by Skye Darrel
She’s yours, he roars.
My muscles harden as I steel myself. Lily frowns, feeling the rage that makes me stiffen.
“Look at me,” I growl.
She turns her head slowly and bites her lip.
I move my hips in a circle, and she arches beneath me, moaning between agony and pleasure.
“Did you poison Rose?”
The name of her grandmother makes her jerk, and I feel her body cool and coil tight.
“W-What?”
“You heard me, Lily.” I kiss her chin. “Answer me. Do you know what I was looking for in the cabinets? Bottles of cyanide. What Rose really died from, and I found them. Empty bottles of cyanide. You were the only one living with her. What did you do, Lily?”
She doesn’t understand, and the strange, innocent gaze on her face makes my cock go soft. Then her eyes dawn with the understanding that I’m accusing her. But still her body shakes against mine, our pleasures too sharp to fall.
Gently I rub the base of my cock against her clit until she bites my shoulder and climaxes one more time.
It’s over. The haze of lust fades from her eyes.
“Get off me,” she whispers. Then louder, “Get off me!”
I follow her commands. “Tell me the truth, Lily.”
“Everything I told you was the truth. Everything!”
Lily squirms out from under me and scrambles up, and the sight of my cum trickling down her creamy thighs make me feel a million things. She pulls on her dress, her hair wild, and her bright eyes flashing. “You never loved me. You never did! You don’t even know me, do you? You came here like a knight, but you’re not.”
I don’t bother putting on my clothes. Sitting upright, I hold her gaze. “I haven’t seen you in three years, Lily. How could I know you?”
I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. “I’m sorry, angel.”
“Don’t call me that!”
I stand and face her. “You’re still my responsibility.”
She slaps me. Then again. She pummels my chest and screams, and I let her, taking the worst she can dish out. I hold her before she wrenches away.
“Get out!” Her eyes are filled with hate. “Get out, I don’t need you.”
“Lily—”
“Get out or I’ll call the sheriff!”
She storms into the kitchen, and I follow on her heels.
“Lily, stop!”
She turns around.
I dig out the empty bottle of cyanide I found under the kitchen sink. “How do you explain this?”
“I’ve never seen that before in my life!”
“It got here by itself? Rose was poisoned by cyanide, Lily. I read the autopsy report. Elijah covered up for you.”
She stands a little taller and grabs a knife from the drawer. “I don’t know anything. Elijah never told me anything. I want you to leave now, and I mean it. If you don’t, I’ll—I’ll—”
“Put down the knife. Let’s talk about this.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” she says coldly, her tears drying. “You’re not who I thought you were. Leave my house. I don’t need you.”
And it is her house. With her grandmother gone, Lily stands to inherit everything. Her motive, Elijah had told me.
She puts the knife to her wrist. “Leave, Dalton! Or I’ll hurt myself.”
I back out of the kitchen slowly and hold up my hands.
“Never come back!”
Those words stab through my chest, and I want to wrestle that knife away and make her see that I only wanted to protect her, regardless of what she has done.
But I can’t reach her in time.
When I look into her face, I see the hurt there. The desperate anger. She’ll use that knife if I take even one step closer. No choice now.
I backtrack toward the front door and leave.
It’s dark.
I’ve never been to the small cemetery in Willowbrook, but I look up Lily’s family name on a visitor’s map and find my way to the newest three plots. Two memorial plaques for Joseph and his wife Sharon. A real grave for Rose Duchamp, the grandmother who buried Lily’s parents before she went herself. Elijah had handled the funeral details.
I kneel and touch Joseph’s plaque. “I’m sorry, brother.”
There are so many things I should be sorry for. I couldn’t bring myself to visit until now. A part of me always held out hope that rescuers would find him and Sharon washed up on an island somewhere, surviving, and they’d be rescued, and everything would be okay.
That’s a fate they deserve. Not this.
I shake my head and stand.
Now I failed Lily too.
She was telling the truth, I’m sure of it. The Army trained me well when it comes to seeing the truth, but it’s not because of my training that I believe her. We have a connection that I can’t explain. I can see her thoughts and feelings, and I know in my soul that she told me the truth.
Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and think of Lily’s smile, remembering her scent and the feel of her body against mine.
Pain.
That’s what I feel at her absence, a new kind of pain I’ve never felt before. Worse than any injury of the body. Worse than the time a bullet went under my ribs in an Iraqi village. Joseph had dragged me to safety that time.
“I love her,” I whisper, like a confession.
Something meows behind me. I spin around and see Lady in the grass, licking a paw. Her cat eyes seem to glow in the dark.
“You scared the shit out of me.”
Meow.
I look at the open door on my SUV parked on the lane. Lady must’ve hitched a ride and come out for a stroll. Fighting back my fear, I kneel and pet her furry little head, and she rolls against my palm.
“That wasn’t so bad was it?” I whisper, more to myself than the cat.
She purrs and the sound reminds me of Lily’s soft breaths when she’s sleeping on my chest.
“Why’d you leave the house, Lady? You left Lily all alone.”
Lady gives me a tiny a hiss, a flash of fangs, and flicks her tail through the air. When I stand, she sits back on her haunches and holds my gaze.
“We need to go back. Come on, girl. Don’t make me carry you.”
I walk toward my car and look back to see the cat following me, her ears prickling up like she senses danger in what lies ahead. She’s not the only one.
Chapter Nine
Lily
It’s almost eleven when Elijah’s headlights cut through the blinds. I called him as soon as Dalton left. I gathered all the empty cyanide bottles and put them on the living room table. I want answers, and Elijah has them.
Can’t think about Dalton. It hurts too much.
When I open the door, Elijah walks in and hugs me, and I let him, even though the way his hands snake down my back makes me shiver.
“I came as soon as I could. Where’s Mr. Cormac?”
“Gone.”
Elijah nods. “You don’t need him.”
I sniffle and bring Elijah to the living room table, showing him the cyanide bottles. “Dalton found this in the house, Eli. I don’t know where it came from. What did you tell him? He thinks I poisoned my grandmother.” Tears burn my eyes before I can stop myself, and my voice breaks.
“Dalton is a stranger, sweetheart. He doesn’t know you like I do.”
Elijah holds me in his arms, soothing away my tears. Then his grip tightens.
“I love you, Lily.”
My stomach twists. “Eli . . . ”
“You almost got away from me, Lily Duchamp. You almost fell in with a bad man, but I’m here now. And I’ll protect you.”
My body screams for me to push him back. “Let go of me,” I say.
“Haven’t I been keeping you company after Rose’s funeral? Haven’t I been visiting you? I’m the only one who cares, sweetheart. The only one who truly loves you.”
His eyes seem so soft, they pull me in and make
me want to tell him everything, but something holds me back. An instinct, a voice in my head that tells me Elijah is false, and Dalton is true. Then I think of something else: other than Dalton and me, the only person who’s been in the house since my parents passed is Elijah.
My eyes flick up.
He smiles at me. “I love you so much, Lily,” he says in a voice oily smooth. “Tonight you’ll love me back.”
Panic rises in my chest as I push him, but he’s a lot stronger than his lean frame lets on.
“Don’t fight it, sweetheart. There’s no one here.”
“I’ll tell the sheriff!”
“Sheriff Hess answer to me, Lily. He’s not the only one. That coroner who examined Rose? He’ll say whatever I tell him to. This whole town belongs to me. Why do you think your friends stopped visiting after Rose died? Hm? Why do you think everyone abandoned you? I warned them. I told them to stay away because I would take care of you. In Willowbrook, I am king.”
“Please let go of me,” I whisper. “Please.”
Elijah stands close enough that I can see the flecks of light in his pupils. I back against the wall as he stalks forward, fingers digging into my arms. “You’re mine, sweetheart. You belong to me.”
“No.”
Elijah curls his mouth. “I grow weary of this. You know what I want. A shame what happened with that plane, at least it got your parents out of the way. Rose was easy work after that.”
“Y-You poisoned her?” It must’ve been him.
Elijah smiles and grabs my wrists. “Forget Dalton. He’s gone and never coming back. If you know what’s good for you, stop being so stuck-up. You’ll be my wife.” Elijah looks me over and smacks his lips. “Yes. But if you fight me, I’ll make you my whore. No one will help you, Lily. Not your so-called guardian. And certainly not Rose.”
“Murderer!”
Elijah nods at the cyanide bottles. “Your grandmother was the last thing standing between us. I knew she didn’t like me, she warned me to stay away. Rose had to go. Do you remember that church picnic, Lily? I added a few drops in her drink. Not much. Just enough to make the death look natural. These empty bottles are my insurance, in case someone like Dalton ever came along to make things messy. It was easy to stash them in this house when I brought you presents. You are so naïve, sweetheart. Now. Will you be a good girl and listen to your husband?”
“I’ll never love you!”
“Fine. But you’ll give me what’s between your legs. Love isn’t necessary—”
A loud crash cuts him off. Elijah pulls out a gun from his jacket and steps back, aiming it at my head before Dalton lunges into the living room, red-faced and snarling.
“You’re a dead man,” he growls.
Elijah goes pale, then presses the gun to my temple. “To the contrary, Mr. Cormac. I’m very much alive.”
“Lily,” Dalton says. “Just keep your eyes on me.”
“You came back,” I whisper.
“I should’ve never left. I’m so sorry.” He stands straight. “I’m here now, everything is going to be okay.”
“I very much doubt that,” Elijah says.
He turns the gun on Dalton, and a scream hovers at the top of my throat. Then I hear a hiss and look down to see Lady on Elijah’s leg, her claws in his pants. I knock the gun from his hand before Dalton rams into him, and Elijah crumples in a heap.
“Lady!”
She leaps into my arms while Dalton wrestles with Elijah, rolling over each other, throwing punches before Dalton slides on top and beats the man who tried to destroy my life to a bloody pulp.
“Don’t kill him!” I shout.
“I ain’t gonna kill him,” Dalton rasps. “Get me some rope.”
I look through the closet in the hallway and bring him a bundle of rope, and Dalton ties Elijah’s hands and arms together before he stuffs a dishrag in his mouth. He gets up, and I set Lady down and crash into his arms.
“Shhh. It’s okay, Lily. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m here now, and I’ll never leave you.”
“What are we going to do with Elijah? We can’t call the sheriff.”
“We’ll sort him out in the morning. I’ll make some calls, he’s not the only one with friends in high places.” Dalton glares at him. “Hear that, you sonofabitch? You’re going away for a long fucking time.”
Lady hisses at Elijah.
Dalton hugs me closer, and I can feel his erection prodding my tummy. I look into his eyes, my face burning.
“You hurt, baby girl?”
“No.”
“Then you can take me,” he growls. He strokes my hair. “I need you, Lily.”
“N-Now?”
“Yes.”
My body melts as he takes me to the kitchen, out of Elijah’s view, but he’ll be able to hear everything. Dalton sets me on the counter and pulls my dress clean off.
He kisses my breasts before he locks eyes with me and rubs over my pussy. He calms my jitters, and soon I feel my moisture slicking his palm.
“Now Lily, you owe me an orgasm, and I’m taking it.”
My blush burns hotter, and even with Elijah in the other room, I’ve never felt safer. Pressing my lips together, I loop my arms around his neck and say in my loudest voice, “You can take whatever you want, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Take out what you own. See how hard you make Daddy.”
I fumble at his zipper, my hand still shaking as he licks around my nipples, and my fingers steady when I find his hard cock and pull it through. He opens his shirt and grabs my waist and slides me onto his hard cock. I clench around him, heat blazing through my body, as he slams into me raw and hard, his thick cock stretching me open, pumping deep.
“Who do you belong to?” he growls. “Tell me.”
“You.”
“Louder!”
“You!” My walls constrict, and my pleasure surges like a tide.
“Don’t you forget it, angel.”
Our bodies wrap together, his cock deep in my pussy, and he picks me off the counter and buries his mouth on my throat. Grunting and groaning, Dalton fucks me in the air as my orgasm erupts in an inferno, and his cock jerks inside me as he blasts me with hot cum.
Dalton wraps me in my dress and lifts me into his arms. He carries me through the living room and halts in the doorway.
“Elijah, when you get out of prison—if you get out—you’d better find some hole to crawl into. Because if I see you again in this life, I’ll end yours.”
Dalton carries me upstairs and sets me down on my bed. He takes a phone out of his jacket, and as he rubs my clit gently, he makes some calls.
I lie stretched out, bucking against his hand. I don’t hear the words he speaks, or who he’s calling. I know that my big man will always do whatever it takes to keep me safe.
Chapter Ten
Dalton
“Elijah Maxwell was corrupt as fuck,” Gabe tells me on the front porch. Gabriel is former Army and a buddy of mine, and he also knew Joseph from the way-back-when. Nowadays he runs the FBI field office in Richmond. Last night, it took one call to get his agents to visit Willowbrook and sort out this mess.
I stifle a yawn. After Lily fell asleep in my arms, I waited until Gabe showed up with the backup, and watched with satisfaction as they dragged Elijah into a van. No questions asked about his bruises. The front of Lily’s house is jammed with unmarked vans and cruisers from the state police.
“No shit,” I grumble. I’m grateful for the help and it’s good to see Gabe, but I don’t like how he’s puffing on a cigarette in front of Lily, who’s standing five feet away and looking way too anxious for my liking. I need to hold her.
And my cock starts to throb at one glimpse. Lily meets my gaze and knows what I’m thinking. She blushes, tucks a wisp of her hair behind one ear and bites her pouty lip before she turns her eyes.
I look back to Gabe’s square-jawed mug, and my dick calms. “You should quit smoking. It’ll kill you.”
Gab
e shrugs. “Life is short.”
Even a few months ago I would’ve agreed. Now I think of Lily. “Not that short. What will happen to Elijah?”
“Life without parole at least. We’re still going through his home and office. There’s no shortage of evidence. Murder, conspiracy, fraud, the list goes on. He had this town in a stranglehold, Dal, he and his cronies. But we’re tearing it all down. I know Lily Duchamp means a lot to you, but what he tried with her is the least of his crimes.”
“She means everything to me.”
Gabe gives me a long stare. He snuffs out the cigarette and puts the stub in his pocket. “Cute girl.”
His tone is carefully blank.
“She’s mine,” I say just as carefully.
Gabe shakes my hand. “Stay out of trouble, Dal.”
“Will do.”
I walk to Lily and hold her in my arms. She buries her head against my chest as I comb through her tangled hair.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Baby, look at me.”
She gives me her big eyes, still full of innocence, but I know she’s not so innocent anymore, not after what she’s seen. Not after what we went through together in a few short days. I love her all the more for it. Holding her now, it feels like I’ve known her all my life. Like we were always meant to find each other.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I miss Mom and Dad. I miss Grandma. But they’re gone and there’s nothing I can do.”
The weight in her voice breaks my heart, but she’s right about that. Loss is loss. Dwelling on it changes nothing, a lesson I learned on the battlefield. “You’ll always have me. I love you, Lily.”
The FBI spends a month processing the scene, and by the time all the cars are gone, I’m hungry for my angel. It makes me feel guilty to desire her like this so soon after what happened, but I can’t control myself around her. It’s the one thing I can’t do.
We haven’t touched each other as lovers for weeks and it’s driving me insane. At night, I stay in her bed because she can’t fall asleep without me, and my cock would stay hard for hours. I curse the animal inside me that makes me want to taste the sweet honey between her thighs again, to feel her wrapped around my cock.
