“No,” I cut in. “I should have been there to take care of her myself. Maybe then she wouldn’t be trying to fucking leave me right now.”
“Do you want me to come speak to her?” Nova offered.
I looked up at Delaney, who was watching me intently, her eyes glued to my mouth. “No,” I turned my head and spoke into the phone, keeping Delaney from seeing my lips as they moved. “I’ll get this straightened out. But make Aunt Gracie understand that if Delaney shows up at the shelter, she needs to tell her they don’t have any beds available.”
Nova gasped. “Max! No. I won’t do it. If Delaney leaves, then she needs somewhere she will feel safe. Right now, it’s obvious she doesn’t trust any of us. I won’t be a part of taking that option away from her.”
“Fine,” I muttered, fighting back a round of curses. “I’ll call Jack and tell him.”
“Stop it, Max,” Nova hissed. “Do you want her to trust you or not? Because if I were her, I definitely wouldn’t at the moment. This is not how you keep people you care about. You’re supposed to be open and honest. And if they don’t want to be around you because they’re hurt or angry, you let them have a moment—or a freaking week—to themselves if that’s what they need.”
She was right, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t make it harder for my treasure to leave me. I wasn’t known for playing fair, and I sure as fuck wouldn’t change now when I was fighting to keep the one person I knew I couldn’t live without.
“Have fun in New York, Nova,” I told her. “See you at the end of the summer.”
“Asshole,” I heard her grumble before I ended the call.
Instead of calling my cousin Jack, I texted him. Before I even had time to look back at Delaney, I got a confirmation from him that he would take care of it should the situation arise.
Pocketing my phone, I turned my gaze on my girl, only to find her beautiful face had completely shut down. I couldn’t read anything she was feeling in her eyes, her normally expressive face closed off. I knew she couldn’t have heard what I’d just told Nova, and my mouth had been covered so she couldn’t read my lips. I’d kept the screen of my phone out of her line of vision, so I knew she didn’t read the text I’d sent to my cousin or his reply.
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
She pushed me back and got to her feet. “I think I’ll take my chances at the shelter after all.”
“Fuck!” I bellowed, and I was thankful she couldn’t hear me because I probably would have scared her.
I caught her around the waist with one arm before she even got to the door. The noises that left my throat sounded like those of a wounded animal, and I wasn’t completely sure that I wasn’t. Just the thought of her leaving was enough to make my entire body shake as agony spread through my veins like poison.
Dropping her on the bed, I followed her down, already ripping her T-shirt down the middle. She couldn’t leave if she didn’t have anything to wear. I would start with the clothes she had on, and once I’d fucked her into a coma, I would destroy everything else so she wouldn’t be able to so much as step outside.
Delaney’s mouth fell open in shock as I tossed her ruined shirt over my shoulder. Grabbing her bra, I tore it apart, sending the shredded material flying as well. Her breathing picked up, coming in heavy pants. But I didn’t see fear in her eyes. They were ablaze with need, her nipples diamond hard as her tits strained toward me, practically begging for my attention.
I was rough as I undid her jeans and peeled them off her body. I’d deal with them as soon as she was asleep. Maybe I would put all her clothes in a pile and burn them. Whatever the fuck I had to do in order to keep my treasure, I wouldn’t hesitate to accomplish.
But first, I needed to feel her clenching around my cock as she came over and over again for me.
Dipping my fingers into each side of her already soaked panties, I twisted the digits and heard the satisfying tear as they practically disintegrated with just a little exertion.
Not daring to waste time, I tore open my pants and pushed them and my boxer briefs down my hips just enough to free my aching cock. Reaching into the bedside drawer, I grabbed a condom and sheathed myself before thrusting into her tight pussy.
“Yes!” Delaney cried out, her body bowing in pleasure as she scraped her nails down my back so hard, I felt blood dripping in their wake. I knew my grin must have been predatory, but she was too lost in the sensations only I’d ever given her.
“Max,” she moaned my name, clinging to me like I was her lifeline. “So…close.”
Her walls were already clenching my cock like a tight fist, her entire body convulsing from the force of her first orgasm, but I didn’t let up. I wanted her so sedated she couldn’t keep her eyes open.
My own release tried to sneak up on me, but I bit down on my
