Page 48 of Breaking Storm

Teagan hugs her legs to her front, and asks, “Why did you do what you did on our wedding night?”

“Sexually assault you?” Her head nods in slow motion.

My hand wipes down my face, rubbing my scruff, and I focus on the fireplace. “I’m sure you’ve heard rumors about my mom and dad. That he raped my mom and then she disappeared.” I clear my throat. “James did sexually assault my mom, and she got pregnant. Instead of despising me, she loved me.” I rake my fingers along the side of the couch. “Growing up, I spent all of my time with my mom. She taught me so much. Manners. How to read. She is the sweetest person I’ve ever met, and the strongest. To have endured what James has dished out to her, she’s pumped full of willpower and resistance to horrors. I at least inherited some of her good.” I glance over at Teagan, whose eyes are wide and then I deflect my attention. “We were close. Too close for James’ liking. He believed she was making me soft. Too wimpy.” I take a deep breath in and let it out. “When I was eight, he yanked her from my life.” I snap my fingers for emphasis. “One minute, she was my life, and the next, I had none. I became James’ puppet.”

I hold up my tattoo finger regarding the date she asked about. “This is the date he took her from me.”

From my periphery, Teagan has inched closer, and her hand is covering her mouth.

“Everyone assumed James killed her, but he did worse. He’s had her at an undisclosed place ever since he wrenched her from my life. The only contact he allows my mom and I to have, is a half-hour weekly Skype talk. There are camera feeds wherever she’s being held, and he lets me check them when I’m following his orders. When I’m an obedient son.” I grab my beer, gulp down the rest, and continue. “At fifteen, I challenged him on something, and he punished me. Not by beating the shit out of me, but…” I jerk my head to the side, blinking to stop the tears, and rub my hand over my face. “But my mom. He beat and raped her and made me watch.” Bile creeps up like it does every time I think about it. Again, the tears threaten to escape, but I will them back by allowing anger to rise.

Without looking directly at her, I see Teagan at my side, tears pouring down her face. She remains quiet, so I finish the rest of the story.

“Once he did that, I never stepped out of line again. On our wedding night, James insisted we stay in the hotel room he got for us, equipped with hidden cameras.”

She chokes on a gasp and sucks in air. I turn to her, and the tears have picked up. Tea presses her fingers to her lips, shaking her head.

I puff out air, and say, “He told me that if I didn’t have sex with you, then he’d do a repeat of what he did to my mom and I’d be cut off from talking to her. No more Skype. No more camera feeds.”

My gaze falls onto the cocktail table, and I speak directly to it. “I’ve seen first-hand how brutal he can be, and there was no way I’d let that happen to my mom again or lose contact with her.”

Now my eyes fasten onto Teagan’s. “When you said you weren’t ready to have sex yet, well… you didn’t leave me much choice. I made sure you remained covered and tried to go as easy as possible.” I shake my head and mutter,Fuck. “It came down to my mom or you, and I picked my mom. You were collateral damage.”

Teagan’s sobs shake her entire body, but I don’t know whether my touch is wanted. All I want is to wrap her in my arms and hold her until the pain goes away, which will never be. What I did to her… it was the worst thing I could do.

My hand edges toward hers. Before I can take it, she flings herself onto my lap, arms wrapped over my shoulders, and buries her face in the crook of my neck. As she frees her grief, I squeeze her tight, gluing our torsos together. One of my hands coddles and smooths down the back of her head. Her body convulses in my arms as I rock her, whispering how sorry I am. Over and over, I apologize until they’re simple words without meaning. So, after laying out the horrors of my family to Teagan, I figure I may as well reveal all truths.

After her tears soaked through my T-shirt, after her body has relaxed into mine, I utter, “I love you, Tea.”

She pulls away, swiping at her face and blinking at me. “What did you say?”

Saliva catches in my throat. I gulp, wondering if she’s appalled by my admission or didn’t hear me.

“I love you.”

A smile rips across her face as she lets out a strangled, “I love you, too, Joey.”

My mouth hangs open, surprised by her response. “You do?”

Teagan’s hands cup my face. “I do.”

“But—”

“What you did was horrible. But why you did it is admirable.” She kisses my lips. “For you to be that devoted to your mother, to protect her at all costs, speaks volumes about your character and your mother’s love. James didn’t give you a choice.”

I mirror her by cupping her face. “Tea, I’m so sorry I had to make that choice. I love you. Always have, and I will spend the rest of our lives making it up to you.”

Our mouths collide, rough and frantic. Bruising lips and tangling tongues. It isn’t long before we’re bare-ass, me stroking my dick while Tea spreads her legs. I run the head of my cock up and down her pussy, and in one go, thrust into her. We both cease, letting her body accommodate me after all the fucking we did earlier. My fingers splay against the back of her head, most of my weight on my arms, and I pull out slow and press back in. I keep the rhythm going while our eyes wander over our faces while our breaths warm us. Sweat beads along my forehead as I pick up speed. Her bent legs squeeze into my sides, and her back arches when an orgasm hits. Teagan grabs my hair and pulls it to the pulsing of her body. Just watching her forces my discharge as my body jerks along with my thrusts until there’s nothing left.

Sweaty hair sticks to her face. I cocoon her head in my hands, and say, “I will always love you, Tea. Say you’re mine.”

A sweet smile touches her face. Her fingers outline my lips, as she says, “I’m yours, Joey.”

I gather her in my arms and give her the most sensual kiss I could muster at the moment. There’s a sexual storm brewing between us, and I can’t wait to explore sex and life with Teagan.

Chapter 19

I’M BEYOND WORDS WHILE EXPLORING sex with Teagan. Everything we do enhances the possessiveness I have toward her. She’s become my everything. My days begin and end with Tea, and whenever possible, I obsess over the littlest contact. A hand on her thigh. A kiss to her lips. Cuddling her in my lap. It’s hypnotic. Dangerous. Because she’s my vulnerability, and a vulnerability in my world puts her at risk. Any attention another guy gives her, it’s like acid poured into my veins. Chokes the breath from me. Possesses my mind as I picture harming them.

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