We pull up to my house, and I pause when he brings the car to a stop. I haven’t asked him why he’s driving Austin’s Range Rover. I’ll ask her tomorrow. She won’t lie to me. Not like Deke will. I lick my lips nervously, trying to think of an excuse to get him to come inside, but he turns the car off.
We make our way inside silently. All the lights are off, and I know my mother is already in bed. She goes to sleep early because she starts her day before the sun ever rises. I make my way up the stairs slowly, and he’s right on my ass.
We enter my room, and I flip the light on. He makes his way to the end of my four-post bed and sits down on the peach satin comforter. I watch him unbutton his cuff links and roll up his sleeves. He wore a black button-down and black slacks, making him look so much older than I know he is. This moment feels as if we’re a married couple coming home from an anniversary dinner. Our kids at the sitter. And an endless night of me and him rolling around in our bed.
My mouth goes dry at the thought of him touching me. It’s been too long. Deke has always had this hold on me. No matter how many lies I told him, I loved him. And I know he loves me just as much. It’s just going to take a little push on my end.
“Would you like anything to—”
“No,” he interrupts me, standing.
I swallow the knot that forms in my throat when he reaches up and undoes the first button on his button-down.
Why am I so nervous? Maybe because he knows the real me. No matter what I tell him now, he’ll see right through me. And that’s terrifying.
“Stop,” he orders.
“What?” I blink.
He comes to stand in front of me. His hands go to the hem of my dress. He grips it in his fingers and slowly pulls it up my thighs. “Thinking.”
“Deke.”
“Shh,” he whispers, bringing the dress up and over my hips to expose the black lace thong that I wore just for him. He used to love it when I wore lace. It’s a pair from my mother’s line.
“Undo my pants,” he commands.
My hands go to his black belt, and I undo it quickly. I pop the button on his slacks and then the zipper. His right hand slides into my hair, and I whimper when he tilts my head back. I stiffen, afraid he may rip my throat open with his teeth. Just because I want him to love me again doesn’t mean I trust him.
“Tell me,” he whispers before peppering my neck with feather-like kisses.
“I miss you,” I say, knowing exactly what he wants to hear. It’s the same thing he told me the night he kissed me in Cole’s kitchen before we went to Silence.
“How much?” His left hand slides between my legs, and he rubs my pussy over the thin material. I’m already wet. Have been all night.
“So much,” I pant.
“Tell me to fuck you.”
My heart beats quicker at his words. He knows I don’t like the word fuck when used in reference to us. I know Deke has a dark side, but he can be the gentlest lover. He can make you feel loved and not used, but clearly, tonight is about him. I should have suspected it would go down this way. He’s still mad at me, and he’s going to make me grovel before he gives me what I want.
“Fuck me.” I choke on the words, but I feel him smile against my neck.
He’s going to win this round because I need him to think he has me right where he wants me. Enjoy it, Deke. It won’t stay this way for long.
DEMI
I pull up to my mother’s house and get out of my car. I frown when I spot Austin’s Range Rover parked in the driveway. What is she doing here this early? It’s a little after eight a.m. Doesn’t she have to take Lilly to school? Maybe she’s already dropped her off and came over here to pick up Becky to hang out for the day.
I enter the house, not caring about going unnoticed. My mother is already at work, and by the five texts she has sent me, she knows I didn’t come home last night and that I’m running late to school. I just haven’t cared to open them up to read them. I make my way up the right staircase but slow my pace when I hear Becky’s door creak open. What’s she doing up this early anyway? She stays up late and sleeps in, which makes me question why Austin is here even more.
I get my answer the very next second. She leans up against the doorframe, and Deke stands in front of her, his massive size filling the doorway. He has his right hand on her hip and his left in her hair. She smiles up at him like a fucking schoolgirl. I reach the landing and quit walking completely, but I don’t release the railing. I grip it so tight my knuckles are white.