Evernight Publishing ®

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2016 Jenika Snow

ISBN: 978-1-77233-817-1

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: Karyn White

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING:

The

unauthorized

reproduction or distribution of this
copyrighted work is illegal. No part of
this book may be used or reproduced
electronically or in print without written
permission, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names,
characters, and places are fictitious. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales,
organizations, or persons, living or
dead, is entirely coincidental.

ONLY HIS

Jenika Snow

Copyright © 2016

Chapter One

She’s mine and she’ll find that

out soon enough.

He kept saying that in his head

over and over again, the mantra making
this animal rise up in him, primitive,
possessive, angry that he couldn’t
control himself the way he wanted to.
David didn’t want desires and needs to
dictate how he acted, but when it came
to Gillian he had no control, it seemed.

His obsession for Gillian was so

strong inside of him, so powerful, that
David let it grow, and didn’t want it to
stop or dim. He let it consume him until
she was all he thought about anymore.
He watched her, made sure she was safe,
that no motherfuckers touched her. He
could admit it was creepy as hell, made

him a stalker, but he didn’t care. She
was his world, whether she knew it or
not. David didn’t care that their past
might be considered controversial, that
she had been something different to him
back in the day.

He might not know when his

desire for her had gotten so out of
control, but he knew the exact moment
his need to make sure she was safe
began to control him. He could see that
day so clearly in his head, knew it had
been the defining moment in his life
where he had said fuck everything else
aside from Gillian. It was years ago,
well after he’d gotten the divorce from
Gillian’s mother, but to him it was still
so fresh, so raw.

David sat in the car, the sun

setting, the lights on the art gallery bright
and casting a glow on the sidewalk in
front of the building. He could see her
inside, speaking with a young man, the
same little asshole that worked there
with her. David’s jealousy over Gillian
was like a living beast inside of him,
threatening to take his control until there
was just this primal, animalistic need
inside of him.

Like clockwork she lifted her

hand in a wave toward the prick, left the
gallery, and went to her car. David
scanned the surroundings, made sure no
one was going to fuck with her, and only
when she was in the car did he exhale.
The gallery was decent, but it wasn’t in

the best neighborhood. She started the
car, and before she pulled out of the
driveway, his cell went off. Only
glancing down long enough to grab it and
look at the screen, his need beat through
him stronger at the fact it was Gillian
calling him.

She trusted him, and that made

his desire for her in all things beat like a
war drum in his body.

“Are you okay?” was the first

thing he said even though he was staring
right at her, unbeknownst to her.

“Hi to you, too, David,” she said

in her very feminine voice, a chuckle
coming from her. “I just wanted to ask if
you’d want to go with me to this gallery
opening next weekend.”

He kept his focus on her car,

watched as she pulled out of the lot, and
did the same. He wanted to make sure
she got home okay, and although
following her, watching her, was so over
the fucking line, he couldn’t stop
himself. He did have a job, and although
that meant he couldn’t watch her every
second of the day, he did want to make
sure she was protected.

You’re crossing the fucking line,

doing illegal shit, and if she ever found
out she wouldn’t want anything to do
with you.

“You know I’m not into that art

shit,” he said, but he would have been
there anyway.

“I know, but it’s a pretty big

turnout for a well-known artist, and I
thought a little cultural experience might
do you some good.”

He could tell by her voice she

was smiling. “I’m sure you have
someone closer you’d like to take,
maybe a friend from school?” He
tightened his hold on the steering wheel,
kept a good distance back from her car,
and watched as she pulled down her
street. Fortunately, she only lived a little
more than ten minutes away, but still far
enough she wasn’t still in the shitty part
of town.

“Sure, I could ask some of my

girlfriends, but I know you don’t get out
of the house much.”

If she only knew.

He pulled his car to a stop down

the street from the small house she
rented, cut the lights, but kept the engine
running. Gillian got out of the car and
headed inside, all the while talking to
him on the phone and not knowing what
a son-of-a-bitch he was.

“Whatever you want. Just tell me

the time and place and I’ll be there.”

Once he knew she was safe in

the house he drove back home. After he
spoke with her for a few more minutes,
he finally ended the call, and drove the
rest of the way in silence, his thoughts on
her.

David was a motherfucker, he

knew that, knew that watching her,
following her, and being an all around

piece of shit stalker would ruin the
relationship they had. But he couldn’t
stop himself. Gillian looked at him as a
friend, and he knew it could never be
anything more than that on her end. More
than likely she saw him as the man
who’d been married to her mother back
in the day, and because of that, because
of the relationship they’d had, the
“parental” responsibilities he’d had
toward her, she could never see him as
what he really wanted.

But despite that he couldn’t stop

what he was doing, couldn’t make his
desire and emotions for her any less real
or intense.

Once he was back at his place he

shut the front door and looked around the

barren existence of his life. He was
fucking exhausted, had been up for the
last twenty-four hours because of work
and making sure Gillian was okay, but he
knew it would be a bitch to fall asleep.
On a good day he got four hours of
sleep, and the rest of the time … well,
insomnia was his companion.

Walking over to the kitchen

cupboard and getting out the bottle of
vodka he kept on hand, he didn’t even
bother with a glass. Instead he went to
his room, shut the door, and got
undressed. Lying on his bed against the
headboard, with only his briefs on,
staring at the ceiling, and drinking
straight from the bottle of liquor, he
focused on a small crack in the corner of

the room.

David had thought about just

coming clean with Gillian many times, to
explain his desire for her, the lengths
he’d go to make her safe … to make her
his in all ways. But he’d always stopped
himself, wanting her in his life, even if
that meant he had to be in the shadows.
Would she understand why he did what
he did? Would she understand that after
her attack something in him had changed,
shifted? It had been that moment that
changed everything for him. Although
before that, when he saw the beautiful,
intelligent woman she’d grown into,
he’d started to fall for her, it hadn’t been
until he saw her being hurt, forced, that a
switch had gone off in him.

He tipped the bottle back, taking

a long pull from it, and scrubbing a hand
over his hair. He was too old for this
shit, to be following a woman around
like a fucking asshole.

Where it concerns Gillian there

are no lengths we won’t go.

That voice played through in his

head, far stronger than even his common
sense and rationalization. He was
fucked, but the dark part of him wanted
to be covered in those shadows.

Chapter Two

“Come on, Gillian.” Brian

grabbed her wrist forcefully and
yanked her forward.

She’d only had two beers, but

she felt like she was drowning, like the
world was turning and she couldn’t
grasp onto anything. “Leave me
alone,” she said, but her voice sounded
slurred even to her. Blinking back the
dizziness, trying to get her vision to
clear, became pointless. In fact, it made
it worse. Placing her hand on the wall
to steady herself, she tried pulling her
hand free from Brian’s hold. He was so
much stronger than she was, or maybe
she was just too fucked up?

Either way, struggling was only

making her feel even worse.

“You know how long I’ve

wanted you?” Brian said, his mouth
right by her ear now, his hot, humid
breath brushing along her cheek.

She shook her head, squeezed

her eyes shut, and tried to push him
away. “I don’t want this, Brian,” she
tried to say clearly. “This isn’t right.”

“Oh, it’s right, baby.” He pulled

her even harder against him, and his
arousal for her was clear, disgusting,
and her fear rose.

“No, Brian.” She placed her

hands on his chest and pushed him
away. But Brian obviously didn’t care if
this was consensual or not.

“This was the length I’d go to

have you.”

She didn’t know what he meant

by that, but before she could question
him she was spun around and tossed
onto the bed. She went to stand up, but
he pushed her back down.

“I hate that I had to get you like

this, but you kept turning me down,
Gillian.”

Brian

sounded

urgent,

desperate, and Gillian’s fear rose even
higher. She knew where this was going,
and as much as she wanted to fight him,
to stop it, her arms and length felt so
damn heavy, her mind foggy, confused.

He drugged me.
That realization had her blood

running cold.

Her cell phone dug into her

from her back pocket, and trying to
focus, she saw Brian was busy getting
undressed, his side to her. She reached
for her phone, and after the second
attempt she was able to pull it out of
her pocket. Getting to the keypad and
dialing someone’s number was harder
than she thought, but it was David’s
name that came up first, and she knew
if anyone could help her it was him.

Pushing the send button on his

number, she glanced up at Brian and
saw he was about to face her. She
tucked the phone to her side, didn’t
know if David would be up at this hour,
but she hoped, prayed.

“I don’t want this, Brian.

Please.” Could he even understand
her? In her mind the words sounded
clear, but coming out of her mouth was
a different story. They felt thick, hard to
even pronounce, and when Brian
grinned she knew he either couldn’t
understand her, or he didn’t give a fuck.

Probably both.
Was David on the line? And then

saying to hell with it, because she
needed to get out of this, she turned
and grabbed her phone, which was
partially under her.

“David,” she tried to say his

name. Squeezing her eyes shut, she
tried again. “I need help. He’s going to
rape—”

Brian snatched the phone from

her and tossed it against the wall. She
saw pieces scatter around, and her
entire body tensed.

“Fuck, Gillian,” Brian said,

sounded even more desperate. And then
he was on the bed, onto of her, pinning
her body down with his, and kissing the
side of her neck.

She couldn’t stop this, and that

was the scariest thing of all.

Gillian opened her eyes, stared

at her bedroom ceiling, and breathed
through the temporary panic that
assaulted her. She had the nightmare
every once in a while, and although
she’d gotten therapy, and was, for the
most part, healed, there were still times
that night came back to haunt her.

She sat up, trying to calm her

racing heart, and got up to go to the
bathroom. Turning on the light and
placing her hands on the sink, Gillian
stared at her reflection. Her black hair
was a matted mess around her face,
sweat causing a lot of it to stick to her
cheeks and forehead, and the dark
circles under her eyes looking like she’d
gotten the shit kicked out of her.

“You’re stronger than this,” she

whispered to her reflection. Turning the
faucet on and washing her face, she
knew coping techniques to keep the
panic and past from claiming her. She
had moved on with her life since then,
and although it had been seven years
ago, when she’d been twenty, she knew

that a trauma like that never fully left a
person.

Going back to the bed, she sat on

the edge and stared at her cell phone.
When the nightmare came back, the first
person she thought about was David.
He’d been the one person to stop Brian,
to make sure she’d been safe. He’d also
been the one to kick the shit out of Brian,
to send him to the hospital with a broken
nose and jaw, and fractured arm, and
dislocated knee. Brian had looked like
someone had taken a meat pounder to his
face, but she hadn’t cared. The boy she’d
gone to high school with, had thought
was her friend, had drugged and nearly
raped her. For all she cared he could
have fallen off a cliff and she would

have stood there watching his descent.

She knew David would have

accepted her call anytime of the day.
He’d been there for her all the way back
when he’d been briefly married to her
mother. But that had been so long ago.
Even then he’d been a friend, and not a
father figure. She had a dad already,
didn’t need another one, and she’d been
happy and content to have someone she
could talk to. But sadly the marriage
hadn’t lasted that long. Even though that
had been so long ago, she still kept in
contact with him and considered him the
closest person in her life. With her
mother traveling Europe and Asia with
her new boyfriend, hardly keeping in
contact as it was, Gillian didn’t have a

lot of people she trusted. Aside from
David, she didn’t have anyone she felt
comfortable speaking with about her
problems, about the things that had
happened.

David’s always been there for

me, never lost contact, and I love him.

Yes, she loved him as a friend,

but what she’d never told anyone, what
she would never tell a soul, or show
outwardly, was that she was in love with
David, had been since that moment he
pulled Brian off of her, and she watched
David beat the shit out of him.

A part of her thought it was

wrong for her to feel anything sexual
toward a man that had been in her life
technically as her stepfather. Although

she never saw him in that capacity, and
she knew he had never seen her as a
daughter, it still seemed wrong, taboo
even.

Not calling him, even though she

knew he’d be there for her, she lay back
on the bed. Gillian breathed out and
scrubbed her hands over her face,
knowing she wouldn’t be getting back to
sleep after the nightmare. She never did.

Of course her thoughts went to

Brian, as they did every time she was
woken up by the past. She didn’t know
where he was right now, and didn’t care.
It might have been seven years, but she
remembered that night like it was
yesterday. A little voice inside of her
said Brian remembered that night, too,

given the fact he was no doubt scarred
from the beat down by David.

Turning on her side she thought

about David that night, about how fierce
and strong he’d been, at the fact he’d
done what he’d done to protect her.
They’d gotten closer after that, not
sexually, but just … closer. They were
as connected as two people who had
gone through a traumatic event could be.
He was the one person she could talk to
about whatever. He never judged, never
looked down on her. Gillian wanted to
spend time with him, but was too afraid
to broach that subject, explain that the
kind of time she wanted to explore with
him was not on a “friends only” basis.

“It is what it is,” she whispered

in the darkness.

If she never had David in that

way, she was content to at least have him
in her life as a friend. A world without
him in it seemed pretty damn bleak.

Chapter Three

“I don’t like this,” he said while

looking Gillian in the eyes.

“David, I’ll be fine. It’s just a

couple of friends hanging out at
O’Donnell’s.” She smiled, but it didn’t
ease him in the slightest. “I can send you
a text if you want, once I get home?”

He nodded, not admitting that

he’d be watching her, making sure no
fuckers messed with her. It had been
seven years since that motherfucker laid
his hands on her, and ever since then
David had been overprotective, he could
admit that. But knowing she was putting
herself in this situation, going to a bar on
a Friday night that was known to get

rowdy, didn’t ease up the darkness in
him.

“O’Donnell’s

isn’t

safe,

Gillian.” He leaned back in the chair. It
was the afternoon, the sun shining
through her kitchen window, and he was
on his way to work. Owning his own
contracting business allowed him to
come and go as he pleased, and when he
wasn’t working in the office or from
home, he was making sure Gillian
wasn’t fucked with.

“David,” she said, leaving a

stretch of silence between them before
continuing. “Is there any place that’s
really safe?” She lifted a brow, clearly
challenging him.

“No, not when it concerns you.”

He wasn’t joking, not when it concerned
Gillian’s wellbeing. “I thought you
would have come to realize that by
now?”

She sighed and leaned back in

the chair. “I should, I know, but…” She
was silent after that for several
moments, but he didn’t push her into
continuing, didn’t try to force anything
from her. “I know you are worried about
me because of what happened, David.”

He didn’t respond, just stared

into her hazel eyes. Yeah, he was
worried about her. He did that every
damn second of every fucking day. But
he didn’t want her knowing the actual
lengths he’d go to ensure she was safe.
And he didn’t want to talk about what

that fucker had tried to do to her … what
he had done to her. That would just piss
him off to the point he’d need to get his
aggression out at the gym, or better yet
find someone that wanted to start shit
with him.

“I know you worry about me

more than you should, but I want you to
know,” she reached out and placed her
hand on his. “I value our friendship more
than you’ll ever know. You’re my best
friend, the only person I can really talk
to. But I’m also a big girl, not foolish,
well, not anymore,” she said and smiled.
“Anyway, I just want you to know that
I’m okay.”

His entire body tightened, his

cock hardening, but he kept his cool. No

way was he going to lose it or show her
what he felt. That would scare her off,
and that was the last thing he wanted.

“I know you are, but that won’t

make me stop worrying about you,
Gillian. Let’s leave it at that.” His voice
was thick, tight, and he didn’t mean to
come off like he was upset. He wasn’t
angry with her, but he was upset with
himself and the things inside of him, the
feelings and emotions he’d never really
be able to express.

So instead you’ll stalk her, and

watch her because that’s the only way
you can truly make sure she’s okay.

“I promise to be careful, and I’ll

text you when I get home.”

He just nodded, because he knew

what he had to do, and that wasn’t
waiting at home for her text. Yeah, he
was so far over the fucking edge for her
that he’d never see solid ground again.

****

She’d been having this weird

feeling all day, that feeling like someone
was being watched, and that someone
was her. The hairs on the back of her
neck stood on end, and no matter how
much she glanced around, trying to see if
maybe someone in the gallery was
looking at her, she came up with nothing.

No, not nothing.
Just then, her focus landed on a

man in the back, his hat pulled down
low, his blond hair poking out from all
sides. He wore a long duster jacket,

jeans, and a pair of dark boots that
looked like they’d seen better days. He
watched her, and when he saw she was
looking at him as well, he lifted up his
wine glass in a salute. She smiled, but
the tingling on her nape intensified.

“That’s Gerald Poolish.”
She glanced to her side at one of

the wait staff. “The artist?”

The waitress nodded. “I heard

this was one of the shows he came out
for.” The waitress left, and although the
artist was no longer looking at her,
Gillian still felt that tingling on the back
of her neck. Gerald Poolish was known
for being reclusive, reserved, and rarely
even showing up to his own art shows.
To see him here was a bit of a shock,

and she was a little awestruck. Gillian
loved art, always had, but she couldn’t
paint a straight line if her life depended
on it. Instead, she’d decided to be a part
of the art world, even if she wasn’t an
artist.

This

showing

was

small,

intimate, unlike the one she was taking
David to. So maybe that’s why Gerald
was here? As much as she would have
loved to go talk to him, to see how he
was, how he acted, and get a feel for the
man behind the paintings, she was
reserved herself in these situations.

Instead of potentially making an

ass out of herself in front of a brilliant
artist, she turned and walked the room,
seeing if anyone needed help on painting

explanations, and just trying to keep
herself busy. But the whole while she
felt that tightening of her skin, felt like
someone had their fingers on her, making
her very aware that she wasn’t alone. It
was a strange feeling, one she got on
occasion, but never this strongly.

Maybe she was losing her mind?
“You have a magnetism that is

like a Callahan painting.”

The voice behind her startled her

for how close it was to her, and Gillian
turned, feeling her heart in her throat.
There, standing far too close for comfort
given the fact she didn’t know him, was
Gerald Poolish.

“Excuse me?” was the first thing

that came out of her mouth before she

could stop herself.

“I was just complimenting you on

the fact you’re a very gorgeous woman,”
he said and held his hand out. “Gerald
Poolish.”

She took his hand and nodded. “I

know who you are.”

He smiled, and it was nice,

genuine. He looked like he’d just rolled
out of bed. He also had a generous
amount of paint stains on his jacket, even
some staining his fingers.

“I hope you’ve heard all good

things.” He grinned.

She hadn’t really heard good or

bad, just that he was reserved.
Apparently not right now as he was the
one striking up the conversation.

“I couldn’t help but notice you

through the crowd. You were enthralled
with the Yenna Black.” They both turned
and looked at the painting in question. It
was a large canvas painted black, with
swatches of oranges, yellows, and blues
covering it, the design random, abstract.

“Yes, it’s very beautiful, eye-

catching.”

He nodded. “I want this for my

home.” He turned and looked at her then.
“It’ll remind me of the beautiful woman I
saw at the show who has good taste in
art.”

Gillian felt her cheeks heat.
“I’ve embarrassed you,” Gerald

said and chuckled. “Not my intent, but
I’m pleased to have gotten a reaction out

of you.”

“I…” What was she supposed to

say? She was pleased to meet this artist,
but the vibes he gave off told her he was
flirting, that he was interested, whereas
she wasn’t in that way. The back of her
neck tingled especially hard right then,
and she lifted her hand to rub it. Looking
out toward the front windows, she
couldn’t see anything because of the
lighting inside. But whatever was out
there had her entire body taking notice, it
seemed.

A waiter walked by, and Gerald

grabbed two champagne flutes off the
tray. He handed one to Gillian, and she
took it, smiling.

“Thank you.” She turned back to

the painting, sipping on her champagne,
and feeling Gerald’s stare on her.

“To be honest I noticed you as

soon as I came in.”

Although she had been interested

in meeting Gerald Poolish, this was
getting a little weird for her. She choked
on her champagne for a second, and
turned with wide eyes to look at him.
“You did?” she asked, her voice high-
pitched.

“Of course.” He smiled again

and reached out to touch her shoulder.
She glanced down at where his hand
was, not impressed. “I see a beautiful
woman

surrounded

by

beautiful

paintings, what’s not to notice?”

Okay, Gillian was going to have

to figure out how to gently and
professionally steer this encounter in the
other direction, because the way it was
going was not what she wanted.

Chapter Four

The steering wheel creaked

under David’s hold, and he felt his entire
body tighten. He was getting pissed, and
all because of the interest shown in
Gillian

by

some

scuzzy

looking

motherfucker. The asshole had his hand
on her shoulder, and it took everything in
him not to go there and rip the asshole’s
fucking limb off, push the guy away, and
beat the shit out of him.

He never said he was sane when

it came to Gillian.

But Gillian took a step back,

which had the fucker’s hand dropping
away from her.

Good girl, baby.

“She’s not yours, you fucker,” he

said, staring at the guy, and even from
the distance David could see how he
wanted Gillian. “Hell no.” But David
stayed in the car, saw how Gillian was
keeping a good distance from the asshole
and he was pleased with that.

He’d been sitting here for the last

hour and a half, just watching her
mingle, wanting to be beside her, to have
his hands around her, letting everyone
know she was his. If that ever happened
he didn’t know. There wasn’t much that
unnerved or scared David, but the
thought of not having Gillian in his life,
whether that be she was taken from him
or she broke off their friendship, was at
the top of his list of things that would

really fuck him up.

****

Gillian said goodnight to the last

guest, locked up, and sighed. The show
had been a success, with all of the
paintings being sold. She’d agreed to
make sure everyone was out and
everything logged out before she left,
and although it wouldn’t take that long,
she

was

regretting

making

the

commitment as her feet screamed at her
for being a bitch and wearing these
heels.

“Get it done and get the hell

home.” That mantra played through her
head as she wrapped everything up,
logged out the sold paintings, and finally
left the gallery. With her back to the

parking lot, she locked the door, juggling
her purse and keys in one hand, and a
stack of paperwork and invoices in the
other. She didn’t hear anything, but she
certainly felt that “someone is watching
me” vibe. Turning around and holding
the keys in between her fingers, so she
could use them as a weapon if need be,
she was greeted with nothing, absolutely
nothing. A parking lot light flickered in
the distance, the yellow glow fading,
wearing out.

You’re freaking yourself out

because it’s dark and creepy as hell out
here.

She kept the keys in her hand, her

fingers hurting as they dug into the metal.
Quickly making her way toward the

parking

lot,

she

scanned

her

surroundings, always hating having to
work late because this part of town
wasn’t the best, and it creeped her the
hell out.

Once in her car she started the

engine, but before she could pull out the
flash of headlights in front of her
momentarily blinded her. The car came
closer at a snail’s pace until it was right
beside her, the driver’s side right beside
hers. Gillian’s heart pounded hard, and
she’d locked the doors upon entering the
car, but she was still freaked out. That
was, until she saw it was Gerald Poolish
in the driver’s seat.

Gerald was wealthy, she knew

that, but the car he drove had to be

several years old, not a luxury brand,
and he dressed as if he was sleeping on
someone’s couch and didn’t give a shit if
he ever changed his clothes. She hated to
use the stereotype of what everyone
thought an artist looked like, but Gerald
did fit it to a T on a lot of points.

He rolled down his window, and

she did the same, although she just
wanted to get home.

“Hey,” he said.
“Hi.” Where the hell had he

been camped out? I thought he left half
an hour before we closed?

“You headed home?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m beat.”

Her feet decided to throb, as if
reminding her that a soak in a hot bath

had been the plan.

“So, getting a drink with me isn’t

something you’d be up for?” He looked
so hopeful, but the fact he had either
stayed out here the whole time, or had
left and come back just to ask her out,
didn’t sit well with her.

“Um.” She didn’t know how to

say this without sounded rude, but she
wasn’t about to lead him on, not even if
he was Gerald Poolish. “I’d love to, but
I really am tired, and have so much
paperwork to finish before tomorrow.”

He didn’t speak for several

moments, and it got a bit awkward.
“Okay, well, it was great to finally meet
an extraordinary artist like yourself. I
should be going, though.” She smiled,

not wanting to offend him.

“Come on, one drink?” He was

persistent, but in a friendly way, she
supposed.

She tightened her hands on the

steering wheel. “I really should be
going. Maybe another time though?” The
silence stretched again.

“I don’t usually have to beg a

woman to have a drink with me.” He
started chuckling, and although he
sounded light, joking even, she knew he
was tense. He reached in the glove box,
grabbed something, and faced her again.
“Maybe next time,” was all he said as he
handed her a small card.

She took it, saw it was his

business card, and although she should

have declined even that, because taking
it might seem like she was interested,
she smiled and placed it in the cup
holder beside her. Gerald gave her a
once over before finally rolling his
window up.

She let out a sigh, watched his

taillights fade in the distance, and finally
headed home. Once she reached her
place, she cut the engine and sat there a
second. To say she felt weird about the
whole

Gerald

situation

was

an

understatement, but she pushed it all
away, blaming it on the fact she hadn’t
had a meaningful relationship in a long
time because she had such strong
feelings for David. Maybe her love for
David blinded her to what she could

have with someone else? Maybe she
should just say forget how she felt about
David, try to bury those feelings, and
move on? It wasn’t like she’d never
been with a man, but she was older now,
knew what she wanted in her life. It just
seemed unappealing to date anyone
when she was in love with another man.

She got out of the car and headed

inside, not liking that her thoughts were
in such turmoil. Tossing her bag on the
table and sitting on her couch, she leaned
all the way back and just tried to relax.

“Maybe I should have had a

drink with Gerald? What would it have
hurt?” she asked herself as she stared at
the wall.

Or maybe I should tell David

how I feel?

She pushed that thought away as

soon as it came to mind. No, she could
never tell David she was in love with
him. Not only would it probably ruin
their friendship, even if it didn’t, that
confession would sure as hell make
things awkward and different between
them.

But maybe he feels the same for

me?

Again, she pushed that thought

out of her head. He’d never shown her
any interest, and because of their past,
what he’d been to her, maybe that’s all
he saw her as—like a stepdaughter. That
had disgust filling her. She sure as hell
hoped he didn’t see her like that. Theirs

had always been a friendly relationship,
not one of authority or parental guidance.
That’s how she liked it, how she’d
wanted it.

Maybe if she brought up seeing a

man it might give her some kind of clue
if David had feelings for her? Thinking
that he might made her feel like a fool,
but she had to do something. Jumping
into the dating field without at least
seeing if David might want something
with her was not an option. And if he
showed no reaction, well, then she’d at
least know he felt nothing. Coming out
and asking him of he cared for her in
more than one way wasn’t something she
was comfortable doing.

But it scared the hell out of her to

even think about speaking to David
about this. His friendship, his presence
in her life, was more important to her
than

anything

else

she’d

ever

experienced. It wasn’t just because of
the issue with Brian, or how they knew
each other. David had always been there
for her, and she knew he always would
be, even if she did reveal how she felt.
But telling him that she was in love with
him could definitely make things
awkward.

No. That was something she

didn’t want to risk, didn’t even want to
think about.

Chapter Five

David made no apologies for

what he was doing right now …
following the fucker that had been hitting
on Gillian at the art show, and then again
being a prick and waiting until she got
off work. David had been waiting the
whole time in the parking lot across the
street, and although what he did might
not be something a normal and sane
person would do, well, he didn’t give a
fuck. The difference between him and
some other asshole was that David was
sincerely looking out for Gillian, had
only her best interest at heart, and was in
love with her. The prick that obviously
wanted a piece didn’t know her from

Adam, and he wasn’t about to let a
repeat happen like it did all those years
ago.

So, he’d followed the little prick

after he’d left the parking lot of the
gallery. Honestly, David didn’t give a
shit if the bastard caught him. In fact, he
hoped there was a confrontation. It
would give him a chance to let out this
aggression. But no matter how obsessed
David was with Gillian, no matter how
in love with her he was, he wasn’t going
to beat some fucker’s ass just for hitting
on her. Touching her, forcing her—those
were different stories, ones that had
bodily harm in them.

He followed the guy out of town

and into the city, and he was slightly

surprised at the apartment building the
guy either lived in, or was visiting.
Given the vehicle he drove and how
he’d been dressed, he hadn’t assumed
he’d be anywhere near a place like this.
But David watched as he entered in a
code on the keypad, watched the gate for
the underground garage lift to allow him
entrance, and David felt his beast lessen
slightly at the fact the guy was calling it
a night.

Maybe he should go check on

Gillian? Just then, as if thinking about
her caused her to call, his cell vibrated.

“You’re okay?” he asked, still

staring at the garage and watching the
gate close back in place.

She started chuckling, and he felt

himself relax at the sound. “I’m fine. You
worry too much.”

It’s never too much when it

concerns you.

“I was wondering if you wanted

to come over for some coffee.”

Everything in him hardened at the

thought of seeing her. She aroused him
just by being in his presence, but when
she was at home relaxing, he fucking got
harder because of it. Even now he could
imagine her in a pair of loose lounge
pants, and her shirt hanging from her, but
showing him that she was all woman.
Her hair would be messy, and she’d
have it in a haphazard ponytail. God, he
fucking loved everything about her.

“It’s late, though.” He wanted to

tell her he’d be over there, but he also
wanted to show her respect.

“It’s not even eleven,” she said,

her voice soft, so very feminine. “I’d
like to have some company. Tonight was
brutal, in a sense.”

He knew the gallery shows she

did were hard on her, and he wanted to
be there for her, no matter, what. “I’ll be
there as soon as I can.” David had to get
out of the city first, maybe even go home
and clean up.

“I’ll see you then.”
They disconnected, and he took a

second to stare at the apartment building.
The jealousy and anger he felt were like
a living entity in him. David was a sane
man, for the most part, and when it

didn’t concern Gillian, but there were
things, people and actions that just sent
him over the edge.

After a few minutes he pulled

away from the apartment and headed to
Gillian’s house. He parked the vehicle at
the corner of the driveway, climbed out,
and before he could knock on the front
door she had it open. He had to steel
himself at the image of her; hair tousled,
oversized shirt hanging off of one of her
shoulders, and cotton shorts that were
barely visible under the hem of the shirt.

Holy mother of God.
He scrubbed a hand over his

mouth, not gawking, because he wasn’t a
sick bastard.

“Come on in,” she said in a soft

voice. She had her reading glasses on,
the black frames oversized, making her
face seem even smaller. She was fucking
gorgeous when she wasn’t done up, and
although she didn’t primp herself like a
lot of women, when she was in this
element, her natural beauty could have
brought him to his knees.

David passed her, the scent of

strawberries coming from her and
making him use all his strength not to get
hard right then and there.

He moved past her, his body

tense with the strength it took to keep
himself under lock.

“You want some coffee?” she

asked, and he nodded without turning
around. What he needed was something

a hell of a lot stronger.

She was gone only for a few

moments before she returned. He turned
from the wall, looking at the few
pictures she had on the wall, and took
the cup. She looked at him with this
strange expression on her face, and when
their fingers brushed his gut tightened. It
was like everything froze for just a
second as he took in the sight of her pink
of her lips. He was transfixed by the
light sprinkling of freckles along the
bridge of her nose, of the green in her
hazel eyes, the way the brown was like
bursts of color around her pupils. For
just a second he could envision letting
the cup drop to the ground, pulling her
close, and claiming her mouth. She’d be

his, wouldn’t struggle, and wouldn’t say
this was wrong.

But those precious few seconds

that all of this passed through his mind
had him even more reserved.

She turned and walked over to

the couch, sat down, and for a moment
but didn’t say anything, just looked into
her coffee cup.

“Is everything okay, Gillian?” he

asked, his voice deep, scratchy with the
strength he was using to keep himself
under control, to appear “normal”. He
moved to the chair across from the
couch, took a drink from the cup, and
tasted the bourbon she’d slipped in
there. The kick was strong, and did the
trick. She lifted her head, the emotion

clear on her face. David didn’t push her
though. He wanted her to be comfortable
in telling him whatever was on her mind.

“Can I ask you something?” she

asked, and he nodded.

“You can ask me anything.” He

took another drink of the coffee, because
he knew he’d need it for whatever was
about to come.

“Why haven’t you been with

anyone since you left my mother?”

Fuck.
He hadn’t thought she’d ask that,

and it took him a second to mull it over.
The truth was before the situation with
Brian fucking with Gillian, he’d been
with women sexually. He’d cared for
Gillian, of course, but until his

obsession got too out of control he’d
tried to focus on other things, knowing
she wasn’t someone he could be with.
But then when things had gone down
with Brian, that fucking dark switch
clicked in him and Gillian had been the
only thing he could focus on.

She’d been it for him, and he

hadn’t even thought about any other
women for the last seven years. But he
sure as fuck wasn’t going to admit that.

“I just haven’t found anyone.” He

could hear how deep his voice was,
tried to keep his expression stoic, but he
wondered where this was going.

If she tells me she is seeing

someone I might fucking lose it.

Chapter Six

Why is this so damn hard?
As she stared at David, trying to

muster up the courage to just tell him
how she felt, the words lodged in her
throat.

I love you. I’m in love with you.

I’m too afraid of losing you to tell you
the truth.

But his expression was stoic, no

emotion showing on his face. He was
like a fallen angel, his dark hair short,
swept away from his forehead, his eyes
light amber in color, and hauntingly
beautiful. He could have been the very
devil himself and she wouldn’t have
cared. She would have loved him just as

much, just the same.

Wake up. The world doesn’t

always work the way you want it to. He
used to be your stepfather, and now he’s
just a friend. He feels an obligation to
look after you after what you went
through, after the past we share.

Those words played through her

head and broke her heart all in the same
breath.

Just push the feelings down.

Move on from what you really want in
order to keep David in your life.

His answer to her question

hadn’t been very in depth, but then again
David didn’t overly share. He never
had. David leaned forward, placed his
forearms on his thighs, and stared at her

right in the eyes. She’d seen this “look”
from him before. He was worried about
her, and she couldn’t exactly blame him
since she was being vague.

“Did someone hurt you?”
She shook her head right away.

“No, no.”

“Someone bothering you? You

know you can tell me, Gillian.”

She smoothed her palms over her

thighs. “I know, but everything is fine.”

He looked like he didn’t believe

her, so she quickly just brought up what
she wanted to ask him. “I don’t have any
real friends to talk to about anything, you
know that.”

He nodded. “I’m always here for

you.”

She smiled, but she was so damn

nervous. “I want to start dating, but I feel
like it’s not ‘right’, if that makes any
sense.”

He didn’t speak, didn’t even

move for a long time. David finally
leaned back in the chair, his legs parted
slightly, his hands in tight fists on his
thighs. She looked down at his hands,
saw how tightly his hands were
clenched, his knuckles white. Looking up
at his face, she saw his jaw was
clenched, his eyes appearing hard.

His demeanor took her off guard,

because he looked … upset.

“Do you have someone in mind

you’d want to start seeing?”

She shook her head. “No, not

really. I mean I had an offer, but it just
doesn’t feel right, but not in a bad way,
if that makes sense.”

It doesn’t make sense, because

he has no clue what in the hell you’re
going on about.

“If it doesn’t feel right then it’s

not right, Gillian.” His jaw was still
clenched tight, his focus right on her.

She glanced down at her feet, not

knowing how to even go on with this
conversation. It felt weird, and despite
the fact she was close to David,
speaking about dating, and other guys,
was strange given the fact she was in
love with him.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that

I’m in my twenties and not in a

relationship? That I haven’t been in
one?”

“No,” he said instantly.
She was twisting her hands

together, her heart beating so fast.
“Maybe I’m defective in that sense—”

“There’s nothing wrong with

you, Gillian, you understand?”

She nodded. But there is

something wrong with me. I’m in love
with you, David, but too much of a
coward.

“Are you having issues with

what happened?” David’s voice grew
hard.

She shook her head. “No, not

really. That’s not why I haven’t been
with anyone.”

He didn’t move, didn’t respond.
“I think I just need to jump into

something, just push how I feel away.
I’m getting too old to just be alone, and I
don’t want that. I don’t want to be alone
for the rest of my life.”

David didn’t speak, and if

possible she saw his body grow even
tauter.

“I should probably let you get to

bed. It’s late.” David stood before she
could say anything. Gillian stood and
followed him to the front door. He stood
there for a second, his body so big, so
tall. He was nearing six and a half feet
tall, and compared to her five-foot-six
frame, which wasn’t that short, he
towered over her. The shirt he wore

didn’t hide how muscular he was. And
his arms, God, his arms were so big, so
hard and strong. Everything in her
warmed, heated at the sight.

“Are you sure you want to

leave?”

Did I just say that? He’s

uncomfortable with the conversation,
clearly.

“Yeah, I have some things to take

care of.” He didn’t look at her, and then
he opened the door and left. She stood
there for a second, not sure what had
happened, but knowing that her instincts
had been right. David didn’t reciprocate
her feelings. At least she found out
without making herself look like a fool
and baring herself.

****

Controlling himself until he was

sure Gillian couldn’t see him was hard
as fuck. David didn’t know exactly what
she’d wanted to talk about, but
relationships sure as shit hadn’t been it.
He’d been driving for the last twenty
minutes, and decided going into the city
was what he needed to do.

She wanted to date, and he

couldn’t blame her.

Maybe I should have fucking

told her what I wanted, that her seeing
anyone else would make me homicidal.

And he would be in a blind,

murderous rage if he saw her with
another

man,

if

he

saw

some

motherfucker touching her, kissing her.

He tightened his hands on the

steering wheel so hard the leather
cracked slightly. When he finally got into
the city he went as deep as he could,
going to the scuzzy, dangerous part. He
needed the violence to get this rage out
of him.

David pulled the car into a

darkened alley, cut the engine, and sat
there for a second. He didn’t care where
he found some violence, just as long as
he could get this dark energy out of him,
at least for the time being. Thinking
about

Gillian

with

another

man

infuriated him, and despite the fact he
tried to play it cool in front of her, he
knew she could see the changes in him.
But what she didn’t know was why those

changes occurred, why he acted the way
he had.

Reaching over to this glove box,

he pulled out the set of brass knuckles.
They were scuffed, old, worn. They had
been used really fucking well, and
tonight would be no different. Tonight
they would be covered in blood.

Grabbing his baseball cap and

his jacket from the back of the vehicle,
he got out, put the cap on, and slipped
the black jacket on, zipping it up. He
pulled the brim of the hat down low on
his head. David had the brass knuckles
on his hand and curled his fingers
toward his palm, feeling the cold, hard
metal heat from his skin.

This part of the city was shit,

where the scum of the state came,
mingled, and became this cesspool of
life. This part of the city was where he’d
get the violence he needed, and it
wouldn’t take much at all.

He left the alley, knowing full

well his vehicle might be in bad shape
when he got back to it, but for what he
needed to do tonight he didn’t give a
shit. There was a decent amount of
activity on the streets because it was the
weekend, and each guy he passed looked
like they’d been scraped off the bottom
of the barrel. David’s blood was
pumping, adrenaline was rushing through
his veins, and he was getting antsy for
some action. He kept his hand with the
brass knuckles in his pocket, and

focused on his surroundings.

“Wanna buy some sugar?” a guy

said from an alley David was about to
pass.

He stopped, looked at the

motherfucker, and eyed him up and
down. He was on the smaller side, and
just him wouldn’t make much of a fight,
but David doubted he was alone.

There was commotion across the

street at the hole-in-the-wall strip club, a
fight having broken out. But David kept
his focus on the guy selling drugs.

“Come on, man. You want some

sugar or what?” The drug dealer became
agitated, his eyes darting back and forth.

David squeezed his hand into a

fist tighter, the metal digging into his

flesh.

The other man took a step back,

deeper into the alley so he was now
partially covered in shadows.

“If you want something I got it.”

He moved another step into the shadows,
and David followed. He was on alert,
prepared, though. He didn’t do drugs,
but looking at this piece of shit’s eyes, a
man that most likely dealt to anyone,
regardless of age, told David he
wouldn’t mind throwing down.

The sound of another guy coming

closer had David glancing over his
shoulder. The man most likely had been
hiding behind the dumpster. These guys
weren’t just drug dealers. They jumped
people and took what they had when the

deals were going down.

“Whatchu want?”
David looked at the first guy

again.

“I don’t think this prick wants

anything but trouble,” the second guy
said.

At least they were smart enough

to realize that. David rolled his head
around his neck, felt his blood rush
faster as his heart pumped harder. He
was ready, needed this violence, needed
to feel his fist slamming into a fucker’s
face.

“Or maybe this asshole’s a cop?”

the first guy that had been offering drugs
said.

David said and took a step

closer.

They guy turned his head and

spit. “Nah, I think he’s just a crazy
motherfucker who wants his ass beat.”
The shadows covered the first guy’s face
partially, but David didn’t need to see
much to deliver the violence.

“Don’t fuck with me.” The

second guy came around, keeping close
to David and standing on his other side.
They were trying to intimidate him, but
what these bastards didn’t know was
David got off on this.

The first guy reached in his

pocket to pull out a knife. He opened it,
pointing it toward David. Then the
second guy rushed him and slammed his
body into David’s, which pushed him

against the brick wall, and then
proceeded to try to stab him with the
knife he’d had pressed to his outer thigh.

“You fucked with the wrong

assholes,” the second guy said.

“Mess him up,” his buddy

muttered.

David looked right into the eyes

of the guy pinning him up against the
wall. He was allowing this, but now it
was time to get this party really started.
He grinned, feeling that darkness creep
up and totally take control. He took his
hand from his pocket, reached up with
his other hand, and grabbed the fucker’s
neck. He lifted him easily off the ground,
reared his hand back that had the brass
knuckles, and looked right into the

prick’s eyes.

He slammed his fist into the

guy’s face over and over again, the brass
tearing flesh, ripping open the prick’s
face. The scent of blood filled David’s
nose, but it just made him need this
more. He continued to slam his fist into
the fucker’s cheek and temple until he
resembled a piece of beaten, raw meat.

“You motherfucker.”
David tossed the guy aside and

turned to look at the first man. He didn’t
speak, didn’t even blink as he watched
the dealer start swinging the knife
around sloppily. This would be over far
too soon. He dodged the knife, slammed
his fist into the guy’s kidneys when he
spun, and after that took a step back. The

man turned around, his face a mask of
rage as he looked down at his friend,
who

was

lying

on

the

ground

unconscious. David could have gone
further, could have kept going until there
was no pulse, but he’d gotten what he
needed from the bastard.

They stood there facing each

other for several seconds, and then the
guy charged forward again. They
crashed back into the opposite wall, but
before David let him gain any kind of
supremacy he spun them around so the
man was the one pressed to the wall.

The asshole clawed at David’s

hands, and even if David weren’t bigger
than he was, this fucker still wouldn’t
have stood a chance. David was too

amped up and needed this fight too damn
badly to let anyone, despite size,
overpower him. He squeezed the
dealer’s throat tighter as his mind drifted
to Gillian, to the image of her with
another man. His resolve snapped, and
all civility left him.

He slammed his fist into the

dealer’s temple, David’s gaze fuzzy as
his rage took over. He hit the fucker over
and over again.

“Please, stop. No more,” the man

wheezed out, but it fell on deaf ears.

David stared right into the

bloodied, pulverized face of the dealer,
and brought the brass to the side of his
head for one final blow, finally allowing
the man to drop to the ground. Blood

covered David’s hands and chest, even
on his cheek and neck. The groans that
came up filled David’s ears, but he
wasn’t focused on the need to unleash it
anymore. He moved out of the alley, not
giving a shit he was covered in blood.

The few people he passed

moved to the side, but they didn’t seem
overly surprised at the sight of him. No
doubt they’d seen a lot worse in this part
of the city. Once he got back to his car he
stood by the driver’s side door and
looked down at his hands. They were
covered in blood, thick chunks of flesh
along the brass. He removed the metal,
and took off his jacket, tossing them onto
the backseat.

Once back in the car he sat there

again for several seconds, still feeling
his heart beating fast, but the adrenaline
and need for violence dimming. Going
home, washing the blood and gore from
him, and crashing sounded pretty fucking
good right now. But he knew he’d have
Gillian on his mind. She was always on
his mind.

Chapter Seven

“I’m so glad you changed your

mind on that drink,” Gerald said from
across the table. The restaurant they’d
met at was on the high-end side, but to
her surprise when she’d walked in, the
place was empty.

Gerald had paid for them to have

the entire place to themselves, and to say
it was a bit awkward was an
understatement.

Yes, she’d agreed to have a drink

after thinking about where her life was
going. She couldn’t pine for a man that
she could never have, and although she
didn’t feel anything for Gerald, getting
out and being social, at least, was a step

in the right direction.

But is it? Why am I a coward?

Why can’t I just tell David what I want,
how I feel for him?

She supposed thinking those

things was easier said than done. Fear
had a way of holding onto someone, of
making the simplest acts seem like a
giant leap off a cliff.

“I’d like to spend more time with

you, maybe tonight, back at my place?”

Gerald’s words took her back a

bit, drew her out of her thoughts, and she
knew she probably had her mouth
hanging open a bit.

“Excuse me?” She blinked a few

times, her voice soft, not sure if what he
was saying was actually what she

thought he meant.

He leaned forward, the smile on

his face anxious and filled with intent. “I
just mean I’d love to keep the night
going. We can have drinks back at my
place, if you like?”

She was shaking her head before

he even finished speaking. “I’m sure it
would be lovely, but it’s getting late,
Gerald.” He kept smiling, but Gillian
could see it was more forced than it had
been initially. “I’m sorry. It’s just I have
so much still to do at home.”

He nodded, that damn smile still

on his face. “No worries. We can plan
for another time.”

She smiled, nodding, but being

polite. She didn’t want to seem rude

because her thoughts were elsewhere.
Hell, Gerald might not have even been
pushing toward what she thought he was.
Maybe it had only been about drinks
back at his place?

Or maybe he’d wanted a lot

more than that?

Gillian supposed it didn’t matter

since she wasn’t going home with him to
test out the theory.

“I’ll walk you to your car,” he

said, stood, and walked over to her to
pull her chair out. Gerald had been
polite tonight, hadn’t really pushed
anything

aside

from

friendly

conversation, and she felt a little like a
bitch.

They left the restaurant, and

Gerald stayed close to her side. There
was a breeze in the air, and she tightened
the shawl around her shoulders a bit
more, but just as she did that Gerald
wrapped his arm around her.

“Cold?” he asked in a low voice.
“I’m okay,” she said, not hating

that he was touching her, but feeling
weird.

It’s because you haven’t had

anyone touch you in any real capacity
since the Brian attack, and your
feelings for David have shaped
everything you want, what you want to
experience.

“Here’s my car,” she said and

turned out of his hold, pressing her back
to her car. “Thank you for dinner,

Gerald. It was nice to get out of the
house.”

He didn’t speak for a second,

and she swallowed, feeling the air
become thicker. She knew what he was
going to do right now, yet she was frozen
in place, and unable to stop it.

****

Don’t go in there and fuck this

up for her.

David breathed out slowly.
Don’t go in there and kill that

motherfucker.

He looked at where the asshole

was touching Gillian’s hand across the
table.

You had your chance to make

her yours, and you didn’t take it.

But did he really miss out on his

chance? He hadn’t brought this up
because he didn’t want to crowd her,
didn’t want to freak her the fuck out with
what he wanted. Losing her, not having
Gillian in his life in any capacity, would
feel like he was slowly dying from the
inside out.

He’d gone to her house first,

because he’d wanted to talk to her, to
make sure she was feeling okay. He’d
gotten the vibe last time that she had a
lot on her mind, and all he’d been able
to think about this whole time was her
wanting to be with someone. He wasn’t
a fucking idiot to think she’d stay single
forever, especially when he hadn’t
stepped up and told her how he felt. But

he also hadn’t been prepared for the all-
encompassing rage and possessiveness
that filled him when she’d all but said
she would start seeing people. Of course
he’d known he’d be upset, and very
territorial of her. For fuck’s sake, he
followed her, made sure she was okay,
and all of that was because he was
madly in love with her. Gillian was his,
whether she knew it or not, and watching
her have dinner with some prick was
pulling the string of his sanity until it
was on the verge of snapping.

He clenched his teeth and saw

the smile on her face. She seemed happy,
and he fucking hated the fact it was that
prick that gave her that smile. They’d
been in the restaurant for the last hour

and a half, a long fucking time, but
David had been here the entire time.
Like the motherfucker David was, he’d
followed her, needing to see where she
was going.

And she went on a date with that

asshole.

He watched them leave the

restaurant, and when the fucker put his
arm around Gillian, David let out a low
sound. He was seconds away from
getting out of the vehicle and beating
some ass, but Gillian moved away from
the man and David forced himself to stay
still. Going out there right now would
not only make him look like a crazed
asshole, but also scare the shit out of
Gillian. He didn’t want that.

You either need to man the fuck

up and tell her how you feel, or you
need to back off and let her live her
life.

“Fuck,” he said in a low voice.

He scrubbed his hand over his face and
didn’t know what in the hell was wrong
with him. He’d never been this type of
person, not until the shit with Brian and
his feelings for Gillian rose up. Now he
was like some fucking animal trying to
stake a claim on something that wasn’t
his.

No, she is mine. She’ll always

be mine.

He looked at them again, could

see Gillian’s mouth moving as she
spoke, and then watched the man say

something in return. Scrubbing his hand
over his face again, David tried to rein
in the motherfucker he had housed inside
of him, the one that didn’t even want
Gillian speaking to another man.

David watched the asshole

slowly lean in and kiss Gillian. And
then, like someone unlocking the gate in
which the beast inside of him was caged,
David saw red, couldn’t even think
straight anymore. Before he even knew
what was happening, as if his body had a
mind of its own, he found himself out of
his car and striding toward where
Gillian was.

Gillian had her hands on the

man’s chest, pushing him away. But the
bastard leaned in again, pinning her to

the car. He said something low to her,
something David couldn’t hear, but it
wouldn’t have mattered anyway because
all he saw was red, all he heard was the
deep, animalistic sound coming from the
violent, possessive motherfucker deep
inside of him. Everything seemed to
happen in slow motion as he watched
Gillian push the man away gently. She
then turned her head, clearly hearing
David approach. The man did the same,
looking at David with confusion on his
face.

David was in front of the man a

second later, slamming his fist into the
side of his face, and feeling predatory
and pleased when the fucker fell on his
ass. Sound rushed through his ears, and

he heard Gillian shouting at him, pushing
at him.

“Oh my God. David, what in the

hell are you doing?” He didn’t answer.
“David?” Gillian shouted again, and
rushed over to the man on the ground.
She started saying something to him, but
all David could focus on was the blood
that trickled out of Gillian’s date’s nose.

She helped him off the ground,

but David kept flexing and relaxing his
hands, wanting to hit the asshole harder,
but refraining because of the clear shock
on Gillian’s face. She turned and faced
him.

“David, what are you doing?”

Her eyes were wide, her voice strained.
She started looking around the parking

lot. “Where in the hell did you come
from, and why are you even here?” Her
eyes were wide now, her voice getting
higher, more frantic.

You

scared

her,

you

motherfucker.

He ran his hand over his mouth

as he looked at her, knowing he’d fucked
up, but unable to help himself. He took a
step back.

“David?” She said his name a

little more softly this time.

He shook his head while he

looked at her, and when he glanced at the
man now standing he narrowed his eyes.
“Keep your fucking hands off of her.” He
then turned and headed back to his car.
Once in the driver’s seat he could see

Gillian staring at him. She wiped her
cheek, and he cursed at himself that he’d
made her cry, had scared the hell out of
her.

You don’t deserve her.
He didn’t, but even knowing that

he knew he couldn’t stay away.

Chapter Eight

David slammed the front door

shut, breathed in and out, and felt the last
bit of sanity leaving him. He took off his
jacket and tossed it aside, did the same
with his shirt, his belt, and finally got rid
of his pants until he was only in his
boxers. He paced the room a few times,
breathing

heavily,

needing

some

violence to get this angry energy out of
him. He heard his cell going off again,
and he knew it was Gillian calling.
She’d called him three times as he drove
to his place. He wanted to talk to her, to
try to explain why he’d acted the way he
did, but he’d scared her enough already
tonight.

Telling her that I am so in love

with her I can’t stand to have her
touched by another man, that I am so
obsessed with her that I’d kill to make
sure she is safe, probably won’t go over
well.

When the cell went off, but

started ringing again, he grabbed his
pants off the floor and grabbed the phone
out of the pocket. He stared at the
screen, saw Gillian’s phone number, and
curled his fingers tightly around the
phone until it creaked in his grasp. He
reared his arm back and chucked the
fucking thing across the room. It
slammed against the wall, shattering. He
stood there for several seconds, listening
to his rapid breathing, feeling like he

was going to morph into some kind of
fucking insane beast. What he needed
was a fight, or maybe go find the guy that
had kissed Gillian. Yeah, that would
make him feel a hell of a lot better.

No, don’t make this worse than

it is. She probably already hates you
for going ballistic on the bastard.

“You fucked up,” he said to

himself right before he growled out and
turned, slamming his fist into the wall
behind him. Plaster crumbled under the
hit, and he looked down at his hand. He
uncurled his fingers, seeing blood and
drywall covering his flesh, the cuts
scattered around his skin.

What he needed was a lot more

pain and violence than this right now.

****

Gillian pulled the cell away from

her ear and looked down at the screen.
After a second she disconnected the call.
She’d tried getting a hold of David since
he left her standing there in the parking
lot shocked as hell. And although he
didn’t answer she just knew he was
avoiding her calls.

She sat on her couch and stared

at the black TV screen, her body
confused, her thoughts running wild.
Gillian had tried to take Gerald to the
hospital, because she thought his nose
might have been broken. There was a lot
of blood, but he’d adamantly told her no.
He’d been angry, so angry that his entire
demeanor had changed. Gillian couldn’t

blame him, though. David had come out
of nowhere and hit him hard enough it
had knocked Gerald back on his ass. The
shock she felt had taken over her entire
being, had her frozen in place, and
unable to even think clearly for several
moments.

David had always had this hard

demeanor about him, this aloofness that
had others taking a step back because he
seemed dangerous. But after the incident
with Brian, David had changed. He
became darker, his attitude more distant,
more cautious. But he’d always been
kind, gentle even with her, as if he
thought she might break.

But tonight he’d been someone

else, had something violent surrounding

him she’d never seen in him before.

I’ve never seen someone so

angry, with a look of rage in his eyes
tangible enough I felt it.

Leaning forward on the couch

and bracing her elbows on her knees,
she thought about what in the hell she
was going to do. The truth was she
should be terrified of what she’d seen
tonight from David. Actually, she was
more shocked than anything. She’d felt
horrible about what happened to Gerald,
and even though she’d wanted to help
him he’d been furious, pushing her away
hard enough she had to brace a hand on
the side of the car to steady herself.
He’d stormed off, blood trailing from his
nose, and the curses coming from him

fiercely.

She’d tried talking to him,

because heaven knows if something like
that happened to her she’d be so
confused and angry she probably
couldn’t have seen straight. But Gerald
hadn’t even wanted to look at her.

Maybe he thinks it’s my fault?

Maybe he thinks because of what David
did I am to blame?

Exhaling loudly, she listened to

the clock ticking down the time. She
should stay here, not worry about what
David was doing, because he clearly
wanted to be left alone. But she couldn’t
ignore this, couldn’t ignore what she
was feeling. He’d shocked her, but she
found herself turned on all in the same

breath.

Picking up her phone, she tried

calling Gerald once more; just to make
sure he was okay. But when his
voicemail picked up she disconnected
the call. Staring at the now black screen,
she didn’t even bother trying to call
David again.

“Screw it,” she said and grabbed

her purse off the coffee table, shoved her
phone inside, and pulled her keys out.
She wasn’t going to just sit on how she
felt, just let David ignore her. He
wouldn’t let her get away with this shit,
and she wasn’t going to let him either.

It was only a twenty-minute

drive to where he lived, and whether he
liked it or not they were going to talk

about this.

The car ride to David’s place

had Gillian feeling nervous, jittery, and
not knowing what in the hell was going
on, or what was to come. She should not
feel anything but confusion and a bit of
fear over what she witnessed tonight, but
instead she felt this anxiousness to see
him. She was slightly turned on, a fact
that confused her even more, and had her
feeling a little bit of self-disgust. The
man she was deeply in love with had
hurt someone tonight. There hadn’t been
any provocation, but she replayed what
David had said to Gerald before he’d
turned and left.

“Keep your fucking hands off of

her.”

She shook her head at the

thoughts. Why was he still so hung up on
the past? She was moving on with her
life, or trying to, but he was still worried
someone was going to hurt her. She
loved him even more for that, but in this
situation it had gone too far, and over
nothing. Gerald shouldn’t have kissed
her in the first place, and he shouldn’t
have gone in for a second one when she
clearly hadn’t wanted more, but that
didn’t warrant David to go ballistic like
he had. At least she didn’t think so.

When she finally reached his

home she cut the engine and stared up at
the small apartment building he lived in.
It was only three stories, older, and she
knew many of the residents were elderly.

Maybe that’s why David liked living
here because it was quiet and he
wouldn’t be bothered? She knew he
didn’t do socializing all that well, not
because he was awkward about it, but
because he just stayed away from the
public in general. He was the epitome of
the strong and silent type.

She cut the engine and breathed

out, a part of her saying this wasn’t the
best plan she’d ever had. David clearly
wanted to be alone, to deal with
whatever he was going through, and as
much as she should have respected that,
she couldn’t let this go. She loved him,
and whatever he was dealing with she
wanted to be there for him.

Grabbing her purse and getting

out of the car, she headed inside.
David’s place was on the basement
level, and once she stood in front of his
door she could only stare at it for
several seconds. Gillian finally knocked
on the scarred wood and then took a step
back. After several seconds she knocked
again, but when there wasn’t an answer
she tried the doorknob. To her surprise it
turned, and she pushed the door open.

The first thing she noticed was

David’s clothes on the floor. Stepping
all the way in and shutting the door
behind her, Gillian looked around for
him. The sound of pounding coming from
the back room had her following the
noise. The door was cracked to a room,
and she pushed it open another inch. The

sight in front of her had her heart beating
a little faster, had her breath seizing in
her lungs, and had everything tightening.

David had his back to her and

wore only a pair of dark boxers. She
could see he had a band wrapped around
his arm that held his iPod, and a pair of
earbuds tucked in his ears. The sound of
the music was loud, even though he was
wearing the earbuds. A beat to hell
punching bag hung from the ceiling, and
David was going to town on it, beating
the shit out of it. Sweat covered his
muscular back, and the sight of his
biceps flexing and releasing every time
he slammed a fist into the bag was stark.

Droplets of sweat beaded on his

back, and the lines of tattoos that banded

around his forearms and biceps looked
like something a primitive war hero
might sport. Maybe he should have made
her presence known, but she was too
transfixed by him. And that was when he
turned to the side slightly, and she could
see the blood covering the punching bag.
Looking down at the parts of his hands
she could see, Gillian saw the blood
cover his knuckles, and even spotted the
drops on the floor.

Should I just back away and

leave, give him the space he obviously
wants?

She held onto the door handle

harder than she should have, but she
couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even think.
There was a part of her that knew David

was dark, had this frightening part of
him, and that’s why people didn’t make
eye contact with him, why they moved
out of his way. But there was also a part
of her, a big part that had her growing
warm and accepting of witnessing this
side of him. She’d never seen him so
raw, so broken. Right now he looked
like he could kill someone with his bare
hands. With sweat covering his hard,
muscular body, the dangerous looking
lines of tattoos along his back and arms,
and the blood dripping from his hands,
David was the epitome of what a man
was supposed to look like, or at least the
type of man that she grew warm for.

No, David is the only one that

makes me feel this way. David is the

only one that can make me see blood
and violence and get wet because of it.

She stood there, motionless, and

watched as he looked down at his
knuckles. He wiped them off on his
boxers, then took his earbuds out. She
held her breath, knowing her eyes were
wide, and felt her hands shaking.
Everything in her was on alert, not
because she feared this man, but because
she was so … aroused.

And then he turned, his head

downcast for a moment, the sweat
dripping from the tips of his short hair.
Her muscles grew taut, her heart beating
as fast as a hummingbird’s. When he
slowly lifted his head and their gazes
locked, she expected to see a bit of

shock from him that she stood there, but
he held an emotionless expression.
David removed the strap from his arm,
and tossed it onto the tattered chair
pushed up against the wall. They stood
there for several seconds, neither
moving nor speaking, and the air
becoming tense, thicker.

“I…” she said, but the words

died in her throat.

David walked toward her, and

she swore her heart stopped beating. She
moved to the side when it was clear he
wasn’t going to stop, and she turned her
head to see him leave the room and walk
down the hallway. Looking back into the
room, Gillian focused on the smeared
blood that covered the punching bag and

the droplets that were on the floor.

The sound of glasses clanking

together drew her attention away from
the gore, and she moved down the hall
and into the kitchen. David had his back
to her again, and she could see he was
pouring liquor into a glass. He brought it
to his mouth, and repeated the action
three times before finally turning around.
The sweat was starting to dry on his
body, and the scent of him, clean,
untamed, and primitive, filled her head.
A bloody rag was on the counter beside
him, and she looked at his knuckles
again, seeing the fresh cuts on them now
that the red fluid was smeared off.

“What are you doing here?” he

asked in his deep, serrated voice.

She shook her head, not sure

what to say, or maybe she just didn’t
know how to form the words right now.
As it was her throat was thick and her
whole body was still strung so tight.

“I wanted to talk about what

happened,” she managed to say, but her
words were high-pitched, and even now
hard to get out.

“There’s nothing to talk about,

Gillian,” David said and grabbed his
now refilled glass. He stared at her as he
tossed the liquor back and swallowed it
in one go. “You saw what happened.”

She shook her head again, not

sure where this whole demeanor came
from. He seemed different, a lot
different, in fact.

“There’s a lot to talk about,

David.” Gillian finally found her voice
and reason. She’d come here to speak to
David about what in the fuck he’d done
out of the blue, and she wasn’t going to
let her feelings and this sudden,
misplaced arousal stop her from doing
that.

David didn’t say anything, but

did set his now empty glass back on the
counter. He crossed his arms over his
chest, and she couldn’t help but
appreciate the sight of all that muscle
flexing under his golden, tatted up skin.

Get a fucking grip. That’s not

why I’m here.

“I want to know what happened,

David. You came out of nowhere,

knocked Gerald on his ass, and then just
left.”

“Is that the fucker’s name?”

Although he phrased it like a question,
Gillian had a feeling he wasn’t really
looking for affirmation.

She felt her strength and resolve

rise after the words came out. “I’ve only
ever seen you like that once before.” Her
throat tightened as that night rose up in
her mind. She also noticed the change in
David after she spoke. He uncrossed his
arms, curled his hands into fists at his
sides, and she could see how tight his
jaw was.

He was upset.
She took a step a back

involuntarily, not because she was afraid

he might hurt her, but as if it were
instinct. It was like she backed away
from a caged animal ready to leave and
never look back. How she felt made no
sense, but right now, her emotions, had
her feeling like she was ready to be
swallowed up by the earth.

“You’re afraid of me now.” Still

his expression was emotionless.

“No,” she said instantly.
He relaxed, somewhat, and she

had a feeling he did it for show, to
somehow ease her. “I’d never hurt you.”

“I know that.” And she did,

without a doubt. Right now things just
felt so strange, so off kilter.

“I’d never let anyone hurt you,

Gillian,” he said again, harder this time.

She swallowed.
“I know.” All those years ago

was proof of that, but that still didn’t
excuse what in the hell had happened
with Gerald, and it wasn’t like she was
going to let this go. She needed to know
why David ad done what he’d done. She
took a step toward him now, wanting to
hug him, to try to get rid of this weird
atmosphere that was bouncing between
them. He shook his head, though,
stopping her.

“You

should

probably

go,

Gillian. I’m not in a good place right
now.” His voice was still so deep, but it
wasn’t just that he was so masculine, but
that he seemed in pain, like his emotions
were pulled in two different directions.

She could relate to that.

But for the first time since David

came into her life, and even though she
knew she could always count on his
strength for stability, she was genuinely
worried he was falling apart. She
worried she wouldn’t be able to rescue
him in the way he’d saved her, and that
broke her heart.

Chapter Nine

The longer David stared at her,

the more he fucking hated himself. He
should have demanded that she leave,
because truth was he didn’t want her
seeing him like this. He was unhinged,
and for as long as he’d been in her life
he’d made sure to keep his composure.
That’s why he went off and fought,
because showing any kind of weakness
or emotion in front of her wasn’t what he
wanted to do.

“I know you’d never let anyone

hurt me, David, but I’m worried about
you, about what’s going on.”

Her voice was so soft, so

feminine. He was so fucking in love with

her, but he couldn’t even be himself
around her.

It was a damn tragedy that he

couldn’t be with the woman he loved.

“I’d die before I let what

happened all those years ago repeat.”
God forbid if anyone even tried to touch
her, because their fate would be the
same as when he fucked up Brian. David
knew a day didn’t go by that the
motherfucker didn’t think about the
mistake he made seven years ago. That’s
exactly how David wanted it to go, too.

“Talk to me,” she said, and

moved another step closer. All he’d
wanted was to make her his, to show her
that she was meant to be with him. The
stalking—which he could admit was

what he did with her—wasn’t because
he was a fucking psycho, but because he
worried about her.

She’ll never see it like that.
“Just let me in. You know you

can trust me.” She moved another step
closer, her hands slightly out as if she
were trying to corral a wounded animal.

You are a fucking animal of the

worst kind.

The wall he had around himself

to protect her cracked as he stared into
her eyes. “If I let you in you’d run,
Gillian.” He shouldn’t have said
anything, especially when he saw her
eyes widen after he spoke. But he had to
be honest with her. “You’d be so fucking
frightened of me, Gillian, and I can’t

allow that.”

She swallowed, and he watched

her throat work at the act. “You didn’t
seem to care if I was afraid when you
came out of the blue and hit Gerald.”

He clenched his jaw. “I don’t

want to scare you. That’s the last thing I
want to do, and why I want you to leave.
I’m not in a good place right now.”

She just shook her head slowly.

“I don’t want to leave you here like this,
David. I don’t want to leave at all. I
want you to talk to me about what in the
hell happened with you and Gerald—“

“Don’t say his name, Gillian.

Hearing

that

motherfucker’s

name

doesn’t do anything but have me right
back there.” He was getting pissed at

just thinking of that fucker touching her,
kissing her … being with her in ways
David would never be.

“David,” she whispered his

name, and his gut clenched. He closed
his eyes, trying to rein in his emotions.
He needed to do right by her, to make
her see that no matter what she didn’t
have to worry about him, or hell, his
sanity.

“I’d kill anyone that thought they

could touch you, hurt you.” He opened
his eyes. “That won’t ever go away. I’ve
always felt that way since I walked in on
Brian attacking you.”

“David, you don’t have to have

your life revolve around me. You don’t
have to worry if I’ll get myself into

another mess.”

“It wasn’t your fucking fault what

happened with that prick.” His voice had
gone louder, deeper, his rage right there
at the surface as that night rose up in him
in memories. She took a step back, her
eyes still wide. He’d never raised his
voice at her, and aside from her seeing
him break apart when he was beating
Brian, he’d made sure to keep his
composure always in place.

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Gillian.” He

moved closer to her, but she moved on
back. He could see she wasn’t afraid of
him, but she was unsure about this
situation. He scrubbed a hand over his
face, feeling like he was about to tear
right through his skin.

“Why can’t you open up to me?”
He dropped his hand to his side

and saw the pained expression on her
face.

“You’re the closest person to me,

David, the one I trust with anything. I
hoped you felt the same.”

I do.
“But if you want me to go, I’ll

go.” But she still stood there for several
seconds, not moving, her attention on
him. He didn’t speak, didn’t know what
the fuck to say. Telling her the truth was
harder than he fucking knew it should be.
Explaining that for years he’d been
following her, wasn’t exactly something
that would bring them closer together.
But he had to tell her something, to give

her that peace of mind that he cared
about her, trusted her, and was here
because of her.

She stared at him for only a

second longer before finally speaking.
“Okay, I’ll go. But I’m here, David. You
know that. I’ll always be here for you.”
She turned and started leaving. He took a
step closer, the wanting to grab her, the
need to pull her close, raging war inside
of him.

“I went after him because he

kissed you, thought he had the right to put
his fucking hands on you.” David finally
just blurted the fucking truth out about
tonight. He curled his hands into fists at
his sides again. She turned and looked at
him, her brows knitted with her clear

confusion.

“You hit him over the kiss?”
He didn’t bother answering.
“But where did you come from?

How did you even know I was out with
him?”

He clenched his jaw, felt his

teeth start to grind together, and knew he
should tell her what he’d been doing,
how he’d watched her, followed her, did
everything in his power to make sure she
was never truly alone. All of his
emotions for her, his love, the need to
have her as only his, claimed him like a
fucking beast tearing a city down. His
muscles grew tight, his entire body
waging war with his brain, with what
was common sense and reality.

And then she moved closer and

placed her hand on his chest. He looked
down, feeling electricity move through
him at that small touch. Her skin felt hot
against him, and her hand was so small,
her fingers slightly shaking. He lifted his
head and saw she was looking right in
his eyes, their gazes locked. He didn’t
know what was happening right now, but
he felt the intensity, felt his need for her
create this energy, make all reason and
reality leave. He should have stepped
away, should have made her leave,
because what he wanted to do, and what
he was going to end up doing, could very
well ruin everything.

But instead of saying what he

should, or at least telling her what he’d

really been up to, he placed his hand on
top of hers, right over his chest, and
applied pressure. He liked having her
hand on him, liked the heat he felt.

“David,” she whispered his

name, and his cock jerked.

The fucker was getting hard just

from the close proximity of Gillian, from
the sweet scent of her.

“I just…” She didn’t finish

speaking, and he lowered his gaze to her
lips, watched her run her tongue along
them, and found himself hardening even
more.

And because he didn’t know

what the fuck he was doing, and because
he couldn’t have stopped himself if he
even wanted to, he cupped his free hand

on the back of her head, held her in
place, and leaned forward. He kissed
her like this was the last time he ever
saw her, and maybe it was. What he
expected was for her to pull away, to
look at him with disgust, shock, hurt
even. What he didn’t expect was to hear
the moan come from her, or to feel her
kissing him back.

He ran his tongue along her

bottom lip, tasting the sweet flavor on
her mouth. He curled his hand around
her head even more, dug his fingers into
her hair, and pulled her impossibly
closer. And then she did pull away, their
lips breaking apart, their breathing
haggard.

“David.” Her voice was soft, her

lips red and glossy.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he

said in a low voice, still looking at her
mouth, still holding onto her.

The silence stretched between

them for several seconds, and then she
rose on her toes, wound her arms around
his neck, and fucking kissed him. He
groaned, loving that she opened her
mouth wide for him, and plunged his
tongue into the warm, sweet recess of
her mouth.

“Maybe I should go, David,” she

panted against his mouth, but it didn’t
sound very convincing.

He looked down at her, seeing

the drugged expression on her face, the
clear fact she was aroused.

“This is crazy.”
The sound of her whispered

words had his cock jerking behind his
boxers. “Maybe it is crazy, but I can’t
stop now that I started.” He cupped her
cheek, holding onto her, feeling like
she’d leave, escape like a frightened
little animal. This dam had been opened
inside of him, and his arousal, his need
and all the emotions he had for Gillian,
were out in the open. He might not have
told her he fucking loved her, but his
cock prodding her belly had to be clue
enough that he wanted her.

“You can’t stop?” She lowered

her gaze to his mouth, and he could see
the way her pulse beat faster beneath her
ear.

“I can’t let you leave, Gillian. I

won’t. This has been started, and I know
you want it, too.” He had no control over
his actions anymore, not right now, and
not with Gillian so responsive to him.
“Tell me how you feel.”

She didn’t answer for several

seconds, and in that time he turned them
and walked her backward until the wall
stopped her.

“What’s happening, David?” She

sounded scared, her voice shaking
slightly.

“Do I frighten you?” he asked

and leaned down so their mouths were
only inches apart.

She nodded once, but arched her

chest, pressing her breasts against him.

“Yes,” was all she said.

“Do you want to hold back from

me?” He was challenging her, and he
didn’t know why he’d let himself get to
this point. He should have been stronger,
should have controlled himself better
around her. But the events of tonight, the
need he’d had built up inside of him, and
having Gillian here right now, were his
undoing.

“I don’t have anything holding

me back. Not anymore.” She swallowed
on that last word, and he knew she
wasn’t being honest with herself or him.

He reveled in the smoothness of

her skin and felt like the world was
crashing down around him. It was
because of this woman that he’d move

heaven and earth to please. It was
because of his feelings for her that he’d
walk through hell just to see her smile, if
that’s what she wanted.

“Tell me what you want,

Gillian.” He knew what he wanted, but
he wasn’t going to go there at this
moment. He wanted to see what she
wanted, where she stood.

She stared into his eyes, and he

felt his heart beat a little faster at the
vulnerability he saw. God, did this
woman know the power she held over
him? Fuck, did he realize the power she
held over him?

You know exactly what she does

to you, exactly how much power she
exerts over you with just one look.

“If I let myself feel these

emotions they might ruin us, what we
have, David.” She whispered the words,
and although she spoke them, she also
didn’t try to move away. In fact, she
pressed her breasts more firmly to his
chest, and he moved an inch closer,
impossibly closer.

“Nothing will get ruined, baby.”

At least that’s what he told himself.

She shook her head, and the

smile she gave him broke his fucking
heart. “I could ruin everything, and it
wouldn’t take anything at all.”

She’s trying to fight this.
“I owe you a lot, David. Not

only because you were there for the
Brian shit, but because after that you

stuck by my side.”

His heart beat faster at her

admission.

“I’ll always be here for you,” he

said softly, their lips still inches apart.

“When it seemed like I was

breaking, like everyone around me was
going in the other direction, you were
always there.”

If she really knew him, knew

what he’d done and how close he’d
really been to her, then she wouldn’t be
looking at him with such gentleness right
now.

Then fucking tell her all of it.
He was too afraid of losing her

to say a damn word. And before anything
else could be said he kissed her hard

and deep, just wanting to forget anything
that didn’t have to do with right here,
right now.

Chapter Ten

David kissed her like she was

about to leave him forever, like she’d
just disappear and he’d never have this
chance again. Everything else didn’t
matter aside from this one moment and
making Gillian feel good, making her see
that he wanted her above all else. David
couldn’t have walked away from her if a
gun had been pressed to his head, but it
seemed it didn’t matter because Gillian
was moaning and kissing him back, just
as fiercely.

She speared her hands in his

hair, tugged at the strands, and made
these small noises in the back of her
throat. He swallowed the sounds,

needing more, and wanting her to
surrender every part of herself to him.
This was what he’d wanted from the
moment he realized he couldn’t let her
be with anyone else, that he wanted her
as his own. It had been so fucking hard
staying back, keeping his feelings in
check, but right now none of that
mattered.

He took a step back, planning on

taking her to the bedroom, because he
couldn’t stop this, couldn’t stop what he
wanted. And what he wanted was her
under him, submitting in every way
imaginable.

“I don’t want you to let me go,”

she whispered.

He froze, looked down at her,

and saw her eyes still closed, her mouth
slightly parted. He moved his thumb
along her bottom lip, pulled the soft,
slightly damp flesh down, and watched it
move back into place when he let go.
She was so fucking beautiful, so pliant
for him, giving, and not letting her
inhibitions

control

her.

Whatever

happened when this was all over was
still a mystery, but right now he could
show her how precious she was to him,
that he’d do anything for her, even kill
without a second thought.

“No way in fucking hell would I

ever let you go, Gillian.”

She opened her eyes and looked

at him, the vulnerability right there at the
surface. He cupped her cheek in his

hand, tilting her head back an inch more.
“You’re mine. You’ve always been
mine.”

Her breath hitched a bit, and he

leaned down and took her mouth in a
kiss again.

She felt good in his arms, really

fucking good, in fact, and he knew he
wouldn’t be able to let her go.

I can’t walk away from this

again. I can’t hide what I want from
her. Everything needs to be out in the
open.

But as he thought that, he heard

her moans, her increased breathing, and
all he could think about was making her
feel good.

Once he had claimed her, fucked

her and let her know she was his, David
wasn’t going to stop making her see she
was his.

But will she want you when you

tell her everything? Will she want you
when you reveal your dark secrets?

After several seconds she broke

the kiss and looked up at him. Her lips
were swollen, red, and wet from their
kissing. She didn’t speak for several
moments, but he didn’t push her into
saying anything she wasn’t ready to.

Finally she exhaled and spoke.

“There is a part of me that feels like
what we’re doing is wrong, like it’ll all
get ruined.” She looked at his lips, and
he couldn’t hold back the groan.

He could relate to what she felt.

Hell, that was the reason he hadn’t even
confessed what he wanted with her. “Is
this what you want?” He stroked her
cheek with his thumb.

She nodded.
“Does it scare you?”
She nodded again.
“And you feel good being up

against me?”

She closed her eyes, licked her

lips, and whispered, “Yes.”

“Then doesn’t that mean it’s real,

that it’s right?”

She opened her eyes again,

reached up, and touched his chest, right
over his heart. “Yes.”

Don’t think about anything else

but right now.

He pushed any thoughts out of his

head that didn’t focus on this moment, of
the woman he loved in front of him. He
didn’t stop himself from kissing her
again. “How can this be so wrong when
it feels so damn good, baby?” he
groaned the words against her mouth.
“The only thing that matters is us and
what we want. No one and nothing else
matters.”

“I know, but it’s still scary,

David.”

“I know, baby.” He smiled, an

act he’d only ever done for her. She was
the only person that could make him feel
other things aside from the rage,
jealousy, and violent energy that
consumed him.

He slipped his hand behind her

head and gripped the base of her skull.
“This can be so damn easy, Gillian.” His
mouth was close to hers, but he didn’t
lean in that last inch and kiss her.

She stared at him for a second,

and he wondered if she’d stop this,
common sense that he’d once been her
stepfather, making her realize this wasn’t
“right”. But as the seconds ticked by, he
realized this couldn’t be stopped, not by
either of them.

And then she slammed her mouth

on his, sucked at his tongue, and pressed
her chest to his. Her breasts were big,
round, and his cock gave a mighty jerk.
She moaned against this mouth, and he
knew she’d felt it, felt his hard length,

maybe even getting wetter because of it.

“I’m going to make you feel so

fucking good, Gillian.” He pulled back
and looked at her again. “Do you trust
me to take care of you?”

Her mouth was parted, her pupils

dilated, and when she licked her lips and
then nodded, he let the beast fully free.
He kissed her again and again, hard,
consuming kisses that had her gasping
and panting out against him.

“I’m so tired of being alone,

David,” she murmured against his mouth,
and kissed him harder, with more
desperation.

He knew exactly how she felt.
Their tongues slid along each

other, frantically, heated, and full of

need. He was hard, so fucking hard for
her that he had to grind his erection into
her belly to ease the ache. He felt this
carnal need for her, one that wasn’t just
about wanting to feel himself buried
balls deep inside of her, but one that told
him she was his irrevocably.

She was pliant in his arms,

pressing her breasts against his chest,
her nipples hard, her arousal coating the
air. He could practically smell it coming
from her, a floral, sweet scent that drove
him fucking insane. He felt drunk for her,
higher than a fucking kite. No woman
had ever made him feel this way, and
although he’d known she was the only
one for him already, this moment
cemented that fact.

David moved his hand lower

until he got to the hem of her shirt, and
he instantly felt her shaking. But as if she
knew he would stop to see if she was
okay, she placed her hand over his, and
urged it up, bringing the material over
her belly. She didn’t stop him, and in
fact arched her back for more. At the
first contact of his bare flesh against
hers, of his fingers along her smooth
skin, she gasped.

“That’s it,” he said against her

mouth. “I could take every part of you
right now until there was nothing left and
I’d still need more, Gillian.”

“Then give me more, David.”
He curled his fingers against her

side, knowing he’d leave marks on her

delicate flesh if he weren’t gentle.

Moving his hand up higher, he

felt the fact she wasn’t wearing a bra.
His dick punched forward even harder,
and he felt the front of his boxers
become wet from pre-cum. Covering one
of her breasts with his hand, he ran his
tongue along her bottom lip at the same
time. When took her nipple between his
thumb and forefinger and pulled at the
already turgid flesh, hard, probably a
little painfully, she arched into him even
more. Over and over he pulled at her
nipple, kissing her like he was drowning
and she was the only source of oxygen.

The pants she wore had to go,

too. David needed her naked, needed her
hot, soft body pushed against his. He

moved his hands to the waistband of her
pants, but stopped and started kissing her
more possessively once again, moving
his mouth down to the base of her neck.
He felt her pulse beating rapidly, and he
licked and sucked at the spot, drawing
the blood up to the surface and marking
her.

Yeah, he was a primitive fucker,

marking her like she was his property.

No, not your property, but yours

to claim.

“David,” she whispered his

name, but it was also coupled with a
moan.

He wanted his handprints on her

body, wanted his teeth marks on her skin.
David wanted her screaming out his

name as he filled her with his cock,
plunged his shaft in and out of her until
she came undone.

“I want to go further, baby,” he

said against her throat. “I want to be
inside of you, Gillian.”

“Don’t stop.” She slanted her

mouth on his and speared her tongue
between his parted lips. She acted
desperate for him, and fuck, did that turn
him on. He grabbed the hem of her shirt,
and in a swift move pulled the material
up and off of her body. He’d been
teasing the edge of her pants, but he had
those off in a matter of seconds. There
she stood in only a pair of panties. He
reached between them and palmed his
cock through his boxers, the material

damp with pre-cum where his dick head
pressed against it.

“So

fucking

beautiful.”

He

cupped her breasts with his hands,
squeezed the mounds until she was
closing her eyes and breathing like she
couldn’t get enough air into her lungs.

“I need more. I need it all from

you.” He was already near his breaking
point. Moving his hands lower, he
cupped her ass through the cotton
material, and then slid the material
inward so it became tucked between her
luscious ass cheeks. For a suspended
moment all he did was hold the big
globes while he mouth-fucked her.

“Christ, baby,” he panted the

words out, never before being this

turned on. “I’m so fucking hard for you.”
He moved his mouth to her ear and
whispered, “I need you, Gillian.” He felt
her nod. “I need to be inside of you
now.”

She shivered in his hold. “Then

be with me, David.”

Any amount of sanity he’d had

was gone, right out the fucking window
and never coming back.

Chapter Eleven

Am I really doing this?
David kissed Gillian hard, and

held onto her ass like he wanted to leave
bruises on her flesh.

Do I want to open this door?
The underwear was between the

cheeks of her bottom, and David kept
moving his fingers closer to her pussy.

That door is already open, and

there is no chance of closing it.

It was like an animal had been

unleashed inside of David, like he
couldn’t control himself and wanted her
to know that fact. He pressed her fully
against the wall, his entire body big,
hard, so ready for what he promised.

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even think
straight, and when he moved his hand
between them she felt like she’d explode
from the sensations coursing through her.

“I want you so fucking bad,” he

said against her neck, licking, sucking,
and leaving his mark on her. Before she
knew what was happening they were
both naked and she felt beads of
perspiration covering the valley between
her breasts and the length of her spine.
She wasn’t a virgin, wasn’t even a
prude, but what she was experiencing
with David right now was unlike
anything she’d ever done or felt with a
man.

A part of her warned her this

may be a horrible idea, that their

relationship was too engrained to go in
this direction, but another part, the
stronger side, the one that didn’t care
what happened because she was finally
being with the man she loved, wouldn’t
let her focus on the repercussions for too
long.

Being with the man I love can’ t

be wrong, right?

He kissed her again, harder and

faster than before, his cock like a steel
rod between them, pressing against her
belly. There was no stopping this, but
God, she didn’t want to.

She’d been hiding her feelings

for so long that having them actually free
felt a little weird, but also exciting and
exhilarating at the same time. Right now

all she could think about was their hot,
sweaty bodies pressed together.

“That’s it, Gillian baby. Christ,

the fact you’re so damn primed for me,
so receptive to my touches, makes this
so fucking incredible.” David had his
hands on her bare ass, his finger
clenching on the mounds repeatedly. She
wanted the panties off, but she also
wanted him to take control, to do with
her as he pleased.

He removed his mouth from her

neck and started kissing her again, but at
the same time lifted her off the ground
and held her easily in his arms with his
strength. When she moaned he grunted in
pleasure, and held onto her ass even
harder, almost painfully. But that

discomfort felt so damn good. He was so
strong, holding her up against the wall
easily, his strength pouring from him and
making her feel so feminine.

“I want you so fucking badly,

baby.” He started thrusting against her
pussy.

“Then have me, David. Have

every part of me.”

He grunted and thrust his hard

cock against her pussy, the length big,
huge in fact. “Please.” Gillian didn’t
care that she begged him, that she
sounded desperate. Right now she just
wanted to feel him pushing into her,
stretching her pussy, claiming every inch
of her. She’d worry about the other shit
later.

The feel of his steely shaft had

her inner muscles clenching. She grew
so wet she knew he’d have no trouble
pushing that thickness into her body.
Gillian wanted to feel so full she
couldn’t stand it, couldn’t even breathe.

“God, David, I am so ready for

you.”

“Yeah, you are, baby. I’m not

going to prolong this anymore. I need
you too fucking much.”

He kept one hand on her ass, and

moved the other between their bodies. It
was a testament to his power when he
held her up easily with only one hand,
and damn did that make her wetter. With
his hand on her ass he snaked it closer to
her pussy and tugged at her panties,

pulling them aside so her pussy was
exposed. With his other hand he took
hold of his cock and placed it at her
entrance.

While still kissing her, he rubbed

his cock along her cleft, up and down,
and bumping her clit with every
upstroke. “Fuck, you are so wet for me,
so ready for my dick.” He looked right
in her eyes, and she nodded. “Tell me
you’re ready, that you want this.”

She felt his dick throb between

her thighs, and felt her slickness slip
from her pussy and slide down her inner
thigh. They held each other’s stares for
several long seconds, and then they
crashed their mouths together at the same
time. She grabbed onto the back of his

head, pulled at the strands of his hair,
needing him as close as he could get.

Groans spilled from both of

them.

For years Gillian had imagined

—fantasized—about being with David.
Images of them together, skin wet with
sweat, David above her, his muscles
taut, his power immense, filled her head.
She was at the point that she wanted him
shoved so deep inside of her nothing
else mattered.

“Fuck me, David.”
He stilled for only a moment, and

then pulled his head back just an inch to
look her in the eyes.

“There’s no going back from this

once it’s started.”

She nodded. Gillian didn’t want

to go back, even if going forward was
just as scary. She shifted in his arms so
the tip of his cock was pressed and inch
into her pussy. Already she felt the
stretch start to take root, and he wasn’t
even fully inside of her. For a moment
time seemed to stand still. There wasn’t
any confusion, no worry of what was
going to happen because of her actions.
Right now there was only she and
David.

He still held her body up with

one hand holding onto her ass and
placed his other hand on the wall beside
her head, his bicep flexing with his
strength. The tip of his cock was now
lodged in her body, and they both

breathed out roughly, neither moving this
along just yet.

“I’m going to fuck you until you

only want me, baby, until you realize
you’re only mine.”

“I only want you, David.”He

thrust his hips forward, pushing another
inch into her. David groaned and closed
his eyes. “You’re so fucking tight, hot,
and wet.”

He pushed yet another inch into

her, and the burning sensation took root,
the stretching feeling claiming her fully.

She clenched her pussy around

his shaft involuntarily.

He grunted in pleasure. “How’s

it feel, baby?”

She squeezed her eyes shut when

he thrust even more of his thick shaft into
her. “It feels so good,” she moaned the
words.

He rested his forehead against

hers, and they panted against each
other’s mouths. “It feels so fucking good,
baby.” He was out of breath, just like
she was. “But we’ve just gotten started,
Gillian.” In one swift move he was
buried fully inside of her.

She let her head fall back against

the wall, the sound of her skull hitting it
loud, but not dimming the erotic noises
coming from them.

“Yeah, baby, give in just like

that.” David pulled out just an inch and
thrust back into her. He started moving in
and out of her, faster and harder, but all

the while looking right into her eyes.

“Watch me. Look right at me as I

fuck you up against the wall.”

“David.” She parted her mouth

and gasped when he hit something
deliciously good inside of her.

“Christ, baby.” He went slow

and easy, in and out, gentle and thorough,
but as the seconds moved by his motions
became faster, harder. “Fucking hell,
Gillian.”

He was so far inside of her there

wasn’t a part of her David wasn’t
touching. She couldn’t even think
straight, let alone form words. The
sounds of their flesh slapping together,
of his cock sliding in and out of her
pussy, had her pleasure mounting. The

sounds that came from her were low,
erotic, and would have humiliated her if
she wasn’t so turned on, so aroused by
this man.

I love you so much.
She kept those words to herself.

Gillian was finally being with David,
and it was the most incredible thing
she’d ever experienced.

The root of his cock rubbed

against her clit every time he slammed
into her.

“You feel so good.” He closed

his eyes and groaned. He pushed fully
into her, stilled, and moved his hips to
the side slightly, having a different kind
of sensation filling her. “Squeeze that
pussy around me, baby.” He ground the

words out. Sweat beaded his brow, and
he made this low, animalistic sound
when he pulled out and then slammed
into her especially hard. With each
passing second he took her faster and
harder. The burn of her back rubbing
against the wall heightened her pleasure,
and she felt her climax mounting.

“I want to see you come for me.”

He let a moment of silence pass before
he spoke again. “I want to feel you
squeezing my cock, milking the cum from
me.” He reached between them and
pressed his thumb to her clit, rubbing the
bud back and forth while he still
tunneled in and out of her. David kissed
her once more, but then ran his tongue
along her bottom lip, over her cheek, and

licked at the shell of her ear. His
breathing was short, but hard pants, and
she could tell he was close to getting off,
too.

“You’re mine, Gillian,” he said

so low against her ear she didn’t know if
she’d heard him correctly. He slammed
into her again, applied more pressure to
her clit until she was about to explode
for him, but right when she was there he
slowed his motions. Gillian wanted to
cry out from desperation, but before she
could do or say anything he grunted
against her ear, clearly barely holding
on, as well.

“Tell me you’re mine.”
That’s all I’ve ever wanted.
He was thrusting in and out of

her like a madman now, in and out, faster
and harder, and she got so lost in the
sensation, that she felt herself falling
over the edge once more. “I’m yours,”
she moaned out the words he wanted to
hear, that she’d always wanted to say.
She came long and hard, and heard him
groan against her neck.

“Say it again, Gillian baby.” He

growled out the words like an animal,
and Gillian knew this one night would
forever shape their future, whether that
would be good in the long run, or totally
fucking disastrous.

“I’m yours, David. I’m only

yours.” She gasped when he slammed
into her so hard she moved up an inch.
Her back scraped up the wall, but that

pain heightened her pleasure to a fever
pitch. The world was falling away, but
she didn’t care about that. She only
cared about right here and now. Lights
flashed in front of her vision as she
came, and she forced her eyes to stay
open through her pleasure. Seeing David
get off was unlike anything she’d ever
witnessed. It was so arousing, and she
didn’t want to miss the pleasure she’d
brought out in him.

She felt his cock swell inside of

her, felt him get impossibly harder, and
she parted her mouth at the sensations.
The feeling of him coming, of his seed
filling her, was hot, erotic, and had her
pleasure climbing even higher. He
slowed his thrusting, and when several

moments passed he pulled back and
looked in her eyes once more.

“You’re okay?”
She nodded and smiled. She was

more than okay.

Gillian loved this man more than

anything else, and although she was
happy that she was finally with him, it
also scared the hell out of her.

God, I hope this doesn’t tear us

apart.

Chapter Twelve

David had brought Gillian back

to his room. For the last hour he’d just
been lying here listening to the sound of
her breathing, watching her back slowly
rise and fall, and finally running his
fingers over the curve of her spine. But
now he was on the edge of the bed, his
forearms on his thighs, his thoughts
heavy. He needed to tell her about who
he really was, and what he’d been doing
all these years. But the thought of ruining
this, of telling her his darkest secret, his
twisted desires, scared the shit out of
him.

The sound of Gillian rustling

behind him had David looking over his

shoulder at her. She stretched, the sheet
moving slightly down to her lower back.
The curve of her ass and the crease
between the cheeks was visible, and he
felt his cock harden once more. He could
have gone all night with her, but he knew
he’d been on the rougher side, and
pushing her wasn’t what he wanted.
David wanted her to be with him on her
own, because she wanted him just as
much as he wanted her.

“David?” Gillian said in a sleep-

filled voice.

He still looked at her as she

slowly pushed herself up and looked at
his side of the bed. She rubbed her eyes,
her hair tussled, her cheeks still pink
from their fucking.

“I’m right here, baby,” he said

and reached out to rub his hand along her
foot that peeked out from under the sheet.

“Is everything okay?” She was

facing him now, the sheet at her waist,
but still showing him a glimpse of the
trimmed hair that covered her pussy.

God, he could just tackle her to

the bed and fuck her until she couldn’t
even form a coherent word.

But he didn’t answer her, just

turned away and looked at where his
hands were clasped together. The soft
touch of her fingers on his back had him
tensing, and he knew prolonging this was
only going to make it that much worse,
and that much harder.

“We need to talk,” he spit the

words out, angry with himself, but
knowing what the right thing to do was.
When she didn’t answer he looked at her
over his shoulder, and saw this worried
expression on her face.

“Our relationship is ruined, isn’t

it?”

Fuck, he hated that she sounded

so damn vulnerable right now.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,

baby.” He turned fully and pulled her
close so she was nearly on his lap. He
just held her, the sheet loosely wrapped
around her body, her head resting on his
shoulder.

“I worried what we did ruined

what we have.” She was tracing one of
his tattoos, and he watched her finger go

over the sharp edge that covered his
forearm. “David?”

“Yeah, baby?” He kept his voice

low. She was silent for a moment longer
than was probably normal, and he pulled
back slightly. “Hey, are you okay?”

She looked up at him and smiled,

but she was nervous, he could tell. “I
love you.” Her voice was soft, hesitant.
“I’m in love with you, David.”

His heart stopped, his gut grew

tight, and he felt a happiness he’d never
felt before. He cupped both of her
cheeks and kissed her senseless. He
kissed her until his lips were sore. When
he pulled back it was to see her smiling,
but she still had that tenseness about her.

“I love you, too, baby.” He

rested his forehead on hers and closed
his eyes. “I’m so fucking in love with
you.” She wrapped her arms around him,
and for the longest time they just held
each other. But he knew what had to be
done. “And that’s why saying this is so
damn hard.”

****

Her heart was beating so hard

and fast for a second Gillian wondered
if it was possible to burst through her
chest. She pulled the sheet more tightly
around her body, shielding herself for
whatever was to come, even if that
ammunition was only words. Sometimes
those hurt even more than a physical
blow.

For long seconds David didn’t

speak. He hadn’t bothered to get dressed
or cover his nudity, but clearly he had
more important things to worry about.

Is he going to tell me how

wrong this all was? Is he going to say
we should have time to ourselves, to
really sort this all out?

“You’re kind of freaking me out

here,” she said softly, seeing the
concentration, even the worry on his
face. He reached out and took hold of
her hand, gave it a gentle squeeze, and
then exhaled as if preparing himself for
what was to come.

“I love you.” He looked right in

her eyes. “I’m so fucking in love with
you, have been for years, Gillian.”

She felt herself ease, felt that

pleasurable calm and happiness settle
over her. Smiling, she gave his hand a
squeeze back. “I feel the same way.”
There was just a second of surprise that
covered his face, but it was soon
replaced by a dark look, one that took
her back.

“I want to be honest with you,”

he said.

She slowly nodded. “Okay.” She

took her hand back and clasped it
together with her other one.

“I beat Brian because he fucked

with you.”

Gillian nodded. She really hoped

they weren’t going to go down this road,
because talking about that asshole after
what they’d just done was not what she

wanted to do.

“And ever since then my feelings

for you have grown.” He was silent for a
second. “They’ve grown into dark
manifestations, Gillian. They’ve become
abnormal to anyone looking in.”

She felt her eyebrows knit

because of his words. “I don’t
understand what that means.” He showed
no emotion, and back in place was the
David she’d know all these years.

His gaze was right on her, and

she breathed in and out slowly.

“I was there tonight because I

followed you.”

For a second all she could do

was replay his words in her head. “You
followed me?” she asked with confusion

in her voice. Had she heard him right?

“I’ve been following you.”

Another second of time passed. “I have
been following you for years, but it’s
because I love you so much, and am so
fucking worried something will happen
to you, that I’ve gone to those lengths.”

Had he really just said what she

thought he said? “You’ve been following
me for years? Like … stalking me?”
God, am I hearing this correctly?
“When? How?” She shook her head. “I
don’t understand any of this.”

He reached out and tried to take

her hand, but she pulled it back, so
fucking confused. David exhaled and
rubbed his hand over the back of his
head, his bicep muscles flexing from the

act. “I follow you, Gillian.” His voice
had gone hard as he looked at her. “I
know where you go, what time you’re
home, at work, hell, when you fucking go
to the grocery store. I know all of this
because I’ve become obsessed with you,
and the very thought of you hurt, of
another Brian incident happening, makes
me insane.”

Her heart stopped as she

processed what he said. David, the man
she’d been in love with for so many
years, the man that saved her from being
raped, and the man she’d just given
herself to, admitted to stalking her.
Shaking her head, and trying to make
sense of this, all she came up with was
confusion and heartache. The fact he’d

broken her trust by following her for all
these years, dug right into her heart like
a rusty blade.

“I do what I do for you, Gillian.

The very thought of you with another
man sends me into a blind rage.”

She pictured the instance with

Brian, and now again with Gerald. “You
hit Gerald because he kissed me,
because you are—”

“Because I love you, because

you’re mine, only mine.” His voice had
gone hard, his big body taut.

“This isn’t right, David,” she

whispered, searching for her clothing
now.

“Gillian,” he said her name and

reached for her when she went to get off

the bed, but she just kept shaking her
head, not knowing what to think or do.

“I just…” What in the hell was

she supposed to say? Was she
overreacting? Should she be okay with
the fact David admitted to stalking her,
watching her every move? Her clothes
were in the hallway, and as much as she
just wanted to leave and get her head on
straight, escaping during this screwed up
situation seemed almost wrong. But she
turned and faced him, the sheet still
wrapped around her. “Why did you wait
until now to tell me this?” A horrible
thought came into her mind, but she tried
to push it back.

“I was afraid telling you would

drive us apart. I was afraid admitting the

fucked up things I do would have you
scared and running from me … like you
are now.”

Was she afraid of him?
No, not afraid, just shocked,

confused, and everything else in
between.

“I’m possessive of you, Gillian.”

He stood, his big body still naked, and
her own grew warm at that sight. “I
won’t make any excuses, or be
apologetic because of it.” He wasn’t
hard, but that didn’t make his shaft any
less impressive. The member was still a
monster between his thighs. “I’d even go
as far as to say I’m obsessed with you,
so in love with you, Gillian, I can’t even
think straight.” He took a step closer,

and she lifted her gaze to his face.
“You’re the only thing that matters to me,
that takes up my very existence.”

“Why tell me now, after the

fact?”

He stopped advancing. “After the

fact.” He repeated it, but it wasn’t
phrased like a question.

“You waited until after we had

sex. Why? Was that planned? Did you
want a piece of ass first?” God, don’t
cry, don’t be weak. But I’m so confused
and feel so betrayed.

He knitted his brows, his

expression becoming darker. “How can
you say that, think that?” His voice was
so hard, hurt even.

“I don’t know what to think

anymore, David. The man I trusted more
than anything else betrayed me. You’ve
been following me, seeing my every
move. You’ve invaded my privacy for
years.” She felt her tears start to fall and
wiped them away quickly.

“Gillian, baby. Don’t cry.” He

looked so pained that she wished she
could just say fuck it all, forget about the
fact the man she loved had been
watching her, invading her privacy, and
in a sense betraying her. How much had
he seen?

He

admitted

to

watching

everything and anything I ever did. He
admitted it’s been going on for years.

Looking at him once more, she

turned and left the bedroom in search for

her clothes. Once she had her pants and
shirt back on, she turned to see David
coming down the hall, now wearing a
pair of unbuttoned jeans.

“Gillian, baby, please,” he said

and moved toward her, but she held her
hand out, which had him stopping.

“Please, David. Please just let

me go so I can get my head on straight.”
She saw his broad, muscular shoulders
sag slightly, and then he finally nodded.

“I won’t stop you, not because I

want you to go, but because I know I
fucked up. I know I screwed everything
up, Gillian. But I love you, dammit, and I
wanted you to know everything. I don’t
want to keep lying to you.”

She didn’t respond, and instead

gave him one last lingering look before
turning and leaving him standing in the
living room.

Chapter Thirteen

Several days later

It had only been a few days since

she left David’s place, and although she
knew that wasn’t any time at all, Gillian
felt like it had been an eternity. She’d
thought about the situation so much that
she’d had a headache these last several
days, and although common sense told
her a man watching her, following her
every move, was wrong on every level,
she also knew she wanted to talk to
David about it more. She did love him,
was still in love with him even after all
of this. Her feelings couldn’t just be
ignored or swept under the rug because
of this incident. But she did feel

betrayed because he hadn’t been upfront
with her.

What am I going to do?
Gillian loved David too much to

just walk away from him and their
friendship. She now knew how he felt,
that he loved her as much as she loved
him, but she couldn’t ignore the slightly
twisted side of it all either.

She hadn’t spoken to David since

she left his house, and she knew him
well enough, and the reason he hadn’t
contacted her, was because he was
respecting her wishes that she wanted
this time to herself to think. But in the
back of her mind she would look over
her shoulder, wondering if he was
watching her. She shouldn’t have felt

anything but disgust and fear over that
knowledge, but the truth was she didn’t
feel any of that. She actually felt this
calm settle over her at the fact David
had loved her so much he wanted to
make sure she was safe.

Had he always been like that?

Did he follow other people? Had the
incident with Brian changed him so
much?

“God,” she whispered and

scrubbed her hand over her face. Her
cell went off, and she picked it up,
seeing it was Gerald. She’d spoken to
him only once in the last couple of days,
mainly because she’d wanted to make
sure he was okay after David attacked
him. His nose had been broken, which

she’d assumed given the hit he’d taken,
but he said he was fine, and hadn’t
spoken about David or that night during
their phone call. In fact he’d wanted to
see her again, but she’d declined
because she had too much going on right
now to go down that road.

She couldn’t be with Gerald, not

in any way. Their one date had been the
catalyst to everything to come, and until
she sorted shit out with David—with she
desperately wanted to—she would keep
declining. Hell, it was safer for Gerald
anyway, and she didn’t want anything
more with him. It wasn’t fair to him to
leave him hanging when she knew what
she wanted and what she didn’t want.

For a moment she thought about

ignoring the call, but on the fourth ring
she answered.

“Hello?”
“Gillian, hey,” Gerald said in a

smooth voice. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Your nose is still

doing okay?” She felt so much guilt that
she’d essentially been the cause of his
issue, even if she knew David hitting
him had nothing to do with her.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” A beat of

silence passed. “You shouldn’t feel bad
about it. It wasn’t your fault some
psycho came out of nowhere and
attacked me.”

She bit her inner cheek, thinking

about David and his admission to why
he’d done what he’d done. Would she

feel the things she was if he hadn’t
followed her? What if he’d just showed
up because he thought she was in
trouble, like what he’d done with Brian?
Did this whole situation seem so fucked
up because he told her he knew where
she was at all times?

“Listen,” he said, and breathed

out as if tired. “I’d like to see you. I
don’t want what happened to make
things weird. I really like you.”

“Gerald—”
“Don’t say no. I want to see

you,” he said harder this time, and she
exhaled. He was persistent, had been
even before getting hit by David.

“No really isn’t the best time, not

with everything going on.” There was a

bit of silence, and she felt bad. Had she
upset him? Surely he could understand
and respect what she wanted?

“Is

this

because

of

what

happened with that asshole?”

She closed her eyes. “Gerald, I

don’t want to talk about that—”

“Are you in love with him or

something, screwing him on the side?”

She snapped her eyes open, taken

back by this aggressive demeanor from
him. “What the hell, Gerald?” He’d been
pushy a few other times when she’d been
in his presence, but this was ridiculous.
“What I do and don’t do is none of your
business.” She tried to sound calm,
polite even, but she was done with this
conversation. Her guilt over him getting

hurt faded as her annoyance rose.
Because of everything that had gone
down, she wasn’t in the mood for
anything but to sulk in her own thoughts
and emotions.

“Shit,” Gerald said, and a

second of silence moved by. “Sorry, I
guess this is all new to me, too.”

New to him?
“I’m not sure what that means,

but I just need to be alone right now and
get my head on straight. I hope you
understand.”

“No problem.” His voice had

gone a little harder, like maybe he was
annoyed, or hurt? She didn’t have the
energy to care about this situation at the
moment. She’d done everything to try to

keep this polite, but the way he was
acting was very off-putting. “I’ll talk to
you soon.” And then he hung up.

She pulled the phone away and

looked down at it. Ever since she met
Gerald at the art show she’d felt this off-
ness about it. But he’d been nice, had
showed her attention, and she knew that
she needed to get a life and go out and
enjoy herself. Hell, she could use the
stereotypical “he’s just an artist” excuse
as to Gerald’s eccentric attitude, but the
way he acted now kind of made her feel
like he might be an all around asshole
deep down.

You’re just in a shitty spot right

now mentally that you’re looking too
hard into things.

Resting back on the couch, she

set her phone beside her and stared at
the wall. She loved David so much, and
even after she found out what he did her
feelings couldn’t be changed. Maybe she
needed to talk to him about this, to really
know why he’d done what he’d done,
even though he’d given her a vague
explanation. She did all but run out of
there, and hadn’t given him a chance to
talk.

“Ugh,” she said and rubbed her

face with her hands, not knowing what in
the hell to do.

****

David was fucking pissed at

himself. He was the one that screwed
this all up, and these last few days had

been absolute hell. He hadn’t tried
contacting Gillian because he wanted
her to have time to gather her thoughts.
He also wanted to have a chance to
come up with what in the hell he was
going to do about this. David couldn’t let
her walk away, couldn’t have her out of
his life. She was everything to him, his
entire world, and he needed to make this
right.

But where do I even start?
He sat at the table, a full, sealed

bottle of alcohol in front of him. He’d
contemplated drinking the whole damn
thing the night she walked out, but he
hadn’t touched a drop, and wanted to
have a clear head as he tried to work
this out. Pushing the bottle away, he

leaned back in the chair and exhaled,
wanting to pick up the phone and call the
only woman he’d ever truly loved.
Maybe he was a fucking coward for how
things had played out, and for what he
was doing now, but he was scared
shitless to lose Gillian.

Doing nothing will definitely

have her out of your life. Try to win her
back, you fucker.

Feeling resolve, and knowing

he’d have to change a part of himself in
order to make Gillian trust him again, he
knew he had to see her, to make her
realize that he’d be whatever he needed
to be in order to keep her in his life.

Because a world without her in it

was pretty fucking bleak.

Chapter Fourteen

Gillian juggled the groceries in

her hand, and tried to get the house keys
from her purse. After just sitting on the
couch and stewing in her own
annoyance, she decided getting out, even
if for just grocery shopping, would at
least help clear her head.

It hadn’t.
Setting the bags down when she

got to the front door, she started digging
through her purse, and cursing when she
couldn’t find her keys. But the sound of
someone pulling into her driveway had
her turning around. A sigh left her when
she saw it was Gerald. He cut the engine
and just stared at her through the

windshield for a second before finally
getting out.

“I know, I should have called,”

he said, and she didn’t mention that he
did call, and she’d asked for space. For
a moment neither spoke or moved, but
then Gerald started messing with his
keys in his hand, the jingling sound
breaking up the silence, but also grating
on her nerves a little. Going to the
grocery store hadn’t cleared her head,
and in fact she felt even more stressed
out over it all. She was tired, sick of the
crying, the pain in her chest, and wished
things could go back to the way they
were—well, not the sex part. She’d
enjoyed that, felt something powerful
during it. What happened afterward was

what sucked.

“I’m not feeling the greatest,

Gerald. I think I just want to lie down.
Maybe we can talk later?”

Please, let’s just postpone this

until things aren’t so fucked up.

Gerald came closer. “Can I at

least help you in with the bags?”

Her first reaction was to tell him

no thanks, that she had it, but she did feel
a little bad that she was being like this.
He might be pushy, but it wasn’t his fault
shit had gone down the way it had.

“Sure. Thank you.” She turned

and unlocked the door, grabbed a bag,
and looked back at Gerald. She caught
him checking her ass out since she was
partially bent over. It was kind of a dick

move, given what she’d expressed about
her emotions, and the situation Gerald
knew about, but she brushed it aside and
pushed the door open more fully. Once
inside she stepped to the side and
allowed Gerald to move past her.

“Where would you like it?” he

asked about the bag he carried.

“You can just put it on the table,

thanks.”

Once the bags were on the table

she smiled, hoping he’d just leave so she
could be alone.

“Have dinner with me tonight, or

a drink, or hell, just talk.”

She exhaled, her head starting to

pound. “Thank you for the offer, but I
really don’t feel well, Gerald. I mean

when we spoke I thought I mentioned
that.”

“You shouldn’t be alone. You’re

obviously going through shit.” He
stepped closer to her, and she shook her
head, not sure why he was being so
insistent.

“I want to be alone. I need to be

alone. It doesn’t have anything to do
with you, Gerald, and I’m sorry if I’m
being rude about the whole thing.”

He moved closer, but his

expression still looked stoic, as if he
wasn’t really hearing her. “I want to be
there for you.”

She shook her head. “I don’t

want that right now. I can’t be that for
you either, Gerald. I’m in love with

someone, and I’m going through a lot
because of all of it. I can’t be what you
want.”

He knitted his brows and shook

his head. “I have never had to try to have
fucking dinner or a drink with a woman
before you. I swear to hell you make
things so damn difficult.”

It was her turn to knit her brows.

“Gerald, please, I think it’s time for you
to go—” Before she knew what he was
doing he was right in front of her. She
took a step back, but the wall stopped
her. “What are you doing?” Gillian was
getting increasingly nervous in this
situation, for obvious reasons.

“I’m tired of working so fucking

hard to get you to do a simple damn thing

with me.”

“So, what, your feelings are

hurt?” The look on his face had her
closing her mouth so she didn’t say
anything else.

Probably not smart to say shit

like that.

He grabbed her around the waist

and pulled her against him. She placed
her hands on his chest and pushed, but he
was stronger than she was.

She opened her mouth to tell him

to leave her alone, hell, to fuck off, but
he shushed her and shook his head. The
look in his eyes had everything in her
stilling. Her fear rose up even harder in
her.

With his body pressed to hers,

keeping her immobile, she felt helpless.
The past rose up, and for a second she
felt frozen. Gillian remembered her time
with Brian, his body pressed to hers, his
grimy hands on her, holding her down,
making her feel weak. But she also felt
angry. She was not about to let a guy
manhandle her. She was not going to be
a victim again.

“You’re so pretty. Why the hell

do you have to play hard to get? Why
can’t you just take a guy up on his
offer?” He leaned forward and inhaled
deeply right by her ear. “I shouldn’t have
to try so hard to get a damn woman into
my bed. I’m a renowned and famous
artist. Women line up for a chance to be
in my bed, for a second of my fucking

attention.” He started working his mouth
down her throat, and sucked at the base
of her neck, his closeness and the sound
of wetness from his mouth about to make
her gag.

“Get the hell off me, Gerald.”

She tried to wedge her hands between
their bodies further and push him away,
but the awkward position, and the fact he
used all his body weight to keep her
pinned to the wall made it nearly
impossible.

“I don’t know what it is about

you that makes me need you so badly.
Hell, maybe it’s the fact I haven’t had
you yet that makes me a fiend.” He ran
his tongue up her throat and kissed the
side of her mouth. She struggled against

his hold, her eyes squeezed shut as she
tried to stay in the present and not get
sucked into the past, where she was
helpless.

“I won’t do this again,” she

whispered.

He chuckled softly. “Won’t do

what?” he murdered right beside her
mouth.

She opened her eyes and

focused. “I won’t be a victim. She turned
and looked at him then, smiled, and in
that one second she felt his hold loosen
just an inch. That was all she needed.
Bringing her knee up, she brought it right
between his legs. Gerald’s eyes widened
and he grunted out. Stumbling back, he
held his crotch, his eyes watering.

“You fucking bitch,” he wheezed

out, and she curled her hands into fists at
her sides as she watched him.

But his expression changed to

something darker, and he charged
forward. She made a sound of surprise
and moved away from the wall, not
wanting to get pinned again. The door
was only feet from her, and she darted
toward it. She needed to get out in the
open. She had her hand wrapped around
the handle, but before she could turn it
and pull the door open Gerald grabbed
her ponytail and jerked her back. She
gasped out in pain from the sudden
movement, and fell back on her ass.

Her foot kicked the side table by

the door, knocking over the lamp. It

didn’t break, so she desperately grabbed
for it. She had the neck in her hand, her
fingers wrapped tightly around it. Just as
he was pulling her up to stand she swung
back and clocked him in the side of the
head with the ceramic lamp base. It
broke, the sound of it shattering and
crashing into his skull loud in the small
space.

Gerald stumbled back, blood

immediately starting to pool down his
temple. “Fuck,” he said and lifted his
hand to touch the side of his head. “You
fucking cunt.” His voice was raised, his
rage tangible.

Just as he took a step toward her

the front door was pushed open. And
there, standing in the entryway looking

pissed as fuck, was David. Gillian’s
heart slammed hard against her ribs as
she looked at the man she loved. He only
took a second to take in the scene before
he was letting out this deep, angry sound
and charging toward Gerald.

She was frozen against the wall,

her focus on Gerald and David as they
were in an active fight. The lighting was
dim because the lamp had broken and the
kitchen light was muted and around the
corner, but she could see the beating
David was giving to Gerald.

It was like the scene before her

was in slow motion, the violence filling
the air, the rage coming from David so
thick she felt it cover her skin. Gerald
was now on his back on the ground

while David stood over him, his hands
at his sides, and blood on his knuckles
from hitting Gerald so many times. The
expression on David’s face was a mask
of dark anger. She’d seen that look
before … she’d seen it when David
went after Brian, and also when he’d
first hit Gerald for kissing her. This was
the real man she was in love with, the
man that would do anything to make sure
she was protected. It was in that second
that she realized that the “fault” she’d
seen in what he’d done, in the fact he’d
been following her, was his way of
making sure she was protected. It may
not have been the best way to go about
it, but it was the only way he knew.

Gerald groaned and held the side

of

his

face,

blood

coming

out

everywhere, and smeared along his
cheeks, even his forehead. And then
Gerald tried to get up.

“No, you stay down, fucker.”

David punched Gerald in the side of the
head, having the other man fall back onto
the ground, groaning and still clutching
his face. She knew her eyes were wide,
felt her heart beating so hard it was
painful. David leaned down so he was
right over Gerald.

“I should fucking kill you, you

piece of shit,” David said, his voice
sounding distorted. He started punching
Gerald in the face repeatedly, the other
man now begging for David to stop.

“David,” she managed to say,

and he stopped instantly. David turned
and looked at her, not saying anything,
but breathing hard, his eyes still
appearing wild. “He’s not worth it. Just
let him go.” She knew if this didn’t stop
David would kill him. He looked that
unhinged.

David gave her one last long

look before turning and facing Gerald
again. “Get your sorry fucking ass up.”

Gerald complied right away, but

not without groans. “If you so much as
breathe in Gillian’s direction I’ll hunt
you down and slit your throat.” David
took a menacing step toward Gerald, and
the other man took one back. “I’ll
fucking kill you and bury the body so no
one will ever find you.” David took

another step toward him. “Now, get the
fuck out of here, and don’t you even
think about looking at Gillian on your
way out.”

Gerald hauled ass out of there,

kept his head low, and didn’t even look
at her.

David turned and faced Gillian,

and slowly she watched the anger melt
away.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice

deep, low. All she could do was stand
there, emotions coursing through her
body, her hands shaking from the
aftermath. He’d come to her rescue
again, saved her from God knew what,
and she didn’t know what to say.

Gillian should have felt fear

consuming her, just like it had all those
years ago. But right now she didn’t feel
that paralysis. She only felt the love she
had for David, and she didn’t want him
to leave.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” he

asked and moved a step toward her, but
stopped, as if worried she might reject
him, maybe? He was looking her over,
but it wasn’t heated or sexual. He was
making sure she was okay.

“I’m okay,” she whispered, and

before she knew what she was doing she
threw herself in his arms, needing his
strength and love. She wrapped her arms
around his neck, and all she could feel
was that ever-present warmth in her, the
need to just forget about anything and

everything that didn’t have to do with
them.

“I could have killed him for

touching you, Gillian. I could have
broken every bone in his body.”

“You just about did,” she

whispered, shaken up, but thankful
David was here.

“I wanted to do so much more,

baby.” He lifted his hand, about to touch
her cheek, but curled his fingers into his
palm and stopped touching her.

“Thank you for being here.

You’re always saving me, David.”

He uncurled his hand and finally

did touch her cheek then. “You never
have to thank me.” He smoothed his
thumb along her cheek, wiping away the

tear she hadn’t even known she’d shed.
No matter what had happened between
them, she loved David, knew he’d
always be there for her, and they needed
to work this out.

Gillian couldn’t have a life

without David in it.

****

He sat across from Gillian at her

kitchen table, wanting to say a hell of a
lot, but wanting to hold her, comfort her
even more. It had been hours since all
that shit with Gerald had gone down, and
although he was pretty fucking sure that
asshole would never show his face
around her again, not if he wanted to
live, David wouldn’t leave her alone.

What she didn’t know, might

never know, was how much power she
actually held over him. He was a
territorial and possessive bastard when
it came to Gillian, but for her he’d fall to
his knees and worship the ground she
walked on. For her he’d kill without
even a second thought.

“I can leave if you want?” he

asked, more for her benefit than an
actual guarantee he would. He wanted
her to have the space she needed, but he
was a protective fucker concerning her.

Thank fuck she shook her head.
“I don’t want that. Even after

everything that just happened, I want to
talk about everything.”

He knew what she meant.
“You want to talk about the fact I

followed you for this whole time.”

She nodded and looked down at

her hands. “I think I now understand why
you did what you did, even if it wasn’t
right.”

“It wasn’t right, Gillian.” She

looked up at him after he spoke. It may
have been pretty insane, but David
didn’t regret what he’d done. “But I
can’t say I’d change any of it.” She
didn’t change her expression, so he
pressed on. “After Brian attacked you
something changed in me. I became
obsessed with the fact I needed you safe,
and it was that obsession that had my
love for you growing, had this
possessive side rising up so strongly I
couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to.” He

saw her throat work as she swallowed.
“In my head, me following you was
going to ensure you were safe, and that
another Brian asshole wouldn’t hurt
you.” He reached out and took her hand,
hoping she didn’t shy away. His heart
beat faster when she let him touch her.

“I won’t lie and say what you did

wasn’t wrong, David.”

He nodded. He couldn’t deny

that.

“And you should have been

honest with me.”

Again, he couldn’t deny that. “I

should have. You’re the most important
person to me, and not having you in my
life isn’t an option.” She wanted
honesty? Well, he gave it to her. “I can’t

walk away from you. You’re mine, and
I’ll always look after you.” The silence
stretched on, and he didn’t know where
this conversation or situation was going.
“What are you thinking? I want you to be
honest.”

It took her a second before she

answered. “I know one thing,” she said
and looked at him in the eyes. “I know I
love you, and I want you in my life. I
know no matter what, you’ve always had
my best interest at heart.”

He gave her hand a squeeze.

“You’re my number one.”

She squeezed his hand back.

“But no more lies, David. No more
sneaking around. If we do this we do it
as a team, and out in the open. No

hiding.”

“Come here, baby.” He gave her

hand a tug until she was off the seat and
over by him. He pulled her onto his lap
and just held her. “I’ll always be rough
around the edges, but you’re right.” He
pulled back and looked at her. “I love
you, and I’ll try anything to make you
happy.”

She smiled and rested her head

on his shoulder again.

He didn’t know what in the fuck

would happen from this point on, but
right now he had the woman he was
madly in love with by his side, and he
wasn’t about to fuck that up again.

Epilogue

One year later

Fate had a funny way of making

things work out when someone least
expected it. That was what happened
with Gillian when she fell in love with
David. She never thought she’d have him
in her life in the way she desperately
wanted. But here she was, going to
spend the rest of her life with him. He’d
been such an integral part of her world
for so long that she didn’t know what
she’d do without him. Even after all the
shit that had happened last year,
Gillian’s heart had always belonged to
David.

How things had played out may

not have been “right”, but that didn’t
mean she could just walk away and
ignore what she felt. They’d had to work
through

it,

probably

still

were

subconsciously, but she trusted him, and
he trusted her. Over the last year it had
taken a lot for David to pull back from
his possessive and overprotective ways.
Although Gillian did love that he had
that side, there were times it was too
much, and they’d had to work through it.
His worry for her safety stemmed from
the Brian incident, and she knew that
feeling in him would probably never go
away. They just had to work through it as
a couple.

She heard the shower shut off

and lifted her head up from the book she

was reading. It was getting late, but
David had just gotten off work, and she
wanted to spend a little time with him
before they went to bed. Although she
still had her place, she spent most of her
time at David’s. But his apartment was
threadbare, and they were talking about
getting a place together, a house that they
could call their own.

The door finally opened, and

steam billowed out before the light was
turned off and David stepped out. He
had a towel wrapped around his waist,
and another one covering his head as he
dried his hair. She set the book on the
coffee table, got off the couch, and
walked toward him, feeling especially
aroused all of a sudden.

Her nipples hardened, her pussy

became wet, and she felt her entire body
heat with arousal. His chest was a work
of art. With bulging muscles, a six-pack
that was so defined she could have
probably bounced a coin off of it, and
that delicious V of muscle that dipped
down to disappear beneath his towel, all
of it made Gillian feel like a woman in
all senses of the word.

But just as she was about to

reach out and touch him, David tossed
the towel aside, grabbed her around the
waist, and pinned her against the wall.
He pressed his lower half against her
belly, and the feel of his erection had a
soft sound escaping her.

“You’re insatiable,” he said

against her neck, and started running his
tongue along her flesh.

“Only with you.”
He let out this low growl and

thrust his cock against her again. “That’s
how it better be.”

She grinned even if he couldn’t

see her.

“You were going to sneak up on

me, baby?” His mouth was still by her
throat, the vibrations seeping into her
body.

“Maybe,” she said and grinned

wider.

“Hmmm,” he hummed and pulled

back, looking at her mouth. In the next
second he had her in his arms, was
striding down the hallway, and went into

the bedroom. He shut the door, set her on
the bed, and tore the towel off. She
looked down at his huge cock and felt
her pussy muscles clench.

“Come here,” she whispered. He

was on the bed and had his body pressed
to hers in the next second.

Gillian tightened her fingers in

David’s hair. He gave one last deep
groan before removing her clothing and
covering her left nipple with his hot, wet
mouth and sucking long and hard. The
blood rushed to the surface and swelled
under his ministrations. For several
agonizingly pleasure-filled seconds all
he did was suck on her breasts. He
alternated between them, drawing the
tissue out with his teeth, and then

dragging his tongue over the slight sting
he caused. It felt so incredibly good, and
she wanted it to last forever, but also for
him to advance in what they were doing.

Gillian was vaguely aware of the

sounds coming from her, ones that should
have made her embarrassed, but she
didn’t care, not with how David made
her feel. He slid his palm down her
belly, pushed her legs apart even further,
and covered her pussy with his big hand.
At the first touch of his fingers on her
slick cleft, Gillian cried out.

“Tell me how it feels.”
“So good, David.”
“Yeah, it really fucking does feel

good, baby.” He continued to stroke her
slowly. He slipped a thick finger into her

pussy and started pushing it in and
pulling it back out slowly. “And it’s all
for me, baby. You’re wet and primed,
and ready for my cock … only my dick,
baby.” He murmured against her chest at
the same time he pressed his thumb to
her clit and started working the bundle
of nerves back and forth.

She nodded. “Only for you,

David.” His name fell from her lips like
a plea, like she was begging for more.
And she supposed she was. All she
wanted was David to have his cock
inside of her, making her feel good, and
having him tell her how much he loved
her. She wanted him desperately. Gillian
let go of his hair and moved her hands
between their bodies.

David let out a hoarse growl

when she lifted her pussy to his mouth
even more. He moved up her body and
grabbed her ass. “You smell so fucking
good.” She wrapped her legs around his
waist, rubbing her pussy on him. He
hissed out a curse and ran his tongue up
the column of her throat. “I could lick at
you all damn day.” He pulled away from
her neck and took her mouth in a hungry
kiss for long, drugging seconds.

Taking hold of chunks of his hair

in her hands, she pressed his mouth to
hers and kissed him like her life
depended on it. Their tongues pressed to
one another, and when he retreated she
followed into his mouth. It was strange
taking control, and in all honesty she

wasn’t sure if she liked it, because
David was dominating in the best of
ways.

“I don’t think I can last if we

don’t move this along.”

He chuckled after she spoke and

moved his lips down to her collarbones,
dragging them across the arches. He
placed his hands on her knees and
opened her thighs even wider than
before. Closer and closer he smoothed
his hands down her inner thighs until he
came to the area of her body that ached
the most for him.

Pushing herself up, she looked

down her body and watched David. Her
limbs felt loose, her body relaxed, yet
poised at the precipice of reaching that

pinnacle. David lifted his gaze to her,
and she held her breath at the intensity in
his gaze.

A high claimed her, and she

sucked in a big breath. He lowered his
head to her pussy, never once taking his
gaze off of her. And at the first lick of his
tongue on the most intimate part of her,
Gillian held her breath and waited for
David to give her the pleasure that only
he could bring out in her.

****

Hell yeah.
Her pussy was tight and so damn

hot. But it wasn’t this sensation that had
him feeling this euphoria. It was the fact
Gillian was here with him, that she was
his.

He moved his mouth so it was an

inch from her sweet smelling pussy. His
cock jerked at the sight. With his mouth
so close to the most intimate part of her,
David couldn’t have torn his focus from
the sight if his life was on the line.

“Fucking hell, Gillian,” he

murmured out the words. He lifted his
gaze to her face for a moment, saw her
watching him intently, and while holding
her gaze stuck his tongue out and ran it
up the center of her cunt. She gasped, her
mouth open, her eyes glossy.

At the first taste of her his

control broke. He licked her cunt,
sucked at her pussy lips, and then he ran
his tongue up her cleft and sucked on her
clit. She was pink and hot, and glistening

from her arousal for him.

How

in

the

hell

did

a

motherfucker like him get so damn
lucky?

Latching his mouth over the

engorged bud, David sucked on her like
a starving man. Hell, he was starving,
but only for her. No matter how much he
had her, how many times he fucked her,
claimed her, David was always hungry
for Gillian. She tasted so good, so fresh
that he grew frenzied for more.

“You taste so fucking good, baby

girl.” He licked her so many times he
couldn’t feel his tongue, but he liked that
fact, because he knew it was good for
her. She moaned, thrashed, and clenched
her hands on the sheets. He didn’t stop,

couldn’t. She made these needy little
sounds, ones that drove him absolutely
fucking crazy with lust.

He framed her pussy while he ate

her out. David pulled her cunt lips apart
with his lips, letting him see the pink,
wet flesh of her. While holding her open
he lifted his gaze to her face. Her eyes
were closed, her lips parted, and her
chest moved up and down from her
increased breathing. He went back to
licking and sucking at her cunt, wanting
her to get off.

“You taste so damn good. I won’t

ever get enough.” As he ran his tongue
up and down her slit, she became wetter
for him, more primed.

“I’m so close,” she gasped out

those words, sounding like she had a
hard time speaking.

“I want you to get off, baby. I

need you to come while I have my face
all up in your sweet pussy cream.” She
moaned after he spoke, and he started
sucking furiously on her clit again. It
didn’t take long before he felt her body
start to tighten with her impending
orgasm. Holding her thighs open, he
pulled back an inch and pushed two
fingers into her pussy. He was slow at
first, trying not to be too rough, but he
wanted her to lose control for him.

A cry of ecstasy finally left her.
“That’s so fucking it.”
She lifted her hips and ground

her cunt against his face, and he went

back to sucking on her clit. The wet,
slurping noises of his mouth between her
legs had his cock throbbing. David
started pressing his hips into the
mattress, trying to alleviate the pressure
by dry humping the hell out of the bed.
His balls were going to explode if he
didn’t get his cock inside of her.

“Oh. God. Yes.” She moaned

loud and long, and that was his breaking
point.

He took his fingers from her,

licked them clean, and cupped her ass
with both of his hands. Her asshole was
right there for the taking, and he didn’t
hold off any longer. He licked at the
puckered hole of her bottom with just the
tip of his tongue, allowing her to grow

used to what he was doing, hoping she’d
come from this alone.

“David, yes,” she hissed out the

words. Gillian started panting again, and
he used more force, licking her hard then
sucking on her flesh. Her skin tasted
clean, like soap and lemons. With one
more lick up the crease of her bottom, he
pulled away. He kept her legs spread
open with his hands on her inner thighs,
and stared down at her pussy.

“This is mine,” he said and

cupped her cunt.

Her chest rose and fell from her

post-orgasmic euphoria, and it had the
alpha male in him grinning. It was
because of him that she looked like that,
felt this pleasure. He was so damn hard,

so fucking ready to have her in all ways.
When he rose and positioned himself
above her, the feel of her wet pussy
slipped along his length, and he groaned.

She reached between them, lifted

slightly up, and positioned the tip of his
dick at her entrance. God, this woman
could bring him to his knees and he’d
gladly worship her.

He gritted his teeth when her

fingers tightened around his dick, and
David had to force himself not to thrust
into her. Their eyes locked, and he
started to push back into her, loving how
she parted her lips and gasped. A deep
groan left him, and her breath hitched,
her eyes widening.

“Am I stretching you good,

baby?”

She nodded and licked her lips.

“You’re stretching me so good, David.”

He gave one last thrust, feeling

her muscles tightening around his cock
until it felt strangled. When he was fully
inside of her he slipped his hands under
her ass, curled his fingers around the
flesh, and in one move rolled onto his
back and had her straddling him. She had
her legs spread wide on either side of
him, her hands on his chest, and her
mouth was still parted.

“Ride me, baby.”
She started moving, working

herself on him. David moved his hands
to her hips and clenched at the flesh,
trying to let her set the pace. Her

movements started off slow, but she soon
picked up speed.

“That’s it.”
Her breath hitched when she rose

up and then slid all the way down on
him. Over and over she did this,
gradually going faster with each passing
second. For a moment he lost his control
and found himself thrusting up, pushing
himself deep and hard inside of her.

“Oh, David.”
David couldn’t stop himself

when she said those words. In a quick
move, he had her on her back again,
needing to be the one in control. He
speared his hands in her hair, tugging at
the strands and having her head back, her
throat arched.

“Yes,” she moaned.
Leaning down and running his

teeth up her neck, he loved that a shiver
worked through her. She had her legs
wrapped around his waist, and her hands
clenched at his biceps.

“Lift those hips, baby. Give it to

me.”

She lifted her hips, grinding

herself on him. He was still inside of her
tight, wet heat, and it was fucking
heaven. Even after a year of being with
her it was always like the first time
every time. It was mind-blowing,
exhilarating, and so fucking good.

Placing his hands on either side

of her head, he started moving inside of
her fast and hard, not about to prolong

this, He felt sweat trickle down his
hairline. He was a greedy bastard when
it came to Gillian, and he knew that
would never change.

He let his gaze travel to her

mouth, and continued to follow the path
down her body to her breasts, over her
belly, and stopped at the top of her
pussy. She had a thatch of hair covering
her pussy, and he could see her clit. It
was slightly engorged from her arousal,
and his mouth watered.

With his cock lodged in Gillian’s

pussy, David couldn’t be still for much
longer. He started fucking her good and
thoroughly, making sure she only felt
pleasure. Their sweat-slicked stomachs
touched, and he pulled out and thrust

back in harder than before.

“Yes,” she whispered the words.

“You stretch me so good.”

A groan left him when her tight

body clenched around him. He moved
faster and harder in and out of her,
unable to control himself. Her pussy
tightened around him, and he clenched
his teeth. His balls drew up tight with
his impending orgasm. David was going
to come, and he was going to fill her up
with it. He was going to make her so full
of it the spunk would slip out of her
pussy and make the bed wet.

He wouldn’t last long, and the

amount of control he was using now
should have won him an award. She dug
her nails into his skin harder, and he

hissed out, loving the pain and pleasure
that followed.

“That’s it, Gillian baby.”
Lifting up just enough that his

arms were locked straight and his chest
no longer touched hers, David looked
down at where their bodies were
connected.

“Yes,” she hissed the word out.

“Harder and faster, David.” She arched
her back, and her breasts rose up from
the motion.

David’s gaze was trained on the

sight of her nipples hardening even
further. He was going to give her what
she asked for. He sat back on his knees,
encircled her waist with his hands,
digging his fingers into her pliant, soft

flesh, and fucked her. The sloppy, wet
sounds of his cock moving in and out her
cunt was an auditory orgasm all its own.
He bottomed out of her every time he
pushed back inside.

“I’m going to come again.” The

way she gasped had his pleasure
mounting. Knowing he was pleasuring
his woman made him feel good in more
than just a sexual way.

The

sensations

were

all-

consuming pleasure and had his orgasm
washing through him. Her pussy muscles
milked his dick, tightening and relaxing
so that he couldn’t hold off from coming
anymore.

“Fuck. It’s so good.” He jerked

against her as he came, emptying himself

inside her willing body. The fact he was
filling her with his seed, claiming her
and saturating her with the most intimate
part of him, had his arousal going so
fucking high he couldn’t rein it in.

“Fuck.” He didn’t censor his

words. He continued to thrust into her
shallowly, seeing the pleasure on her
face. David didn’t want this to end,
didn’t want to pull out of her sweet, wet,
and warm pussy. “I’ll never let you go,
baby. I’ll never let anyone else have
you.”

She stared up at him with wide,

pleasure-filled eyes. “God. Yes, David.”

Everything about Gillian made

him hard, needy, and possessive. He
cupped the side of her face. “You’re

mine.”

She nodded.
She didn’t hesitate when she

said, “I’m yours, and I’m not going
anywhere, David. I chose to be yours,
and I will always be yours.”

Leaning over her he first ran the

tip of his nose up the length of her throat,
inhaling deeply and taking her delicious
aroma into his body. She smelled sweet
and clean, and he wished he could mark
her, like some kind of animal.

“Christ, baby.” This was what it

meant to want a woman so badly it ate
away at everything else. He knew that it
would always be this way with her.
Always.

He ran his teeth over her flesh, a

harsh groan leaving him, his pleasure
sated for the time being. When both of
them were sated her gave her neck one
last lick and pulled out of her.

He kissed her on the forehead,

pulled back, and just stared at her for a
prolonged second. Fuck, he was so damn
lucky to have her. He smoothed his
hands over the indentation of her spine,
along the curve of her ass, and loved that
her flesh puckered. Gillian was his—
every part of her was only his. He didn’t
deny himself when it came to her. He
leaned forward and started running his
tongue over the small of her back, loving
that she moaned slightly. He wanted to
memorize every inch of her, have her
know his touch from others. She was

pliant beside him, not fighting his urge to
taste all of her.

“How does that feel, baby?” he

murmured against her skin.

“So good,” she whispered, her

voice thick with sleep.

Over and over he licked and

sucked at her, his cock hard again, but
his need was about making Gillian feel
good, and not about what he wanted
sexually.

“Turn over for me.”
She complied, and once her

breasts were right there for the taking, he
leaned down and sucked on her nipples
for long seconds. Her sweet moans made
him feel like a man, a real man that
could please his woman. Finally forcing

himself to continue memorizing her body
with his mouth, he trailed his mouth up
her throat and licked a path over her
pulse point.

“You’re mine, Gillian,” he said,

his voice husky, determined.

“I’m only yours,” was her

response.

He pulled away and looked

down at her again, so fucking in love
with this woman.

David gathered her into his arms,

and after a few moments he heard her
breathing change. He knew she would be
asleep within a matter of minutes, and a
part of him loved the fact he’d brought
this exhaustion out in her because he’d
worn her out in only the best of ways.

He’d never thought he’d have Gillian as
his, especially not after he’d told her the
truth. But in the grand scheme of things it
hadn’t been the end of the world. He
was willing to risk anything, even his
life if it ever came down to that, to make
sure Gillian was safe and happy. He
didn’t deny he had his own issues that
others might see as over the top and even
wrong, but none of that mattered. Being
together and what she felt were the only
things that mattered.

“I love you, Gillian,” he

whispered, sensing her falling deeper in
sleep, but feeling his gut tighten when
she curled into him even more.

“I love you, too.”
He’d never be that man that

didn’t worry about her, that didn’t need
to know where she was because it
would give him peace of mind. But she
accepted that, accepted him, and that
made him the luckiest bastard in the
world.

The End

www.jenikasnow.com

Other Books by Jenika Snow:

www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Jenika-

Snow.html

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Evernight Publishing

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