Page 58 of Crawl
And if I’m honest with myself, maybe I want it too.
He lifts my hips then rams me down, fucking me so hard his cock smashes into my cervix, the pain annihilating my nerves. It’s like hewantsto make this hurt. Like he wants me to remember this. Every little thing I can’t take emotionally, he wants me to take physically instead. He pulls the hair at the back of my neck until I’m looking straight up at the ceiling like a woman possessed. He licks my neck, tasting the blood and sweat on my skin, and I know that Iampossessed. I’m possessed by him. He slaps my face and the shock ripples through me.
“That’s right, slut,” Cash says in a low voice. “Look at what you did. I’m so proud of you.”
My stomach tightens at those words. I hold Cash’s face in my hands and his eyes burn holes into me. It’s true. Every word. Heisproud of me. He believes in me just as much as I believe in him.
Maybe this has been inside of me all along. Maybe I’m meant to be here, right now, like this, with Cash.
“You know what this makes you?” he growls.
“What?”
“Mine.”
Adrenaline sweeps through me and I can barely breathe. Each swell of my lungs stutters with pressure. But I keep fucking Cash, digging my nails into his skin, exploring the fresh scars on his back. Scars from me. His body is stained with blood, just like mine, and it feels like a dream. Like nothing in the world can bethisperfect. But my stepdad is there, right behind us. He’s a man who used to control me, who will never have power over me again. He’s a lump of flesh and bones now.
Cash gave that to me.
The sweat drenches our bodies as Cash stands, hoisting me up, using my stepdad’s head as a brace to steady himself. But I reach down with my feet, dismantling from Cash, then I guide him until he’s lying on the ground, next to the corpse. Cash bares his teeth, his face somewhere between a predatory warning and a grin. But this time,Ifuck him.I show him who I am. I raise my hips up, then slam down, making his dick impale me until it hurts, until I cry. I’m alive and more powerful than ever.
I grip Cash’s chin between my fingers. He said he’ll do anything for me, and he’s kept to his word. And I realize thatthisis it. This is what I wanted. Why I wanted to kill Cash in the first place. It was never about what Cash did or didn’t do to Jenna. It was about my stepdad. And now that he’s gone, with every fiber of my being, I believe Cash. He didn’t hurt Jenna, and he will never hurt me.
I dig my nails into his skin and he growls, his jaw clenched, but his cock twitches like he can’t control himself, no matter how hard he tries, and that sensation sends us both over the edge. His eyes roll into the back of his head as he lets out a primal howl, and I keep my eyes on him even as the uncontrollable spasms crash through me. We’re invincible. We can do anything together.
Once our breathing settles, I lean down, putting my tongue against his ear. He’s exhausted, his breathing rapid, and I love it all.Idid this to him.
With teeth pressed against his earlobe, I whisper, “And you’re mine.”
CHAPTER 14
Remedy
The next day, energy hums through me, boasting confidence in each step. I look up at the empty blue sky, the sun shining down on my chilled, wintery skin. Maybe this is freedom.
But I still feel off somehow. Like there’s something rattling inside of me. I’m not sure what to do with myself. It’s not like before; my stepdad will never bother me or anyone else again. And yet, I still have this urge to dosomething.
But I don’t know what.
The door chimes as I enter the bakery. The cakes are illuminated in the display case like little pieces of art. Baby blues. Pale pinks. Light greens. It seems stupid. Cash gave me the opportunity to take back my life, and I get him a damn cake.
In the back corner of the case, I spot a white cake with red streams of frosting dripping over the ribboned edges, and I see flashes of my stepdad’s blood splattering Cash’s scarred chest. A warmth tingles in my lower belly at the thought. It was so hot.
My stomach turns.He used you,my logical brain argues.Manipulated you. Got you to kill your stepdad so he could have even more blackmail over you. How can you be so stupid?
I clutch my abdomen, trying to force myself to stop questioning him. But there are video cameras. Everything is caught on his surveillance and my personal camera, which is still sitting on the mantel in the office. Even if Cash is charged with abduction, I will be charged with murder.
But I can’t let that fear immobilize me. Cash had set me free.
He hurt your best friend,that nagging voice says.
Not the same man,I argue back.
The baker clears her throat, her eyes signaling that I need to choose a cake already. I peer around each row of treats, trying to think. My phone buzzes.
“Remedy Basset,” I answer.
“Remedy Basset? This is the Key West Police Department calling. Is there any chance you’d be able to come down to the station? Detective Samuels would like to speak with you.”
