The next two days were awful.

McCloud brought in Daniella and Clark Snowe, now sixteen and nineteen, and twisted everything they remembered into support of my father’s defense. They’d both been in tears by the time their testimonies had been done.

Then he’d called Willis Jacobe himself.

My father hadn’t testified in the first trial. His lawyer’d had a hard time keeping my dad quiet in the courtroom. There would’ve been no telling what he would’ve said or done. Or that had been what everyone had assumed.

Now, I wondered if it’d been because he hadn’t wanted people thinking my father was crazy and wondering why that hadn’t been the defense’s position all along.

I’d listened in horror as he’d described what ‘actually’ happened. How my mother had told him that she was pregnant with another man’s child, that she was leaving us. He’d left to deal with the pain of her infidelity and to think about what to do next. When he came back, he’d found my mother dead, and me in the neighbors’ house with their kids locked in the bathroom and two more bodies on the floor. He never came out and said that I’d done it, but the implication was there.

And that had been the entire point. To create the ‘reasonable’ doubt that the jury needed to find him not guilty.

Closing arguments happened yesterday after lunch, and then the jury had been sent out to start deliberations. I wasn’t sure which was worse, listening to my father lie about my mother and what he did or waiting to see if twelve strangers were still able to see the truth.

Even with Jalen at my side, I’d barely slept last night, and now, I kept pacing in the little alcove where we waited to hear if the jury had a verdict yet. If they didn’t come back today, I’d go nuts. Plain and simple. I couldn’t handle waiting an entire weekend to find out what they decided. The only thing worse than waiting would be if they couldn’t decide at all.

I stopped, rubbing my temples. “Please don’t let it be a hung jury,” I mumbled.

“Rona?” Jalen put his hands on my shoulders. His thumbs dug into my shoulders, kneading the knots there.

I moaned, dropping my head forward. He leaned closer, letting me feel the heat of his body, a physical reminder that he’d been with me, here, through all of it. The feel of him sent a wave of warmth through me.

He pitched his voice low so only I could hear him. “I love hearing you moan like that.”

I closed my eyes. Jalen had been amazing these last couple days. He’d never once pushed for anything more physical than comforting touches. He held me when we slept, and inevitably, he’d get hard, but he never took advantage of me. He’d been exactly what I needed.

“Rona.” Vijay appeared. “The jury’s back.”

Jalen reached down and took my hand as Clay stepped beside me. The two men had settled into what felt like an uneasy truce. Clay was waiting for Jalen to screw up again, and Jalen didn’t quite believe that all Clay wanted was friendship. I didn’t bother trying to set either of them straight. Only time would prove what was true. Fortunately, they weren’t asking me to choose sides. If they ever did that, both of them would lose.

The three of us made our way back to the courtroom, sitting down behind Vijay’s table. My stomach twisted in knots, and I squeezed Jalen’s hand until he winced.

“Sorry,” I whispered, loosening my grip.

“It’s okay,” he said with a smile. “I get it.”

My father entered and took his place next to his lawyer. The bailiff entered and called us all to order. The judge and jury came in, the tension in the room shifting as they did. While re-trying this case wasn’t exactly headlining nationally, it was big enough in our area that everyone was waiting to see what happened.

Everyone, including the families of my father’s other victims. I hadn’t been able to even look at them. They didn’t blame me, I knew. They’d all been there the first time we’d done this dance, and they knew what my father had done to me. They knew how much I’d tried to stop him.

But I hadn’t been able to do enough.

Maybe that was why I’d felt so much responsibility back then. And still felt it today. It was my way of making amends. At least as best as I could.

“I understand you’ve reached a verdict,” the judge said as the first juror stood.

“We have, Your Honor.”

“On the first count, in the murder of Dana Jacobe, how do you find the defendant?”

“Guilty.”

Everyone let out a breath.

“On the second count, in the murder of Annabeth Khaled, how do you find the defendant?”

“Guilty.”

The dark-haired woman sitting on the other side of Clay let out a strangled sob. She was Mrs. Khaled’s daughter, Gwen. She’d gotten married last year.

“On the third count, in the murder of Darcy Fitzsimmons, how do you find the defendant?”

“Guilty.”

Darcy’s mom started to cry, and Mr. Fitzsimmons put one arm around her.

“On the fourth count, in the attempted murder of Rona Quick, how do you find the defendant?”

“Guilty.”

Clay put his hand on my shoulder, and Jalen squeezed my hand. It was done. The lesser charges that had been a part of the first case hadn’t been made part of the appeal in order to streamline things. Those didn’t matter. He’d been found guilty of the four counts that mattered. He’d spend the rest of his life in prison, where he belonged.

Most people would think that I’d be happy right then, but all I really felt was a sense of relief. It was over. I could go back to Colorado without any unfinished business here. My past was completely behind me, and I could move on.

Starting with my relationship with Jalen.

Jalen was stretched out on the bed when I got out of the shower. He hadn’t asked why I’d felt the need to take one when it was still early and all we’d done after court was get something to eat, and I didn’t offer an explanation. Part of it was almost symbolic, a way of cleansing myself of the past, but another part was the need for some solitude while I figured out exactly how I wanted to approach things with Jalen.

By the time I finished, I decided that straightforward would be the best approach. Which was why I was now standing next to the bed, my towel wrapped around me, my stomach in knots.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done this week.”

Jalen turned to look at me, his eyes widening when he saw what I wasn’t wearing. He pushed himself up on his elbows but didn’t say a word.

“And I’m sorry. I’m not saying what you did before was okay, but it was wrong of me to expect you to accept everything with a smile. I should have made it clear that it was okay if you needed time to adjust.”

He shook his head. “What you went through–”

“Is in the past,” I interrupted. “And that’s where I want to keep it. No more looking back at what we did or said. We’ve made our apologies, and I don’t want to dwell on any of it. I think we have something amazing here, and I don’t want to lose it because I held on to something I should have let go.”

He moved across the bed until he was kneeling in front of me. “I don’t want to lose you either.”

I let the towel drop, heat flushing my skin as Jalen devoured me with his gaze.

“Are you sure?”

I could hear the need in his voice, see it on his face, but he’d proven this week that he could put my needs above his own. If I told him that I didn’t want him to touch me, he wouldn’t.

“I’m sure,” I said as I reached out. I carefully unbuttoned his shirt, surprised that my hands were steady. “No more lies or half-truths. I want us to be honest with each other about who we are and what we want. I want us to be able to trust each other with everything.”

He caught my hands as I finished the last button. “I want that too.” He raised my hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “I will probably fuck up again. You can pretty much count on it. But I will try every day to be the man you deserve.”

I leaned forward and brushed my lips across his. “That right there is more important than a false promise of perfection.”

He smiled at me. “Does that mean I get a reward?”

I smiled back as I pushed his shirt off his shoulders. “I think one can be arranged.”

My hands moved across his broad shoulders and down his arms, his muscles firm under my palms. Back up again and then across to his chest. I went slower this time, exploring each dip and curve. Just enough hair to show that he didn’t wax or shave, but not so much that it took away from the work of art that was his body. I could see the definition of muscle in his pecs, his abs, but he wasn’t so cut that it looked unnatural. He’d been blessed with good genes and took care of himself, but not so fanatically that he obsessed over working out. Some women might like the bulging muscles and veiny arms, but in my mind, Jalen’s body was perfection.

I scraped a nail across a nipple, and it tightened. I did it to the other one, and Jalen muttered a curse. I smiled and ran my fingers down his abs to the dark hair below his bellybutton. I loved how men’s bodies, with their v-grooves and their happy trails, blatantly pointed to the body part they prized the most.

I leaned forward and used my tongue to trace circles around one nipple, then the other. My hands were busy undoing his pants when he put his hand on the back of my head, applying pressure until I realized what he wanted. I worked over the sensitive skin with tongue and teeth, biting harder and harder until his entire body jerked.

“Fuck, Rona,” he groaned.

His hand tightened in my hair, pulling on it until I released his nipple with a wet sound. His mouth slammed into mine, and he wrapped his free arm around me, crushing me against his chest. I gasped, and he took advantage of my parted lips to invade my mouth, his tongue tangling with mine. He didn’t say a word, but I could feel his possessiveness in the way he held my body against his, the way his lips and teeth bruised my mouth.

My nipples hardened as his chest hair scratched the sensitive skin, and I moaned, nails digging into his hips as I tried to pull him closer. I growled in frustration as his pants got in the way.

“You’re wearing too many clothes,” I protested as I pulled away.

He tried to grab me, but I’d refocused my attention on getting him naked as quickly as possible. I finished unzipping him and grabbed the waistband of his pants and underwear, yanking them both down to his knees. I ran my hands up his thighs, then back around to his ass. Damn, I loved his ass. One of my neighbors in Hell’s Kitchen used to say that someone’s ass was, “So tight I could bounce a quarter off it.” I wasn’t sure that was actually possible, but if it could’ve been on anyone’s ass, it’d be his.

Then there was his cock. Thick enough that when he was hard, I couldn’t wrap my fingers around it. Over average in length, but not too long. Some women might like that their man hit their cervix with every stroke, but not me. In theory, if the conditions were just right, it would spark off a whole other sort of orgasm, but I wasn’t exactly itching to try. He could make me come hard enough to see spots without that particular maneuver.

I put my hand on his chest and pushed. He let himself fall backward, and I wasted no time removing his pants the rest of the way. Now that he was completely and wonderfully naked, I climbed up onto the bed as well. He watched me as I moved up his body until I was straddling his thighs. I kept my eyes locked on his as I grasped his cock and held it in place. I lifted up, maneuvering myself bit by bit until I was able to place the tip of him at my entrance.

I was wet enough that the head slipped right into me, but the rest had to be done at a much slower pace. I wasn’t nearly ready enough.

“You’re too fucking tight,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Like a fucking vice.”

I dug my nails into his stomach as I dropped another inch. “Fuck, J! Fuck! Dammit!”

“Does that help?” he asked, a strangled laugh escaping.

I glared at him. “You’re not exactly small, asshole.”

He grinned and slid his hands up the backs of my thighs to my ass. I sucked in a breath as one finger slipped between my cheeks. He rubbed the tip of his finger against the puckered muscle but didn’t try to push inside.

“One day, I’m going to discover how it feels to be inside your ass.”

He sounded so sure of himself that I almost nodded in agreement before common sense clicked in, and I thought about what it might feel like to have Jalen’s huge cock trying to fit into that virgin territory.

“You can barely fit in my pussy,” I said breathlessly. He was half-way inside now, and my body felt like it was being split in half.

Oral sex would’ve made this a hell of a lot easier.

“Have you ever done it before?”

I shook my head and started to reach down to play with my clit. He grabbed my hand, stopping me, and then replaced my hand with his.

“I can make you want it,” he said, his finger making firm circles over my asshole as his other fingers played with my clit.

“How?” I grunted as I took another inch.

“I’d have you lay on your stomach, and I’d start with my tongue. Get you nice and wet.” My muscles fluttered as he sank a little lower, and he cursed before continuing, “Have you ever been rimmed before?”

I shook my head. I’d never even considered it.

“I’ll show you how it’s done. Lick you open, then slide a finger inside. Just one to start with, but it’ll feel huge at first. I’ll go slow, letting you get used to it as I work in spit and lube.”

The fingers on my clit moved faster, rubbing back and forth, then in a circle, and he watched my face with an intensity that made me shiver.

“When you’ve just gotten used to one finger, I’ll push a second one in, twisting and stretching. It’ll burn, giving you little twinges of sharper pain, but I’ll start working your clit then.”

His fingers pressed down on my clit, sending a rush of liquid over his cock, allowing me to slip lower on him until only an inch remained. If I hadn’t taken all of him before, I might’ve doubted that I could now.

“Good girl,” he murmured as I gasped and squirmed on top of him. His fingers were doing amazing things to my clit, and my pussy felt impossibly full in this position. “Do you think I’ll be able to make you ready with just two fingers, or should I plan to use a third?”

My head swam. We’d fit together fine before, and I knew it was just the difference of position and preparation making it more difficult this time, but just because he fit in my pussy didn’t mean he could fit everywhere. Could my ass really take him? I cursed as I fell the last bit, his cock lodged completely inside me.

“I think I’ll need a third finger.” His voice was rough. “Maybe you’ll ask for even more.”

More?

I opened my eyes to find him watching me.

“Maybe you’ll want more than two fingers, or even three,” he said again. “But three would be enough to make sure I didn’t hurt you but still keep you nice and tight.”

I splayed my hands out on his stomach and moved back and forth with deliberation, adjusting to the new position and how it changed the way he moved inside me. He put his hands on my hips, fingers flexing, but not pushing me to go at his pace. For the moment, he was letting me have control.

I rose up on my knees, keeping my eyes on his face as I sank back down. I swiveled my hips, leaning forward enough for the base of him to rub against my clit. Over and over I repeated the motions. Up. Down. Around. Up. Down. Around.

“You have no idea how big of a turn-on it is to watch you like this.” He slid his hands up my sides and around to cup my breasts. He pushed them together, then let them fall back to their natural position. His hands moved across my torso, fingers tracing my scar. “Does it bother you?”

“What?” A familiar tightness was starting low in my belly.

“Me touching your scar. Does it bother you?”

I shook my head. “You don’t act like it disgusts you.”

He sat up, wrapping his arms around me. He lowered his head, pressing his lips between my breasts so that he was kissing the place where the scar began. “It doesn’t. It’s a part of who you are.”

I linked my fingers behind his neck, taking advantage of the new position to move faster. I used my grip for leverage and leaned back, working my hips up and down. He put a hand on the small of my back, giving me extra support. Sweat glistened on my skin, and the only sounds in the room were of our ragged breathing and the slap of flesh on flesh as our bodies came together again and again.

His free hand moved to one of my breasts, covering it. He squeezed, and I shivered. He pinched my nipple, and I moaned. Each extra little jolt fed the fire burning deep in my belly, pushing me toward the point where it would finally consume me.

It didn’t matter that we’d only slept together a couple of times or that we hadn’t known each other that long. He knew exactly what I needed, even more than I did myself.

As I leaned farther back, his mouth replaced his hand. He took my nipple between his lips, worrying at it with his teeth. Light pressure, then increasing it more and more until the pressure became a pain, and I cried out. He licked along the scar between my breasts, then up over the soft skin until he arrived at my other nipple.

“J, please, please, please, please,” I begged. My movements were frantic now, little jerks of my hips as I desperately sought release. Breaths came in ragged sobs, and I squeezed my eyes closed, every cell straining toward climax.

“You can do it.” He wrapped his fingers around the back of my neck. “Make yourself come. Come on my cock.”

Fuck.

“That’s it, baby. Use my cock to get yourself off.” His voice had taken on this gravelly tone that made me even wetter. “Let me see those tits bounce. Fuck, you’re gorgeous. Let me see you come. You’re so fucking hot when you come.”

I shuddered, my muscles quivering as everything inside me tensed.

“Dammit!” he growled. “Keep squeezing my cock like that and I won’t last much longer.”

“Come with me,” I begged. “I want to feel you come inside me while I’m coming.”

I practically threw myself forward, grabbing at his shoulders as I ground down on him, my throbbing clit sending sparks of painful pleasure through me until I finally came with a wordless cry. He gripped me tight, body twitching against mine as he followed, emptying himself inside me.

We still had work to do on this relationship and returning to Fort Collins tomorrow wouldn’t make things any easier, but we were in this together, and I believed we could make it. Still, I was glad we’d have the night here in our little bubble, far away from the outside world.