“That’s more like it,” he says, catching me just as I fall. My fingers loosen up on my purse and it falls from my hands as he throws me over his shoulder and carries me through the apartment. Where’s he taking me? Oh no. To Hudson’s bedroom. As much as I want to fight, I can’t. My body is tired and weak, and my vision is blurring together. My head is screaming in pain, and my ears are ringing so loud, I can’t hear anything over it. The next thing I know, he’s throwing me onto the bed and I bounce hard, jarring me even more. As I lay there, I feel myself beginning to come down. The ringing begins to lessen, even though my head is still pounding. My vision starts to lighten back up, and things are doubling but coming into focus. When I look up, I see him crawling up the bed, ready to cover my body with his.
Thirteen
Hudson
It takes many hours of fighting to get the fire out and the building roped off since its structure integrity has been compromised. I managed to pull three people out of the blaze, all of whom were trapped on the second floor. The building was an old, shut-down factory, but homeless people, drug addicts, and runaways have been using it for shelter. The whole place was trashed, filled with ratty clothes that got left behind, dirty mattresses, empty bottles of booze, and drug paraphernalia.
It’s going on nine a.m. when we roll the firetruck out to go back to the station. I’m hot and soaked through with sweat. There’s soot covering my face, and my eyes burn from the smell of the smoke coming off of my gear, but I have this high pumping through my veins that I can’t ignore. I didn’t get much sleep last night and I got up early. I would normally be tired right now, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins keeps me up and alert, and I’m not ready to come back down.
When we get to the station, I strip down and pull my clothes back on. I look at my watch and see that it’s going on nine-thirty. Breakfast started an hour ago. If I hurry, I bet I can make it. I run to the bakery to grab a basket of muffins, not wanting to show up empty-handed. I place my order and hang out by the counter when Brad walks up to me.
“Hey, man.”
Surprise washes over me. “I thought you were having breakfast at your place?”
He nods. “Yeah, we were, but Mom and Dev got into it pretty badly. She stormed out and went to lay down in your room. Mom needed to get some fresh air, so we left Marco there and came out for a drive. We just stopped for some coffee.”
Wait a minute. Did he just say that he left Deven alone with Marco? “You left her alone?”
“Marco’s there. What’s the big deal?”
“You left her alone with him?” I ask again.
“Yeah, why?”
“Goddamnit, Brad.” I push past him and run for the door. I jump into the driver’s seat of the truck and twist the key. It roars to life and I throw it into reverse. Stomping on the gas, the truck jumps backward at record speed. I shift into drive and hit the gas. The truck takes off. This thing may be old, but Colton knows what he’s doing with an engine. I’m flying toward the apartment building at record speed. It’s only been two minutes since I left the bakery before I’m parking in front of the apartment building. I run up the stairs two at a time until I reach the door. I twist the knob, but it’s locked. I quiet myself and press my ear against the door. I hear the faint sounds of her yelling.
I raise my hand and pound on the door. “Deven!” I pound harder. “Deven, can you hear me?” I yell again, pounding harder and harder.
Nobody comes to the door and I don’t have a key. I do the only thing I can think of. I back up and take a running start, jamming my shoulder into the hard wood. It creaks but doesn’t break free. I back up again, ignoring the pain radiating in my shoulder. With a deep breath, I press forward. The door bows inward slightly with my weight, but it doesn’t give.
“Goddamn it. Fuck,” I yell, backing up a third time. By this point, my shoulder is screaming in pain and I wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve jammed it. It’s definitely bruised. I take a couple deep breaths, pushing the pain away and run harder, faster. I jam my shoulder into it again and then time, it busts open and I fall into the floor. The wind gets knocked out of me, and I’m breathless as I lie, panting, on the floor, but I hear her. She’s crying.
“No, please. Stop,” she cries out.
“Shut your fucking mouth,” a man’s voice says, sounding as if he’s struggling.
I push myself to my feet and stumble through the apartment. I take the corner a little too sharply, and I hit the edge of the couch. It squeaks as it scoots across the floor, but I don’t stop or even think of it.
I stop outside my bedroom door, and the sounds are louder now. She’s crying and breathing hard. He’s cussing and groaning. The bed is squeaking, and the headboard is banging off the wall. Oh fuck, I’m already too late. Tears fill my eyes as anger burns its way up my throat. I step back and kick the door hard, not even bothering to try for the knob. It pops open easily and flies backward, hitting the wall hard and causing the plaster to break and crumble to the floor.
Before me, on the bed, I see Deven. Her dark eyes are full of tears and locked on mine as he’s on top of her. It feels like time has stopped. She has her hands against his chest, pushing against him and trying to get him off of her.
His eyes land on mine, and they’re full of fear as he realizes that he’s been caught. His hands move away from her, but it doesn’t stop me from marching over there and grabbing him by his shirt. Using all of my strength and ignoring the pain in my shoulder, I pick him up and throw him against the far wall. His back hits it with a thud, and I hear the air leave his lungs. He falls to a crumbled-up heap in the floor, momentarily dazed from the impact.
His face is covered in fine lines and wrinkles as sweat beads up on his brow and begins dripping down his face. His peppered black hair is out of place, and as his dark eyes meet mine, they’re full of fear and worry.
Some may say that I should have stopped and checked on Deven, help her get her clothes on and hold her close to calm her down. But I can’t even think of that right now. All I can do is look at this man who put his hands on her. Rage burns hot in my stomach and makes its way up my throat, like boiling acid. I bend down, grabbing ahold of his nice dress shirt and jacket and picking him up.
“You better never fucking touch her again,” I say, pulling back my fist and sending it flying into his face. His head snaps back from the force, and it hits the wall behind him.
“She’s fucking mine. You hear me?” I yell, pulling my fist back against and landing a solid hit to his stomach that has him doubling over. “Nobody touches what’s mine.” I bring my knee up quickly and land a blow on his nose.
He falls to a bloody heap on the floor once again, but I’m far from fucking done. “I’m going to fucking kill you like the piece of shit you are for touching her.” I bring my foot back, ready to land a kick to his face. If the bastard is lucky, I’ll send his fucking nose straight back through his brain and put an end to his pathetic existence, but before I can, someone tackles me from the side, taking me down to the floor.
I fight against this person, not even caring who it is. Nobody is going to stop me from killing him, not after what he’s done.
“Hudson! Stop, man. It’s me!” Brad yells as I fight to get him off of me.
Finally, my vision, blurred from rage, begins to focus again and I see Brad on top of me. I stop trying to fight against him.
“What the fuck is going on?” he asks, getting up off of me.
I make my way to my feet and see Deven still on the bed, wrapped in the sheet as tears stream down her face.
“What the fuck does it look like?” I ask, moving to her and wrapping her in my arms. “Shhh, you’re fine. He won’t ever touch you again,” I promise her.
Brad looks from us to Marco, who’s passed out on the floor, and back. A woman walks into the room and takes us all in. She gasps when she sees her boyfriend unconscious on the floor. “What happened?” she asks, rushing to him. She tries to sit him up,
but all he can do is moan.
“Mom,” Brad says, bending down to her level. “I think Marco was trying to force himself on Deven,” he says softly so Deven doesn’t overhear, not wanting to cause her any more grief than what she’s already going through.
“What? No, that isn’t possible,” the woman argues.
They whisper back and forth while I tend to Deven, but the old lady won’t listen to what’s right in front of her face. I finally lose my temper and turn to face her. “Look around! Deven didn’t come on to him all those months ago. He tried coming on to her, and when she pushed him away, his pride was hurt. He lied to you, and you believed him over your own daughter. And what’s even better is you brought her attacker to her doorstep today. Then you left him alone with her. When I walked in, he was seconds away from taking something from her that she could never have back. Is that something you think you can believe? If not, get the fuck out. Deven doesn’t need you anyway. She has everything she needs right here. Her real family.” I turn back to Deven after leaving the lady speechless. “Come on. Let’s get you home.” I pick her up against me with her clothes in my hand. “Brad, call the police. We’re pressing charges on that asshole.” I walk out of the room, carrying her to the bathroom to help her get dressed.
I set her on the sink and wet a rag to wash her face, which is covered in tears and smeared makeup. I cup her face with both my hands, leveling her eyes on mine. “Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Do you need to see a doctor?”
She shakes her head. “He was so close,” she cries out.
“I know,” I reply, pulling her to my chest and hugging her hard. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here.” I can taste the acid in my mouth that’s bubbled up from my anger. It makes my chest tighten and every muscle harden.
“It’s not your fault, Hudson. You can’t be with me every minute of every day,” she replies, holding her hand out for her shorts.
I give them to her and then tug my T-shirt over my head and hand it over. She shrugs out of the ripped shirt and replaces it with mine.
I place my hand under her chin. “I need you to trust me. You know I’d never hurt you.”
She nods and presses her lips to mine, kissing me deeply, passionately. I get lost in her time and time again and I never care to find my way back out. I’d live in her if I could.
“I love you, Hudson,” she whispers against my lips.
“I love you too, baby.” I kiss her again and again, afraid to take my lips off her. This is the only thing that holds my anger at bay
The rest of the day is spent talking to the police, giving our statements, and watching as Marco is walked out in handcuffs. Deven’s mom is beside herself, but part of me wonders if she’s upset because she lost her money train or if she’s mad at herself for not believing Deven and for not being able to protect her. Either way, I don’t stick around to ask. As soon as we’re free to go, I take Deven back to our room and lock the door.
I draw us a hot bubble bath and I hold her closer as we sit quietly, relaxing and trying to forget our day. I can tell that she’s doing nothing but sitting there, reliving her day, and I want to distract her from the pain that memory brings on.
“I’m thinking a winter wedding,” I say, kissing her shoulder.
“What?” she asks, looking over at me.
“A winter wedding. We could get married in the snow and have a horse-drawn carriage. What do you think of that?”
She giggles. “You want to plan our wedding now? You haven’t even asked me to marry you yet.”
“Good point,” I say, placing my hands on her hips beneath the water and spinning her around to face me. “Deven Danielle Oslen,” I start and she giggles. “I’ve spent my life living one day at a time, accomplishing one goal at a time. I never looked to the future and I never saw myself settling down…until I met you. What was supposed to be a one-night thing turned into me wishing for you every single night until I couldn’t resist you any longer. I’ve never had anything in my life that I couldn’t turn away or walk away from until you. You came into my life like a shooting star. You were bright and captured my attention from the first time my eyes landed on you. Your beauty overshadowed everything, and before I knew it, you were gone and leaving me wondering how I could live without you. And that’s when I realized that I couldn’t. I don’t ever want to spend a day when you’re not in my life. Will you please marry me?”
Tears fill her eyes and slowly fall down her cheeks. Her bottom lip quivers, but she keeps her mouth clamped shut, trying to control it. Without a word, she nods her head up and down. “I would love to,” she finally whispers, making her way into my lap.
My hands pull her closer as my lips find hers, kissing her hard like she’s everything I need to survive. My hands make their way over her hips and up her back. Her back arches, causing her chest to press against mine. Her hard nipples graze my chest, tickling and teasing. My hand travel further, up to her damp hair, where they tangle into the silky smooth locks, keeping her mouth against mine like she’s the air I need to breathe.
I want to carry her to bed and bury myself in her all night long, but after the day she’s had, I’m afraid to. I’m not sure if she’s ready for that.
She breaks our kiss and looks deep into my eyes. “Take me to bed, Hudson,” she whispers, answering me unasked question.
I place my hands under her ass to support her weight and then stand with her against me. The water drips off both our bodies as I step out of the tub and carry her to bed. We fall down to the mattress, and the sheets stick to our wet bodies, but that doesn’t stop us. My girl knows exactly what she wants as she rolls us over so she’s on top. Within seconds, she’s sliding down my hard cock with her hands on my chest and her lips on mine. She rises up, then slides back down, grinding against me. My hand finds its way between us, and as she rides me, I rub tight little circles around her clit. She’s memorizing to watch as she rides out her release on top of me, her plump lips parted with her heavy breathing, her eyes closed, dark lashes fanned out across her cheeks. Her brows are pulled together in concentration, the way my name falls from her lips again and again. Before I know it, I’m rolling us over and giving her everything I have. I don’t have a choice. Watching her made me lose myself. All I can feel is my all-consuming love for her.
I grind against her for what feels like two seconds before I’m seeing stars of my own. I pull out and thrust back inside her with enough force to move her up the bed, and she lets out a moan that sends a shock straight to my dick.
“Oh, fuck, Deven,” I moan as I’m pushing back into her body.
Her hand moves up and lands on my jaw, and my eyes open, locking on hers. I get lost in her eyes and have no choice but to empty myself inside her. After I ride out every last wave of my orgasm, I rest my head against her chest. Her hands wrap around me, holding me to her. I listen to the way her lungs work to pump oxygen in and out. I listen to the way her heart races. All of it grounds me, and I know as long as I have her, I won’t need anything else.
In the morning, I wake early and get dressed quietly as to not wake her. I quickly write out a note that I leave on my pillow, telling her that I’ll be right back and not to worry. I step out of our room and lock the door behind me, heading for the truck.
I spend my morning ring shopping. I stop at every jewelry store in the area before venturing out into the city. I don’t find the perfect one until it’s pushing ten a.m., four hours after I left the room. I wonder if she’s awake yet, but I hope that she’s not. I’d like to surprise her. The ring I end up getting is a three-carat princess-cut diamond on a thick silver band. I know it will probably look huge on her tiny little finger, but my girl deserves the best, and that’s exactly what I’m going to give her. The man wraps the box up and I set it on the passenger seat of the truck before driving home.
On the drive, I can’t keep my eyes off that box. Excitement courses though me at the thought of sliding it onto her finger and making her
mine forever. I can’t help but dream about how our lives could be. I see myself building a house out on my family’s property, something big enough to support our growing family, but not too big that it feels empty when the kids grow up and move out. I can see the kids running and playing in the backyard while I work on an old engine in the garage and Deven works in the garden out back. I see us celebrating holidays and family birthdays there. I see the kids growing up and one by one leaving for college or to start their own lives. I see us growing old together. I know I made the right decision. There’s not a doubt in my mind.
I swing by the bakery and get a box of muffins and two coffees before heading back to our room. Before going in, I grab my phone and make an appointment for us later today before taking everything inside. Walking in and closing the door causes her to wake up. I thought she’d be up by now, so I made no attempts at being quiet.
Her dark eyes lock on mine, and I offer up a nervous smile. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were still asleep.”
She gives me a sleepy smile as she sits up, holding the sheet to her naked chest. “It’s fine. I’ve slept too long as it is. I guess you really wore me out last night.”
That makes me smile as I place everything down on the table. “I got us muffins and coffee for breakfast.”
“Mmmm, that sounds amazing. I’ve starving.” She goes to get up, but I fall to my knee beside the bed. She looks down at me, confused, until I show her the box I’m hiding behind my back.
Her mouth drops open. “You didn’t have to do this, Hudson.”
“I didn’t have to buy my fiancée an engagement ring?”
“No. I mean, as long as we know what we are, why do I need a ring?”
I open the box and pick up the ring, showing it to her. She gasps at the beauty. “Because you’re mine and you deserve the best of everything,” I tell her, sliding the ring onto her finger.
The Slade Brothers: A Complete Small Town Contemporary Romance Collection Page 93
