Chapter 12

12

Jenson

H olly walked through the front door a little after dark. She looked tired, no doubt from the long drive considering she'd just made an eight-hour round trip in one day. Fuck, I'd be tired too if I were her. Even though driving consisted of just sitting, it was still exhausting having to be a defensive driver and navigate traffic.

"Hey, doll," I rumbled in greeting, drawing her into me for a kiss once she was close enough. She sighed, sinking into my embrace and allowing me to support her. After licking her bottom lip, I forced myself to pull back from her. Cupping her cheek in my hand, I gently tilted her head back so she was forced to look up at me. Bags rested under her eyes, the skin there a little bruised looking from everything she'd been going through. Anger burned through me on her behalf, but I tamped it down.

"You hungry? I made dinner."

Her stomach rumbled, answering my question. A pretty blush stole over her cheeks. I pressed my lips to that reddened skin before stepping back from her and making a plate of food. This woman of mine had no idea how fucking beautiful she was when she let that dark color stain her cheeks.

When I directed her to the kitchen, she took a seat at the bar where I had a plate of food waiting for her. She rewarded me with one of her beautiful smiles before digging in.

I stood across from her at the counter and ate my own food, silently observing her. Every time she thought I wasn't looking, she got a sad look in her eyes that I fucking hated. I wished I could somehow make her parents see reason. There was no reason for them to disown her just because she found happiness with a man older than her. A parent's love was supposed to be unconditional—adopted child or not.

Fuck her parents for doing this to her. For loving their reputation more than they loved their daughter. Adoption, blood—none of that should fucking matter when it came to making the kind of decision they made the other day.

And so carelessly, they were trying to wreck her entire world out of nothing but anger.

It pissed me off because Holly loved them so much. She chose them over me once. She hated their disappointment. She valued their opinions and loved them deeply. This… I knew this cut deep for her.

Who she fell in love with wasn't her damn fault. No one chose who they inevitably fell for. After meeting her, I knew how damn true that was. Even if I would have tried to fight the connection between us, it wouldn't have done a damn bit of good.

Holly and I—we were inevitable.

"Holly," I said quietly when her eyes glistened with tears. She looked up at me, trying to blink them away, but I'd already seen it. When my eyes softened, her bottom lip quivered before she burst into tears.

"I saw him standing on the drive when I got home," she cried as I quickly made my way around to her. I didn't miss the way she called our house home. That was, at least, a step in the right direction. Because this was her home. I would never kick her out of it. Never turn my back on her. Not like her parents had.

Gently, I turned her to face me and lifted her from the stool. "He just glared at me. Like I was the most disgusting person he'd ever seen in his life," she sobbed as she wrapped her arms and legs around me, clinging to me for support and comfort.

Anger on her behalf pulsed through my veins as I carried her up the stairs. "He's going to regret this one day, doll. Of that, I can fucking promise."

Even if I had to be the one to make him regret his decision to cut her off and turn his back on her. She didn't deserve any of this. Holly could be a brat when she wanted to be, but down in her core, she was the sweetest, tenderest human being I'd ever known.

And she felt everything so deeply, even if she liked to pretend she didn't.

Her tears soaked my neck as she cried. I gently laid her on the bed before following her down, molding my lips to hers. Her tears began to slow, and she moaned beneath me, her hands pushing at my shirt. I let her lead this to whatever she wanted, not pushing her for anything because I didn't know what her mind could handle right now. Only she did. And I trusted her to make the best decisions for herself.

"Jenson," she rasped, her hands running over my body once she dropped my shirt to the floor.

I brushed my lips over her jaw before working them down her neck. A soft whine crawled up her throat. "What do you need, doll?"

"You. Please. Inside me," she throatily begged.

I leaned up and pushed her shirt over her head before unsnapping her jeans and tugging them down her legs with her panties. She arched her back and reached beneath herself, unclasping her bra before tossing it aside with the rest of her clothes.

"Grab a condom," I rumbled as I unbuckled my jeans.

She quickly reached into the nightstand drawer and grabbed a condom, her little body twisting erotically with the movement. By the time my dick was freed, my jeans still just below my ass, she already had the condom wrapper open and was sheathing my length inside the latex, impatience lacing every move she made.

She laid back and spread her thighs for me, and I groaned. She was slick, her pretty pussy a couple of shades darker than her skin. My mouth watered at the sight, but I wouldn't indulge myself tonight. If my doll needed me inside of her now, then that was what I would give her.

I laid my body over hers, my elbows braced by her head, and then I slid home, my jeans still not off. She arched her back, crying out my name. I molded our lips together, kissing her hungrily and deeply as I began to stroke my cock in and out along her walls, hitting that spot inside of her just right every time.

"Jenson," she sobbed, her nails digging into my neck. "P-please," she spluttered. "I'm so close."

I reached between us and rubbed her clit, leaning up so I could watch her beautiful face as she fell apart, screaming my name. With a snarl, I quickly chased my own orgasm, spilling into the condom.

After, I rolled to the side, bringing her with me, my legs wrapped around hers, my arms banded tight around her. "You okay now?" I asked softly.

She sleepily nodded her head, burrowing her face against my chest. "I love you," she mumbled.

I carded my fingers through her blonde hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you, too, doll," I rasped. I would always cherish those words from her. "Get some sleep."

Holly was still deeply sleeping when I woke up the next morning. Slowly, I detached myself from her arms and eased out of bed. I stood still for a good minute, making sure Holly wouldn't wake up before I made my way down the stairs. I was still in my jeans, which were simple enough to button on my way to the front door, and I didn't give a good goddamn about wearing a shirt.

I was a man on a mission, and I wanted to be back before Holly woke up. I'd made this decision while Holly had been sleeping last night. I couldn't stand the sad look in her eyes. Couldn't stand the darkness lingering in her expression. She used to be so full of life, and her fucking parents had snuffed it out.

Something had to give.

I strode out of the house barefoot. With it only being five thirty in the morning, it was still dark outside, but I didn't care about social norms. Her parents had thrown social norms out the window when they tossed their daughter out on her ass for daring to love a man older than her.

I rang the doorbell obnoxiously until it swung open, Holly's father glaring up at me. And fuck, if I were a peacock, I would've fluffed my feathers because the jackass was a few inches shorter than me and more rounded, whereas I was tall, packed with muscle, and clearly intimidated him a little, judging by that nervous look he let flash in his eyes for a moment.

Wasn't so brave when he didn't have his daughter forcing me to bite my tongue for her sake.

"It's not even six in the fucking morning yet," he snapped at me, somehow managing to force his bravado. If I weren't so pissed with him, I'd have been impressed. "Get off my porch."

I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jeans so I wouldn't punch him in the nose. As upset as Holly was, I knew she wouldn't appreciate that, no matter how much I really wanted to fucking break it. I might have been a business owner and making high six-figures a year, but I was still a man who wanted to protect his woman and make everyone who hurt her pay.

"We need to talk," I told him.

He scoffed. "About what? You fucking my daughter?" I clenched my jaw, my teeth audibly grinding together at the crass way he spoke about her. "No, thank you."

"Your daughter and I, as you so crassly put it," I growled, "are not just fucking . I love your daughter, Mr. Keller, and I only want the absolute best for her. And you know what she wants? To have her parents. She was so worried about disappointing you and your wife that she left me during Christmas break. She ignored all of my phone calls and my text messages because she thought her family and her future were more important than me."

Fuck, that shit still cut deep. Still fucking hurt. I knew it would for a while, but at the same time, I couldn't blame her. She was young. She was still trying to figure life out. And she'd already lost so much—friends, a boyfriend. I would never fault her for wanting to keep what security she had.

"Signing those adoption papers made Holly your daughter for life," I reminded him when he remained silent. "Not just until she turned eighteen. You raised her. Loved her. You and your wife are all that sweet woman has known. She is fucking shattered because of what you did to her. What you're still doing. Don't ruin your relationship with her."

" She ruined everything—not me," he sneered, but I couldn't see the awareness dawning in his eyes. And that was what I needed—him to be aware of more than just his own hurt and anger. I needed him to be aware of what he was doing to my woman. His daughter.

"Did she? Because all I see is a young woman who fell head over heels for a man much older than her. I couldn't resist her any more than she could resist me. Holly is the best damn thing to have ever happened to me, and I love her more than anything else in this fucking world. Which is why I'm standing here at five-thirty in the morning, hoping what I say will make you change your mind. Because Holly? She's hurting. And it's fucking killing me. She doesn't deserve what you're doing to her."

He clenched his jaw, looking away from me. We stood in silence for a few moments before he heaved a tired sigh, suddenly looking much older than he really was. "I'll, um… We can do dinner," he finally uttered. "Is dinner okay?"

"Dinner is fine," I told him. "We'll meet you at six at the Italian restaurant downtown." I was taking that decision out of his hands. He wouldn't corner her or make her feel threatened. I wouldn't let him.

We were playing this shit by my rules now.

He frowned. "We can eat here?—"

I immediately shook my head. "No. I'm not putting Holly in a situation where she feels cornered, understand? You failed at your job of protecting her because you couldn't protect her from your own volatile emotions or your wife, who's too afraid to go against anything you say for fear of losing her precious lifestyle." He physically flinched at my words. "So now, I'm doing it. Six o'clock, Mr. Keller. If you're late, I'll take it to mean that you don't give a fuck after all."

With that, I spun on my heel and crossed the grass separating our homes.