Promise Me Forever (Top Shelf Romance)

by Kate Stewart

  Chapter 50

  MIAN

  “Fucking say it, Sprite.”

  There was no way in hell. I was holding out, although it was costing me a lot. The need to come built, and each time I was ready to throw myself off the ledge, his hand tightened around my neck, stealing my breath and pulling me back.

  He was fucking me deep and hard when he told me I’d never see my father again and that I was his. To my disgust, I tightened around him and begged him to make me come.

  “Tell me who daddy is.”

  I couldn’t.

  It was degrading and weird, and I wished my pussy would get the memo and stop getting wetter every time he said.

  “I can’t.”

  My legs tightened around him when his pounding cock drove me up the shower wall. The sound of the running water drowned out my cries. I didn’t know which kink was worse, choking me until I lost consciousness or withholding my orgasm until I gave in to his degradation.

  “You want to come, don’t you?”

  So fucking much.

  “Don’t you?” he roared.

  “Yes!”

  “Then give me what I want. Tell me you’re mine.”

  Saying I was his would never be enough for him. For me to truly be Angel’s, I had to be broken. If that were true, why wasn’t I sure I didn’t want to belong to him?

  As if he’d read my thoughts, Angel sunk his teeth in my cheek. It was cruel and hurt enough to bring tears to my eyes, and when he didn’t let go, I found myself screaming, “Daddy, stop!”

  His teeth released my cheek only for him to steal my lips in a savage kiss. “Fuck yeah, I am,” he growled. His hips crashed into mine increasing our tempo.

  I came screaming his fucking name and didn’t care how weird it was. I was too weak to clean myself, so he took over and dragged me from the shower. I was silent as he toweled me off and led me back to bed since the sun hadn’t even risen yet.

  He wouldn’t let me have my space and wrapped my leg around his waist and then pushed my head on his chest. I let my thoughts torture me until I couldn’t take the silence anymore.

  “Do you enjoy degrading me?”

  “Yeah, Mian. I do.”

  “Why? I didn’t take you for the kinky type.”

  “Because if your father walked through that door right now, you’d still look at him like he was the only man in the world.” I peeked up at him and saw his stony expression.

  “You’re jealous.”

  “Yes,” he growled without hesitation.

  My smile snuck up on me, and I couldn’t stop it from spreading. I kept my chin tucked down so he couldn’t see. I definitely think calling him daddy during sex crossed too many lines, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like knowing he was jealous.

  I was a daddy’s girl. It was true, but I never understood why Angel hated the closeness I felt with my father. He barely tolerated it before, but now he sought to destroy it.

  “Why don’t you like my father?”

  “Because he killed mine,” he said without emotion. I shook my head and felt him stiffen. “If you try to convince me of his innocence,” he snarled, “I swear, I’ll fuck you so hard you’ll forget how to speak.”

  “I…” Words were lost as I imagined his body over mine, thrusting so hard, he’d do as he promised. “I wasn’t going to.” Something warned me to just end talk of my father, but I asked anyway, “Why do you care that I’m close to my father?”

  He was silent for so long that I didn’t think he would answer. “Because he hurts you.”

  “You hurt me, and you still think I belong to you.”

  “But at least I know I don’t deserve you.”

  I shook my head and said nothing. He wasn’t making sense, and I had the feeling I wouldn’t be able to make him see reason. He’s hated the thought of me loving my father since I was dropped on his shoulders nine years ago. It was becoming apparent that nothing would change that.

  Angel fed me breakfast and announced he had business to tend to. He left and came back minutes later holding my son in his arms. I wept when his blue eyes found mine, and he smiled. He looked healthy and had even gained weight. When I reached for him, Angel’s dark look stopped me, and then he made me promise him I wouldn’t run.

  Standing so near to my son, it was easy to forget pride and my hate for him, so the promise slipped from my lips with ease.

  I was so caught up with my son, I hadn’t realized the entire day had passed until my stomach growled. I fed and then laid Caylen down for a nap and made a sandwich since it was quick. I hadn’t seen Angel since this morning. The house seemed empty after I finished eating so I searched for him. Lucas and Z were nowhere to be found either. I neared one of the guest rooms when I finally heard the first sound I had heard in hours.

  As I got closer, the sounds became familiar. A feminine moan and a masculine groan mingled and together, filled the hall outside the door.

  It could have only been one of three men behind that door. Jealousy and insecurity needed to know who. As silently as I could, I pushed open the door enough to see the bed which was at the perfect angle.

  I was confused by what I was witnessing. For one, there were too many limbs tangled together. With the door opened, the sounds were heightened, and I realized there weren’t just two people moving on that bed.

  There were three.

  Lucas and Z kneeled on each side of the woman in their arms. Their mouths sucked at each of her nipples while their fingers worked together to pleasure her—Lucas at her clit while Z’s fingers plunged inside her. Her head was tilted back so all I could make out was her blonde hair and slim body as she writhed with pleasure.

  “Anna… baby… come for me.” Lucas’s passionate demand sent my world spiraling. I told myself she could have been anyone. I looked closer and studied the woman as much as I could with her head tipped back.

  “Please,” she moaned. My knees weakened, and a gasp of horror escaped my lips. I knew that voice. My gaze lost focus. I could no longer hear what went on around me. I couldn’t even tell if I still stood on two feet.

  It can’t be her.

  I hadn’t realized the world had stopped moving or noticed the silence until I heard, “Mian?” Z ripped the door open and stared down at me in shock. My eyes traveled back to the bed like a moth to a flame. She gasped when our eyes connected.

  “Mian?” I couldn’t tell if the flush of her body was from heat or guilt, so I forced myself to focus on answers.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “They took me.”

  Anger and hurt washed over me. He made me promise not to run even though he’d taken my only friend and let them have her. Rationality was replaced by the beckon of violence. I needed to cause pain so mine didn’t consume me.

  So I did.

  Z clutched his nose where I punched him and roared his rage. I wondered if I’d broken his nose, but then he dropped his hand and stared at me as if I had betrayed him. There was a bruise already forming, but his nose didn’t appear to be broken. “What the hell did you do that for, princess?”

  “Because she’s seventeen!”

  My outburst caused Z to forget his nose, and when my gaze found Lucas, he stood way too still. Anna pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She wouldn’t look at anyone.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Lucas’s frown deepened. “She’s twenty-one.”

  “Is that what you tell yourself to assuage the guilt?”

  “No,” he said and bared his teeth. “That’s what she told us.”

  I looked to Anna who flushed a deep red. She lied to them? She saw the question in my eyes and jumped from the bed. “I’m so sorry, but it was the only way to protect Caylen.”

  What would her age have to do with Caylen?

  “Mian—” She scrambled from the bed, but her first step toward the door was blocked by Lucas. I watched as he wrapped a possessive hand around her jaw to keep her f
rom moving.

  “You lied to me?” I tensed when his voice and his eyes held no emotion as he regarded her. He appeared calm to someone who wouldn’t know better, but I knew he was holding in his anger for the right moment to strike. Lucas had a temper that he wielded like a secret weapon.

  “Yes.”

  “You’re seventeen,” he said unnecessarily. I could tell he didn’t want to believe it and would only accept the truth from her.

  She squeezed her eyes closed tight and nodded. No sooner had she opened them did he suddenly shove her hard enough to send her flying a few feet. She landed on her hands and knees and cried out. I pushed past the door and past Z and didn’t stop until I was toe to toe with Lucas.

  “What the hell is your problem?”

  “I don’t fuck children,” he snarled.

  “You’ve tried to fuck me on numerous occasions, and I’m only two years older than she is.” I agreed that he never should have touched her, but I couldn’t allow him to play the victim. Anna was well developed for her age, but he was a sharp man. He had to have known she was younger than she claimed.

  “Yeah? Well, there’s a big difference between jailbait and a legal fuck.” Fire was burning in his eyes so I made the decision to get Anna far away before he consumed us all.

  I turned away from him and helped her from the floor where she stared up at Lucas like a kicked puppy.

  “Come on, Anna.”

  “She’s not going anywhere.”

  I made sure Anna was steady on her feet before turning to face off Lucas again. “She’s not staying here either.”

  “She’s a prisoner and so are you. You don’t get to decide.”

  “I’m not a prisoner anymore. I’m a guest.”

  He glanced at Z who leaned against the door silently. His eyes narrowed when they moved back to my face. “When was this decided?”

  “This morning. Right after I fucked Angel’s brains out,” I gloated.

  To my surprise, he smirked and took a step back. “Well done, then,” he smartly retorted and moved for the door. “She stays here. You’re welcome to do the same.” With that, he grabbed Z’s shoulder and stormed out. The door slammed, and the lock turned to keep us inside.

  “I’m so stupid,” she cried as soon as it did.

  “Oh, Anna.” My anger dissipated as I witnessed my only friend lose control of her emotions. “What were you thinking?”

  “Angel wanted me to look after Caylen, but Lucas kept talking about my age. He thought I was too young and stupid, apparently, to look after a baby. I could tell he was convincing Angel, so I lied. I didn’t want to leave Caylen at the mercy of those monsters.”

  Her tears spilled faster, and she looked ready to collapse at any moment so I led her to the bed. She continued to cry, and I searched for words to say to make it all go away. I came up empty, so I went with the truth that was heavy on my heart, especially since she admitted why she lied. “I don’t know how I will ever thank you for what you did.”

  She sniffled and lifted her head. Her cheeks and eyes were puffy with red. “You would have done it for me.”

  I would have. Faster than a heart could beat. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel any better about the sacrifice she made for me. I had no idea how much pain my actions caused the day I broke into my dead godfather’s home.

  “Did they force you?” I had to force the words out. It was hard to believe given their response to my own rape, but what if they hadn’t given her a choice?

  She looked horrified when she gasped. “No!”

  We sat in silence until the questions tormenting me spilled out. “Which one?”

  She blushed and stared at her fingers. “Lucas.”

  It was worse than I thought. At least with Z, he would have been nice. Anna never understood the type of men she tempted with her body. “Was he gentle?”

  “Yes… at first.” Her smile held a secret I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. “But then it started to feel so good,” she rushed out, letting me in on the secret.

  I listened to her tell me about her first time with Lucas. It seemed that not only was he’s God’s gift to bed play, but I underestimated him as well. He wooed her before bedding her, and it was clear Anna was falling for him.

  Instead of feeling lighter, I wanted to scream. I knew he wouldn’t feel the same. Especially, not after this.

  Z returned with a fussy Caylen, and I forced myself to leave Anna. “He stinks.” Z’s nose was turned up as he held my baby out like a bomb about to detonate.

  “You could have changed his diaper.”

  He appeared sheepish when he said, “I don’t know how.”

  “It’s easy really. It’s just like wiping your own ass after it explodes.”

  He bent over to laugh and just like that, the tension between us eased. Z was sweet and funny. He wasn’t intense like Angel or temperamental like Lucas. He was easy.

  I stopped walking, and he did the same, though he looked confused. “I’m sorry I punched you in the nose.” I wasn’t completely sorry, but for some reason, I apologized anyway.

  “It’s cool, princess. I’ll take anything to get your hands on me.”

  I laughed and started walking again when I heard him say, “By the way… it would have hurt more if you’d slapped me with a feather.” He guffawed and held my son up as a shield when I faced him with a menacing expression.

  “Really? You’re going to use my son?” I took Caylen from him, and he followed me to the nursery where I demonstrated how to change a diaper.

  “Ever think you’ll have little Zs running around?” I asked after I tossed the diaper.

  His eyes were blank when he answered, “No.”

  “Why not? You don’t like kids?” He seemed pretty comfortable with Caylen.

  “I like them, just not enough to give them my blood or my name.”

  “I’m sure that’s not true.”

  “That I don’t like kids?”

  “That you don’t deserve them.” What was I saying? This man kidnapped my child.

  “Trust me, princess. There’s not a sane woman alive who would take my seed.” He walked out before I could respond, and I felt more than just a twinge of sadness for him. My heart actually broke. I always had the feeling his easy smiles were a mask to hide the broken man underneath.

  After I had put Caylen down for another nap, I headed back to Anna’s room. I didn’t want to leave her alone for too long. It seemed I came not a moment too soon when I found Lucas outside her door pacing like an angry cat. “What are you doing here?”

  He stopped pacing and leaned his forehead against her door. “I don’t know,” he croaked.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Of course, I’m not okay. I stuck my dick inside of a goddamn child.”

  “You shouldn’t blame her.”

  “Ok.” He lifted his head and turned to lean his shoulder against the door. “Give me a good reason why I shouldn’t and maybe I won’t.” His voice was calm, but his eyes were impatient as he waited.

  “She didn’t know.”

  “She didn’t know that she was only seventeen? Try again.”

  “She didn’t understand the magnitude of what she’d done by lying.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Now you’re pushing it. She’s seventeen not seven.”

  “She did it for me. If you’re going to be mad at someone, be mad at me.” I stalked forward until my forehead was almost touching his chest and poked him there. “I dare you.”

  He smiled, and I tried not to get caught up in how much sexier he was in these rare moments. “You never cease to push me, girl.”

  Then he did something completely unexpected. He shoved his fingers in my hair, pulled me against his chest, and kissed me. I pushed against his chest, but he only wrapped his arm around my waist and tried to coax my lips open. When I wouldn’t budge, he finally pulled back. “You can pretend I’m Angel if it helps.”

  My mouth opened to call him insane, but the words d
ied when he stole my lips again. His tongue swept inside. I swallowed his groan and allowed him to kiss me since it was clear he wasn’t going to let me go until I did.

  When he finally broke the kiss, he stared in my eyes. I grew uncomfortable while wondering what he was thinking.

  “The things I did to her…”

  If it was any girl but my friend I would have been insulted that he’d been kissing me and thinking about another. “Is she the real reason you kissed me?”

  “Yeah,” he croaked.

  “You’re insane.”

  “Maybe.” I stepped away from him before he got any more ideas. Lucas was incredibly hot and a damn good kisser, but we both knew I wasn’t going to be the outlet he used to erase Anna. “Tell me something.”

  “What?”

  “Is she turning eighteen soon? Like maybe tomorrow?”

  I shook my head. “‘Afraid not. She turned seventeen three months ago.”

  “Fuck!” He shoved his hands in his hair and stormed past me.

  I waited up for him in his bed. I knew he would come looking for me, to ensure himself I kept my promise, before coming to bed. I gave Caylen to Anna for the night to keep her mind off Lucas. From the look on Lucas’s face when he stormed away from her room, he wouldn’t have trouble staying away. I spent the rest of the day hoping to uncover secrets while Angel was away. I needed something to tip the balance in my favor. I promised Angel I’d stick around and accept his protection, but that didn’t mean I had to trust him completely.

  After an hour of snooping, I found something better.

  I found a gun.

  Chapter 51

  ANGEL

  I gritted my teeth to keep from tearing the entire house apart.