Page 17 of Battling the Enemy
The need to attack Delaney; that dark, visceral need was still with me and I wouldn’t go anywhere near her until I got it under control.
I had every intention on commanding her body and ruling her pleasure. I had every intention of taking her brutally; virgin or not. I had every intention of destroying her.
But she had to be willing.
That was not negotiable. I might want to dance on the line of moral propriety with her, but I didn’t want to cross over into immoral responsibility. And the way I was feeling now, I’d take her just to prove she belonged to me and not Winston, and that’s not how I wanted us to get down. I wanted no one else in that bedroom with us, figuratively or literally.
When Delaney and I finally do come together, it’s going to be because she wants it-she wantsme. But before that happens, she’ll know and understand that, after she gives me full consent to own her body, she will never be able to take it back. She’ll have to know that, and dissect what that means, before I get her under me. I planned on taking her farther than I’ve ever taken anyone else. I planned on letting her see the monster, and I could only pray that she’ll stay afterwards.
The ringing of my phone cut through the music blasting through the gym, and I knew I had to answer it or else it’d never stop ringing.
I turned from the punching bag and walked towards the speaker system that commanded the surround sound. Turning it off, I grabbed my phone from the wall table and swiped to answer. “What?”
“Seriously, Deke?” my father replied. “A fight?”
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. My breaths were deep and rapid from my workout, but that didn’t stop me from letting out a huff. “Since when do you give a fuck if I get in a fight or not?” This was probably the tenth conversation I’ve had with my father since I hit my teen years; I wasn’t confused about whether the man gave a shit about me or not. He let my mother deal with me, if needed, and her form of concern and affection was usually a massive deposit into my bank account.
“Since you’re now a senior in high school and you’ll be going out into the real world soon,” he barked. “Real men don’t get into fistfights to solve their issues, Deke.”
“No,” I agreed. “They just bribe other men to look the other way.”
“Watch how you talk to me, son,” he hissed. “I’m your father and I’m the one who makes your lifestyle possible. Don’t forget that.”
What my father failed to realize was that I was very aware of the fact that he needed me more than I needed him. Thanks to Ramsey’s foresight, me, Ram, and Liam didn’t need any of our parents at this stage of the game. “Fine,” I dared. “Cut me off and kick me out. I don’t give a fuck, Dad.”
There was a couple of seconds of silence, and I knew he knew who won this round. “Over a girl, Deke?” he said, ignoring my dare. “Why on earth would you get into a fight over a fucking girl when there are millions of them available to you?”
“How do you even know I got into a fight?” Lord knows I didn’t update him with what went on in my life.
“The school called because they had to,” he informed me. “Apparently, the other boy had to be taken to the hospital because you broke his nose and fractured one of his cheekbones.”
I snorted. “So, that’s why you called? Because you need confirmation on how bad it was in case his family sues?” The phone call made sense now.
“No,” he barked into the phone again. “I called to tell you to get your shit together. People don’t solve their issues with their fists in the real world, Deke. I am not going to have you destroy everything I’ve built because you can’t keep a civil head.”
“You mean everything your grandfather built,” I reminded him. “You may have brought more to the table during your reign, Dad, but that table was already there when you sat down to dinner.”
“You’re missing the point, Deke!”
I couldn’t stop the growl that emitted from my soul. For eighteen years this man has done nothing to raise me, and he thinks he can call me now and play the role of father…fuck, too. “I sent that boy to the hospital because he had the balls to come to me and tell me my girl belonged to him, Dad,” I snapped. “He’s lucky he’s not dead!”
“It’s just pussy, Deke!” my father roared over the phone. “Let him have the bitch and pick a girl who doesn’t need to be fucked by a bunch of different guys!”
Had my father been standing in front of me while saying that, I would have killed him.
I took a deep breath, and counted to five, before clearing things up for my dad. “Listen to me, Dad, and listen well. I don’t give a flying fuck what you say or threaten. I am not giving up this girl for anyone, least of all you. And if you ever talk about her like that again, you’ll regret it.”
“I will not have you fucking everything up for a girl, Deke,” he repeated.
“I’m not,” I replied. “But, even if I were, I don’t answer to you, Dad.” And I didn’t. At this point in my life, I had more respect for the people who really raised me and took care of me. I’d listen to the maid, gardener, housekeeper, and cook before I’d listen to either of my fucked-up parents.
“Watch it, Deke,” he threatened again.
I smirked. “Youwatch it, Dad,” I threw back. “You keep sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, I’ll be sending out an announcement introducing you to your new pregnant daughter-in-law by the end of the week.Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me.”
My quick reminder that I was now, legally, an adult shot down his bravado. “Just…stay out of trouble, Deke,” he grumbled. “You think you can manage that?”
I rolled my eyes again. “I’ll see what I can do,” I deadpanned before hanging up on him.
