Marly's Choice (31 page)
For the past week, Cade had kept her to himself, both in bed and out of it. He hadn’t shared her with Brock and Sam, or made any strange demands on her. His passion was still hot and drove her crazy as he pushed her past peak after peak. It was as though that night in the family room was a dream. At least it was until this morning. Before leaving their room Cade had laid out the plug, and the lubricating jelly, giving her a hard, speaking glance before leaving. She knew well that he meant for her to use it.
Gritting her teeth in irritation at his highhandedness, even as her vagina wept in excitement, she completed dressing, hastily braided her hair and slipped into a pair of strappy sandals.
“Marly, are you coming down sometime today?” Cade called from downstairs, his voice raised, imperious as he urged her to hurry.
Shaking her head, she adjusted the dress, then hurriedly left the bedroom.
“Cade August, I want my blue jeans back,” she bit out as she went as fast as the device up her rear would allow. “I need them.”
Then she came to a stuttering halt. Cade stood with his back to the opposite wall, his hand raised above his head as he faced the demon from Marly’s past. Jack Jennings stood there, too real, too dangerous to accept. The threat they had fought through the long days of the past weeks could no longer be avoided. Marly’s heart jumped in terror, her throat closing, making her breath heave through her chest. He was tall, in reasonably good shape, and watching Marly with a flushed, holloweyed expression that terrified her. It reminded her of the night her mother had run with her, and how much she had hurt from his touch. As rough as Cade had been with her several times, he had never hurt her, not really. This man, Marly knew, would kill her.
“There’s my little girl,” Jack Jennings sneered as Marly stared at him in horror.
“Bout time you got down here to greet your daddy.”
Marly felt her body chill. He looked insane, his brown eyes as maniacal as ever as he watched her now. She could smell the stench of his evil as his body shifted, bringing him closer to her.
“Why are you here?” Marly clutched the banister desperately, feeling fear and fury overwhelming her.
He laughed low, like a monster ready to destroy.
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“Why, I’ve come for what’s mine of course,” he bit out, reaching out and gripping her arm as he dragged her to his chest. “You should have known I’d be here after that little show your lover put on last week, Marly.”
She felt her knees weaken, remembering Cade’s deliberate taunting of him.
“How pretty you were, all bent over while he shoved that thing up your ass.” He gripped her breast, causing her to cry out hoarsely. “Got you all nice and ready for me, little girl.”
“You’re crazy,” she gasped, her heart wild with terror as he wrapped his arm around her, jerking her close to his body.
“That’s not nice, Marly,” he whined low against her ear, his hot breath making her stomach heave with fear. “I’ll make you pay for that later. When my dick is ramming down your throat, you’ll beg to take that back.”
She would die first. Marly knew she would die before she could ever bear to let this man take her. If he didn’t kill her, then she would kill him. Marly shook her head desperately, tears filling her eyes as she watched Cade’s tormented expression. She had to do something. He had that gun at her head now, knowing Cade wouldn’t make a move against him if it meant her life. She met his gaze, saw his fury and denial a second before she moved.
She screamed out, ducking and ramming her hip into Jack’s crotch as she turned sideways, falling to the floor and rolling against his legs as he caught to keep hold of her. But it was too late. Cade was on him like a madman, then Rick, Brock and Tara were rushing into the house.
Rick jerked her out of the way, pushing her to Tara as he joined Cade and Brock in restraining the more than surprised Jack Jennings. He was cursing; vowing vengeance, but a fist to his jaw shut him up quickly as Rick grew tired of listening to it.
“Son of a bitch.” Cade stared at Marly in amazement.
“I took a class at college.” She shrugged uncomfortably, not daring to believe it was really over. “Cade, I really need a drink if you don’t care. I don’t feel so good.”
Adrenaline crashed around her. The edges of the room rolled and grayed, leaving her lightheaded as Cade swung her up in his arms.
“Honey, you can have the whole damned bottle,” he promised her, carrying her into the study.
She heard Rick talking to the sheriff on the phone; the cowboys’ excited voices as they realized something had happened as well and rushed into the house. Cade propped her carefully on the couch, then rushed to the bar. He mixed her drink, barely daring to take his eyes off her as he did so.
“I can’t believe I did that.” She shook her head as Tara sat down beside her, watching her in concern.
“It’s all over, Marly,” she promised as Cade helped Marly hold her drink while she sipped desperately from it. “You’re safe now. How does it feel?”
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“Like it never happened.” She shook her head. “This is going to hit me later, isn’t it?”
“Most likely.” Tara grinned, rising to mix her own drink now. “I think it will take a while for it to hit any of us. You did what none of us could do, caught the bastard off guard.”
“She’s good at doing that to everyone.” Cade shook his head, his surprise and pleasure still glowing in his eyes. “Bastard got right into the house before we knew it. Twenty-five men looking for him, and Marly took him down. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“She’s an amazing woman,” Tara agreed with him as she swallowed a large measure of whisky. “Better keep her, Cade. You won’t find another like her.”
“Oh, definitely.” He stared into Marly’s eyes. “Forever. Right, Marly?”
Marly breathed out in surprise at what she read in his face.
“Forever?” she asked him hesitantly, her lips parting in hope and fear.
“Definitely forever, baby.” He leaned forward, kissing her parted lips softly.
“Marry me, Marly?”
“What?” She whispered as he dragged her dress desperately over her thighs, pulling her to the edge of the couch as the other hand tore at the fastening of his slacks. She felt her drink leave her hand, only vaguely aware that Tara had rescued it as Cade spread her thighs and after hurriedly testing her readiness, thrust his cock deep and hard into her hot channel. Gripping her hips, he began to fuck her in slow, consuming thrusts that had her crying out for release. Her legs wrapped around his hips, her hips lifting to him as her pushed into her over and over again. Gasping, fighting for breath, she met each thrust of his thick shaft into her body.
“I love you, Marly,” he groaned, his voice strangled as he jerked her forward, taking her lips in a kiss that touched her very soul.
His tongue speared into her mouth, tangling with hers as he felt between her thighs and slowly pulled the plug free of her rear. Marly arched, cried out, and climaxed with a shattered cry, before he pulled her to the floor, bent her over the couch and pushed into that tighter, hotter entrance.
Her back bowed, a cry strangling in her throat as she felt him fill her once again. Then he was pushing into her hard and fast, driving them as their senses exploded as swiftly as their bodies, leaving them gasping in the aftermath of a release so vicious it still shuddered through their bodies minutes later.
Cade held her close, tight, his body still a part of hers. The heat and hardness that was always a part of him heated her to her soul. His breathing was rough, matching the jerky rhythm of hers.
“Mine,” he whispered at her neck, his lips caressing the damp skin there.
“Mine.” She smiled, knowing that finally it was true.
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If she worried that the threat against her seemed conquered so easily, then she refused to allow it to mar this moment of happiness that she knew Cade needed so desperately. If she feared the choice she had made had done little to still his demons, then she assured herself that her love would at least ease the way. He loved her. She knew that now, and she prayed that together they would defeat the demons of his past, and problems that could arise in their future.
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Brock was a man driven. A man who had reached the end of his fragile control. He stalked through the gym, bypassing the curious looks, the worried frowns and headed for the back corner where a male worked out among the heavy weights under the lustful eye of the young woman cooing over his bulging muscles. Rage surged through his veins, pounding with a rhythm of fury that he found hard pressed to control. When he reached the man, he jerked the weights out of his hands and threw them to the floor. The resulting thunder of the action had the cavernous room going deathly silent.
“Hey, are you crazy?” Mark Tate bit out, then gasped as he was grabbed by the front of his thin muscle shirt and thrown heavily against the wall. Brock didn’t give him time to retaliate. In a quick move, he had his hand wrapped around Mark’s throat, leaving only meager room for the man to breathe. Desperate hands gripped at his wrist, but Brock only tightened the hold.
“Divorce her,“ he growled furiously, a killing rage surging through him as he glanced at the scantily clad ‘other woman’ that always seemed to shadow Mark. “Sign the papers or I’ll make you wish you had. You understand me?”
Mark knew exactly who and what Brock meant. He had been warned. Brock had made certain of that when he learned Sarah had been asking for one.
“My wife,” Mark gasped.
Brock tightened his hold, watching dispassionately as the other man paled.
“My woman,” Brock amended. “Mine. And I mean to have her.”
Mark nodded with a jerky movement. Brock eased the pressure on his throat.
“Whose woman is she, Mark?” he asked him coldly.
“Yours,” Mark gasped.
“Sign the papers,” he ordered him again. “You have until tomorrow evening to get it done. If you don’t, and I find you again, I promise, I’ll hurt you.”
Mark nodded. A stilted, painful movement against Brock’s hand. Slowly, Brock released him.
“Don’t make me kill you, Mark.” He leaned close to whisper the words. “This time, I promise, I will.”
Unnoticed, quiet and hidden, the watcher observed the confrontation. It had been by luck alone that he was there when Brock stalked in, that he was close enough to hear all but the last, whispered words.
It was the woman. It was always a woman. His fists clenched in fury. Hatred, dark and all consuming, surged through him. First Cade, victorious in claiming his Marly, and now Brock, thinking he could do the same. If it were allowed to continue, then Sam Lora Leigh
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would seek his happiness. Sam could not be allowed to believe he could seek his happiness. But if Brock, the oldest twin succeeded, then Sam would believe he could as well.
The watcher contained his smile, as he contained his rage. He would take care of Sarah before she could be claimed. Before she was taken to the ranch, before she was given as a sacrifice to the past, he would take care of her. Enough sacrifices, and the demons of pain could be assuaged. He couldn’t allow the demons to quiet. Never to quiet. It was the demons and their whispered voices that led him, planned with him, assured him of the betrayer’s downfall. The demons needed blood. And blood they must have. The blood of innocence to pay for the blood of death. He watched Brock stalk out of the gym, then looked to Mark. Good ole Mark. He sneered remembering how easily he was to manipulate. How easy it was to guide him. Yes, just as with Jack, Mark would work out fine. The demons would never be silenced.
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