Bethany no longer knew what was up or down.

She had lost her voice and lost the ability to think after Drake’s mind blowing finger fuck. Her brain was mush…like carrot and swede mush. Her body was a melted mass of bliss with shards of electricity still firing ecstasy from the pit of her belly to tingle up her spine. It spread warmth and burned away doubt in its wake. Even with her body partially exposed, the foreplay kept her warm.

She rolled to her side, a hum coming from her throat. She continued rubbing Drake’s hard on, her lips curving at the sounds he made. Her other hand curled around his neck bringing his mouth down to hers once more. She needed Drake. She wanted him again. And again. And again. Until he imprinted himself in her heart.

“Drake, come inside.” She looked up at his darkened brown eyes that heated her body wherever he looked.

“You don’t even have to ask.” He smiled against her lips. He righted himself and helped her bring her cable knit down over her body. “Your body is going to be the temple I worship tonight.”

Shivers of delight made her skin break into goose bumps. Her nipples puckered and heat throbbed once more between her legs. She grabbed her jeans before righting her coat. Drake’s gaze heated.

“Hassle to put it on again,” she said, her mouth twitching.

Outside the rain continued to pour. As though she knew what Drake was thinking, she gave him one determined look before they both opened their doors and sprinted to the house laughing as the rain pelted them. The solitary lamplight beside the door gave Bethany enough illumination to insert the key. Shaking off the droplets from her hair, she turned the doorknob. Drake’s arms encircled her waist from behind and his erection kept bumping her ass.

“From now on, you’re not leaving your key under the vase” Drake growled against her neck causing shivers of delight to course down her back and spread across her sex.

“It’s a pretty safe neighbourhood.” She reasoned. The door opened and they spilled into the foyer, laughing once more. Drake went back out again and took the key from under the vase.

“No more,” he said softly. His tone suddenly menacing. “You don’t even have a decent alarm, Bee. Don’t set yourself up for a home invasion.”

Fear and excitement made for a heady cocktail. Drake looked so ominous, raw and dangerous that she felt protected from whatever evil dared penetrate this cocoon. The thought that Drake was there to make damn sure she was safe just ramped up her hunger for this handsome man facing her. God, why did he have to be so sexy?

Bethany took off her coat and let her belongings fall to the floor and stepped into Drake’s arms. The door slammed behind him and he spun around to have her against the wall. He lifted her and Bethany’s legs went around his waist.

“Yes,” she breathed. Finally, Drake’s erection rubbed against her. “Let me suck you.”

“Hold that thought, Bee, because right now, I want to fuck you.” Drake panted against her neck.

Her legs gripped his waist as she shucked Drake’s jacket off his shoulders and fumbled with the buttons of his shirt just as Drake removed her jumper and latched on to one of her puckered nipples. Bethany arched, her mouth parting in a strangled cry. Drake growled and tore his shirt off his body, the buttons making flicking sounds wherever they hit. Bethany groped for his belt and undid the button of his slacks. His cock was hard, hot, and long against his boxers, the bulbous head peeking from the waistband.

Bethany’s heart stuttered, her mouth watered, her sex squeezed and ached. Oh God, she needed this. Wanted this man with all the pent-up passion she had locked away in the recesses of her soul. Like a diamond choker that rarely saw the outside of its box, the feelings she had for Drake came back in full force. Long ago she learned that the universe balanced everything out. That for every happy event, a sad one followed. It had been the belief she had learned to live with.

But this…this time with Drake. Bethany wished with all her heart that the universe would look kindly on her and not destroy what was happening between them. That luck would be by her side when it was time to come out into the open. For now…she closed her eyes in a silent prayer.

Please let this be the one to break the cycle.

All thought scattered when Drake cupped her face in his hands and kissed her thoroughly. Painfully. Roughly. Drake’s stubble abraded her skin. His teeth raked her jaw, her neck. His body invaded her space. And she wanted more.

“Drake…please now.” Her hand went between them and took Drake’s cock.

“Fuuck…” Drake rasped. “Baby…condom.”

“Hurry!”

Bethany unlocked her legs and knelt. She held Drake in her hand before swiping her tongue against his crown. She gushed at Drake’s guttural growl while he tried to tear the packet.

“Shit, baby. I can’t concentrate with you sucking my cock. Ahh…”

Bethany moaned while Drake was in her mouth. “I just wanted to see what you tasted like. Didn’t realise what I missed.” She ran her hand up and down his hard length then dipped her tongue to lave his sac before taking his cock back inside her mouth. Drake hissed, his hand on her hair, pulling it into a messy pony tail and keeping her stationary so he could push in and out of her mouth.

Bethany’s jaw ached. Drake’s girth stretched her mouth a little further and the thought of him screwing her with his length brought more heat flooding her sex. Before she could purse her lips and make suction out of her mouth, Drake withdrew and sheathed the condom in place. He helped Bethany up, holding her waist and flushing her against the wall. Bethany held on to his shoulders before an arm went around his neck. Drake devoured her mouth, his tongue intimating what he wanted to do below. He angled his shaft against her opening and Bethany felt herself become wetter. He eased in. She let go of his mouth to gasp, her cheek against his, her mouth against his ear.

“Yes, Drake…yes…”

Her eyes closed as the nerves around her opening quivered in ecstasy. She was on fire. Beautiful delicious fire that burned her, cleansed her, took her offering. Drake groaned while he continued to move, his mouth sucking and licking that sensitive place at the base of her throat.

“Baby, love your cream…fuck…”

Finally he was all in. Bethany squeezed hard. Oh Lord, Drake felt so good inside her. She needed to move, needed to feel him slide in and out of her, wanted the friction that brought both pleasure and pain. Unadulterated pressure filled her sex sending tendrils of desire up her womb, her belly, her entire body. From the centre of where they were joined, ecstasy poured over Bethany at Drake being inside her.

Drake tilted back watching her as he withdrew, a small smile lifting his lips as he slid in. Bethany couldn’t stop the increasing tempo of her breathing, welcomed the loud beating of her heart, the quivering of her inner walls as Drake claimed her. Sensation after delicious sensation washed over her as Drake pistoned into her and took her higher.

“Oh yeah, Bee. Fuck…you feel so good,” he rasped as he leaned against her neck, his hands gripping her thighs as he pinned her against the wall.

Heated breaths, skin to skin, Bethany gave in to the sheer pleasure of having Drake inside her. She searched for his mouth trying to kiss Drake and at the same time enjoying every thrust and pull of his cock inside her. The pressure was starting to build. She felt her core tense in pleasure, the sensation moving from her pampered sex up her belly and chest.

“Drake,” she gasped. “I’m going to…”

“Yeah baby, do it. Come for me.” His voice was tight yet coaxing. Sexy. Demanding. “Like what my cock is doing to your pussy?”

Bethany whimpered.

“Oh baby, this pussy is mine. No one else’s. My fingers own it, my mouth and tongue own it, my cock is its master. Got that.”

“Yes!” Oh fuck…she was going out of her mind with pleasure.

“Every. Inch. Is. Mine.” Drake gritted through this teeth. “Mine, Bethany. Understand?”

“Yyess!” Her cry ricocheted across the room. “Oh God, yes!” She couldn’t hold any longer. The bliss was too intense to just keep inside. She held on to Drake, grasping against his sweat filmed body.

“Come for me, Bethany. Hard.” With one hard thrust, he impaled her and increased the pace, slamming his hips against her thighs.

She screamed, her upper body arching away from the wall as she fell into her orgasm, her sex squeezing around Drake. Three more hard thrusts and Drake followed with a growl, a groan, a disbelieving chuckle before he stopped moving. They both trembled in the aftermath, their breathing erratic. Drake cupped Bethany’s face in both hands and kissed her deeply, their tongues continuing where their bodies left off.

Slowly, he peeled her from the wall and carried her, her legs still wrapped around his waist, towards the sofa. Bethany lay on top of him, caressing him, kissing the tatt of her name over and over again and licking his body the same way he was doing to her. She had never felt so complete, so whole, so fulfilled the way she felt with Drake. It would be a memory she’d treasure in her heart and she wanted more where it came from.

 

*  *  *

 

Drake was sure of one thing. His heart was gone and went to stay beside Bethany’s where it truly belonged. Euphoria flowed through his veins that no fight in the octagon could give him. Delight eased the ache in his muscles. Love pumped blood into the beating muscle inside his chest. The first time he had sex with Bethany it was more than good.

This time, it was perfect and it scared him shitless.

He wanted to bottle this sensation up and open it when he needed Bethany and she wasn’t by his side. He wanted this moment to last for as long as it could, where nothing intruded into their world. No gym, no clusterfucks, no Bridgewater Loft men, no Amara. Just him and Bethany…okay, and the couch they were lying on.

They both sighed and groaned when Bethany slipped to his side and he was released from her sweet pussy’s embrace. He stood up.

“Where are you going?” Bethany asked sleepily.

“Going to throw this condom in the bin.”

“There’s one in the bathroom by the kitchen.” She plopped her head back on the couch.

Drake returned in less than a minute and gathered Bethany in his arms.

Fuck, this felt good.

He looked up at the ceiling of the dark house. Only the dim light coming from the foyer lamp and the occasional headlights of vehicles passing through her street dispelled the shadows that kept them hidden from the world. Muted heartbeats sounded louder than the tyres running through the wet road. Drake could sleep to that lullaby as long as Bethany was with him.

His eyelids closed at Bethany’s fingers running across his chest in a gentle caress. He placed an arm behind his head and around Bethany’s shoulders. His chest relaxed at the soft fullness of her breast against his side. His hand swept against the length of her arm and down her back. His fingers trailed gooseflesh over the curve of her waist down her shapely thigh lying over his own. He squeezed her perky butt.

“Perfect.” He exhaled.

“What is?” Her head moved. Drake felt her gaze on him.

“You. Your body,” he said. “Just fucking perfect.”

She laughed softly causing his cock to stir. It wasn’t helping that she kept trailing her fingers up and down his body.

She rose.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Uh hello…I’m sure you noticed that I’ve not eaten.”

Drake grinned. “You had my cock in your mouth.”

He saw the seductive way her mouth lifted.

“I like sucking your dick, Drake. I just don’t like cutting it up and making it into a hotdog sandwich.”

“Ouch! Bee!” He cupped himself, his cock deflating at the thought.

Her laugh sent a bolt of pleasure up his spine and speared his soul.

“What can I say? My imagination runs wild when I’m hungry.”

The sofa’s leather creaked as she knelt and stood walking to the door naked with so much confidence it made Drake want to take her again. Bethany pulled on her cable knit leaving her legs bare before grabbing the bag of food by the door. She switched the light on in the kitchen, casting it in a warm glow. Drake shucked his legs into his jeans, zipped up but left the waistband unbuttoned. Returning to the living room, he checked the blinds. Good, they were closed enough for privacy. No way was Bethany going to display her assets to the world. His lips flattened. He was going to get Bethany one of those monitored alarm systems. Just thinking about her and Amara alone without a suitable alarm system gnawed a gaping hole of worry in Drake’s gut.

“Want to share my burrito?” The paper bag crackled when Bethany took out the wrapped meal.

“No you have it. I’ve eaten already remember?” He moved away from the windows and ambled towards her, his hands planted on his hips.

“I’ve got some wine, cheese and grapes. There’s beer there too.” Bethany suggested after taking a bite of her food.

“What’ll you have?”

“Beer.”

He turned halfway to the fridge taking out two bottles of San Miguel. He watched her eat while he drank his beer. His gaze locked on her lips, her tongue when it swiped the food from the side of her mouth. His groin tightened at the sight of her legs and the heat between them, his imagination filled with what he wanted to do to her, with her.

He sat beside her, leaning his arms on the kitchen counter. He tipped his beer, swallowing the chilled alcohol that fizzled down his throat. He shot a sideways glance at her.

“So what have you been doing this whole time?” God, he hoped Bethany didn’t clam up. In a gentler voice, “I just need to know Bee. I searched everywhere I could think of for you. It never crossed my mind you’d change the colour of your hair.”

Bethany’s chewing slowed, more deliberate as though she was trying to pulverize the food inside her mouth. Drake knew she was thinking of what to say. He could imagine the wheels of her mind turning. She didn’t answer. Drake looked straight ahead, an ache forming in his chest. Would he have to find out from another source what she had been up to?

Bethany took several sips from her bottle before putting down her half eaten food on the branded wrapper.

“After you left, I left too,” she began. She kept her eyes lowered. Her exhale was slow, deliberate. “There was no point in staying if I couldn’t even get from one classroom to another without getting taunted because I was deaf.” She let out a soft laugh. We never really belonged did we?”

Drake’s smile was brief. His outer demeanour was calm and attentive when in reality, he fumed, wanted to turn back time and hurt those who made life miserable for Bethany.

She picked at her food, pinching a mushroom to pop into her mouth. She chewed slowly. “I transferred to a different school. The kids there were better, nicer. Dad found another job and he thrived but after a while we had to move again and I had to leave school.”

“Why?” Drake gazed at her profile drinking in everything he loved about her face. But she looked away towards the glass doors leading to the rain soaked garden. Drake angled his head to search her face. “Bee?”

She swung her head back to him, her hair flicking over her shoulder at the speed. The smile on her mouth looked forced and didn’t reach her eyes. Drake felt a frown plough his forehead.

“Dad was transferred to another branch of the company close to Ellesmere Port.” The words rushed out of her. “So I had to leave school again.”

Drake faced her, an elbow resting on the back of the breakfast stool while his other hand held his beer on the counter. Bethany didn’t face him completely, her delectable body suddenly tense.

“Bethany?”

“Yeah?”

“That’s not the whole truth is it?”

She chuckled. “There may have been times you caught me not telling you everything in the past Drake, but it’s different now.”

“Is there something you want to tell me?” Drake searched her face but it looked as though a part of her was now closed, allowing him to see the part that didn’t show what was truly in her heart and soul.

“That’s it.” She lifted a nonchalant shoulder before taking several draws from her bottle. “What about you? What happened after your father made you go?”

Drake pursed his lips before taking a gulp from the beer bottle. He didn’t answer. His parent’s betrayal still hurt.

Bethany crestfallen look searched his face.

“When I asked your mum where you were, she couldn’t tell me.”

Drake snorted, the bitter memory turning to bile in his throat. “How could she? She didn’t stop Dad from doing what he did.”

“Oh Drake.” Bethany bit down on her bottom lip as she reached out and placed a hand on his chest.

Drake’s jaw clenched at her touch. His skin absorbed her warmth, drawing strength from it.

“Yeah, well…”

“Didn’t they even try to look for you?”

That question dredged up a lot of painful memories but Drake vowed he’d tell Bethany everything. He owed her that much after leaving her to the vipers.

“No they didn’t. Even if they did, I doubt if they’d have found me.” He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. He relived the difficult times he vowed he’d never go back to. “I didn’t know where to go, whom to go to. I was scared out of my mind, didn’t have money. I stole so I could eat, fought so I could have a place to stay. I became bad, Bee. Really fucking bad and hoped something good came out of it.”

Bethany remained quiet. Drake couldn’t stop.

“Once someone beat me up so bad to get to the money I had for food. I thought I was going to die then.”

Bethany gasped.

“My only regret was not ever seeing you again to tell you how sorry I was for leaving you.” He glanced at her, a humourless smile on his mouth. “Well, I didn’t die. I got patched up. Healed then trained to be a cage fighter.”

“Who saved you? The police?”

Drake barked out a laugh. “Unless I got murdered, no one would know I existed. Even the police.”

Bethany pursed her lips. “Who Drake?”

“Miles.”

Her eyes widened. “Coach Miles?” She huffed an amazed laugh.

Drake chuckled. “Yeah. Funny isn’t it?”

“Where? How?”

“He was out with a few friends when he happened to see me being beaten up.” Drake reached for his bottle but found it empty.

“Help yourself.” Bethany nudged her chin at the fridge.

Drake stood.

“So he saw you,” Bethany prodded. “He knew it was you?”

Drake popped the cap. “No,” he shook his head. “He and his friends ran after the ones kicking me to an inch of my life. Fucktards thought they’d be able to hit on Miles but they got beaten up pretty bad by the coach’s friends. Cage fighters all of them. They took me to the hospital, Miles took responsibility for me. Apparently, he had been looking for me after I was forced to leave. The odds of him finding me were one out of a hundred maybe. But he did. We’ve been together ever since.”

Bethany’s face softened. “He did have a soft spot for you.”

“As he did you, Bee.” Drake trailed a finger down her face delighting in the softness of her skin. “He reported Tabler and his misfits to the head teacher and so many times… The head teacher said it was bloody fucking child’s play. Tabler was being protected.”

“Can we talk about something else?” The words rushed out of Bethany. She suddenly stood went around the counter to throw the wrapper and the paper bag in the bin.

“Bee?”

Her shoulders slumped. “It just brings up too many things best left behind.”

Something bothered Drake but he couldn’t put a finger to it. Guilt was an asshole waiting to stab him in the back every time he thought of the day he left.

He walked to Bethany and embraced her from behind. He inhaled her scent, their scent of love making. Peace filled him.

“We won’t talk about it anymore.” He kissed her shoulder then her neck then sucked on her earlobe. The shudder that went through her made him grin. “I’m sorry.”

“No…no…don’t be.” She turned in his arms and her own arms went around his neck. “We can’t forget that. If we do then we lose sight of what we’ve become and what we’ve achieved.”

She tiptoed at the same time bringing his head down for a kiss so soft and sweet Drake tightened his hold on her and didn’t want to let her leave his arms.

“We’re here now,” she whispered against his mouth. Drake was drowning in her eyes. “Making up is much better. Love me tonight, Drake. Make me forget.”

How could he say no to the woman who had his heart from the moment she walked up to him when no one else dared to? He was going to love her as she asked. He was going to protect her. Keep her safe. Keep her daughter safe. This was a chance at redemption. No way was he going to fucking blow it.

 

*  *  *

 

“What are you doing tomorrow?”

The sheets rustled as Bethany rested her chin on Drake’s chest. Dawn had broken but it was still dark outside. Bethany was a whole lot of sore by the time Drake carried her upstairs to her room. Crawling underneath the covers, Drake had spooned her while they slept before claiming her again only half an hour ago.

Sore but cherished. She would not have it any other way.

She was going have a hell of a hard time walking.

“It’s the shop’s opening,” she murmured. Even in the shadows, Drake was still incredibly handsome.

“What shop?”

“My floral shop…well mine and Cinzia’s.” She lowered her eyes and played with the fine hairs on his chest, suddenly feeling shy. Unsure. Excitement bubbled through her veins.

“Really?” He rumbled in that sexy way, interest evident. “Where?”

“Not far from where you saw me and Amara. On Lever Street. Want to drop by? Only if you’ve got time. I mean, you don’t have to go if you can’t—” She paused, her heart knocking enough to bring the door down. Drake’s opinion mattered. Bethany wanted him to be proud of her.

She opened her mouth to speak but was waylaid when Drake rolled her on to her back, spread her legs with his knee, and settled between her thighs as he kissed her. He held himself on his arms over her. She was certified mush and putty in Drake’s arms.

“Baby, you have seriously got to learn that when it comes to you, I will drop everything and be there.”

“Even if what you have to do is very important?” she murmured against his mouth.

He leaned up. “That’s up for negotiation.”

“See.”

“With the other party,” he said, his ever hardening shaft teasing her hip. “If they can’t rearrange, they can fuck off.”

“Drake!” Her shoulders shook.

“Do you think I’d pass up the chance to be a part of something you’ve accomplished? No, Bee.” His deep voice became serious. “I’m not leaving you. No power on earth is going to take me away from you again. I intend to spend every minute, every hour, every day with you. Unless Amara says otherwise.”

Bethany’s heart melted. Adding Amara into the equation added several points in her eyes. The pale blue day allowed her to see Drake’s face and his eyes. Haunted. Pained. Remorseful. His stubble made him sexier, more fuckable. Drake kissed her palm. It was a kiss so different from the passion filled slip and slide of lovemaking tongues. It was sweet, and soft, filled with promise that broke through the wall around her heart.

“What am I going to do with you, Drake Rosen?” Her eyes took her fill of him. She just couldn’t get enough of him. If he fell asleep, she’d watch him sleep.

He kissed her knuckles and placed his forehead against hers.

“Love me, Bethany. Love me just as I love you.”

Bethany’s breath caught in her throat. Shit, she was getting emotional Her eyes squeezed shut to stop her tears from falling. This was what she had wanted to hear for so long. Now that she heard it, she didn’t know what to do. Her heart had remained opened, left  bleeding and raw. And Drake’s vow was mending it piece by painful piece.

She wriggled beneath him. He wouldn’t let go.

“No Drake, please.” Sobs shuddered through her as she turned away, curling to one side as if trying to hide and cradle the open wound in the center of her chest. The room’s cool air brushed against her and her body screamed for Drake’s warmth.

How long had she wanted to hear those words from him? How long had she also loved him even in the darkest depths of her despair of never seeing him again? Why did fate have to be so cruel to keep them apart only to make them find each other again when her secrets were what could break Drake’s heart?

“Bee,” Drake said softly, gathering her in his arms and letting her soak his chest with her tears. His callused hand rubbing warmth onto her back yet sending tingles of need down her spine. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Talk to me. We’ll weather this out. I’ll be strong for you. For us.”

That brought a fresh wave of tears and sobs that wrenched what was left of her self-preservation. Her arms incrementally moved away from her chest exposing the centre knowing that doing so, she was accepting more agony. But she needed that before she healed, right? At least she hoped so. Bethany felt as though her body had been cut open to expose her insides. Anguish was a physical ache that vibrated up and down her spine before it spread through her limbs. Aching, twisting, and squeezing every bit of sanity from her. Her life replayed itself in her mind’s eye. Every short lived happiness. Every long term heartbreak. It was all there. And Drake was taking them down, pushing those sad memories to one side while he soothed her pain away.

Drake’s strong arm supported her back. His legs entangled with hers. The heat of his body stopped her from shaking. His lips were on her hair, his voice against her ear.

Bethany never wanted to leave. It was the safest place she’d ever been in.

“If I’d known that you’d be crying a lake I would have kept my mouth shut.” Drake teased. “Ow!”

Bethany snorted through her clogged nose after she slapped Drake’s chest.

“It’s not funny.” She said thickly, reaching across him to pull tissue from the box on the bedside table.

Drake blew out a breath. “I know it isn’t, baby. But we’re here now, right? Nothing’s going to pull us apart again. I promise.”

His words brought her back the moment her life unravelled. Drake had just turned seventeen. She, just shy over fourteen. Drake was almost a man, the protector she didn’t expect. A friend when she had none. A reason to keep going, and imagining him being there beside her when she felt worthless. Drake Rosen was part of her dream that shattered when he left.

Now he was back.

Bethany burrowed further into Drake. She inhaled him. Oh God, he smelled so good. A hint of his cologne and his manly scent. And the warmth his body gave out was more than enough for Bethany to kick the duvet back. She wrapped her arm and leg around him much to Drake’s amusement. She kissed his chest. The sound he made rumbled up his chest and sent pleasant vibrations across to her. His hand trailed down her back before reaching her ass and squeezing a cheek. Releasing her for just a moment, he placed the covers back over them.

She laughed softly.

“What?” Drake stopped midway.

“I was thinking that you’re more than enough to be my blanket.”

“Baby, my arse is freezing.”

She peeled with laugher and waited while Drake arranged the covers over his butt.

She had a huge smile on her face. She’d never known contentment. Not really, except for the time she rocked Amara to sleep as a baby. She was in Drake’s arms and this was a new level of gratification. One she was in danger of getting used to.

She angled her face against his neck inhaling him again before putting a soft kiss on his throat. Drake kissed her forehead and his arm curled flushing her further against his side beneath the whisper of the duvet.

Outside, the world had awaken. Entrance doors closed, cars reversed out of driveways before engines accelerated away. Bethany’s nose tickled and she sniffed, rubbing her nose with her fist when the faint smell of petrol filled the air.

“Drake?”

“Hmmm?”

“Remember when we sat on our roof after school, I had my head on your shoulder and my arms around your waist?”

She felt his mouth curve on her head.

“Yeah, I remember.”

“And you said that we’d have to fix that so that I could have all of you?”

He didn’t speak, just nudged his head.

Bethany closed her eyes, a happy smile on her face.

“Now I do.”