Page 18 of Gambit's Property

“Wait.” I step further into the house and see the glass doors leading out to a covered porch. The trees I thought were close are actually far enough away that a fenced-in backyard, lit up by strings of lights, is visible. “You can’t build a house and think I’ll forgive you, Gambit. You hurt me.”

I turn back to him, and he’s advancing on me. I retreat, trying to get away from him, but he captures me right away. He lifts me up and drops my butt onto the island in the open-concept kitchen. He pushes between my legs and grips my cheeks, forcing me to look only at him.

“You need to stop picking me up and moving me around like I’m your personal doll. Dammit, Gambit, stop and listen to me. I moved on; now you need to do the same.”

“The fuck you’ve moved on. I know everything about you. I know that you wantmeto spank you. I know that you want a family. I know that as soon as I sink my cock into you, I’m going to get you pregnant. But mostly, I know you still love me, because I love you, jellyfish. I’ve loved you ever since you tried to stab me with that stupid kubotan. I know that you went in and told your professor you weren’t going to take the fellowship today.”

“H-How?” I try to shake my head, but he’s still got a firm grip on me.

“Because I crave you so much that I’ve been with you every chance I could since I pushed you away. I regretted that moment, but I couldn’t lose Rogue. She’s all the family I have. My own parents disowned me and won’t speak to me.”

I can hear the hurt in his voice, and my heart cracks for him. It’s the same reason I never told Ley about our first meeting.

Gambit

Istare into her eyes and watch as tears appear. I have to confess everything in order for this to be right.

“I had cameras on you in your dorm room. I’d sneak in to hold you when you’d have nightmares. I left that morning because if you woke up all crumpled and sweet-looking, like you’d had an orgasm and slept well, I would have taken you. I watched you from my cameras and was so upset that I couldn’t be there with you. I know how you like your tea. All your shampoos, body wash, conditioner, and lotions are in this house. I hacked your Pinterest board and saw the things you wanted to decorate with. They are all here.” I pause because tears are rolling down her face, and I have to get the worst part out yet.

I take a deep breath before continuing, “I cancelled your birth control appointment because I know you want a family. I know you worried about your migraines, so I slipped some meds into your vitamins so you wouldn’t suffer. I’d sneak in and take care of you when you had to take your heavy-duty migraine meds and were sleeping them off.”

“You did that? I knew I didn’t cancel it. Why did you tell them I didn’t like their office?”

“I couldn’t have you going back.”

“It doesn’t matter. I got the campus nurse to give me the shot, but I’m still getting migraines.”

I look past her because I can’t see the hate in her eyes when she hears what I did. “I paid off the nurse to give you a placebo shot.”

“What?” She rears back and pulls away from me.

“I know you want a family,” I plead. “I needed to make sure you were mine. I want my baby in your belly. I love you and can’t lose you, jellyfish. I’m a bad man, but you give me sunshine and hope.”

She pauses in her struggle to escape and reaches for me. “You are fucked up, but you aren’t a bad man.”

I lift her off the island and flip her around, pushing her chest to the counter, before I smack her ass a couple of times on each cheek. “No cussing,” I order her.

When I flip her back around, she’s flushed and panting. That’s all I need. I know I don’t have much more time, so I head for the bedroom, where I drop her on the bed.

“Strip,” I tell her, and she starts pulling her sweater over her head.

Her breasts are pushing against her bra, the full C cup straining the material. Her nipples are like cherries on top of a sundae, ripe and ready for me to suck them deep. She reaches behind her and takes off her bra, then stands to remove her jeans. I can’t believe I got her here so fast, but it was inevitable. I know I can talk her into anything if I put my tongue on her pretty pussy. She was going to give herself to me completely the night of the frat party.

I strip out of my clothes, leaving my boxers on. When she is standing before me naked, I pull her into my arms and kiss her, sucking her tongue into my mouth, before I bite her lips and twist her head so I can go deeper. I want to mark her up as much as possible. I know that I’ll only have right now for a little while because I have to go hunt down the men after her.

I pull away and tell her the truth. “Jellyfish, we only got this one time, so I want to make it good for you. Then I’m going to put you in a bath so you can rest and relax before I call Rogue to get the information I need to kill the men after you. Crank is mine.”

“He threatened to rape me. He’d tell me how he was going to do it. It scared me. I couldn’t sleep because I’d see that or the attack on my family. Ley thinks I hid my eyes the whole time, but I could see through a crack, and I watched what they did to them. I saw them rape my brothers and sisters, my sisters-in-law, and my mother. I saw them rape Calise as she lost her baby.” Hervoice cracks, and I pull her into my body and hold her. I want to take her, but I know she needs to get this out first.

I climb onto the bed and lay her down.

“I need to make a call, then I’ll be right back,” I promise her. “Just rest for now.”

She starts to protest, but I don’t let her. I kiss her and then get dressed before I head to the clubhouse for the phone call I must make.

When I reach my office, Striker is already there, along with Hem, Cowboy, Jumper, Frost, and Grim. Other members are standing around, waiting. I know this meeting is going to be rough because Browser found out today that Thant had Deere killed. When I hook up my computer to link with Browser’s at Rogue’s place, we all listen in to what happened when she was contracted out. I hate that she went through that.

“I want Crank,” I tell her when everyone is claiming who they are going to kill. I know he’s going to come after her. He’s been setting her up for months. “Franci is resting. She told me Crank has been threatening her, so I’m taking care of him,” I explain to her.

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