Page 45 of Pucking Forbidden

“She never said anything.”

“I know. She told me that she didn’t want the whole world to know. At the time, I figured it was because she thought I was full of shit. But now I’m guessing it was because she really didn’t want the world to know. She probably knew how much people would pay for videos of him. She didn’t want to risk them getting out if he still had any.”

“That would have destroyed her,” Sutton whispers.

“Yeah, it would have. So I respected her wishes, and I protected you the best way I could. Maybe I fucked it all up,” I say, cupping her cheek. “Hell, I don’t know anymore. I just know that letting you suffer because of what he did wasn’t an option, so I tried like hell to prevent it. And I’m trying to do the same thing now.”

She eyes me sadly. “Maybe it’s time for you to stop trying and let me protect myself, Jordan. Maybe it was time five years ago.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I whisper.

Chapter Eleven

Jordan

When I wake up in the morning, I’m not really surprised to find that Sutton isn’t in bed with me. I think she was awake half the night, tossing and turning beside me. I didn’t sleep much, either. I was too worried about her.

My worry only grows when I search upstairs and down, but don’t find her.

Christ, did she leave me? Decide she couldn’t do this? Just fucking…walk away in the middle of the night?

I dial her number, my throat threatening to close up on me. But she either has it turned off or she blocked me. My call goes straight to voicemail.

My hands shake as I type out a text.

Me: Where are you, princess?

I don’t think I breathe at all, praying for a response.

I don’t get one.

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter, on the verge of panicking as I toss on a pair of sweats and shove my feet into my shoes, determined to go hunt her down. To beg her not to do this if that’s what it takes. I need her to talk to me, to tell me what’s in her head.

Someone pounds on the front door while I’m hurrying down the hall. I nearly choke on a fucking sob, I’m so relieved. She didn’t just walk out. She came back.

I take the stairs two at a time, clearing the bottom landing. I damn near fall into the door as I yank it open. “Princess, you’re…”

I rear back, shocked when I don’t find her on the other side as expected.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I snarl at her brother, who is staring at me with wild eyes. He looks like shit. There are dark circles under his eyes, and his hair is a mess. He’s certainly not the same motherfucker who threatened me a little over a week ago.

“Where is my sister, you prick?” he growls, and I smell the alcohol on his breath.

“Get the fuck off my property before I drag you off.” How the fuck does he even know where I live? I just bought this place a few months ago.

“Fuck you.” He shoves me into the wall…and I fucking snap on him.

I’m so sick of him and his lies. I’m sick of every tear Sutton has shed because of him…and every single one I know is still coming. He’s broken so much. And for what? Jealousy? Because he couldn’t just man the fuck up and ask me if I had a thing for his girlfriend? Or ask her if she had a thing for me?

It's so damn stupid, so senseless. He ruined everything and everyone around him, simply because he couldn’t face the possibility that she just didn’t like the guy he was turning into. Instead of fixing himself, he destroyed everything, sending it fucking crumbling like the walls of Jericho. But he wasn’t on some mission from God. The only person responsible for the destruction he wrought…is him.

I crank my fist back, plowing it into his jaw. His head snaps back, and he stumbles before regaining his balance. “Get the fuck off my property, Peters. I’m not fucking around with you.”

He roars a curse and charges at me, knocking me onto my ass in the foyer. He goes down with me, landing half on top of me.

“Stay away from my sister,” he snarls, taking a wild swing at me.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” I snap, bucking him off before elbowing him in the ribcage. I jump to my feet, spinning to face him. “You’ve already taken enough from me. You aren’t taking her again, too.”

---