26. Reagan

Chapter 26

Reagan

M y fingers are already moving across Penn’s smooth, sculpted chest as I awaken. I’ll never admit this to him because I don’t need his ego any bigger than it already is, but I love to trace the ink covering him. It’s calming and sometimes my night terrors have me in this half-awakened state all night.

His skin is warm, and I hear the contented sigh leave his lips as I flatten my palm and stroke down his toned abs. His skin seems golden in the midday light, but I know better than anyone that this man is anything but angelic. I’m sore from last night, but in the most decadent of ways. I hum my approval as I play back how he took me last night. My thighs are sticky with his cum because even after showering together, Penn was back inside me before my back hit the mattress. I lost count of how many times he made me cum on his fingers, mouth and cock and how many times I woke up to him already inside me, groaning against my throat as he lost himself inside me.

I don’t even want to think about the whiskey bottle either. God, the way he draws every lewd act out of me as if he’s a composer of filth and debauchery.

Penn’s fingers gently trace the curve of my hand, lingering on the cool metal of the wedding ring still on my finger. He’s focused, looking at the piece of jewelry as if it’s the most precious thing he’s ever seen in his life. I used to think he looked at it as a symbol of control, of the way he’d forced me to do what he wanted. I’m not so sure now, not that he’d give me a straight answer if I asked him, and maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part. This isn’t a fairytale. He pushes the ring up toward my knuckle and rubs his thumb over the tiny indents that gravity and the metal teeth left on my skin. Soothing the pain he’s caused, but unwilling to undo the bind I didn’t agree to.

Our eyes meet, and I can’t help but smile. “It’s a shame you’re going to have to cut this to get it off when…” I trail off, annoyed at myself that I even brought it up. He can’t expect me to wear his wedding ring after we’re divorced, after our little agreement is over. I have to admit, though, that I’m a little sad it’ll have to be destroyed to get it off. It’s probably better that way, though. I know myself and I’d definitely slip it back on when I missed him, and that’s not healthy for my sanity. Not that anything in my life is at this point, either.

“Maybe I’ll cut your finger off. It is a pretty ring,” he replies, his hazel eyes twinkling with playfulness. Despite the banter, I sense something deeper hidden beneath his gaze.

“I wish I could say I knew you were kidding.” I glare at him, but it just makes him grin wider. Penn Blackwood is definitely the type to dangle my finger from his rearview mirror and not bat an eyelash. Or maybe it would become the keychain for his bike key. There’s something in the way he’s looking at me right now that “What are you scheming?” I ask, allowing my curiosity to get the better of me. Penn is always a puzzle, a deliciously dangerous one that I can’t resist trying to solve. I’m delusional enough to think I’m the only one who can.

He smirks, bringing my hand up to his mouth to brush his lips across my skin in a way that is so gentle it sends chills all over my entire body. “I was just thinking about how well this ring suits you. Almost like I had it specifically made for your hand and that it should never come off.”

My cheeks flush at the unexpected compliment, and I try to hide my vulnerability behind a snarky retort. “You think so? It’s a shame it doesn’t come with a matching set of handcuffs.”

“Who says it doesn’t?” Penn counters, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. I laugh but can’t shake the feeling that there’s more on his mind.

“Seriously, though,” I press, my eyes searching his face for any hint of what he’s truly pondering. It sounds silly because our whole relationship has been based on Penn hiding things from me, but if he’s found something out about Graham that I don’t know yet, I don’t want him to have to handle all of that on his own. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” he assures me, leaning in to place a tender kiss on my forehead. I both love and hate when he does it. It feels too intimate, which is saying a lot because he’s damn near been wrist deep inside of me. Penn shifts with a chuckle, rolling over on top of me like a steamroller and pressing me into the mattress.

As I run my hands down his back, moving fluidly up to caress the back of his neck, I know there’s a darkness within him, a hidden well of pain and rage that he fights to keep contained, but he lets me in to see his depths sometimes. I think that’s one of the things I’ll remember most about my time spent with him.

Penn pulls back and his fingers gently brush my cheek, drawing me out of my thoughts and back to the present moment. His eyes hold mine, neither of us unable to disengage.

“I wish I could stay here all day,” he murmurs, pressing his lips softly against mine. The taste of him sends a shiver down my spine, and I long for more—but it seems he has other plans. “I need to go visit Graham at the hospital while everyone else is in class. He’s been asking for me and then I need to go see Declan at the gym. He’s got an issue that I’m uniquely qualified to handle.”

“Of course,” I reply, trying not to let disappointment cloud my voice. I know how much Penn’s brother means to him, and I would never stand in the way of family. I’m not even going to touch on the whole Declan thing. He’s as fucking bat shit crazy as Penn is and honestly, if he was a Blackwood than I would be seriously concerned for this family. They can only handle one of Penn and Ramsey is bad enough as his mini me.

“Stay in bed and fucking chill, okay?” he urges, brushing a stray strand of hair from my face. “You had a long night,” he grins because he knows that he’s the reason for my strenuous night.

“Don’t forget to miss me,” I say, offering him a teasing smile that doesn’t quite reach my eyes. I have a weird feeling, like something bad is going to happen. I try to shake it away because I suspect I’m growing more attached to this man than I ever thought possible.

“Cross my heart,” he promises, making a playful ‘X’ over his chest before planting one more searing kiss on my lips. With a final, lingering touch, he slips out of bed, quickly dresses and heads for the door.

Sighing, I snuggle back under the covers, allowing the scent of him and the warm blankets to cocoon me.

It takes me a while to relax after Penn leaves, but finally I doze off. An incessant ringing jars me awake and I fumble to grab it off the nightstand. My heart skips a beat as I squint against the sudden brightness of the screen, noticing it’s been two hours since Penn left. Reese’s name flashes across the display, and my breath catches in my throat.

“Reese?” I rasp, my voice thick with worry as I press the phone to my ear. “What’s wrong?”

“Reagan!” she cries, her voice high and frantic. “There’s this guy here at school. He’s trying to take me away!”

“Trying to take you…what the fuck?” Panic claws at my chest, threatening to steal my breath. “Where are you right now? The exact location, Reese.”

“Outside the main building! I was just leaving class, and he grabbed me, tried to pull me into his car!” Reese’s words tumble out in a desperate rush, her fear palpable even through the static crackle of the line. “I managed to break free, but he said he’s friends with Dad. He’s on the phone with him, and he’s still here! He’s watching me!”

“Reese, listen to me.” My voice is firm, my protective instincts kicking into overdrive. “Get inside, lock the doors. Do not tell anyone. Not a teacher, no one. You don’t know what Dad has told them. You need to hide out until I can get there.”

“Okay. Okay,” she stammers, her breathing ragged and uneven. “He’s really old. Like forty or something.”

“I’m coming. I promise. Just be as quiet as you can.” My heart races as I scramble out of bed. I shove my feet into my boots before I’m out of the bedroom. The sense of urgency builds with every passing second, my blood thrumming in my ears dulling my other senses.

I’m running on instinct as the memory of my own abduction slams into me like a freight train, the smell of stale cigarettes and fetid breath pervading my senses.

“Fuck,” I swear under my breath, my pulse pounding in my ears as panic seizes me whole. Every cell in my body screams to protect Reese, my sweet little sister who deserves none of this darkness, as I freeze with my own anxiety.

“Reagan, please hurry!” Reese’s voice is a desperate plea through the phone, her ragged breathing tearing at my heart. I need to reach her before it’s too late, before history repeats itself. This is all my fault. Ashley isn’t available, so Dad is throwing Reese to the wolves. He’s fucking punishing me.

“Listen to me, Reese.” My tone is both assertive and calming, a desperate attempt to keep her breathing steady and her mind focused. “I’m coming, okay? Just stay on the line, keep talking to me.”

“Okay, Reagan,” she whispers back, her voice sounding far too fragile, and the sound rips at my heartstrings.

“Is he still there?” I ask, forcing myself to take deep breaths as I sprint down the hallway, my feet barely touching the ground in my haste.

“Y-Yes, he’s across the street. He’s just…watching.” Fear laces her every word, and it fuels the fire burning within me.

“Stay inside,” I command, my voice steady, honed by years of facing Dad head-on. “I’ll be there soon, I promise.”

“I will,” she repeats, her voice gaining a trace of my strength. “I trust you.”

“Good,” I reply. My mind is a whirlwind of panic.

But then I hear her scream and the line goes dead. I barrel down the hallway, grabbing the keys to the Escalade off of the entryway table and gripping them so tightly that they dig into my palm, their metallic edges imprinting themselves onto my skin. As I round the corner, my phone slips from my trembling hand, clattering to the floor with a sickening crack.

“Shit,” I hiss under my breath, but there’s no time to stop and retrieve it. Reese needs me now, more than ever, and every second counts.

I burst through the front door into the cold air, my boots pounding against the pavement as I sprint toward the SUV. The familiar rumble of an engine roars to life as I jam the key into the ignition, the weight of urgency heavy in my chest.

The tires screech against the asphalt as I peel out of the driveway, my knuckles white on the steering wheel as the image of my sister brands itself in my mind. I only have one goal here and that’s getting to her.

I know that she’s stronger than she appears. She’s my little sister and we St. Pierre women are made of goddamn titanium, regardless of what my father thinks. My lips quirk into a bitter smile despite the terror seizing my heart as I rifle through the center console, feeling for any weapons the Blackwoods may have stored.

I should have grabbed something before I left. I should have called Penn. There are so many things I could have, should have done, but I can’t dwell on them because I’m my sister’s only shot.