“You know what happens when you say no, don’t you?” His voice remains calm as he walks toward the bed, pulling his pants down and folding the belt in half. “I’m forced to punish you.” His cock is hard, and I squeeze my eyes shut. The thing that once gave me so much pleasure now scares the fuck out of me.
The sharp sting of the belt cuts into my bare buttocks, and I cry out as it hits again and again.
Troy climbs on top of me, grunting as he stabs his cock into my dry pussy. I scream and lift my head off the bed, struggling to escape. “I did it,” he grunts as he pumps his cock into me. “I screwed her just like this, and then I fucking killed her, imagining she was you.” The belt goes around my neck, and I use one hand to try and pull it away as he chokes me.
Stars dance in front of my eyes, my pussy and ass are on fire, and the man I love, the man I left home for, is the reason for my pain.
“You make me do it!” He’s screaming as he chokes me. “Why do you make me do this to you? Why can’t you just do as you’re told?”
I can feel myself slipping away. My hand falls from the belt and my eyes roll back in my head.
He finishes off inside me and drops the belt. Climbing off me, he stands directly in front of me as he pulls his pants back up. “This is your fault,” he says, spitting into my hair before he turns and leaves the room.
I hear the apartment door close, and I curl up into a ball in the middle of the bed. I’m naked, broken.
A wail rises from the deepest recesses of my chest, until it turns into a scream. It feels good to let it out. Tears pour down my face, but I don’t care.
He’s right. I made him do it.
I’m pathetic. Useless.
“Shannon!”
My eyes snap open and I gasp for breath. It’s dark, but the small lamp on the bedside table casts a glow around the bed, illuminating Stone’s panicked face. “You were screaming,” he says, his voice full of worry. He’s so caring that I can’t stop the flood of tears that seems to appear from nowhere.
“Ah, hell,” he curses, moving to the other side of the bed and sliding beneath the covers, taking me into his arms. He holds me as I cry, saying nothing as his large hand gently strokes my arm. I let it all out—the pain, the fear, the anger. I cry until I’m screaming, dry-heaving. My tears soak the pillow beneath me, until I finally fall into an exhausted sleep.
But he stays with me through it all. Never saying a word. He’s my rock.
My Stone.
I glance over at Shannon as she sits in her wheelchair on the back porch.
She hasn’t said a word this morning, and I’m fucking worried. What was that meltdown about last night? Was it a bad dream? A memory? I’m dying to ask her, to comfort her, but she won’t even look at me. I swallow the last of my coffee and put the empty mug in the sink, rinsing it out and smiling at the fact that Shannon’s changed me so much in such a small amount of time. I dry my hands on the back of my jeans and step onto the back porch. She glances up at me, and my heart breaks for her. Her eyes are puffy and red from her tears, and I wonder how she kept it inside for so long.
I clear my throat. “Do you want to do something today?” I ask, shoving my hands into the back pockets of my jeans.
She looks away, but she nods. It’s a small victory, and I’m going to count it.
“What would you like to do?” This time, she gives me no indication that she hears me. “We could go out for lunch,” I suggest.
“Why are you doing this?” she asks me in a voice so quiet I have to strain to hear her.
“What?” I reply, squatting in front of her.
She raises red-rimmed eyes to me. “Why are you being so nice?”
I’m confused by her question. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t deserve to be treated nicely.”
I curse under my breath and grab her chin, tilting her head up to meet my eyes. “Did Troy tell you that?” She swallows hard and nods in response. “Shannon,” I say gently. “You’re probably the most special woman I’ve ever known in my entire life. No one has ever believed in me the way you do, and you’re still here even though I keep fucking up.”
“You won’t let me leave,” she reminds me with a small smile through her tears.
I can’t help but laugh. “You’re right,” I concede. “I’ll give you that one. But Shan,” I continue, looking at her seriously. “You deserve to be treated more than nicely. You deserve to be treated like the fucking queen you are. You deserve more than I could ever give you; that’s for sure.”
A sudden heaviness falls over me at the realization. I’m not good enough for her. I might never be good enough. I don’t know that I can ever give her what she truly needs.
I shake my head slightly and square my shoulders as I stand back up. I might not be able to give her what she needs, but that will never stop me from trying.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing the handles of the wheelchair. “Let’s go for a drive.”
After she’s dressed, I help her into the truck.
I don’t know where we’re going, but it seems important to me to just keep driving.
Shannon says nothing the entire time, just stares out the back window with her head resting on the glass. I don’t know how to help her. How can I if she won’t let me in? We drive for a few minutes more when her small gasp makes me glance in the rearview mirror.
“What’s up?” I ask. She doesn’t respond, and I look out the window to see we’re passing by the stables. Her horse. “Do you want to stop?” I ask her, glancing in the rearview mirror again.
She bites her bottom lip and nods, so I slow down and turn into the small driveway that leads up to the stables. I cut the ignition and get out. Grabbing the wheelchair from the bed, I set it up next to the passenger door as Shannon eagerly opens it. She’s in such a rush that she almost falls out, and I reach out to steady her. “Easy,” I say with a laugh, helping her into the chair.
She looks up at me with a shy smile. “Um, Stone?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Could I possibly have some time alone?” she asks.
In my heart, I understand. This is what she needs.
I nod. “Of course. I’ll go check on Keets and Ruth at Saddles.”
“No beer,” she reminds me, and I flash her a grin.
“No beer,” I promise. I hop back into the truck and watch as she carefully wheels her chair into the stables. When I’m sure she’s safe, I back out and onto the road.
By the time I get to Saddles, I’m exhausted. It was such a long night, I barely got any sleep and now I’m paying for it.
I enter the bar and see it’s not too packed. A few customers are littered about the room, talking quietly as they enjoy their various lunches and drinks.
“Stone.” Ruth waves me over to the bar, and I pull up at seat. “How’s Shan?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly, shaking my head as I eye the bottles of beer behind the bar. It’d be so easy. Shannon wouldn’t ever have to know . . .
“She had this major meltdown in her sleep last night that scared the absolute shit out of me. I didn’t know what to do.”
Ruth nods knowingly. “I was half-expecting it,” she admits. “Though the nightmares haven’t happened for a while.”
“Troy?” I guess, and she nods again.