only proof he had that his heart was no longer dead. When he looked into her eyes, he saw his own happiness. He knew for the first time in his life that he was alive, and it was because of her. The thought of losing her plagued him and filled him with despair. He would do anything to prevent it.
“I’d sell my soul to keep you safe, Heaven. Don’t you know that? I’d give up everything I’ve ever owned, known or loved to keep you alive and here with me,” he vowed as he kissed her lips. It was a kiss to seal his vow to keep her safe. It was a kiss as binding as any marital contract. He kissed her to soothe the fear in her heart. He kissed her because she was alive and in his arms. He kissed her to remind her that he would forever be by her side. “I’ll always protect you.”
She clung to him. “Don’t ever leave me.”
“I never will.”
“I love you, Julian,” she whispered. She wished she could take back all of the time she’d spent hating him. She would never make that mistake again.
“I love you, too.” He kissed her lips lightly.
He held her tightly as he stood up and walked over to the steaming bathtub. He lowered her to her feet and helped her undress. She stood before him slightly dazed and covered in dirt. She had bits of grass in her hair; she was naked, vulnerable and absolutely beautiful. At that very moment, he knew his mission in life was to keep this lovely hellion safe.
“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
“What about you?” she asked.
“I’ll take a shower later.”
“No,” she whispered as she took his hand.
He knew what she meant, and quickly stripped down. He picked her up and carefully stepped into the large tub. He positioned himself behind her and pulled her back between his legs.
“I need to wash my hair.”
“I think you should wait.”
“I’ll avoid that area; I’ll just wash the opposite side of my head.”
“I’ll help you.” He reached over and grabbed the black ceramic bowl.
“Put your head back a little,” he instructed as he filled the bowl with water. He slowly poured the water over her hair, grabbed the shampoo and carefully began to wash the bottom half of her hair. He didn’t want to hurt her any further, and avoided the area where her head struck the ground. As he finished washing her hair, he parted it to see the large, deep bruise pooling around the small bandage. He felt his insides churn, and his heart began to race.
He never wanted to see her hurt again, and he would do anything to prevent it. He had never hated anyone as much as he hated Gavin Grant at this moment. He rinsed the last of the shampoo out as she grabbed the bottle of conditioner.
He watched her squirt the conditioner in her hand, and carefully run it through her clean hair. He grabbed the round loofah sponge and the soap. He washed her from head to toe, rinsed her off and then pulled her back to him. Although his member instinctively pumped itself up, he was not sexually aroused.
It was the first time he had ever been naked and this close to a woman without needing sex. What he felt was not just sexual; it was something much deeper that he was unable to define. He wanted to hold her close; he wanted to stare at her for hours and appreciate the fact that she was safe, and she was his. He wanted to talk to her about noth
ing and everything all at once. He wanted to be inside of her head and her heart, not just her sex.
Julian wrapped his arms around her, and she turned to the side so she could lean against his chest. He felt the overwhelming need to be as close to her as possible. He held her as tightly as he could without hurting her; wanting to be a part of her, and needing to be closer to her. He ran his hand down her belly to rest against her sex. He slid the tip of his finger inside of her as he tried to pull her closer to him. It wasn’t sexual; it was an intense need to be a part of her, to be inside of her in any way that he could. He inhaled her scent, trying to fill his nasal passages with her. He pressed his face against her wet hair and breathed deeply—he just could not get enough.