Page 25 of Saving Tracey (Finding Hope #1)

Chapter Thirteen

I was lying on Trevor’s chest when I woke up, and his arm was wrapped around me, his other hand using the television remote to flip through channels on the television. "Morning, baby." He kissed the top of my head.

"Hi," I whispered, sitting up. His guarded eyes followed my movements. My stomach twisted uncomfortably. I really changed Trevor’s opinion of me yesterday.

"What time is it?"

"Seven,” he murmured. "We've got to get ready for school."

School. I hated school. Why the fuck did I even have to continue to go, knowing that I wasn't going to graduate anyway? I just wanted to drop out and stop wasting my time with it.

I sighed, getting out of bed. Trevor sat up instantly, his eyes still watching me. "You alright?"

I was aggravated. Ever since last night, he had been careful about what he did around me. If he couldn't handle the darkness that surrounded me, the constant need to fucking die, then he could just fucking let me go. It was that damn simple.

"I'm fine.” I snatched some clothes out of my bag, storming over to the bathroom. I didn't want Trevor treating me differently. I wanted him to still look at me as the same girl that just needed help.

It was clear that I had pushed him too far last night, and now I was beginning to think that he felt like he couldn’t handle this—couldn’t handle me .

I closed the bathroom door behind me, staring at myself in the mirror.

"Why me?" A tear fell down my cheek as I pulled my shirt off, my eyes trailing over all of the scars that covered my body from the years of abuse I had suffered.

"I didn't do anything to deserve this," I whispered, my voice cracking.

Another tear fell. "It wasn't my fault." I leaned back against the wall, sliding my back down it until I was sitting on the floor.

"Why did Daddy have to hurt me?" I sobbed quietly, hoping that Trevor wouldn’t hear me.

I was scarred, and for what? I was broken, and for what? That bastard had ruined my life. He had made me terrified of everything and everyone. What real reason did I have to live if he had taken all of that away from me? I would never be able to enjoy life the way I should have been able to.

The bathroom door opened suddenly, and Trevor stepped into the bathroom, his eyes instantly falling onto my broken, crying form on the floor.

I swiped at my cheeks, trying to get rid of the teardrops, but he had already seen them.

He cursed, kneeling down and pulling me up.

"Jesus Christ, Tracey, why in the hell didn't you come to me?

" He wrapped his arms around my naked waist.

"I just wanted to suffer in silence for a moment," I answered quietly, hiccuping as I tried to calm myself down.

He ran his fingers through my hair, tilting my face back so that I was forced to meet his dark eyes. He looked pained—like it physically hurt him to see me this way. "Baby, you’ve suffered in silence for too long. I'm here now. You don't have to be silent about it anymore."

I nodded. His eyes flickered down to my lips, and I nodded at him, giving him the okay to kiss me.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and his lips descended on mine without hesitation, kissing me desperately.

His kiss was nice and smooth, his lips gently coaxing mine to respond to him until it became more passionate for both of us.

Trevor's need for me was clear in that kiss, but he was gentle with me even as our pace picked up.

His arms tightened around me, pulling my body flush against his harder frame.

I pulled back, gasping for breath when I felt him harden through his sweats.

He sighed, pulling back from me, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fuck, I'm sorry,” he muttered, his lust-filled eyes meeting mine.

I shook my head at him. "Don't . . . don't be sorry.” I swallowed hard, taking a deep breath, preparing myself to take a dive into a territory mostly unfamiliar to me. "I have to overcome this, don't I?"

His eyes widened in shock at my words, and he took a step toward me, his hands gripping my upper arms. "Tracey, do not do something you're not ready for. Never feel like you're obligated to have sex with me to make me feel better."

I shook my head at him, my wide, green eyes meeting his. "I'm not," I told him honestly. "Please, just let me see how far I can go before I start breaking," I begged him, knowing how overprotective he was of me.

I was desperate to get better, to push past everything my father had done to me. If I continued to live my life in fear, I was letting him win. And I was so tired of being the loser.

I was stronger than this. With Trevor standing by my side, I knew that I was capable of anything.

He squeezed his eyes closed, his features conflicted as he pondered my request. "Tracey, you're sure about this?" His eyes finally opened to meet mine.

I nodded, leaning up on my tiptoes to lay my lips over his.

He groaned, pushing me back against the wall.

Then his hands were everywhere. They caressed my sides, brushing over my hip bones, tracing the swell of my breasts.

I forced myself to keep the flashbacks to the back of my mind, breathy moans filling his bathroom, falling from my lips.

He pulled back from me, his lips moving over to my jaw, down my neck, whispering over my collar bone.

By that point, everything I had endured in my life was absent from my mind.

I couldn't believe that I was saying this, but I was putty at Trevor’s touch, weightless under his lips.

I knew that I trusted Trevor, but I hadn't realized that my trust in him ran this deep. I wasn't even thinking about the endless rapes. I wasn't worried Trevor was suddenly going to hurt me.

Somehow, from the moment I had first met Trevor, I had known he would never hurt me.

He pulled back, his eyes—so impossibly darker with need—met mine. His breathing was slightly heavier. "Are you sure you want this?"

I nodded, reaching up and twining my arms around his neck. "Love me, Trevor.”

His lips covered mine with a groan. His hands slid down my sides, making me shiver, and he cupped me under my thighs, lifting me up so I could wrap my legs around his hips.

I gasped in shock, and without wasting a second, he began walking back to the bed.

"Fuck school,” he groaned, laying me back on the bed.

He moved over me instantly, sliding his hand under me and unclasping my bra quicker than I ever could.

It reminded me of how often he did this, and I bit my lip.

He pushed my hair back from my face, rubbing the pad of his thumb over my cheekbone.

"Stop worrying,” he whispered, somehow knowing what I was thinking about.

"You're the only one for me, Tracey. Remember that. You’ve been the only one for me since the first moment I laid my eyes on you.”

I nodded. His lips came down to mine again once my bra was on the floor, and I moaned at the sensation of his sculpted chest against my soft one.

He moved down my body, his lips following his hands until he was at my breasts.

He looked up at me, the question in his eyes, and I nodded in consent.

Suddenly, a burst of pleasure shot down to my core as his lips closed around my nipple.

I cried out, arching my back off of the bed.

His lips were like magic as they moved over me.

By the time our clothes were off, and he was ripping the foil packet open, I was a desperate, writhing mess beneath him. He knelt between my legs, his arms braced on either side of me, shaking slightly with the effort not to slam into me. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Please, Tracey, tell me to stop immediately if you get scared or uncomfortable—"

I cut him off. "I'm fine," I assured him softly, reaching up to run my fingertips over his stubble-covered jaw.

He eased into me, and my eyes widened at the fullness. I clutched his arms, my nails digging into his skin. He groaned, his lips coming down over mine. "Fuck,” he choked out. "Goddamnit, Tracey, I fucking love you." His lips coming over mine again.

He began to move gently, slowly increasing his pace. He took his time with me, being patient, loving my body, and giving me the ultimate amount of pleasure. When I climaxed, our bodies were glistening with sweat, and I felt like I couldn't move—not that I wanted to.

Without another word, Trevor grabbed me, pulling me into the circle of his arms. He kissed the top of my head, squeezing his arms around me. "Go to sleep, baby. I'll be right here when you wake up."

TREVOR

I jerked awake when my phone began vibrating under my pillow. I quickly grabbed it, answering it and putting it to my ear before it had a chance to wake Tracey up. "Hello?" I gruffly answered, being careful to keep my voice down.

"Are you still home?" Glenda asked me.

I sat up slowly, careful not to wake up Tracey as I slipped my arm from around her. "Yeah, why? What's up?"

Glenda never had an issue with me skipping, considering I hardly ever did it. So, considering she was calling me, asking me if I was home, was a bit alarming.

"You might want to come downstairs, honey. There's something Dale and I need to show you."

I frowned. “Alright."

I hung up and slid out of bed, leaving a note on my pillow for Tracey to find when she woke up. I slid on my sweats and slipped my phone into my pocket, jogging down the stairs to find out what Glenda needed to tell me.

Glenda and Dale were walking through the front door with a small boy standing behind Dale when I reached the bottom of the staircase. "Did you guys adopt another kid?" I asked them, honestly not surprised. I knew they had been thinking about it for a couple of months now.