In This Burning House
In This Burning House | 3/6
Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5
Gif Credit: @drogons middle gif I had to pull from my reblog archive. So I'm giving cred here.
Pairing:Β Jax Teller x OC
Warning:Β Some smuttiness, depictions of IPV, cheating, fighting, so if you're underage don't engage. Love does not involve abuse. If you or someone you love is in that situation support is out there. If you don't know where to look, my DM is always open.
Author's Note:Β I hate to disappoint, but those hoping for just a sexy, smutty cheating story, youβre probably going to be disappointed. I fundamentally believe cheating is wrong and inexcusable, but I do love writing about difficult situations. While I donβt think Jax would give a fuck about cheating, especially since Cheyenne is the one married and he hates her husband, Cheyenne is very conflicted about what she is doing. She is a character that knows what she is doing is wrong and struggles with that. And itβs that turmoil and inner conflict that I love exploring in a character. Because in my experience we will all make bad choices at some point in our life. Not necessarily cheating. It can play out in many ways but exploring why and what that looks like is why I write.
PS. Five parts have now become 6, because I had to cut this chapter. It just became too long. And Liam is two, for those curious.
Part 3: We Found Love in A Hopeless Place
I've been sleepwalking too close to the fire
But it's the only place that I can hold you tight
In this burning house
Jax keeps his word and the promise he made in the diner. He spends the better part of a year trying to create a safe path out for Cheyenne and his son. Jax knows the only way he can do that is if he gets the club support and gets them out from under the Irish.
The first step was to move the club toward legitimate business, and his first success came when the club voted to go into partnership with Cara cara.
Once Jax got the club a foothold into legitimate means of earning he began pushing for distance from running guns and the Irish. His efforts behind the scenes. His motivation known only to himself.
Often times Jax felt like he was pushing a boulder uphill trying to persuade the club toward change, with no bigger barrier than Clay himself, but slowly Jax made inroads.
His focus and driving force were to get his family to safety, but he wouldnβt do it at the expense of his club. He wouldnβt make his brothers pay for his mistake, because if Cheyenne hadnβt gotten pregnant, she would have blown up that house of cards long ago. Thatβs a burden Jax rests solely on his shoulders.
He knows he has to be smart with his plan, protect his brothers, and if he can get the club away from the Irish then Cheyenne and his son will have the protection they need to leave.
Being with Jax was the closest thing to happiness Cheyenne had felt in years, but it was also the kind of predicament that turned her inside out and left her with the perpetual feeling something bad was going happen.
Having Liam, being his mom, thatβs what gave Cheyenneβs life meaning. Taught her what the true meaning of love is and how to be a fighter, but with everything so ugly and broken between her and Edmond, the rest of her life had been a living hell.
For years she had been slowly wasting away. Surrendering to a fate that destroyed her, but kept the club she was loyal to thriving, prospering. Trying to be a good old lady like she had always wanted to be.
She understood from a young age nothing could come above the club and certainly not to needs of one at the expense of everyone else. Staying close to the club and following the rules kept her son safe and in her arms, but there was a heavy price to pay for that.
For years Cheyenne resented the double standard of outlaw life. If Edmund wasnβt part of the IRA, if he wasnβt supplying the guns, if he had been an outsider, or worse a rival club member, he would already be dead for the things heβs done to her.
Knowing the club needed him sealed her fate in a way she didn't know how to escape. She felt buried within that burden. Until Jax changed all that.
He became her refuge, even if he hadnβt been able to secure her freedom yet. Just knowing he was there and she wasnβt alone shifted Cheyenne's perspective on her world. The clouds began to part and the sun found moments to return. She found herself reconnecting with those in the club who had always been her family, because she finally didn't feel like she was suffocating and fighting to stay alive alone.
She no longer resented them for her misery and the price she paid for their prosperity. She had finally found a balancing act she could toe without feeling like she was being hung out to dry.
Things with Edmond didn't change, but the pain he brought to her only served to ease her guilt. A twisted sort of penance for her sins. Because she knows what she's doing with Jax is wrong. Unjustifiable. It terrifies her to know sheβs the villain in her own love story and what sheβs doing makes her the kind of person she never wanted to be.
A harsh truth she has to reconcile with every day when she looks in the mirror or tells another lie. Her love for Jax, her need for him and trust in him, is the constant battle raging in her heart and soul. Β And most days she feels like only the devil is winning in this fucked up triangle she doesnβt know how to escape.
But Cheyenne believes in Jax. She trusts him when he tells her heβs working on a way out. A way that will keep them safe. A way this can all finally end.
Cheyenne knows what people would think if they knew the truth. They would think she and Jax were screwing around. Something dirty. Something cheap. They wouldnβt understand that's all she and Edmond share anymore, whenever he gets lonely or horny enough. Itβs emotionless, he takes what he wants, and when heβs done itβs over.
That's not what she shares with Jax. With Jax, Cheyenne remembers how to feel again. How to connect to another person. How to love and be loved. Moments she cherishes and wants to protect, even if that makes her a monster.
Laying sprawled out on her bed, tangled in the sheets while Edmond's out on another distribution run and Liam hasnβt woken up from his nap yet, Jax faintly traces the bruises that litter Cheyenne's back and arm. Her beautiful skin marred by Edmondβs ugly hands.
She doesnβt talk to Jax about what happens with Edmond and shuts it down when he tries. The only proof he has is the way she changes when sheβs around that prick, muted and on guard. And the brutality he leaves on her body.
Jax tries not to focus on it when he's lost in her, but sometimes it's all he can see. And sometimes the guilt and failure he feels over not having them away from here already feels like more than Jax bear.
"One of these days I am going to kill him." Jax says with complete confidence through gritted teeth before his lips brush and kiss over a particularly dark bruise along her shoulder blade
His conviction makes Cheyenne stir in the bed beside him. Slowly she rolls over to her other side to face him. Their skin makes contact, soft and smooth as her thumb gently runs over the furrow of his brow and their eyes connect.
"I don't need you to kill him, but I do need you." She whispers back, trying to sooth the anger blinding in his eyes. Not wanting to waste what little time they have.
"I'm going to get you and Liam out of this." Jax whispers back, breath low and full of grit. The words like a promise to himself as much to her as his eyes barrel into her own from just a breath away.
"I know, but what I need right now is your love." Cheyenne responds back, her thumb gently dragging against the scruff of his face as she redirects the conversation to the only place that's safe to go.
The edge in Jax's eyes, the tension in his muscles slips away with her words and touch. Reaching out for her under the sheets, pulling her naked body flush against his own, Jax removes the remaining distance between them as his face leans in close.
"You have that." He swears it before his lips find hers in a slow tender kiss that quickly grows more heated and wanting. Reigniting the fire between them once again.
Stealing the breath from her lips, Jax tries to show Cheyenne how much he loves her as his hand drags along her figure. Goosebumps forming along her sensitive skin under his touch.
Finding the hold of her hip, Jax slowly climbs onto her, coming to rest between her thighs. His mouth finds her neck, kissing and sucking as he moves down the slope of it, his hands wandering, drawing her back to life for him.
βYouβre mine,β Jax tells her, his voice rough and low against the shell of her ear as his length teases her waiting heat.
The tension coils tight in her belly with anticipation. Hungry and wanton in a way she knows makes her weak.
βYes,β Cheyenne sighs, spine arching as she curves into his touch. Begging to have him once more.
Jax slides tortiously slow within her. Her nails bite at his back, her body shivers as her breath hitches in his ear.
He pulls back and their eyes meet. His eyes are dark and focused in a way that makes her feel seen and desired.
Jaxβs finger dig into the soft flesh of her thigh pulling it high against her chest as he snaps his hips, filling her completely. His mouth crashing against her own as he swallows the desperate moan that escapes her.
XXXX
Cheyenne hates it when they're all out on a run. She misses them, she worries. It's the longer runs that she selfishly likes best. The ones where Edmond has a wider distribution route.
The sons watch his back and protect the shipment through northern California, but it's a wide route and thereβs partners to meet with up and down the coast. So to lighten the load, the other charters share the job. Whose ever territory Edmond lands in protects him and the cargo. Until he's close enough to home that Samcro goes back to secure his return.
Those are the runs where Cheyenne has the house to herself for a week, maybe more. Those are the times that for a moment she feels free.
When Jax can practically stay with her. They always have to be careful. No one, especially the club, can learn the truth. But itβs the little moments she cherishes. When she gets to wake in Jaxβs arms. Or watch as he tickles their son, snuggling up with him on the couch for Saturday morning cartoons while she makes breakfast.
Those are the days when Cheyenne's heart swells with what could have been, even if thereβs always a circle of guilt surrounding it. Those moments never last long enough though, but she lives for them. Even though she knows she's playing with the deadliest fire of all. The kind that leaves soot on her hands even if others canβt see it.
The guys had all gotten back from a run earlier that day. Like a family, everyone greeted their return at the clubhouse when the club rolled back into town tired from the road.
Cheyenne had welcomed Edmond home with a warm embrace like a good old lady would, with Liam practically jumping out of her arms for his dad. She gave her dad a big welcome home hug too, glad to see he had returned to her in one piece, but her eyes found their way to Jax. Quietly, discreetly, in a way no one else would notice.
It took everything inside her not to go to him, because he was the one she missed the most over the past few days. The look in his eyes says the same thing, but this dangerous dance they play means they can never show their love to anyone else.
It has to always be kept in the shadows and that secrecy serves as a constant reminder to Cheyenne what sheβs doing is wrong. A constant tug-a-war on her heart.
Unable to welcome him home, Cheyenne held onto the hope that the family dinner Gemma was hosting that night would be her chance. Knowing Jax would be there. Praying they could steal a brief moment alone.
Cheyenne and the girls spend the afternoon helping Gemma prepare a feast fit for her king and his burly men, but her eyes kept finding their way back to Jax as the house filled with family. As more people arrived, her heart grew more anxious, unsure theyβd be able to get away. The price of their entanglement, one of many. No guarantees. No promises.
She doesnβt have a moment alone until she goes upstairs to wake Liam from his nap. Smiling down upon her little guy as he sleeps peacefully on Jaxβs old bed, sheβs just about to wake him when she hears a noise in the room.
Her eyes shoot up and make contact with Jax standing in the doorway, watching her with their son. The look in his eyes instantly sends butterflies fluttering in her belly, sends heat flushing through her with how badly she missed him.
Finally alone a smile eclipses Jax's face, makes light shine from his piercing eyes. It's a beauty that's so addicting, so contagious, Cheyenne can't help but smile back at him.
The light in her eyes seems to be all the confirmation Jax needs as he slowly pulls the bedroom door halfway closed behind him. Cheyenne's nerves pick up with the implication of his actions. Everyone is downstairs. Anyone could find them. With the house this full, the options are endless, but none of them good. And even though she's missed him desperately, these situations leave her scared.
But her fear never has a chance to take flight as Jax reaches her and gets ahold of her. His hands grip her waist as he backs her up slowly against the wall behind the door. His sexy smirk and the wanting spark in his eyes coaxing her every step.
"God, I missed you." Jax manages out on a thick desperate breath as his hand cups her cheek, the other secure on her waist as his mouth descends upon her, stealing the breath from her lip.
The danger makes it intense and terrifying as Jax's tongue searches her mouth, rediscovering her taste. The hand at her waist pins her to wall as his other tilts her jaw just where he wants it, guiding the pace of their kiss. Cheyenne melts under the seduction of his mouth, her hands wrapping around the scruff of his face, but she's also keenly aware of how risky this is. Pushing him back by his shoulder, they both fight to catch their breath.
"I missed you too, but everybody's downstairs," Cheyenne reminds him, needing him to be reasonable about this even though she knows reason isnβt Jaxβs strong suit when heβs wound tightly.
"When can I see you?" Jax asks like a kid barely able to contain himself as he leans in to give her mouth a playful nip that begs for more.
Cheyenne stares back at that playful smirk on his face, the one that makes her weak in the knees.
"Didn't get enough pussy on the run?" She sarcastically spits back, cheeky grin on her face.
Even though they both know she isn't really asking. Cheyenne might tease him, but she doesn't really want to know about any other women. She knows it's a part of his life she has no say in. Not while she's sharing a bed with another man.
A Cheshire grin widens on his face with her comment. He loves it when she gets mouthy.
"I don't want road pussy," Jax corrects her, his hand dropping to her thigh, slowly sliding up under her dress as he pulls her leg up against his hip.
"I want your pussy." Jax demands, his words intentional and driven. Meant to make her melt as his gaze sets her on fire. His lips move to her neck as his hand slips deeper under her dress and past the seam of her panties in search of whatβs his.
He bites down on her neck to suppress the sound of his groan when he finds sheβs already wet for him. Jax slips his fingers inside her waiting warmth, pumping slowly within her as he nips and sucks at her neck.
βLooks like you missed me too.β He teases, his breath hot against her skin.
Cheyenneβs head digs deeper into the wall behind her as she arches into his body and touch, losing herself to the moment and the hunger sheβs been carrying inside for him for days.
Jaxβs face lifts to watch her as she starts to unravel under his touch. Her walls clenching around his fingers, her breath fluttering, hips pressing into the palm of his hand. Β βThatβs my girl.β
His fingers pump and stoke her, reminding her who she belongs to. βGive my five minutes in the bathroom.β Jax practically growls.
Cheyenneβs eyes roll back as his thumb draws circles against her clit. Clouding her mind and controlling her senses.
βAnd what if I need more than five minutes with you?β She counters, breath heavy and wanton. Cheyenne finds herself getting lost in Jax. Pinned between the wall and the strength of his body as his hand works her in a way she's missed so badly.
A more dangerous darkness fills Jaxβs eyes with her challenge as he watches her like a predator encircling its prey. His hand leaves her waist to pull at her plump lower lip, tempting him for another kiss.
βThen you can have all the time you want, darlin. Iβd take you right here if youβll let me.β His voice deep and filled with grit, as his fingers pump fast, curling to hit the sweet spot he knows takes her to the edge.
A cracked cry trembles from her lips as he speaks of a madness she wishes was the truth, but they both know it isnβt. Forcing her eyes open, Cheyenne finds his gaze once more. Jaxβs looks as drunk as she feels.
He's right, she really missed him too, but this is risky and stupid. Even for them. A terrible combination no matter how she spins it and as much as she wants to stay right here, wants him to keep going, she knows one of them needs to be smart in this moment.
Reaching for his hand, Cheyenne reluctantly pulls him from her and out from under her dress. Fighting to catch her breath, Cheyenne shakes her head in amusement as her eyes hold his boldly.
βYouβre going to be the death of me.β She muses.
A devilish grin curls at the corner of Jaxβs mouth with pride as he sucks his fingers into his mouth, licking the taste of her. βMmm.β
"Aren't you the gentleman," She practically laughs at his display.
Jax smirks back at her as his fingers slip past his lips, his baby blues lit up and full mischief.
"You know me babe, I'm all about the fairytale." He smirks and flashes her a wink, sealing his words with a kiss that leaves her momentarily senseless.
"I'll see if I can find an excuse to get away later." She relents.
Another panty dropping smile widens on Jax's face before he leans in to give her one last quick kiss. Turning to the bed, a gentler smile softens his face as he looks upon their son
"How's my favorite little man doing?" He asks as he moves toward the bed Liam is napping on.
"Good, he's always happy when you guys get home." Cheyenne answers back, getting lost in the beauty of watching Jax and their son. The sight of them always filling her heart.
"Can I get him?" Jax asks, barely able to hold himself back as he reaches the side of the bed.
Smiling, Cheyenne nods. She can see how badly he's missed his son and she wants them to have whatever time they can steal. "I was just about to wake him anyway."
Gently Jax lifts Liam off the bed and into his arms.
"Hey buddy, I gotcha. Time to wake up little man." He soothes as he softly rubs his back trying to wake him.
A hinge creaks and to the complete startle of both Jax and Cheyenne, Edmond appears in the doorway.
"What are you all doinβ up here?" He questions, but itβs the edge on his voice, the way his eyes dart between them that reeks of suspicion.
"Just came to get Liam before dinner." Cheyenne is quick with an excuse and a forced smile.
Years of practice have taught her to be quick on her feet with Edmond, but her nerves are on alert, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Always afraid he'll put the pieces together. Afraid he'll find out, anything, everything. Because he's never liked her connection with Jax. He's always been threatened by it.
"Yeah, just dropping some stuff off upstairs when I heard the little guy waking up. So I came in to grab him." Jax chimes in, backing Cheyenne. Not blind to the fear in her eyes even as she tries to hide it. A fear that he swears to himself he will make Edmond pay for one day.
Eyeing them both for a long moment, Edmond slowly nods. His true feelings held close to the vest.
XXXX
After dinner Jax and Ope step out back to get some air. The crisp Charming breeze that always seems to roll in this time of night surrounding them.
Passing a joint between them as they take in the night sky that's settling in around them, Jax realizes they aren't the only ones with that same idea as he spots Cheyenne and Edmond on the side of the house, tucked back against the fence, hidden in the shadows. Jax keeps pace with Ope, but he watches over Cheyenne from the corner of his eye.
As much as he loves coming home, getting back to Cheyenne and Liam, he hates knowing his return brings Edmond back to Cheyenne too. He doesn't trust that asshole and he doesn't like him alone with Cheyenne. Most days he doesn't have a say in that, but keeping an eye on them right now, he does.
Jax tries to follow what Ope is saying as he takes another drag from the joint and passes it back. Something about the long ride, feeling beat, gearing up for the next shipment, but Jax can't really follow it. His attention keeps getting drawn back to the corner of the house.
He can't make out what they're saying from this far away, but something about it doesn't seem right. Something about it puts him on edge.
As Opie tries to pass him back the joint, his suspicions are proven correct. Jax watches from across the yard as their heated conversation turns nasty when Edmond snatches Cheyenne's arm, yanking her to him, trying to make a point about something he's saying.
Jax's pupil dilates as he watches her defiantly rip her arm free from his grip and try to leave, but Edmond isn't having that as he snatches her face and yanks it back to him.
Gripping her jaw until she's forced to look him in the eye as he gets in her face. It all happens so fast- seconds, heartbeats. Jax is confident Opie doesn't see it, his back to them, but it's all Jax needs.
Tossing the joint to the ground like a forgotten thought, leaving Ope midsentence, Jax races across the backyard, charging at Edmond in a fit of rage.
Reaching them in seconds, before anyone sees it coming, Jax shoves Edmond away from Cheyenne and into the wooden fence. Catching him while he's still stunned, Jax takes the upper hand and sends a quick blow squarely into Edmond's jaw, losing control against the anger racing inside him.
"Don't ever touch her or I'll fucking kill you!" Jax hollers in a fit of rage as he sends another clenched fist into Edmond's gut.
Not one to lie there and take it, Edmond gets in a few counter blows. Sending Jax stumbling back against the side of the house as the two brawl it out, but the fire inside Jax's gut, a fire that's been burning and rising for years is no match for whatever Edmond has.
Jax can hear Cheyenne screaming for them to stop, calling for Opieβs help, but even her pleas can't reach him, he's beyond reason at this point. Edmond's only saving grace is when the other guys break it up. Opie pulls Jax off Edmond, holding him back, while Bobby keeps Edmond from starting it back up.
"Sick piece of shit!" Jax hollers at a man he despises more than anyone else, before spitting on his flannel shirt.
"Hey, Hey!" Clay calls out coming up on the scene. Tig and then Gemma with Liam in her arms just a step behind.
"What the hell's going on out here?" Gemma demands, her eyes shooting straight to her son after taking in the sight of a bloody Edmond.
"Just a little disagreement between brothers, that right boys? We're all just worn down from the road." Clay steps up before anyone can say a word otherwise.
Eying both men with a silent word of caution that it would be wise to keep it just that, because he knows what this is about and he isn't having it. His gaze drills a little longer and harder onto Jax as he continues to fume and stare down Edmond.
Letting out a heated huff, Edmond shakes Bobby off him.
"Aye," He concedes, wiping the smeared blood from his split eye.
But Jax isn't so quick, there's murder in his gaze as he stares down Edmond wishing he could strip him of his last breath.
"Jax," He hears Clay drawl out a warning, knowing what he's gotta say, what his club president is expecting him to do, even if it's bullshit.
Jax stares Edmond down for a long moment. Trying to convey without words he would gladly kill him, before conceding under club pressure.
"Yeah," Jax spits out on a low gravel breath.
"See darlin' everything fine." Clay reassures Gemma, while sending a message out to everyone else too. It feels unconvincing as Edmond storms back into the house to clean up, but President's order, no one's questioning it.
Standing against the side of the house as he dabs at the blood from his split lip, Jax isn't surprised when his mom isn't satisfied with the answer.
"The hell happened?" Gemma interrogates on a low insistent breath as her eyes scan the backyard and she clutches Liam closer in her arms.
A hot breath leaves his chest as Jax's gaze drifts to Cheyenne. He spots her standing with her dad a few feet away, clearly shaken up. Jax watches silently as Tig comforts her, rubbing her arms before he places a kiss upon her forehead.
That should be him comforting her, he thinks. Reaching out to the woman he loves, but he can't, because no one can know she's his. Just another reminder this whole situation is bullshit. And to think Clay knows exactly why he went after Edmond and does nothing, says nothing, only serves to piss Jax off worse.
His heated eyes return to his mom, knowing what heβs supposed to tell her. Brothers hash I out from time to time, but they all know this was different, anger driven, personal, but it would be unwise to counter his president right now, even with his mom. If Gemma hasn't figured out the truth by now, spelling it out for her isn't going to help anyone.
"What do you think?" He challenges her, tired of the bullshit, daring her to think about it, before turning his attention to Liam.
"You alright, little man?" He asks, ruffling his sonβs soft blonde hair. Checking in to make sure he isnβt frightened, because all this ugliness is the last thing he wants him growing up in.
"I good. You have a boo boo." Liam nods to his favorite uncle, pointing at his face.
"Yeah, I guess I do," Jax laughs back, his little boy's concern, the light in his eyes, the only thing that can quiet his anger.
Gemma lets out a long breath. Her narrowing eyes scanning between Jax and Cheyenne as the wheels start turning.
"Let's get some ice on that." She directs him before turning for the house, having seen what she needs to see.
XXXX
Jax is cleaning the blood off his scrapped knuckles in the upstairs bathroom when he spots Cheyenne pass by and return a second later with Liam's bag in her hand. She never looks his way the first time she passes him, as if she hadn't even noticed who it was, but on her return she stops. Lingering in the hall her eyes find his through the reflection in the mirror and freeze. Motionless as his hands lingering under the hot water.
Shutting off the faucet, Jax brings his wet hands to the towel hanging on the rack as he watches Cheyenne's gaze sweep rapidly up and down the hall, making sure they're alone. Satisfied with what she finds, Cheyenne steps to him in the bathroom doorway as he meets her.
"Are you ok?" She asks on a wavering breath, her fingers faintly brushing over his face to access the damage.
"I'm fine," Jax reassures as he gently pulls her hands from his face, giving her knuckles a tender kiss.
"I don't want you getting hurt, not because of me, Jax. It's not worth that." She whispers back to him. Pleading with him. Pain barreling from her eyes, bursting on her breath.
Wrapping her face in his hands, Jax holds her gaze. Staring at the woman he loves. He can see it in her eyes, the fear Edmond has over her, the concern in her eyes for him, and the worry the scene he just caused is going to raise questions.
This whole thing is a bloody shit storm and he convinces himself heβs got it under control, because he's watching out for her. Because he loves her and Liam, because it's his arms she calls home. It's him she loves and he is working to get them out, but it's moments like tonight that remind him he's only fooling himself.
They can playhouse all they want behind closed doors, but their love is still forbidden, she still belongs to that monster, and there is very little he can do about that without putting her and his club at risk. And his plans to get them out arenβt moving nearly fast enough. But he doesn't regret what he did. Doesn't regret the price to him, because he would do it again in a second.
Leaning in, Jax presses his forehead against her own.
"I might have to live with knowing what he does, but I can't just sit by and watch it. I am going to get you and Liam away from him. I promise." Jax whispers back on a deep husky breath before pulling her against his chest and into his arms.
XXXX
Later that night, after putting Liam down for bed, Cheyenne heads to her room to turn in for the night. After the guys arrived home, the family dinner at Gemma's, and then the fight, Cheyenne feels exhausted. Mentally and emotionally spent.
Spotting the light on in the bathroom that connects to their room, she moves to it. Standing in the doorway she spots Edmond at the sink. Examining his swollen and bruised face.
Her heart sinks with guilt at the sight, feeling responsible for his pain. Despite everything between them she doesnβt want this and she doesnβt want him dead. Her feelings for him complicated, rooted in the time theyβre spent together, and tanged in her guilt over her own sins.
"That looks painful.β She acknowledges.
βWant me to get you some ice to put on it?" She asks, reaching out, trying.
Edmond turns to her slowly, and when their eyes connect Cheyenne regrets ever going to the door. The look in his eyes is icy it's so cold. It sends a shiver running down her spine. Her stomach clenches.
It's a look she knows all too well. He blames her for what happened tonight, for what happened to him, and part of her doesnβt blame him, but now she's going to have to pay for that.
Without a word he grabs her so fast she has no time to react before he throws her into the wall. Her head bounces off the plaster on impact sending a shooting pain throbbing through the back of skull as the force of it leaves her dazed.
Cheyenne can barely catch her breath before heβs on her, his weight pressing her into the wall, his forearm pinned tightly against her throat and airway. Cheyenne grips wildly at his arm as she gasps for air. Heart racing, pulse pounding in her skull as the darkness of his eyes swallows her vision.
βDonβ ever embarrass me like that again.β He seethes in her face. His arm pressing deeper into her windpipe.
βYouβre my fookin wife. Youβd best remember that. I see the way he looks at you. If you step out of line I will fookin end you.β His breath hot against her face as she coughs trying to catch her breath and push his arm off her throat.
Edmondβs arm relents as Cheyenne gasps to fill her lungs. Her whole body trembling in shock from his attack, tears burn in her eyes as every instinct inside her body rises to the highest alert. On guard, focused on every breath he takes, every movement of his body. Bracing. Readying. In case heβs not done.
Edmund steps back, relieving the pressure of his weight pinning her against the wall, but the heat of his gaze never eases as he suddenly grabs her shoulder and shoves her down.
Her knees slam heavy against the carpet as his grip tightens on her shoulder. Her heart sinks with whatβs to come as she detaches from her body and the moment. Disappearing somewhere else entirely, outside of herself, readying to perform and suffer through it.
βShow me how much you missed me.β
