I keep peppering her shoulders and her neck with little kisses while pulling her pants down. I snake my hand between her legs and find her drenched. Another loud exhale. Hers or mine—I don’t know. Then I make a move to help her out of her pants, but her hand shoots up and grabs mine. “Keep going. Don’t let me think now.”
I could make it perfect. A moment like this deserves to be perfect. I could undress her and myself and make it look good, but it will not be her “perfect.” So I listen to her and return to my place and kiss her everywhere I can reach. I bite her skin and lick away the sting.
She gasps every time I glide my fingers along her drenched lips. I awkwardly unzip my pants and pull them down to my thighs. Taking my hard cock in my hand, I guide it to her center. Nipping and kissing her neck, I tease her wetness with the head. Then I slip in, just an inch, and she gasps. Her muscles tense, and I stop moving.
“It’s me, phoenix. It’s your yeti.” I bite her earlobe, and she lets out a cute half snort, half chuckle. My words seem to help, because she relaxes and pushes back against my dick, swallowing half of it inside herself.
My turn to gasp. I’ve missed this so much. This is the place where I want to be.
ChapterThirty
MARK
It’s Christmas at the Attleboroughs’ house.
When the doorbell rings, Mary goes to open it.
“Hey, Alex! Hey, sweety.” There’re loud kissing sounds, and I peer at the hallway. Mrs. Attleborough’s kissing Freya’s super-red cheeks, the new-ish member of Little Hope town and a millionaire extraordinaire. I wanted to stop by her center for people with PTSD and see if they have any tips for me that might help Alicia, even though after the last few hours I’ve spent in Alicia’s presence, I’m not sure she even needs it anymore.
I find Alicia. She’s unwrapping a huge box, sitting on the floor by the Christmas tree next to her brother. Her hair falls down her shoulders in long, soft waves. She woke up wearing only me wrapped around her body. She smiles shyly at something Justin told her and pokes him in his ribs, making him burst out laughing. His eyes dart to me, and he winks. It’s fuckin’ disturbing. I get a full-body shudder, and he cracks up more.
“Thank you,” their father says quietly from somewhere on my left, but I don’t pay attention. It clearly isn’t directed at me. “For bringing my girl back.”
My back stills as his he chokes on the last word.
“I didn’t know what to do, you know. I’m her father, and I didn’t know how to help my little girl.” He swallows roughly. “It’s any parent’s worst nightmare—to see your child suffer like that and not able to help her. She never told anyone. We thought she wasn’t ready, so we waited, but I know my baby girl. She just wasn’t ready to tell her story to us. She was waiting for you.” His voice drops lower, and I turn toward him. He his eyes are trained on my face, the corners of his lips point downward. “So yeah.” He clears his throat. “I’m happy you are here, son.”
His last words crack me from the inside. I’ve been dreaming to hear those words all my life but never got to. Until now. I don’t know what to say, so I just nod. Gentle hands land on my shoulder with a quiet squeeze. I lift my eyes and find Alicia’s mom with misty eyes. I cover her hand with mine and give her a gentle squeeze. She wipes the corner of her eyes and walks away.
I relax in my chair, and we watch everyone opening their gifts. Alicia and Justin constantly bicker like me and my sister do when we’re together, but they somehow seem closer. Maybe it’s a small age difference. Maybe it’s a normal family thing. I don’t know.
Justin’s eyes dart toward me from time to time, and there is not even a single twinkle of malice in them. I never knew I’d see a day when we can be in the same room, but here we are.
“Anyone want some mulled wine?” Mrs. Attleborough asks, and Alicia cries out.
“Mom, it’s not even eleven in the morning.”
She waves her off. “Let’s talk when you’re my age.”
“I’ll take some.” Freya smiles from the floor where she’s leaning on Alex’s legs as he sits on the couch with an ever-present scowl on his scarred face, but no cap in sight. It’s an improvement. There are only a couple of occasions where I’ve seen him without that awful cap since he returned from the service.
Freya’s phone chimes in, and she pulls it from her jeans. She reads something before saying. “Oh, wow.”
“What happened?” Kayla asks.
“Apparently, the local law enforcement got some serial rapists. Like real bad ones who’ve been doing it for years.” Her eyes are on the lit screen of her phone, and she doesn’t notice how everyone looks at Alicia.
She pales as Freya keeps reading.
“It says two Springfield citizens were caught in action by a friend of a victim. The unidentified source also provided police with the video proof.
“One of the criminals is the nephew of a local judge, who’s currently under investigation because several old, clearly covered-up cases were brought to light. A few victims already came forward and are giving their testimony.
“The criminals are being released from the hospital this morning, where they’ve been treated for severe injuries, caused by two unknown Caucasian men in their early thirties, as per their testimony. They’re not going to press charges since there are no witnesses to their claim. The only witness, who happened to be the victim’s friend, claims not seeing anyone.”
My eyes dart to Justin, who’s already watching me, unblinking.
When he sees me watching him, he gives me a nod and the side of lips quirks up in a secretive smile. I try to keep a stern look on my face, especially when Alicia’s about to lose her cool. I find her again and see that her eyes are darting between me and Justin.
