by A. M. Myers
“We have to help her,” I croak out and he nods, pulling out his phone.
“Streak, hey, got a job for you, man,” he says a few seconds later and I just hope we can get her out of there before anything else happens.
* * * *
I collapse into the couch and sigh as I kick my heels off, not even caring that I left a trail of clothes and bags from the front door to the living room. Today has been pure hell. After Rosie dropped off the note this morning, Chance went in to talk to the guys and I attempted to go to work, but I spent most of my day worrying about Ivy. I honestly don’t think I got a single thing done. Of course, Ali noticed that something was off and as soon as I spilled my guts to her, she was hugging me and promising me the guys would handle it. I hope she’s right because I don’t know what I’d do without Ivy. Rubbing my fingers across my forehead, I try to fight the headache I feel building.
“What are you in the mood for?” Chance asks, holding up the takeout menus and I shrug.
“Whatever.” My appetite has been non-existent and I’m not holding my breath that it will return any time soon. Chance sighs from the kitchen and tosses the menus down before walking over to me and sinking to his knees in front of the couch. He grabs my hands in his and I feel tears threatening again. God, what would I do with myself if he wasn’t here? Beyond the fact that without the club I have no idea how I would save my sister, he’s been my rock today. I couldn’t go ten minutes without a text from him, reassuring me or trying to distract me when I couldn’t handle anymore promises. This is hard, but I know Chance and the club will do whatever they can to help Ivy. I’m just worried it won’t be enough.
“Listen to me, Carly,” he says, pulling my attention back to him. “This is what we do everyday, baby. I’ve got Streak digging into every part of Julian Henshaw’s life and we will get your sister back.”
I shake my head, tears shining in my eyes. “I’m scared, Chance. Besides Aunt Dottie, Ivy is the only family I have. She’s my best friend in the whole world. I can’t lose her.”
“And you won’t,” he whispers, one hand reaching up to cradle my face as his eyes blaze with determination and I know he would march into that house and carry my baby sister out himself if he had to.
God, I love him.
The thought has been circling around in my head since the night he and I made up, but he never said it back to me and he hasn’t brought it up at all in the past week so as much as I want to say it to him now, I can’t force the words out of my mouth.
Someone knocks on the door and we both turn to look at it before he hops up. “I’ll get it.”
I relax back on the couch and turn toward the window, wondering how we’re going to manage to get Ivy out of Julian’s house if she doesn’t have access to a phone. Damn, I wish I had been able to convince Rosie to give me her number. I know she’s scared but she could have been a lot of help to us.
“Hey, Princess, there’s someone here to see you,” Chance says and I glance up, my blood running cold. Austin Mitchel stands in the doorway, next to Chance, looking like he’s about to shit a brick. And for the life of me, I can’t understand what the hell he’s doing here. Memories flash through my mind and my hand starts to shake as I push off the couch and walk over to them. Remembering the last time I ever saw him, I square my shoulders and meet his gaze. I hope he can see the hatred in my eyes.
“Get out of my house,” I say, my voice sounding haunted but strong and I’m proud of myself for not collapsing in a heap on the floor like I want to. Chance’s face turns to stone as he glances between Austin and me.
“Please, Carly. I’d really like to talk to you.”
“There is nothing you can say,” I hiss. I don’t know how much clearer I can be about the fact that I never want to see his face again. Besides, the strength I’m clinging to is quickly waning with each new memory – some of that night but most from the days after when my entire world crumbled in around me. They are coming faster than I can push them away and I feel the sob lodging itself in my throat as I picture the way my body looked in the mirror the morning after Austin and his friends were done with me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I turn away from him and my hands shake.
“Leave now or I’ll remove you myself,” Chance says, his voice taking on a deadly tone I’ve never heard before. He doesn’t even know what Austin did to me yet, but it doesn’t matter because he knows Austin did something and that’s enough for him. Arms wrap around me and my muscles tense for a moment before I catch a whiff of cinnamon gum and relax into Chance’s hold.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Austin barks and my eyes snap open. Chance is rigid at my side as he chuckles but there’s no humor in it. If I were Austin, I would be terrified right now. Chance reaches behind his back and pulls a gun out, setting it on the counter as my eyes widen.
Jesus Christ, has he always had that?
Chance smiles at Austin, who wisely takes a step back. “All right, why don’t you tell me how you know my girl?”
Austin glances at me like I might call Chance off but that’s not going to happen. If I really think about it, I’m not even upset about the gun. And I certainly wouldn’t ever defend Austin. His gaze bounces between the two of us before he slowly starts backing away.
“Wait,” I say, clinging to Chance’s side as I square my shoulder and meet Austin’s eyes. As much as I don’t want to hear what he has to say, I don’t want him to show up again so it’s best to just get this over with. “What is it that you want?”
“Can we talk alone?” he asks, glancing at Chance, who laughs again.
“That’s not going to happen.”
Austin sighs before glancing back to me. “Did you get the card I sent a while ago?”
“I did.”
“It’s just… the bank said the check never cleared,” he mutters, running a nervous hand through his hair. Anger pierces through me and I narrow my eyes.
“Is that why you’re here? I don’t want your fucking money, Austin.”
He sighs, shaking his head. “I’m just trying to find a way to make it up to you.”
“Make it up to me?” I hiss as I take a step back. “You don’t get to make it up to me.”
“Please, Carly. I was just a kid and I made a mistake.”
I nod, ready for this conversation to be over. “So was I and yet, I still have to live with what you did to me for the rest of my life. If you’re looking for atonement, go talk to a preacher because you won’t find it from me.”
He sighs again and I see the defeat on his face as he turns and walks out of my house without another word. As soon as the door shuts behind him, I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and sag against Chance as tears well up in my eyes. My heart pounds in my ears and my stomach twists, disgusted by the memories plaguing me. I remember the morning after the party again. The pain in my body is imprinted on my mind and I swear I can almost feel it like it just happened. My walls are down, demolished by the reappearance of Austin.
“Carly,” Chance whispers, holding me up as he peers down at my face. “Who was that?”
I shake my head, wiping away tears as quickly as they fall. “I… I need a minute.”
He leads me over to the couch and I sit down next to him as I suck in a breath and try to think of how to tell him this. I’m more secure in our relationship than I was a week ago but what I have to tell him could still change things between us. Not to mention I have no idea how to even say this since I’ve never spoken these words aloud before. They burn in my throat, fighting to break free and struggling to stay locked away at the same time and with tears pouring from my eyes, I resist the urge to claw at my own throat. Chance pulls me into his arms, hugging me tight and I draw in a breath, hoping I can make it through this. I know he’s seen the parts of me that I worked so hard to hide but he really has no idea the horrors I’ve been keeping caged inside.
“Baby,” he whispers, stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers and I look up
, meeting his eyes as I let him see all the pain I usually keep buried. He sucks in a breath, his eyes tortured and I wonder if it’s similar to the look in my eyes right now. He holds my hand tight but remains quiet as he waits for my explanation.
“Austin and I used to date.”
He nods. “And?”
“And,” I start, new tears forming in my eyes and my heart pounding in my ears. My palms are sweating and I struggle to draw a breath. “When I was sixteen, Austin and six of his friends drugged and raped me at a party.”
My words hang in the air between us, the silence of the apartment deafening as time seems to stall and I wait for his response. Slowly, the anger in his eyes builds, licking up toward the sky like a raging inferno, until he jumps up from the couch and marches into the kitchen. He swipes the gun off the counter and turns toward the door, pure, unhindered rage lighting up his features and I have no doubt in my mind he’d kill Austin if I let him. Maybe it should bother me but it doesn’t.
“Chance,” I call out as he wraps his hand around the doorknob and he turns to me. Tears fall down my cheeks and I watch his heart break right in front of me. “Please don’t leave me right now.”
He stares at me for a moment before turning back to the door. Just when I think he’s going to go after him, he turns, setting the gun back on the counter as he stalks across the floor and sits down next to me. Without a word, he pulls me into his arms and crushes me to his body. His hand slips into my hair and he massages the back of my head as I cry into his shirt, letting go of years of pain I’ve been hanging on to.
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” he whispers, his voice conveying the pain he’s feeling right now and I pull back, shaking my head as my lip wobbles.
“Please don’t ever apologize. You’re the first person in twelve years that’s been able to reach a part of me I thought died that night.”
His brow furrows and I’m surprised by the shimmer in his gaze. Is he crying for me? “God, I knew something bad had happened to you, but I never imagined… Do you know how badly I want to go after him right now? I want to make him hurt for every time I’ve seen this pain in your eyes. I want to make him suffer for even thinking of hurting you.”
“And that’s why I love you,” I whisper, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He fists my hair and takes over, kissing me with a desperation that I feel echoed through my own body.
“I love you, Princess. So much it would probably scare you, but I do.”
The three words I’ve been dying to hear from him mean so much more now that he knows the truth about my past and I can’t help but smile through the tears that are still slowly falling down my face.
“I’m not afraid of loving you anymore, Chance.”
He pulls me in and kisses me again, healing another little part of me. When he pulls away, he smiles and presses his forehead against mine.
“Damn. I’ve been waiting to hear you say that again since Wednesday night. I wasn’t gonna say it until you did.”
I laugh a little, shoving his shoulder before resting my head on it. “Ass.”
His arms wrap around me and we’re quiet for a moment before he whispers, “Will you tell me what happened?”
I nod. He knows the worst of it now and for some reason, talking to him about that night feels good – like I’m letting it all go. I start at the beginning, telling him about moving from New Orleans and meeting Austin. When I tell him I gave him my virginity, he lets out a growl but I keep going. As I start telling him about the night of the party, his body grows tense underneath me.
“When I woke up the next morning, all I could remember were these little flashes, but my body hurt so bad. I stumbled into my bathroom and I had bruises everywhere, around my neck, on my arms and legs. Ivy found me there and she and my mother rushed me to the emergency room.”
He squeezes me tighter, his jaw clenched in anger. “Please tell me they paid for what they did to you.”
“Not exactly,” I whisper. “I stayed home from school the next day and when Ivy came home, she was crying. Austin had taped the whole thing and it was everywhere. Everyone at school saw me getting raped but they all thought it was consensual. They thought I was just a slut who wanted to get fucked by seven different guys. When my mother found out, she was enraged. I thought she’d go to the police and finally be the mother I needed her to be but that’s not what happened.”
“What happened?”
Taking a deep breath, I try not to get angry as I tell this part of the story but it’s hard not to. “She gathered up all the reports from the doctors and the videotape before going to the families of the boys and blackmailing them.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he snaps, his body practically vibrating in anger. I climb off him and he stands up, pacing the room as he runs a hand through his hair. As much as I hate how upset he is, it feels amazing to have someone in my corner, someone who will fight for me, and someone I can trust with my life.
“No, I’m not. To this day, I have twelve million dollars sitting in my account that I refuse to touch.”
“Shit,” he hisses, stopping to look at me. “That’s where the money came from?”
I tilt my head to the side, studying him. “You know about the money?”
“Yeah,” he mutters, looking nervous. “Streak found it when I asked him to research you. I only asked though because I was trying to figure you out.” He meets my gaze. “You mad at me?”
“Maybe I should be but no, I’m not. I didn’t exactly give you much of a choice, did I?”
He shakes his head, sitting down next to me again. “That’s no excuse. I shouldn’t have done it and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“You’re right. It won’t because anything you want to know from now on, just ask me. I love you, Chance, and I’m done taking things slow. I want this,” I say, taking his hand. “If you do.”
“Baby,” he says, kissing our laced fingers. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on you. Just took me a bit longer to convince you.”
I roll my eyes, despite the fact he’s saying everything I’ve wanted to hear since I first realized I was in love with him. “You just wanted to fuck me in the beginning.”
“No, this was more than that from the start and you know it.”
I can’t deny his words. Even when I was fighting with everything I have, this was more than just sex. We were always meant to be more.
“Since I was a little kid, I always wanted a family of my own, a real family where the dad stuck around and the mom wasn’t drunk all the time but no one ever fit the bill until I met you, Carly. Hell, maybe that’ll scare you, but I’ve known since I first saw you standing in Ali’s living room that there was something special about you. You were made for me.”
Biting my lip, I swing my leg over his thighs, my skirt bunching up around my hips, and face him as I press him back into the couch. His expression morphs into one of surprise.
“Are you sure?” he asks and I lay my finger over his lips, telling him to be quiet. After everything that’s happened today, this is exactly what I need and he’s not going to stop me.
His eyes soften as he slips his hand into my hair, cupping the back of my neck as he pulls me forward onto his waiting lips. He kisses me with reverence, spilling the love he’s been holding back into one single kiss and I melt in his lap, finally at peace in a way I’ve never been before. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he stands with me in his arms and doesn’t pull away until he gets to my bedroom and lays me down on the bed.
“I love you,” he whispers, meeting my eyes briefly before he leans in and presses a quick kiss on my lips. His hands slip under my shirt as he starts peppering kisses down my neck. I arch into his touch as he trails his fingers over my skin, caressing me softly instead of going for my tit or clit like he normally would. He’s worshipping me tonight and after all the memories that have popped up over the last thirty minutes, it’s exactly what I need.
/>
“Chance,” I breathe out, gripping the back of his shirt as he moves down to kiss my belly and I pull it over his head. It doesn’t even slow him down. He pushes my shirt up and presses his lips to my belly before swirling his tongue across it and I grip the sheet underneath me, arching off the bed again.
“Princess, I’m gonna have to tie you up if you can’t lie still.”
I glower at him, but it lacks any punch. “Go ahead and try.”
He chuckles, a husky sound that hits me right between my thighs and his green eyes darken as he prowls back up my body and hovers over my lips.
“Now, why would you go and say that when you know I will? Maybe you want me to tie you down.”
I shake my head. “I just want you.”
He steals a kiss before pulling away and sliding back down my body. When he gets to the waistband of my skirt, he moves to the side and slowly slides the zipper down before yanking it off and tossing it to the floor. His hands push my shirt up and he flashes me a look that makes it clear he wants it off. Now. I sit up and pull it over my head, letting it join my skirt on the floor as I lean back on my elbows and he crawls up to me again.
“Please, Chance,” I whisper.
He smiles and reaches behind my back to unhook my bra, sliding it down my arms. When he stands to strip his jeans off, I lift my hips off the bed and shimmy out of my panties, tossing them at him. A wolfish grin lights up his face as he catches them before tossing them to the floor and shoving his jeans and boxer briefs down. As he stalks back toward the bed, he wraps his hand around his cock and strokes it slowly, his gaze locked on mine the entire time. My breath punches out of my body and I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to which I definitely don’t.
“Spread your legs, Darlin’,” he rasps and I release a breathy moan as my head falls back and my knees part. His answering groan feels almost as good as his touch… almost. Kneeling on the bed, his hands slide up my thighs and he pushes them further apart as he lowers his face to my pussy. My chest rises and falls rapidly as I wait for him to touch me where I need him and he doesn’t disappoint, trailing his finger down my slit.