Corruption - Leigh Lennon Page 0,43
the bruise left on her face by her father is an understatement.
She’s quiet, her head turned to the outside, as I drive to my home in Queen Anne from South Seattle, where Jewel had lived. After almost thirty-five minutes with the traffic, I finally pull into the garage attached to my stand-alone condo. I didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until she doesn’t stir as I turn the car off.
I don’t want to wake her when my phone chirps at me. I have no doubt who it is.
Chadwick: Did you get her? Is she okay? Was it that asshole who told on her?
I’d been able to give Chad and Anton a thirty-second rundown before I rushed out of the club.
Me: Her father hit her. She’s broken, not being able to say goodbye to her mother, and yes, it was that fucker, Danner.
I pocket my phone because I’ll leave Chadwick and my other boys to Danner’s demise. Jewel begins to move, twisting her head to mine. A little smirk forms onto her face, and it melts my heart. I can’t believe I was silly to let this beauty walk away.
“Hey, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“We’re here?” she asks when she wrinkles her face in what I guess is a wince.
“Yes, precious, we’re here. Let’s get you into the house. I just want to hold you all night, nothing more.”
I pull my gaze from her because I can’t look at the bruise on her face much longer. Hurrying to the passenger side, I help her out and leave everything that I was able to put in my trunk for later.
When I open the door to my mudroom, the lights turn on automatically, and we enter the stark white kitchen. She takes in a deep breath at the space that almost never gets used. “Holy Mary, your kitchen…it’s so beautiful.” There’s a happiness in her tone at something as simple as my kitchen.
“Well, it doesn’t get much action, so feel free to christen it whenever you’d like.”
This causes her to chuckle as I pull her into my embrace. “I’m glad you’re here, precious.”
She tips her gaze to mine. “This is the only place I want to be. With you.”
Watching her in this way makes my stomach feel nauseous along with a lump in my throat. “This is all my fault. If I’d just accepted that you weren’t ever leaving my heart, then…”
It’s her turn to quiet me as her lips graze my lips, the lightest trace of her flavor invading my senses. When she pulls away, she doesn’t smile, but her posture is strong and her shoulders back, touching my fingertips with hers. “Maddox, this was the way our story was written, and I wouldn’t want it revised because we may not have ended up together if anything was different. Now, with your lips so close to mine…”
Holy hell—this woman. Her blond waves frame her face, and I never want to forget this moment, so I take a mental picture I can carry in my heart always. “Fuck, woman, could you be anymore perfect?”
Displaying a wide grin, she leans up on her tippy toes to my ear. “I’m far from perfect, but I’m perfect for you.” She pauses to take a long, hard swallow. “I want nothing more than to be your submissive. I will always submit to you because it’s you. So tell me what you want, and I’ll make sure that everything I ever do is for your pleasure.”
“You being here is all the pleasure I need right now.” I take a step back from our physical connection, though our hands are still linked. “And I know you will. But my only concern is healing you of the hell you’ve been through. So we’ll talk more tomorrow.” I continue through my home with one of her hands in mine.
We move into the two-story living room where my color palette continues. “You really like white, don’t you, Sir?”
It squeezes at my heart that she gives me her submission even though I had willingly let her go. “Yeah, I know. I don’t have much imagination,” I call back to her, her hand is still connected to mine as we ascend the floating staircase with a steel railing.
“I love it, Sir. I love it a lot.” There’s one thing about my gem. She’s so appreciative of anything in her life. I guess, she’s had the bare minimum and certainly not a lot of love, and in that, I’ve never seen someone more grateful.
“There