Page 130 of Tantalizing Kings

Sadie, fuck.

Pulling myself free from Preston and Grayson’s hold, I spin around to find Sadie staring at me with wide shocked eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.

For a moment, I fear that I’ve scared her, that she sees me as a monster now.

But she lets out a sob that shatters my soul before throwing herself into my arms.

I catch her and hold her tight, burying my face into her mess of curls. “Fuck, Lollipop. I’m so fucking sorry he got his hands on you. I should have been here. Fuck!”

She says nothing, just cries as she clings to me.

“Take her home, okay?” Grayson suggests, his brows pinched with worry. I can see on his face how much she means to him. “We’ll deal with that fucking waste of space.”

I nod, not able to speak right now, and I don’t bother looking back because if I see him again, no one will be able to stop me.

I lift her up by her thighs, and she wraps them around my waist. My arm presses against her back, holding her to me as my other hand cups her head. She tucks her face into the crook of my neck and cries.

I hate this, I hate seeing her cry. The sounds will fucking haunt my dreams. If this girl thought I was a pain in her ass before, she hasn’t seen anything yet.

I don’t care if she has her thing with the guys, she's still mine. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll do anything she asks me, as long as I still have her.

We exit out of the side door, and I do my best to avoid people. The whole way to my car, I rub her back while murmuring to her that I have her and that everything is going to be okay. And I promise her no one will ever hurt her again. A promise I will doeverythingin my power to keep.

Sadie’s sobs have slowed down to sniffles by the time we reach my car. Opening the passenger door, I try to put her in but she clings to me for dear life and shakes her head against the crook of my neck.

“Shhh. I got you, Lollipop,” I murmur, peppering kisses to the side of her head. If my baby doesn’t want to let me go, I’m not going to make her.

Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I call my driver and give him the address.

With my arms wrapped around her tightly, we sit on the trunk of my car until our ride arrives.

The whole way home, Sadie sits in my lap, her legs still wrapped around my waist. She’s not crying anymore, but she’s not talking. I want to ask if she's okay, but I can tell she’s not.

I would ask her if she wants to talk about it, but she’s not in the place for that right now.

So, when we get to my house, I carry her inside. I’m about to head up the stairs when I see my mom step out of the library. Her eyes go wide, and she takes a step forward, her lips part to speak, but I give her a look and shake my head.

I don’t care if that she’s my mom. Right now, I need to take care of Sadie and Mom asking questions will just make things worse.

She gives Sadie a worried look but nods her head.

Sadie is quiet as I bring her to my attached bathroom. She says nothing as I pry her arms off of me to sit her on the counter. She looks numb, dejected as I step away to run her a bath.

Her eyes are bloodshot and puffy from crying, make-up smudged from her tears. While the water runs, I grab a cloth, wetting it and cleaning her face up the best I can.

When I’m done, I toss the cloth to the side and cup her face. “I love you, Lollipop,” my voice is a low rumble. She just blinks at me, and fuck, it kills me to see her like this. What did that fucking asshole say to her before I found them? I saw that cunt of a bitch, Tina, too. Did she say something? Where's my sweet, bubbly, sassy Lollipop? How fucking dare someone take that shine from her eyes.

I undress her, and she lets me. I don’t admire her body like I normally would, just strip out of my own clothes, too. Scooping her up, I bring her to the bath and slip inside the warm water with her. Turning the tap off, we just lie there, her back to my chest, my arms around her. I kiss her shoulder, running my hand up and down her arm.

We stay like this for a while until she passes out. Carefully, I get her dried and lay her in my bed. Grabbing an old shirt, I do my best to slide it over her head and down her body before putting a pair of my boxers on her. I grab a pair for myself and crawl into bed.

I should go and talk to my mom, let her know what's going on. But I don’t want to leave her, not even for a few minutes. So, I pull her into my arms, and I fall asleep next to her.

Tomorrow I’ll ask questions; tomorrow I’ll get answers. But one thing I know, Raymond just got himself kicked out of Kingston Academy. And if I ever fucking see his face again, it will be as I toss him into a six foot grave before spitting on his cold, dead face.

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