Reaping Consequences

Chapter Twenty

Mathias

I've always known she loved him, so when the words came from her mouth, it did nothing but concrete the fact that I need to keep her away from him. If she saw him again, she might just do something stupid like try and save him again.

I can't let that happen, I won't.

She is mine now, and there is no way in hell that I'll ever let him get his claws into her again. Cadence deserves so much more than to be his pawn in whatever game his playing.

"Babe, I won't let Marks come near you. I will deal with it when I get back to town, and you'll stay with Rhys until I get shit straightened out." She cuddles further into my body, and I just let her. I like her coming to me for the safe haven she's looking for.

I hate the thought of leaving her here with Rhys to stay hidden, but I have no choice. She needs to be protected at all costs.

"You making me stay in your brother's place that probably smells like dirty feet and farts." She pulls away far enough to give me her puppy dog eyes and I just shake my head at her.

"That isn't going to get me to change my mind. Marks was at the house. He knows he can get to you if you are in town and I'm not letting that happen. You will be the safest here with Rhys." She pouts some more, but I just roll her so she is underneath me.

"I won't sacrifice you to get rid of Marks." I press my lips against hers, and she sighs.

"If I had known that all of this was under that hard exterior I wouldn't have been such a pain in the ass from day one," she giggles.

She and I both know that nothing would have changed the way she felt about me from day one. She hated me because I stole her freedom in a way. I've wanted her more than my next breath for far too long, and now that I've had a piece of her, I'm never letting go.

She can go back to hating me, and it still wouldn't matter. The only thing that matters is I have her, right where she is.

-

We spent most of the night talking about random things. She told me what she wanted to do when she graduated college, and I have to say, I'm shocked as hell.

I never knew that this woman would be everything that I ever wanted and more. Just looking at her face right now, I can't bring myself to get up and accidently wake her.

She's still upset that I'll be leaving her to Rhys today, but there is nothing I can do about that. She will have everything she could need while down here, and I'm even leaving the car for her to drive around as long as she promises to not get a wild hair up her ass and drive back home.

Home. She called my house her home last night.

The feeling that sparked through my chest when I heard her say those words was one of relief and hope. If she is calling it home, maybe then she's always decided that she might stay even after the contract is up. But then again, she could be playing me. Giving me everything I want until the day the contract is up and ripping it all away.

She wouldn't be the first woman to use a man like me to get everything she wanted before taking it all away in a blink of an eye.

I've seen men crumble after something like that and if this is the case with her, I will be sure to ruin everything she's ever wanted as retribution. She thinks I'm nice and caring now, but she will hate me even more if she ever crosses me.

I know I sound like a dick, but in my world, its sink or swim and I learned to swim a long time ago. Nothing can change the way I am, not even Cadence. If she wants to be mine, I'll treat her like the queen she is. She deserves it.