Chapter 16

Keelan

T hankfully, the waning moon offered enough illumination to find our way through the backyard without falling into unseen holes or breaking an ankle. Aside from a few homes around the lake, the cabin was in a secluded plot of land with endless grassy fields and distant trees. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we grabbed the bags and walked up to the door, dropping them on the wraparound porch. I noticed Sadie in my peripheral vision. Her eyes darted around, most likely searching for a house nearby to run to.

“Stop trying to look for an escape route,” I said, taking a step toward her. “The houses are too far apart for anyone to hear you scream for help. And even if you tried to run, I’ll have you hogtied before you make it three feet.”

Sadie flipped me off and sat on a metal deck chair, folding her arms around her waist. Her copper-gold hair blew slightly in the breeze .

“Come on, stop pouting, and let’s go inside. I just need to find the key,” I said. It was almost two in the morning, and every inch of me screamed for sleep. My back felt like hot knives had been buried in my muscles.

I kneeled and lifted the dusty welcome mat. Fuck. No key. My gaze swept over the porch, searching for any spot where Byron might have hidden it.

There was an overturned terracotta flowerpot under one of the windows.

“If the key isn’t here, I’m going to have to break a window,” I said, heading to the flowerpot. I lifted it up and saw a bronze key underneath. My raw nerves started to settle.

“We can sit out here for a moment. It’s nice out,” she said, looking up. Her demeanor had noticeably changed. Maybe she only needed to get out of the car because it made her stir crazy.

Or was Sadie afraid to be alone with me again in a dark cabin deep in the woods?

Having a fully furnished porch that encircled the house was a nice touch. The cabin had a warm-brown wood exterior, multiple bay windows to let in the natural light, and spacious rooms that we used to stay in for a couple of weeks at a time. The isolation was perfect for reading, drawing, or scavenging for treasures in the fields. Sometimes, even mafia families needed to get away from it all. We stopped going after Mia started high school; now, we hardly used it except for Gavin’s side of the family.

“It’s not that nice out, princess,” I said, placing the key in the lock and turning the knob. “I’m fucking cold and know damn well you are, too.”

“I’d rather go home,” she muttered, so quiet I almost missed it.

I scoffed. “Knock it off; that’s getting old.” I marched toward her and grabbed her arm, attempting to pull her up, my fingers digging into her skin, and Sadie hissed in pain. “We’ve been on the road for almost ten hours. I’m exhausted. So how about you stop being a whiny brat so we can get warm and sleep?”

Sadie’s eyes sparkled in the darkness with unshed tears, and something yanked at my gut. As much as her betrayal enraged me, and how much I wanted to punish her for it, her fear caused me to feel something other than rage.

I felt …

I shook my head. Now was not the time for interpersonal perspectives. I needed a shower and rest. “Come on,” I said.

Once I finally got her on her feet and moving toward the door, I shoved it open. Immediately, I felt the warmth of the heater that the cleaners had left on when we walked inside.

“Set the bags behind the couch,” I ordered. “Let’s explore a bit, and then we can carry them to the bedroom. I need some water. You?”

When I was met with silence, I turned around and watched Sadie slowly step back toward the door that was still wide open.

“What the hell are you doing, Sadie? Get over here.”

She still didn’t respond, keeping her eyes locked on mine as she continued to walk backward.

She’s gonna run.

Sadie turned on her heel and bolted for the open door. She didn’t get far before her foot caught on the hallway runner, and she fell forward, her stomach and left hip hitting the door frame.

I lunged for her, seizing her ankle, but she was army-crawling halfway out the door .

Oh, come on.

“Let me go!” she screamed and reached out, attempting to claw herself free.

I was already on her, straddling her back and reaching for her outstretched arm. Before I could get a hold of her wrist, she slightly twisted her body, the terracotta pot in her hand slamming against the side of my head. Bursts of light filled my vision as I fell to the ground, warm blood trickling from my temple.

She had already slipped out from beneath my body, and darkness threatened to claim me. The sound of her shoes hitting the deck made my blood boil, and I dug my nails into the mangled floor runner to keep me steady. Shards of the pot and dirt trickled onto the rug, along with drops of blood.

Slowly, I lifted my head and saw Sadie’s red tank top disappear into the dark and around the corner of the cabin.

Oh, Sadie, that was a mistake.

Anger burned against the pain, and the world stopped spinning enough for me to pull myself upright. I straightened and kicked the shattered remains of the flowerpot before touching my head. Feeling sticky blood and jagged flesh, I smiled with icy rage in my teeth.

“My little fucking princess,” I whispered into the dark fury consuming my brain. “There is nowhere you can run to where I can’t find you.”

The pain was intense, but I cracked my neck and sprinted after her. This game of cat and mouse was making my dick grow hard under my jeans, and I grinned as I ran toward where she disappeared .

I heard rustling grass as I rounded the building, which led to an open field bordering a small grove of pine trees. Wild excitement took over my mind, and I laughed, racing toward my frightened, cornered little deer. Sadie tried to sprint away, but her weakened, hungry body couldn’t find the energy to push on. I quickly gained on her. She glanced over her shoulder and screamed when she saw me.

“Help! Someone, help me!” Her cries filled the empty field. Even if someone did hear her screams, no one would come to save her in time. We were all alone.

“What the hell were you thinking?” I growled as I cornered her at a fence behind the property. “Stop running from me.” She looked around with panic in her eyes, regretting running in the wrong direction.

I could practically smell the terror rolling off her skin now, and my cock hardened in response. Her face was wet with tears glistening under the moonlight, and as I stretched my hand to grab her shirt, she screamed again. “Leave me alone, you monster!”

“Never, princess.”

I seized the red fabric, feeling it tear under my fingers, and yanked her hard. Sadie’s body twisted with the force of the pull, and she fell hard against me, sending us tumbling to the dirt. Sharp sticks and rocks gouged my arms as we dropped, sending another bolt of pain flashing in my skull. She scrambled to get out from underneath me, but I was faster, grabbing her arms and flipping her painfully on her back, her hands pinned beneath her body. I slammed my knees into her thighs and wrapped my hands around her throat, cutting her air off completely .

“I mean, I did warn you earlier what would happen if you tried to run. What a big fucking mistake this was to do what you did,” I grunted.

Sadie arched against me, thrashing to free a hand to fight me off. My cock pressed painfully against the fabric as I pushed my weight into her hips and throat. Her face reddened, and I noticed something else happening while she struggled to breathe.

She’s getting turned on by this even as I’m choking the life out of her. Her nipples are hard as fucking rocks.

The realization tempered my anger, and I lessened my grip on her, allowing Sadie to draw in a thin stream of air. “Get … off of … me, Keelan,” she gasped. With her arms pinned and her legs spread between my knees, I had her completely immobilized. Keeping one hand firmly on her throat, I trailed the other down her ribs until my fingers slid under her sweatpants. Her slick desire betrayed her. My fingers lingered between her folds for a moment, as if to emphasize that I knew she wanted this. No matter what she was saying. I pulled my hand free and met her hateful gaze.

“How about, ‘get me off, Keelan,’ instead?” I grinned, licking her sweet taste off my fingers. “I know you say you don’t want me to touch you, but why lie to me, sweet wife?”

“Stop calling me that!” she shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked away. “You’re going to break my bones, asshole! You’re acting just like my fucking father. He never gave a damn about how much pain he put me or my mother through.”

I blinked in shock at the pain in her voice, and guilt reared its ugly head in my chest. God fucking dammit.

“I’m nothing like your father, princess,” I repeated, reaching to cup her cheek and returning her eyes to mine. “I won’t hurt you tonight. Instead, I’ll make you come so hard you will have no fight left in that tiny body until morning.”

Sadie stared at me as her eyes grew wide with terror. Even her struggle had subdued at that moment.

“All this struggling has put me in a slightly better mood. I’m not even tired anymore. Now, will you please shut those pretty lips of yours, so I can fuck you?” Sadie narrowed her eyes and flared her nostrils. A small squirm followed, but it was meaningless below my weight. “Open your legs for me. I’m not in the mood to play fucking games.”

Slowly, she did what I said. And that was all I needed.

“That’s my girl.”

I leaned down and let my lips brush against her collarbone before pulling up her torn shirt and kissing her tattooed abdomen. She jerked against my mouth, and I nipped her hard. It was a warning and a claim made at the same time.

“Don’t squirm so much, or I might make you bleed. Now, how about I play with that pretty pink pussy?”

I unzipped my jeans and pulled my cock free. Sadie’s eyes may have been full of hatred, but I saw the desire there, like a dark secret rising. This was just like when we first got together. The taste of fear, anger, and lust was a delicious cocktail that fueled us every time we fucked.

I grabbed her sweatpants and slid them down past her knees, revealing her soaked underwear.

“You’re so fucked up,” she spoke again, her voice trembling. One of her hands dug into my biceps, nails trying to scratch me, but I grabbed both her arms, pinning them against the ground by her wrists. Using my cock to push aside her panties, I found her ready and eager for me, even though she would never admit it aloud. Her hips twitched against me, urging me to plunge deep inside. I raised my eyes and locked in with hers.

“Even when you fight me, your body tells me a completely different story, babe. A year is a long fucking wait since the last time I filled you up. The moment I touched you in the house and your pussy drenched my fingers, it was pretty fucking clear you missed this just as much as I did.”

Even in the shadows, her cheeks flushed. It was as if she hesitated, but when I felt her trembling legs squeeze against my hips, she’d made her decision.

Without another word, I slammed myself inside of her pussy. She cried out as her back arched and her hips bucked into mine, driving my dick deeper. I groaned, freeing my hands from her wrists, and used my left arm to lift her ass off the dirt—the intensity of her warmth and how sensitive I had become almost overwhelmed me.

Fuck, it’s been such a long time since I had her little pussy wrapped around me like this.

Sadie tilted her head back, silently urging me to choke her again as I fucked her. I knew I wouldn’t last long, so I squeezed her with my right hand hard and fucked fast. Every thrust I gave her was more violent than the last, reaching the depths within her I knew only I could. Only I could have her perfect body reacting like this.

“Oh … God,” she managed to whimper, her eyes closing as she arched below me. With my hands all over her body and my cock inside her, Sadie was mine again, in every sense of that word. Her inner muscles continued to throb and tighten around me like she wouldn’t last much longer. And neither would I .

“You take my cock just as good as I remember, baby,” I groaned, watching pleasure flood her face.

The delicate veins in Sadie’s neck swelled under my grip, and her eyes rolled back as her release built into a fever pitch. Her slick walls tightened further around my cock, and like before, I couldn’t last any longer. An orgasm tore through me as I filled her pussy with my cum, emptying every single drop I had. Sadie opened her mouth in a silent scream, and her release quickly followed. Her pussy pulsated so tightly that she nearly pushed me out right there, but somehow, I managed to keep myself buried in her. The throbbing madness drained me entirely, and I had to brace myself before I fell on top of her. After a few minutes of catching our breath, I eased myself out of her and leaned back, grinning.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” I quipped. “Now we can go inside and get some sleep.”

Once back in the house, I shut and bolted the door, so she didn’t try that shit again. For added measure, I dragged a chair from the dining table to jam under the doorknob. Then, I went into the supply closet and grabbed a broom to clean up the broken pottery and dirt.

“The Sandersons own this property,” I said as I turned around to dump the debris in the trash. “There are no landlines, and everyone nearby is asleep, so don’t expect rescuers to come here. You’re stuck, so deal with it. Your attempt to flee has failed.”

Sadie’s jaw tightened, and she lowered her head, avoiding my gaze. Instead, she occupied herself with the bags, picking up the black one and slinging it over her shoulder.

“The bedroom is that way,” I said, pointing to the hallway across the living room.

Gavin informed me that they kept the utilities on for potential last-minute family visits and to allow the cleaning crew access for property maintenance.

There was a plug-in diffuser somewhere because the smell of artificial pine was hanging in the air, and my nose started to itch. Sadie smirked in my peripheral as she passed me, but I focused more on a hot shower and bed. My head ached considerably, and I needed to rinse the dirt off my wound before bandaging it up.

When I reached the hallway leading to three bedrooms, I said, “Keep moving. It’s the bedroom to the right, across from the bathroom. Let’s unpack and get ready to sleep.”

I didn’t even know what she said, but she mumbled something under her breath. Before Sadie entered the bedroom, I grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Act like a brat all you want. But you are mine, and I will do everything I can to keep you. You may not like this, but I have my reasons for taking you back.” My right hand trailed down her raised arm, and my finger played over the peak of her left breast.

“Knock it off, Keelan,” Sadie hissed. “You got what you wanted from me earlier. Now, let me go so I can shower.”

I sniffed the air. “Great idea. We smell of sex and potting soil.”

“What is wrong with you?”

Snickering, I opened the bedroom door and turned on the lights. It was a spacious room with wood paneling and some of Aunt Serena’s landscape sketches adorning the walls. There was a queen-sized bed with deep-blue covers, and the bathroom to that room was to the right.

“Well, it looks like we’re cuddling up again.” I pushed her inside and locked the door. “Now, strip and get in the shower. I’ll be there in a minute.”

She crossed her arms and snapped, “So, I have to shower with you now?”

I exhaled and dropped my bags at the foot of the bed. “The shower is too small for two people, first of all. Second, I’ll watch you so you don’t get another stupid idea and try to bolt. Get in there, I want to go to bed. Now that my dick isn’t inside you, I’m wiped out.”

Sadie frowned before storming into the bathroom, ripping off the torn tank top and the rest of her clothes. She cranked on the water and stepped inside. I followed after her and sat on the toilet. Sadie reached for the sliding glass door, but I grabbed her wrist and wagged a finger at her.

“It stays open, Sade,” I murmured.

She gave me a defiant look but didn’t argue, keeping the door open as she reached for the soap.

As the soap lathered and slid down her stomach, I found my gaze drawn to the stars tattooed on her abdomen—the ones I had marked her with. The stars held a meaning for Sadie, but they also had a meaning for me; she just didn’t know it yet.