“What’s going to happen to him?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“Nothing he doesn’t deserve.” Raphael pockets his phone before carrying over a glass of water and two small white pills. “Take these. One will stop any infection, the other will stop it from hurting.”
Obediently, I swallow down the pills and pour the contents of the glass down my throat. The pills feel sticky and unpleasant, but I can feel the pain easing off in minutes while Raphael steps outside to make a quick phone call. I’m curious to find out more, but I know I shouldn’t ask – it will make me complicit in whatever is about to happen to my stepfather.
Not that I don’t want Davis to get fucking hurt – the prick deserves it. I just wish I hadn’t gotten Raphael involved. He surely doesn’t need my drama, and is probably already regretting inviting me up here.
Once Raphael comes back inside, he gives me a thunderous look. “Your parents know where you are?”
Wordlessly, I shake my head and he groans, running his hand through his salt-and-pepper hair.
“We need to get you home, Willa.”
“No.” I plead with him silently as our eyes meet. “Please, Raphael. I can’t bear being yelled at by my parents right now.”
“They need to know you’re safe or they’ll be worried sick, trouble.”
I don’t answer, just bite down on my bottom lip hard enough to taste blood.
Raphael kneels before me, gently making me release my lip from the vice-like grip I have on it.
“Don’t hurt yourself,” he mutters softly. “Not anymore. I’m going to help you, okay?”
I nod weakly.
“But first, you need to let your parents know that you’re okay. Send a text to your mom, alright, trouble?”
I groan at the thought, but he gently encourages me until I pull out my phone. I have dozens of missed calls, and my fingers shake as I fire off a text to Dove letting her know I’m safe and I’ll be home the next day. She instantly calls me, but I turn off my phone and place it on the coffee table in Raphael’s office.
“Good girl,” he mutters.
This time, the words don’t give me that horrible icky feeling like they did when Davis uttered them. Instead, they feel warm, welcoming and kind, like a hug.
Raphael takes my hands in his and kisses them, though his expression is darkened by anger. “Now, what are we going to do about you disobeying me, trouble?”
Chapter 10
Raphael
I stare up into Willa’s face, feeling a cocktail of emotions.
I’m angry, yes. Angry because of the prick that hurt her in the past, but he will never get his filthy paws on my girl again. Not after Dylan’s done with him.
I’m also disappointed something this shitty had to happen for her to come and find me.
But now is not the time or place to get mad at my girl. I need to make her feel safe and wanted. I can tell how shaken up she is from what happened; her hands are trembling on her lap and her eyes are wildly flitting across the room, looking for a way to get out in case she has to.
And then there’s something else – something I’ve been doing my best to ignore.
My cock is still hard from watching her video earlier. I never got to finish. Keeping my composure around the object of my obsession is going to be really fucking hard. I’m already fighting a battle with myself, trying not to bend her over my desk and bury my cock to the hilt in her sweet pussy while she begs me to stop.
I shake my head to get the thought out, picking myself up from the floor and pacing the room in front of her.
“Do you want a drink, something to eat?” I ask her, my caretaking role instantly taking over. “You did eat today, didn’t you?”
She nods weakly. “I ate. It’s fine. I’m not hungry. I just... I just don’t want to go home yet. Can I stay here for a while?”
Battling with myself, I try to come up with an answer. I shouldn’t say yes, shouldn’t encourage her to spend more time with me. Especially after having called Nox – Willa will hate me once she finds out about that. She still doesn’t know about my connection with her parents, either.
“Yeah, you can stay.”
The words leave my lips before I can rethink them. There’s no time to regret what I’ve said either, as Willa throws her arms around my neck and holds me close. I inhale her scent – sweet cherries and dark chocolate. She’s so fucking intoxicating it makes my head spin.
"Thank you." Willa's bottom lip trembles as she makes eye contact with me. "I'm so grateful."
My heart breaks for her. She has nothing to be grateful for. I'm a possessive prick that only wants her to stay so I can tether her to myself even more. I'm eager to make her as addicted to me as I am to her. I want to keep her on a leash, only letting her walk as far as I can see her. I want to fucking own her.