Page 31 of Don't Speak

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The shift was uneventful. Drinks were flowing, and the patrons were dancing.

It really is a cute little town. Everyone seems to know everyone, for the most part.

The younger crowd parties here while the older crowd sits around at the bar, shooting pool up the road at The Roadhouse. I can see the appeal.

The bar closed about an hour ago, and we’re finishing up closing duties.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, but I don’t look at it right now.

I’m too wrapped up in Nikki. I’m wiping down the tables when I pause, looking up at her counting the tips people left in the jugs for the night.

She’s focused, mouthing the numbers silently to herself, so I make sure not to interrupt her.

Her hair falls in her face, and she brushes it behind her ear.

The bar light is reflecting off her in a manner that makes her look like an angel.

She’s beautiful. I know I need to tell her who I am before this gets any further, but I can’t right now.

Not until I have more information on James and Sean.

It's killing me. The longer I wait, and the more she becomes vulnerable with me, the more I know it will hurt her.

Right now, I am no better than the pieces of shit who have hurt her in her life by lying to her, but I have to wait until I know more.

She looks up at me and smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

She’s tired. I can see it. The nightmares, the stress, the fear she’s experiencing, it’s all hitting her.

I hope I can help change some of that. She doesn’t believe she deserves to be loved.

She feels like she’s too damaged to be good for anyone else. Well, we can be damaged together, then.

Once she’s finished counting the tips, she places each of our halves in envelopes. I’ve finished wiping the tables, the bar has been wiped, the trash has been taken out, and the dance floor is clean. It’s time for us to head out.

“Are you ready to go?” I ask her.

“Yeah. I think we’re good for the night. Do you want to follow me or ride with me? I can bring you back to your truck tomorrow if you want,” she tells me. As much as I’d love to take her up on that offer, I don’t want to risk leaving my truck here and someone breaking into it.

“I’ll follow you if that’s okay. Can’t risk something happening to my baby,” I say with a smile.

“Oh. So you’re one of those guys, huh?” she responds with a laugh.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I say to her, cocking an eyebrow.

“Oh, you know. Just one of those crazy-obsessed-with-their-car types.”

“Hey. There’s nothing wrong with a man appreciating his prized possession,” I say slyly.

“Uh-huh. Right. Well then, I guess we’d better get going.” She winks at me and grabs her bag with her keys.

I walk her to her car before heading to mine. Once she’s ready to go, she pulls out, and I follow behind her, taking the route I’ve taken a million times before.

We pull up to her house, both of us parking in her driveway. She’s out of her car before me and walking to her door when I suddenly hear her shout my name.

“DEAN!”

I slam my truck door closed and bolt down the sidewalk leading to her front door. Nikki stands there, back facing me, when she turns slowly. Fear is evident in her eyes as I take her in, suddenly noticing that she’s holding a manila folder.

“Let’s get inside, baby,” I say with urgency, wanting to ensure she’s protected from whatever may be lurking out here. I walk up to her quickly, placing my hand on her lower back and gently pushing her toward the door to unlock it.

When we’re inside, I turn and bolt the lock. Once Nikki is asleep, I’ll be able to check the cameras and see who dropped off the folder. For now, I just need to make sure she’s okay.

“Here, let me take that. Have a seat on the couch.”

She hands me the folder and does as I suggest. Once she’s seated, I pop the envelope open and slowly slide the photo out.

It’s a photo of the two of us at the bar earlier this afternoon, when I was holding onto her hands and asking her to tell me what was wrong. My blood boils, and rage threatens to take hold, but I take a few breaths, calming myself to not scare Nikki away when I’ve just started to gain her trust.

I look at her, and there is so much despair in her eyes. There’s a pang in my chest. I hate seeing her like this. I can tell she wants to know what’s in the photo, so I show her.

“I don’t understand. Why is someone doing this? Who could it be?” She starts tearing up, exhaustion and frustration all coming to a boiling point.

“Can I see the other photos?” I ask her. She doesn’t know that I’ve already seen them, and I don’t want to accidentally slip up with information.

She disappears into her room, walking back out seconds later with two manila envelopes in her hand.

She hands them to me, and I make quick work of opening them.

Holding all three photos in my hand, I tell her, “Well, based on the consistency in the location and the fact that we never notice anyone out of the ordinary, I would say that it has to be an employee.”

“An employee?!” she gasps, and I nod my head.

“I’m friends with most of the employees, though. Why would they be taking photos of us?”

“I don’t know,” I tell her. It’s a question I keep asking myself too. Whoever it is seems to wait while my attention is focused on Nikki so that I don’t notice anyone photographing her.

She hangs her head, and I hear light sobs coming from her. I walk toward her, pulling her up from the couch and holding her to me.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, little lioness,” I whisper. “You’re safe with me.”

She pulls her head from my shoulder and looks up at me with those emerald gems. There’s so much pain behind them, like a storm that hasn’t seen the sun in decades, and I wish I could take it all from her. I would live a thousand lives in pain if it meant she could live just one in peace.

The next thing I know, she pushes up onto her tiptoes and slams her lips to mine.

I place my arms around her waist and lift, encouraging her to wrap her legs around me.

Our mouths never part as I carry her and press her back against the nearest wall, devouring her taste.

Her tongue dances with mine, and it’s the perfect waltz.

It’s slow and passionate, and I can’t get enough of her.

I move us away from the wall and into her bedroom, still connected at the mouth. Once we reach her bed, I toss her down onto it.

“Clothes off,” I demand, removing my own shirt.

Just as I’m going for the button on my pants, she sits up and moves my hands out of the way.

Slowly, she undoes the button, looking up at me while she does.

I see so much emotion swimming in her eyes—lust, uncertainty, desire, vulnerability.

I know she wants this, but I also know that she’s scared to let herself feel, and I don’t blame her.

“You’re safe with me,” I whisper again, my eyes connecting with hers, wanting her to feel my words. I may not be able to be completely honest with her right now, but I’ll always keep her safe.

I see the moment her body physically relaxes.

Her shoulders drop, her muscles ease, and she lets out a deep sigh before she continues with her task.

Once the button is open, she unzips my zipper, still maintaining eye contact with me.

Then, she pulls my pants down just low enough to pull me out, giving my achingly hard cock a few strokes before she sticks out her tongue, pressing it to the underside at the base and licking all the way to the tip.

“Fuckkkk, little lioness. That mouth is perfect,” I praise her, reveling in the way her warm tongue feels gliding up my cock.

As if encouraged by my praise, she swirls her tongue around my tip, licking the pre-cum leaking from me.

She still hasn’t broken eye contact with me, and it’s making me feral.

Wrapping my hand in her hair, I glide my cock into her mouth until it hits the back of her throat, pulling out to the tip and then thrusting back into her.

I pull back out once more before leaning down to whisper, “Hang on, little lioness. I’m about to fuck this mouth hard and fast. Remember to breathe through your nose and tap me on the leg if it becomes too much. Nod if you understand.”

She nods, drool already leaking from the sides of her mouth.

“Good girl,” I growl, and then I thrust back into her mouth, hitting the back of her throat.

I pick up speed, pumping in and out quickly, enjoying the feeling of her warm mouth.

The sounds of her choking mixed with the wet sounds as she takes every inch of me are enough to drive me wild.

My balls start to tighten, and I know if I keep this up, I’m gonna come, and I’m not ready for that yet.

I pull out of her mouth and let her catch her breath before I tell her, “Face down, ass up. I want that perfect ass in the air for me.”

She obeys, flipping over and gracing me with the most gorgeous ass. She’s dripping for me, so I kneel down on the bed and crawl over to her. I place each hand on her cheeks, spreading them apart, and then I dive in. I flatten my tongue and lick her from clit to ass.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Dean. That feels so good,” she moans. “More, please.”

“Begging already, are we?” I chuckle, but I oblige, flattening my tongue once more and repeating the process.

“Fuckkk yessss. That’s so fucking hot.” I chuckle again, enjoying how vocal she is for me.

I dive back in, devouring her pussy and using my tongue to build her up.

“You taste so good, baby,” I growl. “You taste like mine .”

“Please, Dean. Please fuck me. I need you inside of me.”

“As you wish, baby.”

I smack her ass before scooting back off the bed and retrieving a condom from my pants. I make quick work of the wrapper and slide it on, desperate to be inside her already.

I kneel back on the bed and scoot closer, lining myself up behind her and slowly sliding in.

“Fuuuuuck, Dean. Yes. This is what I wanted. This is what I needed .”

“Yeah? My little lioness is needy for me, is she?”

She moans, and I pick up speed, pounding her ass. The sounds of our bodies slapping together fill the room.

“This pussy is perfect. This is my pussy now, baby. Tell me this pussy is mine,” I demand, my pace unrelenting.

“This is your pussy, Dean. All yours. Please make me come,” she moans. Who am I to deny her needs?

I reach around to the front of her, my fingers finding her clit. I rub it in slow, gentle circles, and she lets out a loud moan. She’s soaking wet, and I know she’s close, her pussy already clenching around my cock.

“Come for me, baby. Give it to me,” I tell her, and then I pick up speed with my hand, fucking into her relentlessly as she cries out in ecstasy.

She comes crashing down around me, and I fuck her through her orgasm.

I remove my hand from her clit and bring both hands back to her ass, giving it another smack before I pick up even more speed, chasing my own orgasm.

“I’m gonna come, baby,” I warn her before I pump into her three more times and come deep inside her, bottoming out to the hilt. “Fuuucckk.”

I come hard, my balls drawing up almost painfully. I hunch over on top of her, kissing down her spine before I pull out. She looks at me with lust-drunk eyes, and I can tell she’s definitely sleepy.

“Stay here,” I tell her, getting up off the bed and heading into the bathroom. I pull the condom off, toss it into the trash, and grab a washcloth, wetting it before returning to the bed. She automatically spreads for me as though she knows what I was going to do, and I clean her up.

When I’m done, she crawls up the bed, exhaustion overtaking her.

“Will you stay with me? In the bed?” she asks sleepily, letting out a soft yawn and situating herself under the blankets.

“Yes, little lioness. I just need to clean up and get some water, and I’ll be right there,” I answer, and it doesn’t take long before she’s passed out. I think this is the fastest I’ve ever seen her fall asleep.

I walk out of the room and head for the couch.

Sitting down, I grab my phone and pull up the camera feed from earlier tonight.

I can almost guarantee that the vibration I felt earlier at the bar was the camera notification for the photograph.

I rewind the footage until I get to that point and hit play.

I sit and watch for a few minutes until I see someone walk up from the side of the house, facing the camera. It’s how he dodged the wreath camera, just like I thought. He must have been watching as I placed it there, which means he has been watching her more than just the photographs.

I zoom in on the front porch, waiting for him to look up, and when he does, I am stunned beyond belief. What. The. Fuck.

I clench my jaw together, anger creeping up in my veins at what I’m looking at. “This motherfucker,” I whisper lowly.

Because the person leaving the envelope is none other than Ben, our manager.

I watch as Ben drops the envelope onto the mat and then scurries away. It all makes sense now. How he was able to get photos of us and how he was able to blend in with the crew. Although I don’t know why, at least I now know who.

I exit the camera feed and get a glass of water, making my way back into Nikki's bedroom. She’s cuddled up on her side and lightly snoring.

I take a sip of the water and place the glass on the nightstand before crawling in behind her, sliding my arm underneath her and pulling her into my chest. I bury my nose in her hair and inhale her scent.

She smells inherently of me , and my cock twitches at the thought.

She doesn’t stir, but a light whisper of my name leaves her lips.

I smile, knowing she must be dreaming about me already.

I close my eyes, wanting to get as much rest as possible before tomorrow. Tomorrow, I’m paying Ben a little visit.