Page 38 of Yours To Keep
I’ve always beenin awe of the Fourth of July celebration at my parent’s house. It’s probably the one major event I actually enjoyed as a child, and it’s no different now. Strings of red, white, and blue lights drape from the tallest peak of the house down across the pool. Big band music plays from the stage across the lawn. Fancy people in their fancy clothes mix and mingle, throwing each other their fake compliments and kissing the air when they hug.
I’ve always known this world was fake. Even as a child I saw through the bullshit, but I never acknowledged it, not even to myself. Now, standing in the middle of such a beautiful house and such an elaborate party, I see everything for what it truly is. This life is just a production and we’re all actors waiting for our turn in the spotlight. Call me crazy, but no amount of money in the world could make this kind of insincerity worth it to me. I want all the love and pain and every single sensation in between. And I want them all with Dalton.
“Magpie!” My dad’s voice pulls me from my thoughts and I smile.
“Hey, dad! Thanks for inviting us,” I say, hugging him tightly. Knowing everything I know now, I can’t imagine what I would do if I couldn’t hug my dad whenever I wanted to. To know that my own mother is trying to take that from me made me devastatingly sad at first. Now it makes me livid. I want to hurt her, something I never thought I was capable of before now. I’ve never been a violent or even aggressive person. But the things I want to do to her would make mercenaries blush. I want her to suffer the way I’ve suffered at her hand my entire life. Every ounce of pain she inflicted on me, I want to return tenfold.
“I’m so glad you guys came,” he says to Dalton, shaking his hand with a genuine smile. I can tell he really likes him and that makes me so happy. I’m learning to care more about my own opinion over anyone else’s, but it still brings me joy to know my dad approves.
“Of course, sir. We wouldn’t have missed it.” Dalton replies, shaking my dad’s hand.
“Dad, these are our friends. Ember and Elijah Harding, Everett and Kelsea Blake, and Rory and Jason Negan.” I gesture to each couple and my dad smiles wider than I’ve ever seen.
“You’ve built quite a life in Grovewood, Magpie. I’m so proud of you.” He says, and I feel the sting of tears burn my eyes.
“You should be, sir. Magnolia is incredible, and we need her to keep us all in line.” Dalton says, and everyone shakes their heads in agreement. I never thought I would find friends like these.
“Thomas!” someone calls from across the lawn, and my dad waves.
“Excuse me, guys. Please enjoy the party. I’ll catch up with you later!” He says, walking across the patio and shaking the hand of a man I recognize from the city council. We make our way to the bar, ordering drinks and cracking jokes about the lavish people with sticks up their asses walking around us.
Suddenly, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as if someone is watching me. Seeing the tension building in my spine, Dalton squeezes my hand. He scans the crowd before his eyes stop on someone across the pool. I don’t need to turn to know who it is. I already feel her judgement from all the way over here.
“You’re safe, angel. We’re all here. She cannot touch you,” he reassures me. I squeeze his hand back, knowing he would go to the ends of the earth to protect me.
Rory shoots daggers at my mother, but she doesn’t dare come over to introduce herself to my friends. She could never lower herself to speak to them, I know. As much as I try to fight it, I feel my heart start to race. I try to force slow, deep breaths, but they don’t come. Instead, my head swims with anxiety, not knowing what to expect from her or anyone else tonight. The noise around us fades until everything sounds muffled. Instinctively, I pick at my nails, biting the inside of my cheek until I taste blood.
“Come on, angel. Stay with me,” Dalton says, pulling me through the crowd and into the house. He finds the nearest bathroom and locks us both inside. I want to object, tell him this is highly inappropriate, but right now I don’t care. I need him to pull me off the edge of this cliff in the way only he can.
His hands frame my face, his beautiful blue eyes pouring into mine. I dive into their depths, deep into the darkest edge of his soul, and drowned myself there. The warmth of his skin against mine radiates across my cheeks, melting my anxiety slightly.
“Come back to me, baby. She cannot hurt you. Say the word and she’ll never come near you again, angel, I swear it.” He says, the ferocity in his voice palpable in the air around me.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t force the fear from my mind. Closing my eyes, I try to shake the thoughts of everything that could go wrong from my head, but I can’t. I feel myself slipping, tumbling down the rabbit hole of my darkest fears, withnothing to stop me. Before I can fall any further, my back is pushed against the wall and Dalton’s lips are on mine.
Silence. Pure, peaceful, unadulterated silence fills my head. I’ve never known the kind of peace Dalton brings me. Sure, I’ve found my escape in a hundred different fantasy worlds and that’s probably the reason I made it to adulthood with my sanity intact. But time stops the second Dalton’s hands touch my skin. His kiss is commanding, as always, and heat floods my body. How he can make me want him so desperately with just one touch, I’ll never know.
“Feeling a little more relaxed now, angel?” He says, smiling against my lips.
Feeling brazen, I grab the lapels of his jacket and drag him back to me. He guides my leg up and around his hip before lifting me off my feet and placing me on the counter without breaking our kiss. The smooth satin of my dress rides up against my thighs and, for once, I don’t care. I don’t care that I’m basically dry humping this man in a bathroom in my parent’s home. His powerful hands roam across my curves and I groan, soaking in every sensation.
“I love the way you touch me, the way you make me feel,” I whisper, my voice husky and strained. My nails scrape across his scalp as he bites my lower lip. Pin pricks dance across my skin and I struggle to maintain any sliver of control.
“When I touch you how? Like this?” He asks, trailing his fingertips down my neck and across my collarbone. Goosebumps cover my skin, and I shiver. He drags his fingers down the deep v of my dress and my nipples tighten behind the fabric. “I can smell what I do to do, angel. I can see your pupils react to my touch.”
I should be embarrassed, but I’m not. I want him to know exactly what he does to me, want him to sense how badly I need him.
“You think I smell good? You should see how good I taste,” I say, not believing the words coming from my own mouth. Who is this wanton whore that has taken over my body and why do I love her so much?
Dalton flashes his sexy, cocky smirk and drops to his knees without another word. His palms flatten against the outside of my thighs and drag up towards my hips, taking my dress with them. I see the moment he realizes I kept a little surprise from him, giggling to myself as blood rushes to my head.
“Fuck me, Angel. You mean to tell me you’ve been inches away from me all night with no fucking panties on? Just waiting for me to unwrap this delicious body and devour it?” He squeezes my hips so tightly, I know he’ll leave marks behind and I groan.
“What can I say? You make me feel very adventurous, Mr. Murphy.” I say, bracing my hands on the countertop as he places one hand in the center of my chest and pushes me back.
He takes a deep breath and I know he can smell how desperately I want him. There’s no denying that. His tongue flicks out, tracing my center, and I gasp loudly. The sudden intrusion sends electricity from my clit all the way through my body, and I shiver. Fuck, this man knows what he’s doing.
“Dont move, angel. Don’t make me bend you over the counter and paint that perfect ass red.” He says and I grin.
