Never to Keep (Accepting Fate #1) (22 page)

I reluctantly pulled away when she gasped for air. “How are you feeling?” I fought to catch my breath.

“Sore, but nothing I can’t handle.”

I pulled her hands away from where they rested on my shoulders. “We should stop. I don’t want to risk hurting you. You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt last night.”

“Don’t you fucking dare try to leave me all worked up like this.” She stabbed her finger into my chest. “Peyton will be in the tub for at least twenty minutes. I told Ethan I’m having digestive issues, so he won’t come looking for me.”

“You lied to Ethan? What happened to the good girl thing you had going on?”

“You’re a bad influence. Now, give me what I want.”

“What do you want?”

“I want—no, I
need
you to fuck me. Right here, right now.”

“What if I say no?” Like that was even remotely possible.

“If you say no, I’ll drop to my knees and leave you hanging on the edge until you’re begging to fuck me.”

“And if that doesn’t work?” I loved hearing the dirty words coming from her lips.

“I’ll go upstairs and take care of myself.” She shrugged as if it was no big deal. “Lisa brought me a Silver Bullet yesterday.” She slid her hand down the front of my jeans and grasped my rock-hard cock. Her touch coupled with the image of her pleasuring herself with a vibrator nearly set me off.

“You wouldn’t ask Ethan to scratch your itch?” I needed to know. I wasn’t opposed to being the sexual equivalent of a loofa, but I would be the only one to service her for the time being.

“You’ve ruined him for me.” She pulled off her tank top, knowing I was a foregone conclusion. “You might have ruined all other men for me.”

That was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. “I want you completely naked and leaning over the sink by the time I get my cock out.”

“Yes, sir.” She had no idea what she did to me, but I was about to show her.

I lowered my jeans and boxers to mid-thigh and took my rightful place behind her. I grabbed her hips and tugged her back until we were lined up. “You’re so incredibly sexy,” I breathed. I gently kissed the smooth curve of her bruised shoulder and watched as she shivered. “You need to be really quiet. I wish Ethan could hear you scream my name, but we can’t risk Peyton hearing us.”

I slammed into her from behind and watched her gorgeous ass bounce against my hips. It wasn’t nearly as round as it’d been the last time I took her in this position, but it was still really fucking hot.

I stared at the place where our bodies joined, fascinated by the way her body tried to hold on to my bare cock when I pulled out.
My bare cock?

“Oh shit.” I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten again. She didn’t seem concerned about protection. Maybe she was trying to get knocked up.

“What’s wrong, Sawyer? You look like you’re going to be sick.” I met her concerned gaze in the mirror. The familiarity of her deep brown eyes slowed my pulse and loosened the noose around my neck.

I finally pulled myself together enough to respond. “Condom.” I couldn’t risk taking any more chances.

“It’s okay; I’m clean, remember?”

“That’s only part of it—”

“Oh, for the love of God, get your fucking dick back inside me right this instant, or it’ll never get anywhere near my body again!”

That was all the motivation I needed.

Sawyer

The animosity between Ethan and me the night before had to have been hard on the girls. Shortly after my quickie with Madison, Ethan informed us that he would pick Peyton up from school the next day. I decided it would be best to take a step back, especially since Madison didn’t argue with his plan. My gut cursed at me for voluntarily leaving them alone together, especially with Madison’s overactive libido, but I had to believe I would live to fuck another day.

The next school day went too quickly. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Peyton, since I knew what might be waiting for her at home. I couldn’t stand the thought that Ethan might ignore her, even though I knew Madison would rather die than neglect her.

“Peyton, please stay for a minute,” I said in my teacher voice because there were still a couple of straggling kids in the room.

“Did I do something bad?” She wasn’t used to me speaking to her with that tone after the final bell rang.

“No, not at all.” I waited a minute for the last kid to leave and then pulled a small box from my top desk drawer. “I got you a present. I’m not coming over tonight, but Uncle Ethan is.” I opened the box and pulled out a brand new smart phone. “It’ll make me feel better if you have this.” I showed her how to use the basic features. “My number is programmed in the contacts. Call or text if you need anything at all, even if you just want to talk.”

“Wow, it’s just like Mama’s!” She inspected every inch of the shiny black phone and nearly dropped it twice. I made a note to pick up a protective case the next time I was at the store.

“Let’s keep it our little secret. Madison probably thinks you’re too young to have your own phone,” I said conspiratorially.

“Don’t worry; I won’t tell.” She gave me the cutest exaggerated wink I’d ever seen. “Thank you!” She came around the desk and gave me a hug. I ruffled her auburn curls and then watched as she tucked the phone in a special interior pocket of her backpack.

“You better head to the gym before Ethan gets here. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” I felt much better knowing that Peyton had a way to contact me if things got weird with Ethan; however, it didn’t stop the tug in my chest as I watched her skip away.

I had a couple of pizzas delivered around the time I normally came over. I didn’t want Madison cooking for the lazy asshole. More importantly, I wanted her to know I was thinking about them. They were all I thought about lately. Maybe this break would be good for me, too.

I stayed late at school to catch up on grading and prepare lesson plans for the next week. I also took an hour to clean up what was left of the mess from the donut debacle. Sheer amazement at some of the places the kids managed to make sticky almost made me proud of their ingenuity. On the other hand, I was disgusted by some of the places the janitors missed.

By eight o’clock, I couldn’t think of a reason to justify staying any longer. The thought of spending the rest of the evening in my empty house wasn’t the least bit appealing. Somewhere in the past week, my idea of fun had taken a one-eighty. I used to savor quiet evenings with a book or a game on TV. Now all I wanted to do was play Twister with a little, curly-haired munchkin while her aunt laughed as I repeatedly fell on my ass.

I drove around aimlessly for about an hour. I was pulled from my foggy thoughts when I realized I was parked outside of Madison’s club. I felt compelled to stay, even though I had no desire to go in. I didn’t want to look at any other women, nor did I want to get drunk.

Climbing out of the SUV, I circled the outside of building until I saw something that would haunt me forever. There was a dark red streak across a pale concrete pad near the back door. I was standing in the place where Madison had been attacked. I was looking at the blood she’d shed as she’d struggled to save herself from a monster.

I was on the verge of throwing up when a husky voice came from the top of the steps that led to the door. “One of the girls got jumped out here. Shook everyone up.” The blonde took a drag from her freshly lit cigarette and then tightened the belt of her long robe. “Too bad someone had to get hurt before they put in this light.” She pointed her cigarette to the spotlight above her head.

“I know. She’s a friend of mine.” I didn’t feel right talking about Madison with a stranger.

“She’s my friend, too. I’m Lisa.” She studied my face carefully. “Are you the guy who bought her last week?” I nodded and quickly placed her name.

“Are you the friend who brought her the vibrator?”

“That would be me. Why are you here? You’re her boyfriend, so you know she isn’t here tonight.”

“What makes you think I’m her boyfriend?”

“After you finished banging her, I found her blowing chunks in the bathroom. Once she finished, she told me that you wanted to be exclusive.”

Fuck, I am an asshole.
I needed to change the subject. “Do you know who hurt her?”

“No. I heard it was someone who works here—or I should say
worked
here. Rumor has it Bruce found out and fired him on the spot. I haven’t been able to figure out who it is because a few of the guys haven’t been around lately.” Her jaw was clenched. She obviously cared about Madison. I bet she would be more than happy to help me kill the motherfucker.

I found a scrap of paper and wrote down my number. “Will you call me if you find out who did it? Even if it’s just a rumor?” I was glad to have an ally in my hunt for revenge.

“Sure, but only if you promise me the same thing.” She pulled out her cell, added my number, and then went back into the building. A few seconds later, my phone vibrated with a text that simply said:
Lisa
.

I decided I needed to go inside after all. “I need to see the manager,” I told the half-naked hostess. “Don’t worry; he’ll want to hear what I have to say.” I slipped her a fifty-dollar bill.

“Follow me,” she said with a seductive smile intended for my bank account.

I followed her down a dimly lit back hallway. She knocked on an open office door. “Bruce, there’s someone here who needs to talk to you.” She put her hand on my arm to keep me from entering. “You should stick around. I’ll be available for a private show in about an hour.” I was relieved she didn’t wait for a response.

“Hey, I remember you. Madison is on vacation for a couple of weeks. Can I interest you in another girl?” Bruce had a huge smile on his face and dollar signs in his eyes.

“No, that’s not why I’m here.” I felt my face tighten. “You’re going to tell me who hurt Madison, and then you’re going to clean up her blood out back.”

“My lawyer said I can’t talk about it. I like Madison, but I could lose everything if I violate the non-disclosure agreement we signed.”

“You let the bastard get away with it?” I grabbed the collar of his shirt and lifted the large man from his chair.

“I fired him. Then he threatened to expose what happens in the back rooms. Says he has evidence, including stuff Madison did. I agreed not to tell anyone about what he did to her if he keeps his big mouth shut. If the truth got out, Madison could get arrested for solicitation.”

“Fuck!” I shoved him back into his chair with enough force that his head slammed into the wall behind him. I couldn’t let Madison get arrested, but I couldn’t let this guy live without consequences, either.

“Fine, I’ll figure it out on my own.” I wasn’t done; he had something else I wanted. “I want you to fire Madison. When she calls to get back on the schedule, you’re going to tell her you’ve replaced her or something.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me. She’s a huge moneymaker.”

“You’ll do it if you want to live.”

I stormed out of his office and headed to the parking lot. My phone buzzed as soon as I got back into my car.

Peyton:
Night night. I miss you!

My anger instantly faded. I typed a quick reply.

Me:
Good night, sweet dreams.

I pulled away from the club and headed to Madison’s house, grateful that Ethan’s car wasn’t in sight. I sat outside until all of the lights were out, and then let myself into the house using the key Finn had accidentally taken along with the keys to her car. She was sound asleep when I climbed into bed with her, and I left in the early morning before she woke up.

Madison

By Friday morning, I was going stir-crazy. Ethan and Sawyer were at work, and Peyton was at school. I’d read four novels since I’d been off of work and was starting on the fifth. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about Sawyer.

The doorbell startled me. After setting my library book on the end table next to the recliner, I strolled to the front door.

I squinted to look through the peephole. I should have guessed it would be the tiny woman who routinely starred in my nightmares: Hailey Fox. One of the popular girls who made my school life a living hell and the social worker assigned to my custody case.

Every strand of her over-processed blonde hair was plastered to her scalp before coming together in a headache-inducing bun. “I thought you’d be at work today,” she said. “I was surprised when the hospital told me you had taken the week off.” She narrowed her eyes and pursed her thin lips. “Any particular reason why?”

“I just needed a break.”

She slammed into my injured shoulder as she marched past me into the house. I contorted my face to keep a scream from escaping.

“I went to the school on Wednesday.” She strutted around the living room in three-inch pumps and casually ran a fingertip along the back of the couch as she passed by. “Peyton has a rather large bruise on her arm.”

I strained the muscles around my eyes to keep them from travelling in an upward circle. “Kids get bruises. It’s their job.”

“I asked her what happened—she said it was Mr. Ramsay’s fault.” She smoothed her pencil skirt as she perched on the edge of my couch.

“She was joking. She fell while they were playing basketball after school a few days ago. She blames him because she’s a sore loser. Don’t you think I would call the police if someone hurt Peyton?”

“I find it hard to believe she got that severe of an injury from a simple fall, and so will a judge. It’s my job to err on the side of caution. Your
personal
relationship with Mr. Ramsay calls your judgment and credibility into question.” The gleam in her icy blue stare seemed out of place, and I had no idea how she found out about Sawyer and me. “You are to cease all contact with Sawyer Ramsay outside of school, or I will be forced to file a police report.”

“She’s not being abused. I wouldn’t protect anyone who laid a finger on her.” Sawyer would never hurt a child. “If you’re so worried about her, why is it okay for him to be around her at school?”