Take It All by Alexa Riley
Chapter Nine
Anna
When there’s a knock at the door, I smile as I check the time. He’s early. I’m not surprised, but he told me he might end up being late tonight because of his son’s race. I know there’s no reason to carry on with this cat and mouse game when it comes to Rory, but old habits die hard.
Taking my time, I walk slowly to the front door, making the man wait for absolutely no reason. For someone who has spent the last decade leading men on, I should be better at this whole dating thing, but before now my feelings weren’t involved. It’s normally only a job, and there’s no real investment in it. With Rory, I’m all in, and it’s scaring the crap out of me. I barely turn the door handle and Rory is already opening the door on his own and pushing his way into my home.
“I need a key,” he says before he’s on me and his mouth claims mine. I moan as he lifts me off my feet and he pins me to the nearest wall. “Fuck, I missed you,” he says between kisses. “Need inside of you.” His words are broken, but there’s no missing the demand. I bite down on his lip, making him groan. “You telling me no?”
I don’t answer as he shoves my dress up and rips my panties from me. I would complain, but he bought them. He’s bought me dozens of panties after I pretended to be offended the last time he did it.
With one loud grunt, he thrusts all the way inside of me.
“Rory!” I gasp, my nails digging into his shoulders. As wet and ready as I am for him, he’s still a damn tight fit.
“I have no control when it comes to you.” He pulls out and thrusts all the way back inside of me. “I’m a grown man,” he says as he pumps harder. “I shouldn’t be counting down the seconds to get back inside of you.” He almost sounds angry. “I’m never going to get enough.”
My orgasm doesn't get time to build, it’s just there. Rory can yank them right from me like he does everything else in his life. I can’t tell if it’s the way he fucks me, the things he says, or how he looks at me that gets me off so quickly. But damn if that combination doesn’t do it for me every single time.
I cry out his name as the pleasure floods me, but he doesn't stop. Rory never does. He keeps thrusting and taking what he wants, dragging my orgasm out. He’s a possessive man that’s always so hungry for more of me.
“Not done,” he growls. “Never going to be done.” My heart flutters, wanting so badly for that to be true. “Come with me again. I want it, and you’re going to give it to me.”
“Yes.” My whole body clamps around him as I cum again. He mumbles something against my neck and then I hear my name.
“Anna.” His warm cum enters me and I feel every pulse of his cock.
He buries his face in my chest as he thrusts two more times, and I squeeze around him, milking out the last drop. I’ve lost track of how many times he’s cum inside of me this week.
Every morning he’s at my door, and the second Celeste is gone, he’s pushing his way in. Not only into my home, but into my body and my heart.
He stays until he has no choice but to leave, but twice this week I woke up to him crawling into my bed in the middle of the night. I’d almost thought it was a dream. Rory made sure to leave before the sun came up, and every time he left, he took a piece of me with him. I would get up and start my day, still smelling him on my skin and feeling him on my body.
He’s taking over my world, and part of me wants to let him. Only there’s another part of me that fears what will happen when one day he’s gone. There will be a time when his excitement starts to wane, or worse, he finds out who I really am.
“Anna.” He kisses me gently before he lifts his head. “I missed you.” I let out a small laugh that has his cock jerking inside of me.
“I missed you too.” I brush my mouth against his, and he lets out a groan as he puts me back on my feet, and his cock slips free.
“Don’t clean me off. I want to take you to dinner like this.”
“You’re a dirty old man,” I tease him as I right my dress.
“You have no idea all the dirty things I want to do to you.” He gives my ass a squeeze before releasing me fully.
“Let me get my purse and freshen up.” I walk over to grab it off the kitchen counter, but Rory stops me.
“Pack a bag. You’re staying with me tonight.”
“I don’t know. Celeste…”
“Is at a party,” he interrupts. “I’ll make sure Lo takes care of her. He’s a good kid.”
I chew on my bottom lip, thinking it over. Celeste is eighteen, and soon she’ll be off to college. She texted me not long ago telling me she was going to a party and that she’d be with Apollo tonight. I’ve got to learn to let go, at least in some ways. She’s never done anything to make me question her judgment, and I need to trust.
It helps that Apollo really is a great guy. Between what I’ve heard from my daughter and Rory, and people in town, he treats her like a gentleman. It also helps that Apollo even stood up to Rory for her.
“Okay,” I give in, making Rory’s whole face light up with a smile. It warms every part of me and makes him look boyish with how happy he is.
The man is so tempting. With Celeste I know I’m needed because every kid needs their mom, but with Rory it’s different. He doesn’t have a reason to need me other than wanting me. I’m falling in love with him. Hell, he thinks he loves me, but he has no idea who I really am.
I head into my bedroom and pack a quick bag before we’re out the door. “Are you going to give me a key soon?” Rory asks, holding the car door open for me.
“Don’t play coy. You own the place. I bet you’ve got a key to my place on you right now,” I challenge, and he doesn't deny it. His eyes glance down to the keys in his hand, and if I’m not mistaken, I see a little pink tinge his cheeks.
“Might be nice if you offered.” He actually pouts, and I roll my eyes at him.
Rory doesn't only take me out to dinner. He actually takes me out dancing too. I don’t miss how everyone in town stops to watch us together and some of my old insecurities start to claw inside of me. They’re probably all wondering what the hell he’s doing with someone like me.
I try my best to push those negative thoughts away, but the truth is that I’m kind of wondering the same thing. What is Rory Crew doing with someone like me? He’s only with me because he thinks he knows who I am, but what if he knew the truth? Is it fair to let him fall in love with me, or me to fall in love with him when it’s not reality?
Sure, he does know some of it, but only the pieces I want him to know. He knows my story about Celeste and how I was young when I got pregnant by a much older guy. And how he took off the second he found out. I’d even told him about my shitty upbringing.
He’s built it in his mind that I got myself and my little girl out of the trailer park and away from my messed-up family. He just doesn't know the trail of lies and cons I left to make that happen. It’s all fake, and right now I’m not even sure if I know who I really am.
“Did I wear you out? You’ve gone quiet on me,” Rory asks when we make it back to his beautiful home.
“Maybe a little.” I am worn out, but it’s not from a night of dancing.
Rory takes my hand, and his fingers thread through mine as we walk inside. The farther inside he takes me, the more like a con I feel. The weight of it is pressing down on me and then anger at all the guilt I feel too. I remind myself that I’ve done what I had to in order to keep Celeste and myself safe.
“If you lived here you wouldn't have to pack a bag, you know,” Rory says, jerking me from my spiraling thoughts.
“We’ve gone from you wanting a key to my house to the two of us moving in together?” I tug on my hand, but he doesn’t let go.
“You don’t think it would be nice to live together? We wouldn’t have to sneak around.”
“We can’t live together, Rory.” I shake my head at the stupid thought. Then the anger I already have inside of me builds. I want it. But wanting things you can’t have is dangerous. I don’t let myself do that anymore, not since I was a young girl.
“Why?” Rory stops walking, looking confused. To him it’s so simple. He doesn’t have anything to lose.
Must be nice.
“You don’t even know me, Rory. We can’t live together.” I roll my eyes, trying to jerk my hand out of his again, but he only tightens his hold on me.
Something crosses his face, and his whole demeanor changes. The air around us grows thick with tension and then it hits me. He knows. Of course he knows.
“Don’t play stupid, Anna. You’re far from it,” Rory says. “I’m not stupid either. I know who you are.”
Maybe I am stupid, because I thought I could con a man like Rory Crew and he wouldn’t go digging into my past. With how much time he’s spent not only with me, but inside me, of course he did. I have no right to feel betrayal, but it hits me right between the ribs. Never once did I have the upper hand with him. I was once again just a silly girl who let an older man cloud her judgment.
“Good for you, Rory. Did you learn anything interesting?” No wonder he shoved that black American Express into my hand so quickly that night. He knew if he gave me money, he could keep me for as long as he liked.
“Besides the fact that you and Celeste are con artists? The Binx girls go across the country robbing fools and cheating men?”
Fuck, that stings. The look on his face is so confusing because I’d swear it’s like those things mean nothing.
“You’re one of those fools, Rory,” I point out, wanting to hurt him right back.
Why the hell would he ask me to move in, knowing those things about me? My head starts to spin because none of this is making sense.
“Is that true?” I hear Apollo’s voice, and my eyes snap to the door Rory and I are standing next to. Apollo and my daughter are here.
“Kind of?” Celeste responds to him, her voice soft.
They both must have heard everything Rory and I said. I close my eyes as guilt engulfs me, and I don’t catch whatever Apollo says back to her.
“It’s not what you think,” Celeste answers.
“This is all a con?” Apollo says back to her. “Are you even on birth control? Is that what this is? You’re trying to trap me.” My eyes fly open, and I see red. I’ll fucking kill him.
When I jerk my hand again, this time Rory is smart enough to let it go.
Celeste’s gasp is loud from the other side of the door, and Rory shakes his head before he rubs his hand across his face. Even he’s disappointed by his son’s response.
“Fuck you,” Celeste hisses.
“I’m pretty sure you fucked me,” Apollo spits, then it’s followed by a loud smack that I know without a doubt my little girl gave him.
“Celeste.” I grab the door, trying to open it because I need to get to her.
“Leave us alone,” Apollo shouts. His voice filled with panic. It should be.
“Rory.” I glare at him, making it clear he better get this fucking door open for me right now.
“Oh, I’m definitely going to leave you alone,” Celeste says a moment before I hear the lock pop, and I yank the door open.
“Can we leave?” Celeste blurts out when she sees it’s me standing there.
“Yes,” I say without hesitation, but both the Crew men say “no” at the same time. As if they could stop me right now.
“We’re not done,” Apollo says, trying to step in front of my daughter. His cheek is already starting to turn red where she smacked him. Good.
“We’re more than done,” Celeste responds to him, holding her chin up high, fighting those tears. She pushes past him, and I grab her hand.
Apollo doesn't hide his feelings of regret and anguish. Good. The little fucker should regret what he said to Celeste. It will do him good to wallow in it for a few days.
Rory almost steps in front of me but thinks better of it at the last minute. “This isn’t over,” he says.
“You’re right.” I let all my anger show. “I’m taking your car, and you can pick it up tomorrow. Then it will be over.”
I want to break, but I don’t have that luxury. I have to be strong for my little girl. All I’ve ever wanted to do was protect her and to protect the little girl that still lives inside of me.
I’ve failed both of us.