Resisting (Dirty Cops #1)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Rowan

“ B aby,” his quiet whisper breaks the silence of the dark room. I’ve never felt anything close to this kind of peace in my life. Definitely never knew what it felt like to be loved until now. “We need to talk about how to handle things with your mom.”

Just the mention of the witch shatters that peace and twists my stomach. “I don’t want to come between you two. I couldn’t live with myself if I destroyed your relationship.” He brushes my hair off of my shoulder and kisses my bare skin. “So maybe we need to keep this between us for now. Until it won’t cut her so deep.”

I don’t care whether I hurt her or not. The vengeful side of me hopes I do. She’s broken my heart so many times in my life, I think it’s finally time for her to experience the feeling. I shift to face him. He needs to know the truth. “You don’t have to worry about destroying anything, Ryker. She hates me.” Hate isn’t evil enough for the feelings she has towards me.

He runs his fingers through my hair. His touch so soft and caring. “You two are just going through a phase, angel. All mothers and daughters go through this at some point.”

I wish that were the case. But there has never been a mother-daughter relationship between us. Just the witch and her ward.

“Do you know what my oldest memory is?” I ask, my heart aching for the little girl I once was. “I must’ve been four years old. Maybe five. Not old enough for school. And my mom came to me one day and told me that she was going out and if I left the house, a monster would swallow me up. She walked out the door and didn’t come back for three nights.”

His body tenses and his eyes sharpen as he sits up straighter, looking at me more intensely. “I was fine the first night because I was used to her leaving me for a night. She always left me alone during the day while she worked and sometimes at night if she had a date. But this time, she didn’t come back and I started to get scared that something bad had happened and she wasn’t going to ever come back. By the third night, I was absolutely terrified that she’d been hurt. I cried and cried, not knowing what to do. If I went over to the neighbor to ask her to help me find my mommy, the monster was going to eat me. So I curled up in my mother’s bed and cried until sleep took me.”

It’s amazing how innocent and vulnerable a child’s mind is. Back then I truly believed every word that left her lips. She was all I had in the world. She was my teacher of the way things worked.

“The next morning she came home and found me in her room. She was so mad I’d been in her bed that she yelled at me, telling me she should’ve had an abortion and how I ruined her life, and that no man wants to be tied down with a step-brat.”

His hold on me tightens, his shoulders growing even more tense. I can see the anger in his eyes.

“I was so hurt by her words, I accidentally wet myself. And when she discovered the wet underwear I tried to hide in the laundry basket, she locked me in the bathroom for two days, saying I needed to be potty-trained again. So for two days I drank from the faucet and slept in the bathtub.”

“Rowan.” The utter pain in his voice has tears burning at the backs of my eyes. I shake my head. I don’t want him to feel sorry for me. This is not his burden to bear.

“Please don’t, Ryker. Please don’t pity me. I had a shit upbringing but I’m not weak.” The last thing I want is for him to treat me as a victim and handle me with kid gloves. “I will never thank the witch for anything as long as I live, but I do thank God every day for giving me the strength to survive and for making me resilient. I learned that no one has the power to break me other than myself.”

As much as Rhonda wanted to and tried to beat me down emotionally, she didn’t.

“I’m in charge of my destiny, Ryker, not my circumstance or anyone around me. My future, my life is going to be amazing because I’m going to make it that way. And the only one who deserves any pity is the pathetic woman who wasn’t graced with a conscience or a heart. She will never know what true love feels like because she’s incapable of loving anyone other than herself.”

He sits up and pulls me onto his lap, cradling me in his strong arms. I can feel the love pouring off of him. He makes me feel safe and protected. Ryker is the one I’m grateful for.

“You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met, baby. I’m not sure why I was graced with such an amazing gift, but I’ll be thanking God every day for bringing you to me. I love you, Rowan. And you’re right.” He cradles my cheek in the palm of his hand, caressing me so tenderly. “Our life is going to be amazing together. Your dreams will be coming true. Every single one of them.”

I lean up and press my lips to his, thanking him with my kiss for being such a loving, honorable man. He may have just come into my life a few days ago but it feels like he’s been in my heart forever. We pull apart, pressing our heads together, soaking up the love between us. And as the seconds tick by, it’s as if all the years of pain and emotional abuse are being washed away.

“I’m going to make her pay,” he says, breaking the silence. I open my eyes and see the anger burning in the depths of his. “For every little thing she ever did and said, she’s going to be feeling the wrath of justice. I won’t give you pity, baby doll, but I am going to give you my word that her suffering will be far worse than yours ever was. That’s a promise I intend to keep.”

His dominance strikes a match between my legs. I sit up, shifting in his lap to straddle his waist. I lean forward and press a kiss below his ear, skimming my lips softly against the shell and feeling his cock stiffening between us. “Since you’re mad at Mommy,” I whisper. “Can I be your wife?” I rock my hips forward, rubbing over his hardening shaft. “I promise I’ll make you happy…daddy.”

“Fuck, baby.” His groan sends a shiver of excitement down my spine. He grips onto my hips and takes control of my movement, sliding me back and forth along his cock. Bumping into my clit and dipping inside my entrance with each pass. “There are certain things husbands and wives do together. Are you sure you’re ready for that, sweetheart? You’re only eighteen.”

I let out a moan as his dirty words rumble low in my tummy. “I’m more than ready.” I nod, eager to play this game with him. “Please, daddy.”

His cursed groan sends a blast of heat through every forbidden part of my body. He lifts me up then aligns us together. His swollen cock pressing right at my entrance. And when I sink down on top of him, it feels like a bond is being fused between us. One full of love, promise, and acceptance.