by Sam Crescent
“It is what it is. I’m guessing they want to make up for Sarah’s loss.”
“That’s fucked up. You can’t let that happen.”
“I can’t stop it.”
“They gave her up.”
“I know. I didn’t at any time say I agreed with them looking for her,” Rick said. “I found their accounts. They’re paying a private detective who works for me to locate Tulip. Right now, I’m feeding him the information about her.”
“Is this your way of telling me that she can have a normal life?” he asked.
“In a way, I guess it is. She can have a family.”
Landon shook his head. “No. They gave her up. There’s no way she would want anything to do with them.”
“Do you really think so?”
He paused. He honestly didn’t know. “Are you saying you’ll kill me and send her to live with her family?”
Before Rick got a chance to answer, the door to the office was thrown open. Rick already had a gun poised at the people who entered. Guards held Jade and Tulip by the hair and threw them to the ground.
At the way the guard treated his woman, Landon saw red. Even with his body aching, he attacked the son of a bitch, pouncing on him and slamming his fist repeatedly in the guy’s face.
“Landon, stop,” Tulip said.
He didn’t care. No one touched his woman with anything other than respect. This man needed to learn the hard way, and he was going to make sure he paid.
Landon was dragged from the guy’s lifeless body. With his constant hitting, he hadn’t realized there was blood.
Rick had him around the throat. “Now, we’ve got another problem.”
“It’s okay, Landon, I’m right here,” Tulip said.
Even as Rick held him immobile, his woman came up to him. His fist was covered in blood. In fact, blood spatter was on the front of his body.
She didn’t stop though. Tulip went to him and touched his cheeks. “I’m right here. I’m fine.”
Rick let him go and he wanted to touch her.
“I’m dirty,” he said. He didn’t want to get that vermin’s blood on her.
“How did you two escape?” Rick asked.
Jade was captured by Gabriel, his half-brother.
“I picked the locks,” Tulip said.
“I was all for escaping while Tulip wanted us to come and get you. Sorry, Landon. You know I don’t want to go back to my family nor do I want to marry you.”
Gabriel tightened his hold on Jade.
“Hey, that hurts.”
“Naughty escaping prisoners don’t get to be treated nicely.”
“Fuck you.”
“Take her to one of the private rooms,” Rick said. “If you both agree not to leave this fucking house, I’m going to figure all of this out, which means you don’t have to marry Landon, and hopefully, you don’t have a fucking bounty on your head. Do we have a deal?” He lifted up his gun. “Or I can kill you all now and you can bleed to death. I really don’t care.”
“Deal,” Tulip said.
“Deal.” Landon would do anything to be with her.
“My family doesn’t know I’m here?” Jade asked.
“The correct answer is deal, girl,” Rick said. “I can throw your ass back in the basement or at the door of your family’s house. Now get the fuck out.”
Gabriel led Jade out of the room.
Tulip took his hand.
“You were coming to save me?” Landon asked. “How? Why?”
“I didn’t exactly have the how planned. I guess I’d hoped for a sloppy guard.”
“I don’t have sloppy, Tulip. Next time, don’t even bother thinking of escaping. The only reason you got out the first time was because I allowed it, no other reason,” Rick said.
They were excused and Landon wasn’t going to push his luck. So far, this hadn’t exactly gone the way he’d hoped.
“Come on, I get to show you my room,” he said.
“Do you think we should go and check on Jade?”
“She’ll be safe, I promise you. Rick is many things, but hurting her, he wouldn’t dare do it.” He was in pain from being beaten. Rick may have seen through his act, but he’d wanted to be captured. He wasn’t a fool and he knew it was only a matter of time before he got them all killed. Without his family, he couldn’t keep Tulip safe, and she was his number one priority.
****
“Let me go,” Jade said, wriggling against Gabriel as he walked her to one of the bedrooms. She didn’t want to be locked up again.
He opened one of the expensive-looking doors that looked more appealing than the metal bars of the basement, which had obviously contained a great many people who hadn’t seen the light of day afterward.
Gabriel shoved her into the room and she spilled forward, capturing herself against the bed. The room was spacious and lovely with a nice soft bed. It reminded her a lot of her cage back home. Everything put in place. She’d never been allowed to take care of her own place. No, she’d always been told what to do.
One of her family’s many designers had come in. When she was a girl, it had been decorated pink for a young girl. The changes in color happened gradually to showcase her growing into a woman.
None of it had been to her own taste.
She got up and sat on the edge of the bed, glaring at the non-Denton brother.
Gabriel closed the door. He folded his arms and stared at her.
She’d never met him before. Of course she’d heard of him. The whole Colton and Denton scandal had been big news in their world. He was the son of Maddox, the same age as Jacob. Until the truth of his existence came out, the Dentons had been solid. No one could touch them. The moment the truth came to light, they no longer seemed as godly as some had painted them. They were just as messed-up as all of them.
Tears filled her eyes and she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around herself, shivering. Escape. It was all she wanted to do.
She’d lost count of the number of times she’d tried to. Planning a way out was all that gave her hope.
“You don’t need to cry. You’ll find this more to your liking, Jade.”
“Why? Because you think the Castillo princess only knows this kind of life? You’re an idiot.”
“You know, I’ve killed men for less insults.”
“I don’t care. Kill me. If you’re going to send me back to my family, you might as well get it over with. I won’t want to live with what they have in store.”
“Marrying you off to a man who will give you nothing but luxury?”
The laugh wasn’t forced and she snorted as well. “Do you really think I’m an idiot? I know how this works. If I’m not sold off to Landon, then I get traded elsewhere. I’m nothing more than a fucking piece of cattle to them, sold to the highest bidder. At which point, I’m to become a little incubator, spitting out the heir and a couple of girls to be traded. Mostly they want boys. My life will be in the complete control of my husband who will tell me exactly how to live my life, including what I do and how I breathe. Oh, and if I’m lucky, he may not beat the shit out of me. Don’t think I don’t see the bruises on the women’s faces. The men in our world are monsters.”
“Not all of us are.”
“Yeah, I’m not that lucky.” She shook her head, gritting her teeth. “Forgive me for trading a life of being on the run with a friend, and poverty with that life.”
She would do anything not to belong to any man.
****
Tulip stepped over the threshold of his bedroom. It felt weird being in his room, his personal space.
“There was a time I’d have naked women on the walls, some bands, and shit. I even had a collection of knives,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“You did?”
“Even though our mom wanted us to grow up to be like other kids, I think she always knew it was going to be difficult for us. It’s the way the world works, you know?” He shrugged. “She did the best she could wit
h what she knew.”
“And she didn’t know a lot?” Tulip asked.
“The Denton men, we have to be strong. We can’t be weak and so that means training us from boys.” He looked bored as he spoke. “I knew more violence at the age of ten than most.”
“Ah, I see.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. His room was nice and warm, a complete contrast to the cold of the basement.
“You were coming for me?” he asked.
“You’re still surprised about that?” She turned toward him.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked. “You had a chance to escape. To be away from here.”
“Yeah, still the pesky problem of no passport, money, or any identification. No job either. I’m limited in what I can do. I didn’t sell my body back home, and I’m not going to start now.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and she moved toward him. “I was surprised you were still a virgin.”
“Now you have it. I’m yours. Did Sarah ever come here?” She felt him tense up. “I have my answer.”
“Your parents are looking for you, Tulip. They want to find you.”
“Ah, so the first daughter is dead, now they have a replacement.” She stepped away from him. “Kind of like you.”
“I don’t have a replacement.”
“Yeah, you do.” She blew out a breath. “Wow, I can’t even believe I’m feeling this way. You know what, I don’t even want to think about this right now. I … they can look all they want. They’re not going to find me. They messed up and they can pay that price.”
“You’re angry at them?” he asked.
“Of course, I’m angry at them. They gave me up. I don’t care about their reasoning for it. They decided to keep one of us, their most precious one. You know what? I don’t want to think about it.”
“You’re hurt.”
“When I think about them, Landon, I want them dead.” She turned to look at him. “I’m not like this Sarah person. I don’t care right now that you’re covered in blood and you killed the guard downstairs.” She shrugged. “I’m not precious or sweet, or innocent. I know how the world works. I’ve lived in it and I know you have to do a bunch of bad shit to survive. They left me. They pushed me to one side as if I was nothing. The only thing I want is for them to die.”
She moved toward the window. It was dark now—or again. She didn’t know how long they’d been at the Denton Family’s house. The yard was lit up and she saw the guards patrolling. Their guns clear even from the window.
Landon moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said, kissing her neck.
“You must think I’m some kind of monster.”
“Not at all. I know you’re not. I know you’re hurting right now and you have every single right to be angry. I’m angry for you.”
“It’s not normal. Nice people don’t wish for people to be killed. I’m messed up, Landon.”
“Really? Because I kind of like you messed up. It’s hot. You don’t judge me.”
She spun in his arms. “Why would I judge you?”
“I’m not perfect. I fuck up everything I touch.” He captured her chin. “I need to shower. I don’t want to get that fucker’s blood all over you.”
She took his hand, the one soaked in blood. “Come on.” She led the way into his bathroom. The door was open and the light was on. “If you haven’t been here for some time why is everything so clean?”
“Maids,” he said. “We pay them to clean everything. Each room in the house in case we have guests.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, in case you didn’t know, we’re rich.”
“I don’t care about money.” She really didn’t.
“Even if I could give you a nice big check, a way out of here, back to your life, in luxury?”
She stopped at the bathroom door and turned to look at him. “Is this some kind of test?”
“I’m telling you the way it can be. You don’t have to stay here. I can talk to Rick. He’ll give you what I want. A life away from this. Away from me.”
She frowned. “Wait. I don’t know what’s going on right now. You’re confusing me.”
“I want you to live a long, happy life, Tulip. A life you need and deserve. I’ll take care of the Smiths and you won’t ever have to think of them again.”
She placed a hand on his chest and frowned. “But it’s not what I want.” She tilted her head back, looking at him.
He cupped her cheek. His thumb slid back and forth across her flesh. “What do you want?”
She nibbled on her lip. It was hard for her to put into words exactly what it was she wanted. She was never the kind of woman to tell someone what she craved or hoped for. In her life, she never allowed herself to hope. In the early years when getting adopted was on her biggest list of wants, she’d slowly given up. No one wanted her.
“Tell me, Tulip. I can’t read minds.”
“I can’t read minds either, but I don’t want to give you up. I don’t know what is happening here, Landon. It terrifies me. I don’t know you and if what you say is true then your days are numbered.” She tried to take a step back to clear her head but he wouldn’t let her go. He captured her wrist, keeping her in place. “Landon?”
“I’m not going to let you go, not if you don’t want to. What I feel, it’s instant, intense, and the thought of ever not being by your side makes me feel sick inside. I don’t want it to happen, but I can’t be selfish with you.”
“Then don’t be. Be with me because I want you to be.” She went on her tiptoes and kissed him. Sinking her fingers into his hair, she released a moan as he gripped her ass tightly. It was a heady experience, one she relished as he held her in place, ravishing her mouth.
“I’m not going to fuck you while I’m covered in some bastard’s blood.” This time, Landon took the lead, and they walked into the bathroom.
He turned on the shower and she watched as he undressed. It didn’t take much for her to get naked and as she did, he let out a moan. A deep, guttural sound that went straight between her thighs.
All that time she’d been a virgin, holding onto it like a precious trophy, but now, she only wanted to feel him inside her. She didn’t even care if she was sore. All her thoughts were on him, possessed by him.
He stepped beneath the spray and she followed him.
After grabbing the soap, she started to lather his body. The water tinted red then faded as she wiped away every single speck of blood. When the water ran clear, she was in his arms.
He pressed her against the cool tile, lifting her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She didn’t have the first clue what she was doing, so she only did what felt right.
As she closed her eyes, he sucked on her neck, and the pleasure rushed through every single part of her body, from her nipples, to her clit, even to her toes as she curled them under and behind his back.
Every part of her was on fire just from the pleasure of his touch. It was intense, crazy, insane, and everything she ever wanted.
Down he went until he had one nipple in his mouth, and he sucked her hard. She screamed his name, not wanting him to stop, and he didn’t. He took his time, going to each nipple. At the same time, he reached between them.
The strength he had turned her on as he rubbed his cock between her slit, touching her clit.
She cried out at each pump and grind, but it didn’t last as he placed his thick prick at her entrance and slammed in deep. She was already wet, so the pain was minimal, and with a few strokes of her pussy and sucks on her tits, the pain didn’t matter. Only pleasure. Only feeling Landon wrapped completely around her, taking her, fucking her. She felt completely consumed, obliterated.
“Come all over my cock, baby. That’s it. Let me feel what you love.” He stopped touching her clit to thrust into her. Pushing in, sliding out, repeating the same action until she couldn’t help but beg him for more. He was completely driving her
crazy and there was nothing else she could do but hold onto him. “Yes, you’re all mine. All fucking mine. That’s it, baby. Come for me, give it all to me.”
The pleasure built quickly and as he made her come, she screamed his name. The sound echoed around the room as he completely took control of her, and she was nothing but a doll within his arms for him to play with. Even as the last aftershocks of her release rushed through her body, he wasn’t done with her yet. He began to pound into her, using leverage between his body and the tiled wall to take control, to fuck her, to make her realize that it was him she belonged to. There was no doubting her need for him.
Instead of pushing him away, she held him even tighter, not wanting to let go, only to keep him within her arms.
When he came, she felt every single pulse as he spilled within her. He wasn’t wearing a condom and she’d have to ask him for the morning-after pill. Right now, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to deal with the consequences of their time together. A baby, though, it didn’t sound so bad, not to have a part of Landon with her.
“Fuck, Tulip, I love you,” he said.
She gasped as she pulled away from him, watching him. “What?”
“I love you so fucking much.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I do. I know what it feels to be part of you and I’ve seen you. I’ve watched you. I’m sorry my uncle brought you into this fucked-up world, but I wouldn’t change it. You’re my everything.”
Chapter Twelve
The following morning, Landon left Tulip asleep in his bed. After his confession last night, he partly expected her to run as far and as fast as she could away from him. Knowing she hadn’t and he hadn’t scared her away left him with a big smile on his face. He wanted to get her breakfast and well, whatever music he had to face, so be it.
Climbing downstairs, he saw the guards, all of them tensing as they watched them. Ignoring them, he went toward the kitchen, where he found Jacob, Abel, and Gabriel, sharing a cup of coffee and whatever the conversation was about, it went silent with him near.
