Page 47 of Don't Speak
“Yes. And because the dickwad really didn’t have any true friends, no one questioned it.”
I move to sit on a barstool, my legs suddenly feeling weak. He maintains his distance, but I can sense that it’s killing him.
“So you came into my life to protect me,” I state. He nods.
“Were you protecting me from Ben?” The question lingers in the air. My eyes well with tears again. I’m scared to know the answer.
“I planted the cameras after Eric attacked you. I was worried his friends would try next. It turns out, Ben was watching me plant the first one and knew to avoid it, so I went back and planted a different exterior one. When the second one caughtBen leaving it, I was just as shocked as you. I confronted him at the bar and caught him stealing from the safe in his office. He’d told me he had received a call a few weeks after you started working here. He was originally told to keep an eye on you and report back. The caller would call him once a week to check in. Then, it escalated to the photos, and he was required to not only place one on your porch but also take one to a remote cabin in the woods. He was reporting back to Sean. I couldn’t let that stand.”
I gasp, my hand quickly covering my mouth. “So.. so you killed him?!” I shake my head in pure disbelief. My palms begin to sweat with the amount of anxiety coursing through my veins in this moment.
“Yes. But I did so to protect you,” he pleads, repeating his earlier statement. He starts to move toward me, but it feels like the walls around me are starting to cave in, and I lash out once more.
“I didn’t ask for your protection, Dean! I’m a big girl! I can take care of myself!” My heart rate increases, and my vision tunnels. I’m starting to hyperventilate, and I know it’s too late. The panic attack hits me like a freight train. The world begins to spin, and I can faintly hear Dean call my name a few times.
The noises get further into the distance until, suddenly, everything goes black.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
The second I realize she’s about to pass out, I run toward her, catching her before her head can hit the ground. Lying her on her back, I kneel over her and lightly tap the side of her face, trying to wake her. “Nikki, baby, wake up.”Tap, tap, tap. “Come back to me, little lioness.”Tap, tap, tap.
Her eyes open slowly, and they quickly find mine. She looks at me with so much pain in her eyes. The spark she was starting to get in them is dying before me, and it crushes my soul. We stare at each other a little longer, her emerald gems filling with tears before she says, “I was falling in love with you, Dean.” Shecloses her eyes and turns away from me, slowly letting the tears fall.
Her words are like a knife to my chest, my heart shattering at her use of those words in the past tense. Refusing to hold back how I feel about her any longer, I let the tears form in my eyes and fall down my face. I grab her by the cheek, moving her head to face me before whispering, “I’ve been in love with you from the moment I saw you, little lioness.” I lean in to kiss her, but she moves her face away, her expression looking pained. I pause, staring at her for a moment before I scoot back to give her some space. When she begins to sit up, I get up and walk behind the bar, grabbing her some ice water. I bring it back and hand it to her, making sure I keep my distance. Having to keep my distance from her when she’s hurting is a level of self-control I don't think I can maintain, but I have to.
“I don’t think you understand what it takes for me to let someone in,” she whispers, refusing to make eye contact with me again. “I trusted you. I let you see parts of me that few people have seen. I gave you pieces of me I didn’t expect to give anyone ever again. You LIED to me! That wall I broke down a bit to let you see inside is now rock solid again. I don’t know how I’ll ever trust you again.”
“Baby…”
“No!” She’s starting to get angry again, pointing her finger at me. “Don’t ‘baby’ me, Dean. You had so many opportunities to tell me the truth. To tell me about the connection you had with my stepfather.” She steps closer, finger still pointed at me. “You could have told me the second you knew Sean escaped.” She steps closer again. “You could have told me when you knew Ben was leaving photos at my door.” This time, she steps into me, coming face to face with her finger on my chest. “You could have told me before you FUCKED me.” She’s breathing heavily,staring into my eyes. She may be angry, but I know she cares for me still. I can feel it. I take a chance and make a move.
Grabbing the back of her neck, I pull her into me and slam my lips on hers. She exhales, melting into me. She opens like the good girl she is, letting me devour her taste. Suddenly, she shoves me off of her, pushing me back with enough force to throw me off balance before I regain my composure. She stares at me, her chest heaving in deep breaths. Then, she runs toward me, jumping into my arms and wrapping her legs around me, slamming her lips to mine once more.
She kisses me frantically, like she’s never going to get a chance to kiss me again, and my heart cracks at that thought, but I don’t falter. Without breaking our connection, she unlatches her legs, standing back on the ground, and we both frantically remove our clothes. Once they’re nothing but a forgotten pile on the floor, I wrap my hand around her waist and lift her up again, carrying her over to the bar. My hand slides down to her cheeks and grips her ass as my tongue continues to explore her mouth. Once I’ve reached the bar, I set her on the edge and bring both feet up. “Don’t fucking move,” I command.
Without another word, I dive in, feasting on her. She lets out a loud moan before grabbing the back of my hair and fisting it, pulling my face closer to her dripping cunt. She tastes absolutely divine. My tongue travels deep inside her center, licking up all she has to offer me. I take it all like a man starved. I’ll happily take anything she wants to give me. Her moans are loud, filling the empty space around us. Pulling my tongue from her, I close my mouth around her clit, and her breath hitches. “Oh fuck, Dean. Yes. Just like that.” Taking a finger, I tease her entrance a little before slowly sliding it in. “Fuuuuccckkkkk. More. Please, more.” I smirk, still sucking on her clit. Granting her wish, I slide in a second. “Yesssss,” she breathes out.
Picking up the pace, I pump them inside her, curling them to find the spot I know she loves. Her pussy clenches, and her juices run down my hand. “Fuck, fuck fuck, that’s it. I’m going to come,” she screams. Right then, her pussy squeezes my fingers in a vice grip, and her body convulses. I remove my fingers, replacing them with my tongue, and I drink up every last bit of her. Not wasting another second, I pick her up off the bar and place her on the ground. Spinning her around, I bend her over the bar and grab a barstool, dragging it toward us. The stool is on a swivel, so I turn it so that the seat is facing her. “Prop your knee up on this and hold on to the bar.” She looks back at me for the briefest of moments, deciding whether or not she wants to defy my command, before she does as I say, lifting her knee and laying it across the seat.
Once she’s situated, I line myself up with her entrance and thrust into her without warning. She’s still so wet that it doesn’t take much before she’s adjusted to me. I don’t take it slow on her this time. Sliding my hand up her back, I hook my hand around her shoulder and pound her from behind. “This pussy is fuckingmine,” I growl as I thrust in and out ferociously. The sound of my balls slapping her pussy fills the space, and I take my hand and wrap it around her hair. I pull her head back, propping her up just a bit before snaking my hand around and finding her breast. I pinch her nipple hard before smacking it and moving my hand down to her clit.
Still keeping up my pace, I rub her clit quickly in small circles. Her pussy clenches at the movement. “This pussy was made for my cock. A perfect fit.” She moans and begins to push her hips back into me, matching me thrust for thrust. I’m so close, but I need her to come one more time around my cock. I need to feel her grip my cock with her cunt. I need this from her.
“Come for me, little lioness. Come around my cock like the good girl you are. Come for the man who’s in love with you.”
My words send her crashing over the edge. “Ohhh fuuucckkkkk, Dean. I… I… I’m coming.”
Her cum leaks down my dick, further spurring me on. I don’t let up on my pace. I release her hair and bring both hands to her shoulders, using them to control both of our movements. I pound her pussy like it’s the last time I’ll ever be inside her. I want her to remember me.
With a few more thrusts, I shout my release, emptying myself inside her. I still, letting the last few pulses settle before I pull out of her. Taking two fingers, I gather both of our juices up and shove them back inside her. Wiping my hand off on the bar towel, I remove her leg from the stool and place it back on the floor. I move to get a clean, wet towel and make my way back to her. I wipe between her legs, making sure she’s clean, before walking to grab her clothes and bringing them to her. She grabs them from me, but I hold on, not letting them go right away.
“Please forgive me. I was only trying to protect you.” The only thing I can do is make sure she knows that.
She pulls on the clothes one more time, and I let go, allowing her to get dressed and picking up my own clothes to do the same. She dresses in silence, but it’s as though I can see her mind running a million miles an hour. Her expressions flash from anger, to sadness, to pain, to stone-cold indifference. Her body is warring with her mind and heart. Once she’s dressed, she moves behind the bar and grabs her purse, pulling her keys out.
“I fed Simba before I left. I just want you to know that in case you were worried about him,” I tell her.
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” she says, not making eye contact with me.
