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I eye Leo, yearning to go to him. My eyes burn, and my throat closes. "Oh, okay," I whisper. "So, you see now. We have to leave." All my anger and fierce determination fade away in a wave of bone-deep exhaustion. Seeing Leo so vulnerable cracks me open, making it hard to hide my hurt behind a wall of bitchiness and annoyance.
The tears fall. I don't use my little energy to lift my hand and swipe them away. Instead, someone else's fingers collect them and suddenly, I'm being picked up. A sob breaks free from my tattered heart that aches to stay in Jackson's arms forever.
ChapterThirty-Four
JACKSON
She will never change her mind. Rylee is in flight mode. She was frozen for too long with no way out and has learned that running is the option that works the best. Fighting this monster that beat a pregnant woman and beat the mother of his child in front of his daughter is not an option that Rylee has in her mind. She wasn’t able to fight back for so long. My girls have only ever been safe because they ran.
How am I supposed to compete with her fear and learned patterns? I may be falling in love with her, but I am still just a man she met almost two months ago. I don't have the power to change her mind. And that is a hard fucking pill to swallow when our girls are preparing to move to another state. Especially after hearing what Mason did to them.
We can't fix her trauma with a few well-placed words. We would just push her further away, and she would go willingly.
She's light as a damn feather in my arms as I walk around to the other side of the bed. Sitting beside Marcus against the headboard, I shift her so she's straddling my legs and crying against my shoulder. Leo reaches a shaky palm out and rests it against her bare leg. I'm really damn worried about him. His anxiety is bad right now, and the only way to soothe him is by offering comfort. He knows we aren't going anywhere, but Rylee and Layla leaving have him ready to hyperventilate.
"I have you, Rylee." I run my hand through her hair. The touch seems to make her sob harder, her lips and tears tickling my neck.
Jude's eyes are watery where he sits crisscross at the foot of the bed. His focus bounces between Leo and Rylee, uncertain who to go to. He shuffles closer and places himself between mine and Marc's knees. Seeing Leo has a hand on Rylee, Jude rubs Leo's thigh in return.
"Rylee, honey. We understand." Her hiccup breaks my fucking heart. "You have a little less than two weeks on this lease. Why don't you use this time to come up with a plan and give Layla time to get ready for the move?" Marcus and Jude look at me, shocked.
"B-But," Rylee stutters, keeping her head tucked into my neck. "He's coming. We-we have to leave."
"I know, baby. You have time and a brother who is keeping tabs on him. Use the opportunity to plan, okay?" We need time to come up with a plan to keep Rylee here and remove the shit stain that is her ex from their lives.
We really need to talk to Tate. I'm not sure if Mason is actually on his way here. He was off on a lead Tate's family gave him. How long till Mason finds out they are tricking him?
"Okay," Rylee whimpers.
The breath I was holding releases with a puff against her bare, injured shoulder. Her chest rises with a gasp. Unable to control myself, I pepper her black and blue skin with soft kisses. Where Rylee's chest is pressed against mine, our hearts beat faster with the rising tension in the room.
She shifts, her dress riding further up her thigh. What has my cock hardening even further is the path Leo's hand is making. Her breath stutters just as she lifts her head and looks down with pink cheeks. Blue eyes follow Leo's arm to where he's curled up on his side between Marc's thighs.
"Leo," she whimpers. In response, his pink lips pop open in awe at her breathy plea. Marc wiggles, drawing my attention to him. His pupils are blown as he watches our most vulnerable two interact. Jude moans quietly, which to my utter fucking pleasure, Rylee mimics.
"Rylee," I rumble. Her hooded eyes lazily move to mine. "Are you feeling needy, my love?"Oh shit.Thankfully, she doesn't react to my slip of the L word. Marc, on the other hand, chokes quietly and lays a hand on my hip. Her red locks tumble over her shoulders with her enthusiastic nod. "Out loud."
"I-Yes. I'm needy," she whimpers, and it absolutely undoes me. “But… Layla?”
Marcus shuffles, looking down at his other side. A moment passes before he offers Rylee a soft smile. “She’s good. Gabby said they’re going with Tate to pick up lunch. Is that okay, honey? Mason is across the country still, plus your brother knows how to kick some ass.” He winks and rubs his jaw where Tate punched him.
She nibbles on her lip and nods. "Make me forget for just a little, please?"
"Do you think Leo needs some soothing, too?" Marc's voice is deeper than I have ever heard, and now I'm positive Rylee can feel my hard cock between her thighs. She grinds on it a moment later, causing my hips to jolt.
Leo moans when Jude's hand dips beneath his waistline. "Should I help him relax, baby girl?" Jude eyes them both like he wants to eat them for every meal.
"Yes!" Rylee gasps, answering Jude's question at the same time my thumb tweaks her nipple. "Please!"
Fucking hell.
I go to pull her dress off, but she goes stiff as a board. "What's wrong?" The lust still sparks in her eyes. I have no clue why she looks so scared.
"I, um." She fiddles with the fabric. "I have stretch marks from my pregnancy. They aren't very sexy."
Snarling, I yank it up and over her head, not allowing one more moment for her to hide her beautiful fucking body from us. Her bare, ample breasts heave in my face, making my mouth water, and the little white lines on her stomach make her subtle hourglass shape far more tempting. "You are absolutely fucking perfect, Rylee. I want to run my tongue over every inch of your body until you realize how delectable you are. Do you understand?"
Her eyes are sparkling the same way her nose ring is in the light. "I understand."Damn, she is beautiful."Can you touch me now, though? Please?"
