I groaned out loud at that thought. That was the last place I wanted to be.
“Alright, Rogue’s house it is. You can crash in his guest house. I do it all the time.”
I shook my head. “I can’t do that. He hasn’t even invited me!”
Luis rolled his eyes. “I’ll text him. Trust me, Rogue would rather you stay there and be comfortable. Don’t be stubborn.”
As much as my Southern manners were trying to fight against it, I found myself nodding, because I really didn’t want to go home and deal with my family. They’d no doubt be angry that I took off without their permission.
I glanced over at Luis from the corner of my eye, trying to piece together the puzzle that was his life and understand all the hoops he jumped through on a daily basis to care for his mother. “Rogue’s house will be fine. Thank you,” I replied.
“You look disappointed,” Luis said before exiting the highway and turning towards Rogue’s house.
“I like spending time with you,” I admitted. “You’re fun.”
His grin could have blinded all of Savannah. “You like spending time with me, huh?” he asked.
“Don’t read into that,” I groaned. “Besides, it’s between you and my family. It’s not a hard contest to win.”
He chuckled as he pulled up to Rogue’s mansion, passing the iron gates and parking in the circular drive.
I had my hand already on the door handle, but Luis pulled at my shoulder. “Allow me, Your Majesty,” he whispered before getting out of the car and coming to open the door for me.
His mother was still passed out in the backseat. The summer heat was sweltering and uncomfortable. My shoes gave me blisters on my heels, and the awkwardness of today was set deep in my bones.
But it was kind of perfect.
Because for the first time all night, I wasn’t being stifled, no matter how humid the air was. For whatever reason, I breathed easier around Luis. And that was dangerous.
He held his arm out to me and guided me towards the side of the mansion near the path that led to the pool house. “Are you going to be okay here?” he asked.
“Of course. You’ll text Rogue?”
“Of course,” he echoed back.
When the pool house came into view, he stopped walking and turned to me. “You know, I’m glad you’re back. I don’t know if I told you that before.”
I swallowed but tried to play off the intense moment by smiling and patting him on the arm before letting go. “Well, you’re one of the only ones, but thanks,” I joked, though there was nothing truly funny about it. “Anyway, thanks for getting me out of there. I can take it from here, Prince Charming,” I said, though admittedly, I didn’t want him to go.
But instead of leaving, Luis stepped forward and cupped my cheeks, the moonlight casting shadows on his serious face. I stood frozen, unable to even blink.
“You’re so beautiful, Mamacita,” he rasped.
“What are you doing?” I choked out, my breaths feeling shallow and quick. I inhaled and pulled closer to him, like gravity was drawing me in. I couldn’t help it, his orbit was like a force of magnetism.
“I’m celebrating.”
Luis pulled me in for a kiss, and my whole life stopped.
Every memory, every worry, every fiber of my being—it all condensed into this one intense feeling of complete rightness.
It was earthshaking connection and overfilled need.
His kiss pulled at my soul. It ran down my lips and soaked into my blood, and I was caught.
I melted at his touch, and I groaned the moment his tongue swept across my bottom lip. I braced my hands against his chest to deepen the taste of him. Mosquitos swirled around my head as I grabbed the edges of his suit jacket, sinking my fingers into the fabric while wishing it was his skin.
Luis Salvador wanted to steal a little celebration from me, and I wanted to steal a little happiness from him.
He tugged at my lip before stroking my tongue, his hands leaving a sweltering line of heat as they trailed down my shoulders, along my sides, and to my hips. Arching my back, I silently pleaded for him to grab my breasts, but he didn’t. I breathed him in; I moaned and licked his mouth, clashing my teeth with his to take him in.
Soon, my back was against the harsh brick of Rogue’s house, the rocky discomfort digging into my bare shoulders and arms. I could feel my hair getting caught in the grooves and my dress snagging on the bricks, but I didn’t care. Luis’s hand pushed up the skirt of my dress, and he trailed his heated fingers around my thigh until he was cupping my ass. I grinded against him, moving too slow and too fast all at once.
My lips were swollen, and I was certain they’d bruise.
My head was fuzzy, and I was certain I’d regret this.
My body was alive, and I was certain I’d want more.
Suddenly, Luis pulled back, and my eyes snapped open at the abrupt loss of him.
“I have to go,” he choked out, his face flushed and his eyes hooded. I knew that I’d never allow myself another chance to kiss him, so I held firmly to his jacket, pulling him back for one last taste.
He obliged, though it held less intensity than before, and something told me that Luis refused to kiss me goodbye. He intended to do this again. And again. And again.
And I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to deny him.
“Good night, Royal,” he whispered against my lips before pulling away again.
He left me sagging against the wall, lipstick gone, cheeks pink, panties wet. By the time I reached a hand up to touch my lips, still tingling, he was already gone.
“Good night, Luis,” I murmured into the night.
Chapter Five
Royal
I was hiding in my room again. Doors locked, lights off. Maybe if I held my breath, Granddaddy wouldn’t know I was here.
Six damn weeks of this.
Six weeks of working at the hospital. Six weeks of ignoring Luis Salvador’s calls and text messages. Six weeks of willingly allowing Granddaddy to show me off like a prized horse to the eligible bachelors of Savannah. Six weeks of following a curfew and only going to places they approved of—like brunch on Sundays, the salon on Wednesdays, and shopping on Fridays. I wore what my mama wanted me to wear, I stayed quiet at the dinner table while my granddaddy railed on about whatever things he felt the need to criticize, and I shoved down my every impulse and want.
I was the perfect little golden Taylor female, and yet, it still wasn’t enough. Mama still harped on me, Granddaddy still disapproved, Gigi still ignored me completely, and I sucked at my new nursing job. I kept trying harder and harder, but no matter what I did, I couldn’t be what everyone wanted me to be.
The one thing I let myself keep doing was scrolling through Luis’s social media every night. It was my one guilty pleasure that I wouldn’t give up. It was the only continued connection I allowed myself to have. I’d been ignoring his calls and text messages as religiously as Mama visited Reverend Joe for her late night “grief counseling.”
I’d be lying if I said our kiss didn’t shake me. The second I got home that night, reality slammed into my chest like a freight train. I couldn’t complicate things even more. Not with the trust fund hanging over my head and my family’s disappointment still ringing in my ears. Not with the blood on my hands and Aaron haunting my dreams.
And yet, I wanted to see what he was doing and who he was with. I guess I was a glutton for punishment.
I pulled out the phone from my pocket and quickly shot off a text to my brother.
Me: Help. Granddaddy has another “suitor” coming to dinner. I need to get out of this house.
Godfrey: Go outside. I’ll get you a ride.
Before I could reply, I heard my name being called. “Royal? Where are you?”
I cringed at my granddaddy’s shout and scrambled to the closet and behind my long dresses hanging up, praying to whatever God was up there that he didn’t search for me in here. My bedroom door slammed
open, and I saw his angry, red face through the crack in the door. He looked furious, so similar to the way my dad had always looked whenever he’d gone off on a tangent. It automatically brought back all those memories of abuse, of screaming while he hit me or Godfrey or Mama.
Granddaddy searched the room and bathroom before shaking his head and stalking back towards the door. “That damn girl is going to be the death of me,” he snarled before leaving, slamming the door behind him in the process.
I let out a shaky breath of relief. I’d won the battle, but I was definitely going to lose the war. The last man he’d brought home to set me up with had a scar across his cheek and kept his hand in his pocket the entire dinner. It wasn’t until he groaned quietly and nudged my leg with his knee that I realized he was stroking himself through his pocket while my Granddaddy sat next to him, oblivious to what the sick bastard was doing.
Working at the hospital and applying for law school wasn’t enough. They wanted my complete submission. They wanted me to get married and lose the Taylor last name. They wanted me to be another man’s problem so that they wouldn’t have to deal with me anymore.
Godfrey tried to help, but it was no use. He wasn’t bound to the same restraints of his trust fund as I was. It was a vicious cycle of dependency. They took my money and held their influence over my head and this city. One wrong move, and the hospital would fire me. One disgrace, and the town would be blackmailed into ignoring me. Already, I was walking a fine line.
I walked out of my closet and over to my bedroom door, and placed my ear against the wood, listening to the sounds of my granddaddy’s voice as he greeted whoever was downstairs. “I’m so sorry, Aaron. She’s not home after all. I know you’ve traveled all this way, but it seems she’s slipped away again. We’re going to have to reschedule.”
I clutched my hand to my chest while letting out a shaky gasp. It couldn’t be…
“Yeah, well, I know how wild Royal can be. She needs a strong hand to guide her,” I heard Aaron chuckle.
My heart started to race as I tried to come up with reasons why the man who almost raped me had flown halfway across the world and was now in my living room, talking to my granddaddy. Panic wrapped around my throat like rope, squeezing me until I couldn’t breathe anymore. Bile rose up my throat and poured in my mouth, burning up my ability to talk with the implications in his words. Aaron’s version of a strong hand involved blackmail and non-consent. He was vicious and evil.
“I’m sure you’re up to the task,” Granddaddy joked. “Anyway, I’m glad you came. We need to go over the terms of your divorce, yes? Maybe Royal will show up by the time we’re done getting everything settled.”
Divorce?
The idea of staying in this house while Aaron was here made my stomach twist. It was hard enough to cope with what had happened when there was an ocean between us, but knowing he was in the same city—the same house—made me feel claustrophobic. Thank goodness I’d already texted Godfrey. Of course, my mama didn’t let me have keys to any of the cars. I was wholly trapped here unless someone else drove me.
Pulling away from my bedroom door, I staggered over to my second story window, sliding it open as a sob constricted in my chest. Moisture filled my eyes, and I trembled while staring at the giant oak tree right outside.
It had been years since I’d snuck out. I used to hide on the limbs of this tree when Dad was drinking. I’d clutch the bark as I sobbed and shimmied my way down to the ground before running off to drown my pain with distractions and impulses. Seems some things never changed.
Slipping my sneakers on, I raised my leg over the windowsill and placed an unsteady step on the limb. Slowly, as my heart stuttered and my panicked breaths increased, I pulled myself out of my damn prison of a bedroom and onto the tree.
Scooting along the bark, I kept an ear out for Granddaddy. I wouldn’t put it past him to come up and check my bedroom a second time. It drove him insane to be defied, and it bothered him even more when he felt his control was slipping. He liked to keep his thumb on my pulse at all times. He was suffocating me.
The branch creaked as I took another step, and I threw up my hands, holding onto the branch above me in case this one decided to snap under my weight. Either this damn tree got weaker, or I’d gotten a little bit heavier and a lot less balanced. I was going to blame the tree.
It took me an embarrassingly long time to get from the end of the branch to the trunk of the tree. Every step felt like I was walking on a tightrope. I practically hugged the trunk once I got to it, pressing my body up against it and trying to find the courage to look down and see how far I had to climb.
When I did, I groaned. I swear this stupid tree hadn’t just gotten weaker, it had gotten taller, too. I suddenly had visions of me falling and breaking my damn leg or even my neck. I swear, my granddaddy would probably be thrilled if I ended up paralyzed from the neck down. It would be much easier for him to control me. I grimaced at the thought.
I can’t believe I used to climb this thing when I was younger. I often did it when I was drunk, too, sneaking back up it before my parents checked my room in the morning. I was lucky I’d never fallen. The lack of liquid courage made this a hell of a lot harder. Maybe I’d just stay up in this tree until he left instead?
“You gonna keep hugging that tree, or are you gonna come down sometime this year?”
I yelped in surprise at the sudden voice, losing my balance when my body flinched back. My damn life flashed before my eyes before I managed to lean my body weight forward and grab onto the trunk again. Panting from the fear at almost falling, I glared down at the person wearing a t-shirt and jeans, casually leaning up against the house, watching me.
“Luis Fucking Salvador, you almost made me fall!” I hissed, trying to yell while also keeping my voice low in case Granddaddy was next to any of the nearby windows.
Luis chuckled. “If you fell, I would’ve caught you.”
I scoffed. “You’re such an arrogant bastard. You would not have caught me.”
He shrugged as if it wasn’t worth arguing about.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded.
“I was on my way to meet your brother, but he called and told me to come here and get you instead. Said you needed a ride to escape your family’s date.”
My mouth turned down in a frown. I did need to escape, but I had assumed Godfrey would be the one picking me up. I chewed on my lip, debating what to do. Maybe I should turn back and just keep hiding in my room?
“Neon orange suits you.”
I blinked down at him in confusion, my thoughts cut off. “What?”
He jerked his chin up at me. “Your panties. They’re neon-orange. Exactly the loud kind of color I’d expect from you, even if you do have it hidden away underneath that shitty Susie Homemaker dress your mama probably made you wear.”
My face simultaneously scowled and heated. I was pissed because Luis was right, but the blush on my cheeks wasn’t just from embarrassment. I liked that he looked.
I unlatched one arm from the tree trunk to pull the hem of my dress between my legs, ending his little peep show. The dress was blue again, this time sans ruffles. It was like my mama believed that the pastel color would inject some innocence into me. Unless she forced me into a nun’s habit, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t work.
“A gentleman doesn’t look up a lady’s dress,” I told Luis haughtily. Well, as haughtily as I could when clutching onto a tree thirty feet up.
He pushed away from the wall and walked forward until he was directly below me. “I’m not a gentleman,” he said smoothly, his eyes raking over my body and making me feel like he could still see every private part of me. “And despite this little show your family is forcing you to put on, you, Royal Taylor, are no lady.”
My mouth parted, but I didn’t know whether to smile or be offended. “Is that right?” I hedged.
He nodded once. “They want you to be a fucking flower. Rooted to the spot, silent and p
retty. Something they can show off whenever it suits them. But you’re not a flower, Majesty.”
“Then what am I?” I challenged, immensely curious. My heart had sped up, and my entire body had turned towards him like I couldn’t help but draw closer. For the first time in my life, it was like someone was actually seeing me.
“You’re a blade,” he said earnestly, without a hint of his usual humor. He slipped his hand into his pocket, pulled out the knife he always carried, and flipped it open to run his finger against it. “Polished. Strong. You have the ability to cut through the bullshit of your life, but for some reason, you keep letting people wear you down. You keep letting them blunt your shined edge. Stop letting them, Majesty.”
I swallowed hard. My hands shook, but this time, it wasn’t because of my new fear of heights. It scared the shit out of me that Luis Salvador could stand there and know me so completely.
I stared down at him, and he stared up at me, and despite our age difference, I realized that I was the naive one between the two of us. I was the inexperienced girl, scrambling to keep up with him.
“Now, you gonna come down that tree, or do I have to come up there and get you?” he asked with a lazy smirk.
I blinked at his sudden change in conversation, but I gratefully latched on to the way he brought the heavy, meaningful moment back to a safe, lighthearted place.
“I can climb down a tree on my own, thank you very much,” I told him.
He snorted. “Then why are you still up there?”
“I’m taking my time!”
“Sure you are,” he drawled.
I gritted my teeth, now determined to prove the bastard wrong. I knelt down and clutched the branch I was standing on, and swung myself down, stretching my legs down to find purchase on the next branch down. When I finally made it another two branches down from that, the ground looked much closer, but my heart was still racing. I should’ve tied my bedsheets together and thrown them out the window and rappelled my ass down the side of the house instead of this. I’d just add that to the list of life lessons I’d learned the hard way.
Wild: Savannah Heirs Page 6
