Page 26 of Behind the Shadows
Holland sighed, content as her arms fell limp against the sheets. I kissed her lips, tasting the sweetness of her sleep and the last echo of her moans. With my hand tracing lazy circles over her hip, I watched the cross rise and fall on her breast as she drifted deeper into dreamless, satisfied sleep.
My cock throbbed, insistent, reminding me I wasn’t done. I knelt between her trembling legs, fixated on her wet and satisfied pussy. Every nerve inside me demanded I plunge into her, but not yet. Not until she was awake and could see the monster claiming her.
Gripping my cock, I stroked with fierce, urgent tugs. Heat traveled down my spine, my balls drawing tight. Breath sawed inand out of my lungs as I licked my lips, her taste still lingering. With a guttural groan, I pressed the head of my cock to her slick entrance, her wet pussy begging to be fucked.
Teeth gritted, I tore myself away, fucking my fist instead, my focus locked onto her sprawled, vulnerable body. My hips thrust as I imagined her greedy cunt clamped around my shaft. Reaching into my jeans, I fumbled for a tissue, slapping it over my cock seconds before my orgasm exploded through me.
I paused and steadied myself before I cleaned up the mess I'd made in the tissue. Slowly, I stood and tucked myself back in my jeans and reminded myself of why I was there in the first place.
Looking around, I located a pen and a notepad on top of her dresser next to the envelope that held the death certificate. I quickly scribbled a message on the piece of paper, disguising my handwriting the best I could.
Once I was finished, I set the envelope on her bed. She would wake up tomorrow, most likely, with a sore pussy and an Ambien hangover. From what I had learned about the drug when it was prescribed for my mother, Holland wouldn’t remember a thing, but when she saw the note and envelope, she would panic, thinking Draco had been in her home. It was only a matter of time before she called me for help, and I would be there for her. Little did she know, Draco had nothing on me, and I was the real monster she needed to be afraid of.
10
HOLLAND
I stretched in an attempt to ease my aching muscles. As much as I hated Ambien, I had been desperate for sleep, but even then, my nightmares followed me most of the time. Not last night, though. I dreamed of a masked man breaking into my house and fucking me with a … My brows furrowed. A cross? I rolled my eyes at the crazy dream and slowly sat up. My pussy ached as if I’d been thoroughly fucked last night, and a flicker of panic ripped through me as I saw the envelope with the death certificate in it. I must have walked in my sleep, but then the note on top of it caught my eye. I snatched it up and read it, my pulse skyrocketing as my legs threatened to give out.
Mine.
My head snapped up and my attention traveled around the room to see if anything else was out of place. The evening was hazy after the sleeping pill, but I pieced together everything I’d done before I downed the medication. The envelope had been in my guest room. Not here. But the note was what was messing me up in the head. Who wrote it? Had someone been here again, or had I written it in my sleep? Why would I have written that note?
I stared at it, wondering if my handwriting could look that shaky and spidery.
“You’re losing your fucking mind, Holland,” I muttered while I tried to talk myself out of the idea that someone had been in my home. Ambien side effects could be brutal, and people had all kinds of crazy stories. That was why I hated taking it, but I also understood what happened mentally and emotionally if someone didn’t sleep. I’d argued with myself about it until I gave in, but I only took half of the prescribed pill.
I stood, my thoughts spinning with the other possibility … that Draco had broken in and touched me. My chin trembled as I fought against the tears, knowing from the way my body ached that it was a more plausible explanation. Had he left marks? I searched every inch of myself for any bruises or red marks, but I didn’t find any. My pussy throbbed with the recollection of being thoroughly fucked … and that was what messed me up most of all. Why did it feel like I’d wanted it? The ache, the arousal—it clung to me like guilt soaked in gasoline—and I didn’t know whether to scream or cry.
Deep inside, I knew someone had been here. There was only one man looking for revenge, and I had to come to terms with the fact that I was no longer safe in my own home.
My attention landed on my phone as I toyed with the idea of meeting Kip and telling him more about my past with Draco. After this, I needed more protection, and I was out of options.
I picked up my phone and located his number under Monster. I tapped out a quick text message.
Me:
I need your help. Can you meet me at my office around three?
I typed out the address for him, then his response came a few minutes later.
Monster:
Let me check my calendar. I’ll get back to you.
An annoyed huff slipped from my lips as I pulled up my playlist on Spotify and turned on “Killed Me” by XV Nauthiz. My chest tightened with the title, reminding me of … that was another matter for another day. I set my phone down and made my way to the shower. If Draco had touched me, I wanted to scrub every inch of my skin to remove any traces of that bastard. In the back of my mind, I realized I needed a rape kit, but if I did, they would have my DNA, and when they searched for Holland Alder, no one with that name would show up.
As I showered, I racked my brain, attempting to think of anyone else who might have been in my house, but I was coming up empty-handed. It had to be Draco or … I swallowed hard, not wanting to admit the other possibility. Seeing Draco had triggered my PTSD so badly that my hallucinations had returned, fueled by the Ambien. Was anything real from last night? If dreams were vivid enough, it was possible to feel as though I’d had sex.
“That’s all it was. You were severely triggered, and your brain is playing tricks on you,” I said into the running water.
Once I was clean and dried my hair, I walked to the closet and searched for the right blouse for the day at my office. I retrieved a navy one and held it up.
“What the hell is that?” I scrunched up my nose as I stared at it, trying to identify what was all over one of my favorite tops. “Dammit.” I tossed it onto the floor, making a mental note to drop it off at the dry cleaners on my way to work. Maybe they could get out whatever it was. Instead, I chose a baby blue V-neck blouse and gray slacks.
Twenty minutes later, I collected my purse and laptop bag. Kip still hadn’t responded, which annoyed the hell out of me. Ihad zero patience right now. Draco was a real threat again, and I didn’t have time to play games. Maybe Kip really could help me handle that situation.It’s not like you mind seeing him again. You might not want a relationship, but he’s hot as sin and a good fuck would do you some good.
There was an undertow to the way Kip communicated, like he was always pressing for more, always testing. I hated that it worked on me. I hated more that he didn’t frighten me—at least not in the way Draco did. I should have been scared of Kip. I should have told him to leave that night in my car. But all I felt was relief, as if he’d thrown a switch in my brain and every threat and every panic had drained away. His presence made even the memory of Draco seem laughable—a Chihuahua barking at a trained wolf.
