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“If you stop, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

He chuckles before lowering his head. He buries his face back in my pussy, a starving man gorging himself with zero restraint. I don’t even think of hesitating. Nothing else matters in this moment—not the bruises on my body or the guilt in my heart. Right now, there’s just him and me, and god, how I wish we could stay this way forever.

He slips a finger inside me, making me gasp before a second finger joins it. He glides them in and out as his mouth focuses on my clit. I try to hold back, not wanting this moment to end because when it does, life will crash back cold and unforgiving. I’m tired of second-guessing my actions, tired of running scared. But in this moment, I feel invincible, as if nothing can touch me, and I don’t want to give that up.

Powers is relentless, though, fucking me with his fingers, pressing them against a spot inside me that I swear has my whole womb spasming. I bite my lip so hard I can taste blood, but still I hold back, reaching out to grip his hair, needing to push him away. But instead, I pull him closer. I whimper. I won’t be able to hold it back much longer. When Powers looks up at me like a sex god as he eases another finger inside me, it’s game over. In a fight between my body and brain, my body takes over, forcing me over the ledge I’m dangling off with enough force that I’m not sure I’ll survive the fall.

I come hard with his name on my lips, my whole body weightless with euphoria before everything comes crashing back down. It’s as if the floodgates I thought I had on lockdown have been kicked open, and everything I’ve bottled up comes pouring out through the broken dam. Before I know it, my cries of pleasure have turned into sobs. Some in relief, but there is ample guilt and fear in there too.

Powers curses before he crawls up beside me and pulls me into his arms. “It was too much too soon. I’m so fucking sorry.”

I shake my head, but it takes me a while before I can find my voice. “I wanted to.” I hiccup, my breath hitching painfully in my chest. “I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

“You’ve been through a lot. And through it all, you’ve had to keep your guard up. I think that’s the first time you’ve probably let go in a long time.”

I tip my head up, his chest damp against my cheek from my tears. “Thank you.”

His lips twitch. “You thanking me for making you come or making you cry?”

I chuckle but feel myself grinning. “Both. I think I needed to come and to cry.”

He presses his lips to my forehead. “Whatever you need, Lil, I’m here for you.”

I slide my arm around him and hold him tightly. I don’t say anything else. I don’t need to. Something tells me he knows exactly how I feel.

* * *

“Relax, you’re going to make yourself sick.” Powers pulls me in for a hug, and I let him, even though it does nothing to relieve the tension in my body.

“I’m trying, but I can’t pretend I’m not terrified.”

“We don’t have to do this now. They can wait.”

“You heard what Havoc said. He’ll only be able to keep them away for so long. They’ll turn up here, and I need this place to be a safe one that I can escape to when it all becomes too much.”

“Alright, but I have no problem punching someone if they make you cry.”

I huff out a laugh. I’ll cry. There is no way around it, but I’m not going to let him punch someone over it. “Let’s just get it over with.”

He moves to step away, but I grab his hand and press it against my heart, swallowing before I speak because I really need to get these words out. “No matter what happens. No matter what you hear or think about me, know that what I felt, what I feel for you, is real. I know that’s not enough, but⁠—”

His mouth covers mine, making me freeze for a second before I melt into him. His hand cups my face as he deepens the kiss for just a minute before pulling back. “It’s enough.”

I offer him a shaky smile, wondering if those words will still hold in a day, a week, a month.

“Alright, let’s head out. Sooner this is done, the sooner we can leave.”

I don’t think it’s going to be quite as simple as that.

I slip on a jacket to ward off the chill, though it’s mild out. I find the extra layer comforting, something to sink deeper into for added protection.

“Be good, Lucy. We won’t be long.”

Lucy looks our way from her bed before closing her eyes and ignoring us completely. I chuckle and let Powers lead us out the door.

The walk up to the saloon has never felt both so long and so short before. Usually, we pass someone along the way, but right now it’s eerily quiet. There is no music as we approach, and with the gray clouds rolling in, the whole place is giving off an ominous vibe.

“Deep breath.”