Page 99 of When We Fall: Part One

I came with a cry as he continued his rough fucking, his cock rutting into my depths without a care as to how much pain he was bringing to me with his pleasure.

“E, slow down. You’re hurting her,” Fox said.

“No,” Ethan snarled, moving harder. Faster.

“E, slower?—”

Ethan let out a feral howl before he came hard, his cock twitching deep inside me. His body went limp over mine, and his soft cries muffled in my neck.

I lay beneath him, my free hand holding him tightly as Fox continued to clutch my other hand, nothing but Ethan’s soft sobs in the room.

Finally, Ethan pulled away and rested his forehead against mine.

“I hope I got you pregnant,” he choked out in a shaky whisper. “You’re mine. My girl. My sweetheart. I have to prove I only want you.” He shifted and pressed his hand against my abdomen. “My baby. I hope… I hope I did it. To prove to them you’re my girl. No one else. Ever… I-I don’t want kids. Please god. I’m so lost. I’m lost. Make it stop. I’m begging… Begging.Please.” His tears dropped onto my face again, making me cry softly with him.

He moved off me and tugged me into his arms, his hand low on my belly.

“Mine. Always mine. I never want to disappoint you, sweetheart. I’d die without you.” And then he went silent, his breathing deep.

I stared at Fox through the dim bedside lamp to see his eyes shining, too.

“Are you OK?” he finally asked, his voice shaking.

I nodded. “Y-yeah.”

“Come here.” Fox gently untangled Ethan’s arms from around me as he slept. He led me to the bathroom before pushing my nightgown up and letting out a soft hiss.

I knew I was a mess.

“You’re bleeding,” Fox’s voice came out with a bite. “Fucking hell.”

“I’m OK,” I answered, wincing as Fox ran a warm washcloth along my aching bits.

“Goddamn it,” Fox snarled. “What the fucking hell. Fuck.”

He pulled the washcloth away. I caught a glimpse of the blood and mess on it. Ethan had been exceptionally rough. It wasn’t like him. I knew his pure heart. He was upset and hurt. I let him do it, so there was no way I could be angry over it.

Fox moved away from me and turned the shower on. I spun and stared at myself in the mirror, Ethan’s and my tears still damp on my face. Gingerly, I touched them, a sadness so profound filling my heart.

“Come on, Rosie,” Fox murmured, lifting my nightie up to remove it from me. “Let’s get you properly cleaned.”

I nodded wordlessly and let him take me into the shower. We stood beneath the warm spray for a long time, holding one another before Fox finally spoke.

“Tonight was a mess. Vander Veer brought Celeste with him. E hates her. He just kept doing drugs to get away from it. I wanted to take him away sooner. It’s my fault.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said, my anger rising. Enzo said no more Celeste. Nothing good ever came from this girl, and he knew Ethan hated her. We’d be having words when he got home.

“What else?” I pressed, staring up at him. I knew Fox well enough to know when he wasn’t telling me everything.

A muscle popped along his jaw, but he only shook his head.

He didn’t want to talk about it. He would eventually. Fox was the sort of guy who had to sort things inside his head before he let them out. I respected that about him, even if it did frustrate me sometimes.

And so I’d wait for him, just as I always had.

THIRTY-FIVE

COLE