22. Dalton

TWENTY-TWO

I'm pulledfrom a deep sleep by a series of quick, hard knocks on my door, followed by someone laying on the doorbell. I shoot up, confused, until I realize that I'm on the couch and not in my bed. I was watching hockey highlights and must've dozed off.

The knocks go from a solid fist to a loud, open-handed slap just as I hear my muffled name being yelled from the other side of the door.

Fuck. That's Dia's voice.

I jump off the couch and run as fast as I can to the door, unlocking the deadbolt and ripping it open. I'm not prepared for what stands in front of me. Dia is wearing a pair of shorts and one of her ripped sleep t-shirts. She has no shoes on her feet and her face is tear-stained. She stands there, frozen, her whole body trembling.

Her eyes fill with tears. "I didn't know where else to go," she whispers.

"Baby," I say softly before yanking her into my body and wrapping her tightly in my arms. I carefully pull her through the doorway, managing to close and lock it without letting her go. She continues crying as her knees buckle and she collapses against me. I'm trying not to panic, lifting her from the floor and carrying her straight to my bedroom. It's illuminated only by my dimmed bedside lamp, but I can see as I make my way across the carpeted floor.

I don't put her down. I don't loosen my hold. I just sit on the bed with her in my lap, continuing to comfort her because I have no fucking clue what's going on. All I know is that whoever did this is as good as dead.

"Shhhh," I say in an attempt to console her. "I'm here. You're safe."

Her body continues to shake with her cries as she tries to suck in deep breaths, but she's in the middle of a panic attack and can't calm herself. So, I do the best I can to hold her together as she falls to pieces in my arms. I kiss her hair and steadily rock her back and forth while she lets her emotions out, until she eventually settles into my chest.

I wait several minutes before I speak. "Can you tell me what happened?" I ask.

She sits up, clutching my shirt tightly in her hands as she takes a shaky breath in before exhaling slowly. "Last w-week," she stutters, pausing for a moment before trying again. "Last week, my mom called me. At first, I sent it to voicemail, but she kept doing it, so I finally answered to tell her to stop." I continue rubbing soothing circles between her shoulder blades as she slowly relaxes enough to finish. "She sounded so different. She said she had gotten back together with my dad, and they started outpatient rehab for their spending and gambling addictions. They told me they were with a loan officer at the bank because they were buying a house. They said their credit was approved for the mortgage loan, but they needed collateral. They asked me for help."

"Hey," I say in a soothing tone. "If you gave them some money, it's no big deal. I'll replace it. You can even make payments back to me once you start working if you aren't comfortable taking it outright."

She looks at me, her beautiful eyes filling with tears as she shakes her head. "They put the banker on the phone, and he said they just needed proof of collateral. That I could transfer money from my bank account to theirs so the loan application could be processed, then my parents could wire it back the following day. I told them no at first, but they said the house had an extra room and they wanted me to come stay with them because they missed me and wanted to rebuild our relationship. They wanted to apologize for all the times they had to rely on me."

I'm trying my best not to lose my shit because I know what's coming. They fucking hurt her again. But I stay quiet, letting her say it out loud.

"I sent the money, and they said it would take twenty-four hours to process their application, then they'd send it all right back. It sounded legit to me. But when I hadn't heard from them for a few days, I called my mom's new number and it was disconnected. I finally worked up the nerve to call their bank today, but the person who answered told me that they don't even do mortgage loans there. They have no record of either of my parents having any accounts in their system." She looks up at me with so much sadness in her eyes. "They took all my money and left me. Again."

"It's going to be okay," I say, holding her tightly as she continues to break down.

"Why did I fall for it again, Dalton?" she cries. "I'm so fucking stupid. Every time, they show me that money will always be more important than me, but I keep helping them, thinking maybe this time it'll be different. Why? Why am I never enough?" She hangs her head, holding me like a lifeline as she starts sobbing again. My heart fucking aches for this woman because she's more than enough, but the two people she wants to hear that from the most are too selfish to say it.

"Dia, look at me," I say, gently lifting her chin with my finger. The pain in her eyes makes me want to tear this whole world to shreds with my bare hands, just to find her parents and hurt them the way they've hurt her. "This isn't your fault. You did nothing wrong besides believe in them and love them when they didn't deserve it. And they're missing out on a beautiful, talented, strong woman that became that way despite them when it should've been because of them. You're worthy of so much more than you've been given, Dia. I need you to believe me when I tell you that."

She grips my shirt tightly, pressing her lips to mine. When I reach up to weave my fingers into her hair, some of the tension in her body eases. I tease at her bottom lip with my tongue, and as soon as she opens for me, I tangle it with hers. If this is what she needs right now to feel like she's not alone, I'll give it to her. I'll give her every piece of me if it'll fill the holes others have left behind.

"Make me forget," she says against my lips, making every rule I had disappear into thin air. I don't care what I said. Even if this is the only time she lets me show her what it's like to be loved and cared for, so be it. I'm not like them. I won't let her go through the hard parts alone.

I kiss her again as I turn us on the bed so I can lower her down to her back. I run my hands up and down her body, never removing my lips from hers as I push her shirt up above her tits. She isn't wearing a bra, and her nipples are pebbled from the cool air in the room. I lower my head slowly, taking one dusty pink bud into my mouth with a gentle suck, before releasing it with a wet pop. I slide my tongue across her sweet skin as she writhes under my touch, moving to bring the other nipple into my mouth and teasing it until it's hard enough to be borderline painful. Dia weaves her fingers into my hair, holding me to her. Like I'd ever go anywhere. Her moans are the sweetest song I've ever heard as I reach down and press the pad of my finger onto her clit over her shorts, adding enough pressure to make her thrust her hips up for more. I rub firm circles as I move my mouth back to hers, licking and sucking at her tongue.

I can tell that she's not getting enough of what she wants by the sound of her needy whimpers, so I pull her shirt over her head before reaching down for her shorts and panties. I stop for just a moment to take her in. "You're so fucking gorgeous, baby," I whisper, reaching between my shoulders and peeling my shirt over my head. She opens her legs, making room for me to lower my body onto hers. I settle in, rubbing my erection over her bare slit through my boxers as I take her mouth again. She's still trembling as I slowly grind against her.

Her whimpers get louder as she reaches her hands down, attempting to rid me of the final piece of cloth that separates us. I assist by pulling my underwear off and kicking them to the floor. When I fit my body back onto hers, I almost lose it at the feeling of her bare pussy on my hard shaft. She's so wet and warm. Nothing could stop me from being inside her tonight. I'll give her whatever she needs to feel anything other than the pain and heartbreak her parents caused. I reach over to the nightstand for a condom, but Dia grabs my wrist, halting me.

"No condom, please. I want to feel you," she whispers.

We never talked about birth control, but if I'm being completely real, I don't give a fuck. If she was good with it, I'd have a baby with her right now. I'd have ten kids with her if she wanted them. I'll give her the family she's always deserved.

I kiss her again as I lower my hand between her legs, stroking her soaked slit before entering her with two fingers. I pump them in and out, coaxing her swollen flesh as she loosens in preparation for me. When I know the ache is becoming too much, I pull my fingers from her, dipping them into my mouth for a quick taste of her sweetness before lining myself up at her pussy. I can barely see straight as I make sure her attention is solely on me in this moment. I need her to see how I feel about her.

"Look at me while I push in," I tell her. As soon as her big, beautiful eyes connect with mine, I slowly thrust my hips forward, sinking into her tight heat. She's wet and soft and so fucking perfect. She's everything I never knew I was missing.

"Dalton," she whispers, her voice trembling with emotion.

"I'm right here," I reply. "I'm not going anywhere."

She blows out a shaky breath, letting her eyes fall shut as I work to get her toward her release. Every movement of my hips is filled with another promise I can't say out loud.

I'm in this.

I'll never leave you.

I love you.

I loop one arm tightly around her back as I use the other to pull her knee up higher, opening her further as I pick up my speed. I keep our bodies pressed together as tightly as I can, connecting us at every possible point. I feel her inner walls start to flutter with her impending orgasm and I can't think of anything I want more than to make her feel nothing but euphoria, even if it's only for a few moments.

"Fall apart for me, Dia. I'll put you back together," I say as she explodes around me. Her cunt squeezes so tightly, black dances around the corners of my vision as I try to focus on her face while she comes. As soon as I'm sure she's done, I finally let go, emptying myself into her with a loud groan.

I don't even give her a second to recover before I cup the side of her face and press my lips to hers. We're both still gasping for breath while we kiss, but I don't care. I need her to feel what I'm feeling. I want her to know she's not alone. Not now, not ever.

"Okay," she says quietly, her lips brushing mine.

I pull back so I can look at her. "Okay, what?"

"Okay, I'll move back in and let you take care of me."