She reaches up and rubs the side of my face. “Me too, Carter,” she whispers.
“I found out some things I needed to know, but your dad is still deep underground. I spent the past three months trying to get to him and setting up a safe house for us. The house is mine. I had everything upgraded and changed out, so it’s essentially a fortress for us to live in. We’ll go there just as soon as we can. When I told you before that you were free and you were safe, you are as long as I’m alive, but I’ve got a bad feeling about what your dad has been up to these past few years. I need to know that you and my baby are safe.” I don’t want to scare her with all the details of what dear O’Leary has been doing while I’ve been in prison, but she needs to know that things have gotten serious.
“Is this about the night I can’t remember?” she asks.
I know this marks the start of a conversation I’ve been dreading.
“Yes, baby, it is. That night it happened you were trying to go away with me.”
I see the shocked look on her face and I know she doesn’t remember any of this.
“That day your dad found out who I really was and was planning on taking me out.”
She draws in a long breath and I rub my thumb over her lips, silencing her before she can ask. I want to get this out.
“I knew it was coming and I couldn’t risk you getting caught in the crossfire. So I told you to pack a bag and meet me. I had never run from anything in my life but I was willing to do it for you – to save you and because I loved you. When one of your father’s men found you packing he beat the shit out of you and informed your dad. He was going to use you as bait to lure me out of hiding. He was willing to sacrifice his own daughter just to get even for my betrayal. He didn’t know but I had eyes on you, Cherry. I never let you out of my sight. I got there just in time to save you but I had to kill in the process and I haven’t regretted a second of it since it happened. I did what I had to do to keep you alive, even if it meant my going away.”
Taking a deep breath I give her more. I need her to know her father is not a safe person for her.
“Your dad managed to escape before I could deal with him. When I got to you, they had beat you so bad...”
“Carter, I’m okay,” she whispers, softly kissing my lips. I realize now that I was squeezing her closer. I don’t get how she can be okay with this. It was my fault that they did what they did to her. And she is trying to make me feel better.
“I saw your shallow breathing and called the ambulance. I waited for them to show up and take you away before I left. That’s how the cops got me for the murder. I never denied it and got a plea deal because I informed on your dad and his dealings. Now that I’m out of prison he’s out for revenge.”
She takes all of this in and just looks at me with wide eyes.
“That’s enough for tonight, Cherry. We’ve both had a big day, and I’m not going anywhere. Let me hold you while we sleep, and in the morning we can talk a little more, okay?”
Reluctantly she agrees. “Okay, Carter, but tomorrow, I want everything.”
“It’s adorable when you demand things. Now go to sleep, baby. I’ve got you.”
It takes a while but I finally feel her give in to sleep. I lie there, just holding her for a long time before my body gives in too. Then I dream of Layla, always Layla.
LAYLA
Gently pulling Carter’s hand out from between my legs so I don’t wake him, I roll over and look at him. He held me so tightly last night, like he was afraid I might disappear if he let go for a moment.
Even in sleep he looks so intimidating. He’s built like a freaking tank. Just being next to him makes me feel so small and protected. And that feeling is magnified when he takes me. His big body covers mine, controlling every moment and every bit of my pleasure. All of his big muscles strain and flex as he drives into me. It’s like my brain just shuts off, and I can lose myself in the pleasure he gives. I’ve never felt as free as I do with him.
I can’t stop myself from tracing his tattoo of my name with my finger. Every time I see my mark on him, it makes my body break out in goosebumps. Just having Carter here right now means everything to me. Last night I tried to fight sleep. I was so afraid that if I let it take me under, I would wake to find him gone again. It would’ve broken me into a thousand pieces.
Just when I thought I’d finished with Carter, he came back in and ripped everything I thought I knew to shreds. I’ve dreamed of this day for so long. Waking up to him, waking up with the realization that he’s mine and I’m his, feels like my dream came true. After everything he told me last night, it all feels so bittersweet. I still don’t remember much of that night eight years ago, but bits and pieces have come back to me. I know now it was Carter I was running to and that my father wanted to use me against him. I don’t know if that’s something I’ll never understand. I knew my father was an evil man but I never thought that he would direct that evil at me. I had hoped some of those nightmares weren’t true but why would Carter lie to me?