Chapter 21
* Coralee *
Thank goodness for social media I think, walking down the street my best friend from high school lives on. Nervously tugging at the loose shirt I’m wearing, hope the bloodstains on my jeans aren’t too noticeable. There’s a weird pang in my chest, picturing her finishing school and going on dates while I was learning how to take it up the ass. Who knows, maybe she was too. Life is unpredictable. To each their own.
I pause on the short walkway outside of a run-down house resembling a box. It’s nothing like I’d imaging Emmie living in. The neighborhood’s well kept although there are bars on windows. This is Romano territory, and I feel watched. I hate this city.
Emmie was beautiful, always had a gaggle of friends and boys trailing after her even though we were the tightest. Her parents owned the hardware store two blocks away from the bakery and that cemented our friendship since we were both expected to take the reins one day.
I rush up and knock before nerves of deceiving Wylan and Jax force my feet back to the Gas-N-Go. They are going to be so mad! Leaving the tracker/necklace sealed my decision to confront Luca Romano on my own.
The front door opens and I’m faced with a woman that brings tears to my eyes. She’s an addict. Emmie’s once illustrious blonde hair lays limp and her skins saggy with pronounced acne scars and suitcases rest under her dilated blue eyes. We stare at one another for far too long and she’s closing the door with a snort.
“Emmie?” I squeak.
She frowns, “Yeah?”
“Hi, it’s been a while.”
She peers at my outfit then at my face, “Do I know you?”
I pretend to pout, knowing I have to pull this off even if I want to run the other direction, “Four years have passed, but I haven’t changed that much! Remember me? Cora Winters!”
Her eyes nearly pop out of their sockets, “Coralee?”
A man rips the door out of Emmie’s hands, standing in front of her and I back up a few steps. He’s large, but not Jax’s size because he has a beer gut although his beefy arms show he works out. His olive skin and dark eyes scream Italian heritage. Exactly who I need. “What do you want? Emmie, get your ass inside. We ain’t got time for good doers.”
“Oh, shut up Berto,” she snips in return, “This is my old friend! Come in! Wow, never thought I’d see you again girl!”
Berto rolls his eyes and moves out of the way, “Alright, take it down a notch, sugar.”
“Hi,” I smile at him, “I’m Cora. We went to school together.”
He makes a point of checking me out, “School, huh? How did you get here?”
“Relax,” Emmie soothes, petting his arm like you would a startled animal, “I haven’t seen her in years. Go drink a beer or something. Thirsty, Cora?”
I step into the house, surprised at the cleanliness. There isn’t much furniture, but it’s homey. She leads me through the living room into a kitchen, motioning for me to sit at the table against the wall facing a window looking into the small backyard. I notice a swing set.
“Do you have kids?” I take the bottle of Bud she offers.
She sits across from me saying, “Not anymore.”
Oh. I let it slide because it’s not my business and counterproductive to gaining her trust. “Same. So, Berto, huh?” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“Yeah,” she flushes, “He’s a little older, but we’re happy. This is his place. How did you find me?”
“I looked you up,” I honestly tell her, tapping my nails against the glass, “There’s a lot going on and I don’t have many people in my life to lean on. Did… did you think I was dead?”
She blanches, “Dead? No! Oh, you mean when the bakery went up in flames and nearly took out the entire neighborhood? Sure, I worried for a minute until they said you’d gone to live with your uncle.”
Now it’s my turn to flinch, “Who’s they?”
“Rumors mostly.” she looks around becoming bored, “You must be in some shit come here covered in blood.”
I gasp, “What?”
She points at my shoes where a huge stain across the laces screams I’m a liar, “Emmie…”
“You reek of it.”
“Why are you here?” Berto barks from behind us and I jump out of my seat with my hands up, “We don’t need trouble.”
“Me either,” I swallow, darting my eyes at them both to gauge how hostile they are, “No trouble. I’m alone. Do you know of a club called Overlook?”
Berto crosses his beefy arms smirking, “I work security there. Gonna tell me you want to go clubbing with my girl?”
“Yes?” I sigh, “I need to speak to Luca Romano.”
“Cora, that man will chew you up and spit you out!” Emmie warns, “Berto, calm your shit. Can’t you see she’s harmless?”
“Nobody sporting another person’s crimson is harmless,” he grouches, “What business do you have with Luca?”
Lifting my chin state with finality, “My own.”
He sucks his teeth then throws up his hands, “I’m on shift tonight. Emmie, get this girl cleaned up and out of my sight. I’ll take her, but you stay home.”
Exhaling the breath I didn’t realize I held after my false bravado, relax enough to give him a smile, “That’s great. Thanks, Berto.”
He looks me over one more time, “Luca likes em’ perky. Make sure you wear something tight.”
Emmie and I retreat into the bedroom where she flops on the bed, telling me to help myself to her closet. Thank goodness she’s still dating Berto. I read as much on her social media page and hoped he’d take me to Luca.
She gushes Berto’s a sweet teddy-bear with a wide protective streak and a freak in the sheets. I resist an eye roll but can relate. She talks my ear off for hours, only stopping to snort meth. I’m relieved she doesn’t seem interested in my life. It’s better than explaining why I showed up looking like I’d just gone on a murder spree.
When I take a much-needed shower, judge my rash actions. I miss Jax, sure he’s on a warpath searching for me. Wylan stopped in the city after at my insistence even though he wanted to wait until we were on the interstate. Hopefully, Jax takes it easy on the guy.
“Wow, you’re so pretty,” Emmie declares after helping me wiggle into a red dress my boobs threaten to fall out of, “You always were. Remember little Donny? Do you have a boyfriend?”
I gaze at my reflection, seeing stress lines along my mouth, “Yeah, that kid was a tool. No, I don’t.”
I’m an excellent liar having duped plenty of people into believing there’s nothing broken inside me after leaving Braden. Jax saw my bent pieces and tried to show me his. Gah, I love that man.
“Well, lots of hot men are gonna be at Club Overlook. I wish I could go,” she pouts, handing me a pair of black low slung heels, “Berto doesn’t like me going when he’s working because I tend to flirt for drinks. It’s a good thing we’re the same shoe size. Wait, you’re coming back, right? I need these back.”
Plastering on an earnest grin exclaim, “Yes! Duh! Thank you so much, Emmie! You’ve got style!”
She beams and flits around the room until Berto yells its time to leave. She gives me a big hug and off I go with her teddy-bear into the lion’s den.
“I’m not getting involved in anything you got going on,” Berto says, flicking a cigarette across the parking lot, “You pay your way inside like everyone else. Ask the guy in the back for a word with Luca. Try the elevator too. He might be up top. There are three levels.”
I nod with each piece of advice, “Thank you.”
“Don’t. And don’t return to my house, no matter what Emmie said. I’ll buy her a new dress.”
He rounds the large building, leaving me alone. Rude.
I get in line, thankful to have my purse and a few bills go towards admittance. The list of things I’m grateful for are stacking up. Maybe I can pull this off! My gaze travels up… up… up. The place doesn’t seem as huge as it appears on the outside. The inside resembles a tornado, the circular floors topping each other. Hmm, Overlook indeed.
The clubs packed, and I dodge men and women until faced with a tall blonde man denying entrance in front of the door leading to the offices. “Hey, pretty girl,” his leer raising my hackles, “How you doing?”
“Is Luca available?”
“Who’s asking?” he continues to eye-fuck me, pulling out a cellphone.
“Why?” Will Luca speak to me if he knows I’m here? I hoped to avoid handing out my name until face to face.
He huffs, shaking his head, “Look, I need a name. He’s busy. Spend time with me, sweetie.”
“What’s your name?”
He grins and I flush, the guy is hot. “Kacen. I’m only on watch until Three comes back from break. Wanna get a drink?”
“You call him number three?” I cock a hip, stalling.
Kacen text on his phone saying, “I never learn their names, but this is the third shift, so,” he shrugs one shoulder, “Come on, what’s your name beautiful?”
“Coralee,” I deflate, my shoulders sagging, “Tell Luca I need to speak to him, please.”
He turns serious, “Shit! Come with me.”
Kacen doesn’t wait for my mind to catch up, griping my left elbow, forcing me through the doorway and down a quiet corridor. My stomach plummets and sweat breaks out on my forehead. He recognized my name!
“W-where are you taking me?” I try to stall our forward momentum by digging in my heels but he yanks my arm until it hurts, “Stop! You’re hurting me!”
A door opens and a dangerous looking man wearing a three-piece suit steps out. I can’t take my eyes off of him. He’s gorgeous but there’s something in his glower that scares me.
“Family reunion?” Kacen jokes, landing me near the stoic stranger, “She tried to play coy, or I’d be here sooner.”
The man coolly assesses my appearance, “Do you know who I am?”
I shake my head, hair flying in my eyes. Kacen reaches up, gently tucking the piece behind my ear, “She’s a pretty young toy.”
“Don’t touch me!” I find my voice, slapping his grabby fingers off.
“I’m Luca Romano,” he clips, ignoring Kacen, “Your brother is in the room. Seems a lot has transpired since my visit with Jax White. Are you alone?”
This was a very bad idea! I need to leave. This man is evil. It’s in the way his golden eyes hold nothing but contempt. His large hands rest on the material of his fine suit but he’s coiled like a viper. Waiting. Watching. Jax confronted this monster without flinching? They warned me. Seeings believing. Now I’ve seen and I want the hell away from this place.
“Yes,” I squeak, my throat suddenly parched, “Cavan and Braden betrayed me. Betrayed you.”
“Take her inside and wait,” Luca spits, turning on his heels and before I can protest, Kacen shoves into the open doorway where Cavan sit on a big black sofa. The only other furniture is a glass desk.
“Cora?” Cavan jumps to his feet. I gasp seeing his right hand wrapped in white bandages. Black and blue bruises cover his entire face, “What are you doing here?”
“What happened to you?” Was he shot?
He pales, clutching his stomach, “Stupid bitch! This is all your fault! Get the fuck out of my sight!”
Kacen steps in front of me, “Settle down. No one’s going anywhere. Didn’t know you had such a sexy sister, Cavan.”
“I don’t,” he grits between clenched teeth, turning his back on us, “I’m an only child.”
I snort, “With that attitude, who wants you as a brother? Did Jax do that?”
“Bitch!” Cavan turns so quick, Kacen barely catches the fist aimed at my stunned face in time. Wow, Jax really worked him over and now he’s taking it out on me!
“Don’t touch Coralee!” Kacen drives him backward with a warning, “Ever or Luca will find out what you did to that girl last week. Get your shit together!”
“Yeah,” I chime in agreement, “Stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine. To think this morning I felt an inkling of respect for you.” Not true, but trusted he had my best interest at heart until Braden waltzed in the parlor with a loaded weapon.
Cavan’s limbs shake as if his skeletons trying to escape and his eyes are half-crazed. He uses his good hand, muttering and casting me dirty looks while extracting a vile of coke from his pants. I glare in disgust, getting comfortable while we wait. I have nothing to say to these men.
“So, where have you been hiding?” Kacen asks, leaning against the wall, “Do you live in the city?”
“Are you seriously making small talk? Can I get a bottle of water?” I open my purse to find something to ease my dry throat. Meeting Luca scared the spit right out of my mouth. “Trust me, this is one story you don’t want to hear.”
He yanks my bag out of my hands, “I should have searched you but got distracted by your pretty… voice.”
“I was looking for gum,” I snap, “What are you doing? Stop flirting with me!”
“This kitty has claws,” Kacen laughs, tossing it back with a wink, “Meow sweetie.”
He and Wylan would get along like long-lost brothers. Start their own club. Perverts unite.
Luca enters the room, pausing with his eyes on Cavan who paces back and forth like a mental patient, “I’ve decided Coralee with remain with me until her twenty-first birthday. You’ll arrange a party where your lawyers will be present to sign over her inheritance. After that, we’re square.”
“What about my mom?” Cavan demands, still shaky and awkward, “Jax said you need her body.”
Luca ignores him, turning to me. My mouth becomes drier when his words sink in. “Up. We’re leaving.”
“No,” I whisper, “I won’t go with you. Jax…”
Luca’s like lightening—striking fast, gripping my neck. I can’t breathe or see anything beyond his black pupils, “Listen and do. The only two things required, Coralee. When I say something, I expect you to act immediately. Are we clear?”
I blink, the only sign of compliance he allows. Kacen manhandles me off the sofa the second Luca releases me. Before I find my bearings, we’re outside the club. I’m on auto-pilot. Terrified after the way Luca treated me and the destination ahead.
“Watch,” Luca’s voice booms through the fog in my head, and I follow his attention to the car a few feet from where we stand, “Jax upheld his end, and I told him after I get mine, he’ll get his.”
“Jax!” Relief floods my limbs, but then Luca’s statement renders me speechless.
I’m being held as insurance. A hostage for money I never knew existed.
Jax exits the vehicle along with Wylan, not coming any closer. There’s a disconnect when we stare at one another. His jaw ticks, arms folded across his wide chest. He’s pissed. I did this. Will he even want me back after my time with Luca? It’s seven days until my birthday.
“Such a bad-ass,” Wylan spits, and my eyes burn with unshed tears, “Nice dress. Were you going for the three-dollar an hour look?”
I flinch as if he slapped me. I deserve his wrath, but his comment is cruel and unjustified. Jax shifts his stance but says nothing. Kacen takes my elbow, leading me to a blacked out SUV. My eyes linger on Jax, willing him to give me one kind word. Anything. Things went sideways, but I had to do this. He already placed himself in too much danger. Yeah, I am bad-ass. He can leave and return to Montana, relived the crazy girl from Tucker City’s out of his life.
“Go home,” I order in a tone that comes out unnaturally nasty, and his stormy eyes narrow at my gall, “Thanks for all your help.”
Luca follows me into the SUV hissing, “Behave.” I shiver at that one word. Braden has nothing on this guy.
I don’t bother to glance out the window to gauge Jax’s reaction to my parting words. My hearts bleeding, aching to return to the place it belongs.
With him. My Viking.
I scream in surprise when Luca jabs a needle in my arm. Then unconsciousness takes the burden of my heartache.
Chapter 22
* Coralee *
My mouth tastes terrible, like the time Braden made me eat a rotten potato I missed behind the stove during one of his inspections. Retching from the memory and the foulness, lean over a soft mattress to puke but nothing comes out. Strong arms come around my middle and shoulders to keep me upright.
“It’s okay,” a deep male voice soothes, “Here, sit up and drink. It’ll help.”
My eyes are crusted shut but force them apart to see Kacen holding a bottle of water. I take small sips, eyeing him warily. I’ve no idea where I am or why Luca drugged me. How long have I been unconscious?
He must sense my turmoil saying, “You’re in a safe house. Luca’s protective of his properties. No one can know where you are, but I have a clean phone to contact Jax.”
I rest against the wooden headboard in exhaustion after draining the bottle. He’s too close and I don’t like it. Everything’s wrong! It wasn’t supposed to come to this! Tears leak from my eyes in defeat, and I pull my knees to my chest, resting my face between them hiding my guilt.
“Hey,” his voice gentle and I hate Kacen’s the one to watch me fall apart, “It’ll work out. Cavan will uphold the deal and you’ll be back with that butcher in no time.”
I whip my head up, “Butcher?”
Kacen smirks, standing to give me space at last, “Jax White is evil. I think even Luca’s afraid of that man, and he’s the scariest guy I know.”
“Why do you call him that though?”
“Didn’t you see what he did to Cavan?” Kacen walks over to an open doorway and I look around the bedroom for the first time, “This is the bathroom. I’m next door. We’re the only ones here. Clothes in the closet should fit. Get some rest before dinner.”
“Please,” I gasp, my chest tight with panic, “Why did he abduct me? I have nothing to do with what Cavan and Jax promised Luca. I came to the club hoping he’d realize I’m not a threat, and either is Jax. Cavan’s plotting with Braden.”
Kacen’s handsome face falls, “Braden’s in the wind. I heard about what he did to you. If you were my sister, I’d find the fucker and cut off his balls with a dull ax.”
Why are his eyes filled with kindness? “Where’s that phone?”
“Why don’t you shower first? We can’t have Jax thinking you’re being mistreated. Keep yourself and your man calm, and then I’ll be through with babysitting duty. I don’t want to be here any more than you do, sweetie.”
“Stop calling me that!” I snap, “Fine, but I need to speak to him soon.”
He leaves and I remain on the twin bed, taking deep breathes to counter the panic attack surging through my frayed nerves. The rooms pretty and feminine, painted in eggshell white with flower borders. A quaint dresser with a lamp and rocking chair are the only furnishing.
Stumbling off the bed, go to the window. It’s late afternoon judging the slant of sunlight streaming through soft blue curtains. Outside is a grassy field with nothing for miles but trees. We’re not in the city anymore but I have to survey the property to be sure.
In the closet, find different sizes and styles—all women’s. Loads of shoes rest in boxes along the bottom and I check out a few until finding plain flats. Yanking out a shirt and a pair of jeans in my size, turn to the bathroom.
Nothing fancy about this place, and I wonder how many women have been held here. With a shiver, peer at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. My hair’s wild and eyeliner’s smeared across my pallid complexion. The bathtub has a shower and I run the water after locking the door. I’m surprised there is one but sigh in relief. I don’t know Kacen, hoping he keeps his distance.
After showering, exit the bedroom to explore my new cage. There’s a small hallway which leads to a quaint living room. A large flat screen TV’s mounted in front of a pale blue four cushion sofa and a recliner with a wooden table between them.
“You a snoop, Coralee?”
I jump, rounding to see Kacen come out of what I presume is the kitchen, “Getting my barrings.”
He leans against the wall next to an oil painting of a horse, “Two bedrooms, three bath house. You can go outdoors. No running.”
I cross my arms, avoiding his heated gaze, “Did you tag me?”
He snorts, walking around the sofa, “No. You won’t run because if you do, we’ll kill Jax and his friend. Right, let’s get this part over with.” he rubs his hands together with an impish glint in his olive eyes.
The blood drains from my face. He just threatened to murder people I cherish as if describing the weather! I grit my teeth when he edges closer, “What part?”
“The part where you sulk and look for a way out. Your birthday’s Monday, correct? We’ll enjoy each other’s company for a few days, then I’ll take you back. No mess. No stress.”
“Says you. What happens after we return is stresses me out. Cavan could decide he’d rather not pay. You saw him. He hates me!”
“After what he did to his mother, he has no other choice,” he stops advancing, “Where are you going? I don’t bite… unless you’re into it.”
“Ha! I don’t trust you,” I retort with an eye roll, scanning the yard from the picture window near the front door. More grass with a dirt driveway. No vehicle in sight.
He sits in the recliner twitching on the TV, “Understood. A roast is in the oven for dinner. The phone’s on the counter. FaceTime Jax to reassure him his little princess is being well taken care of.”
“Oh,” I didn’t think I’d be able to video chat with him, “Thanks.”
He ignores me, flipping through cable channels. When I enter the kitchen, the yummy aroma of beef smacks me in the face and my belly reminds me how long I’ve gone without eating. Misery replaces hunger pains. I snatch up the cell phone on the shiny Formica countertop, but sudden anxiety over how I left things with Jax make me slam it back down.
Food. I’ll eat first. Figure out an apology in the meantime. Wylan sliced me deep with his vicious words, but it’s Jax I’m most concerned about. He needs to realize he can’t fix all my problems with violence.
The pure evil in those steel eyes when he saw Braden still makes me shiver. Right then I knew there was nothing I could say or do to reel in his murderous intentions. I didn’t recognize the man who proclaimed to love me while worshiping my body. Was it all in the heat of the moment? I gave myself freely to a man capable of obliterating my promised future. Would we be able to leave this city pretending we haven’t crossed lines other couples never face?
We murdered people. Were they innocent? Depends on the crime at the time, but am I willing to allow another man to dictate what’s best for me? Jax swore he would never hurt me… intentionally. Careful words by a practiced liar.
After witnessing my brother’s failure in front of Luca, and Jax’s frigid demeanor maybe it’s better we’re separated. Something dark and seriously twisted is consuming Jax and I’m uncertain if he’ll stop once he catches Braden.
Peeling a banana, reenter the living room to ask Kacen more about why he called Jax a butcher. Tits and ass assault me from the TV. “Really!”
He laughs, looking over his shoulder before turning the channel, “That was quick.”
I perch on the sofa hissing, “Please don’t watch porn around me. It’s creepy.”
“It’s natural. I love to fuck.” he groans, jerking his hips suggestively.
My cheeks flame from his lust filled gaze, “There will be none of that either, Kacen. I’m serious!”
He chuckles, green eyes twinkling, “Gotcha. So, what did he say? Might as well gossip if we’re stuck here for a week.”
I shake my head at his dismissive behavior, “Not yet. I need… perspective. What did Jax do to Cavan?”
“When Cavan showed up at the club, he’d just recovered from having his stomach pumped. Jax cut off his finger then made him eat it.” Again with the casual tones as if Jax fed Cavan a piece of cake and not a body part.
My mind reels and I cover my mouth recalling Cavan’s hand wrapped and the way he clutched his waist, “No! That’s… are you telling me the truth?”
“Yup,” Kacen glances at my reaction with a frown, “He’s your boyfriend, yeah? Do you understand what that means? Let me give you a fucked fact. Men like us will go to extremes to protect what’s ours. And sweetie, you belong to him. Don’t worry about me touching you, I like my dick right where it is. He’s a notorious hitman back in action. For you!”
I rush to the toilet, the banana and bile spewing from my lips as I struggle to maintain. He mutilated my brother! No wonder Cavan behaved deranged, eager to hurt me for what he went through.
What has Jax done? What will he do now I’ve created a whole other situation seeking to safeguard his soul? I never intended for his involvement to include cannibalism. Maiming and killing.
I love and hate Jax right now. Is it my fault? Why didn’t I leave Perla the day I received the Sunflower from a man who carries more baggage than I do?
The people in my life are schizo. Unhinged!
I’ll never have normal.
I lay on the floor until dusk falls, overwhelmed.
Exhausted by circumstances beyond my control, slip into my room to flop face down on the bed. I allowed myself a pity party. Over it.
Now it’s time to formulate a plan that doesn’t involve my crimson being sported by another (thanks for that one Berto!) while I extract myself from the clutches of money hungry gangsters, a slimy obsessive blonde kidnapper and an infuriating mountain man hell-bent on either bringing the fight destructively close to home, where he’ll never recover or kill himself in the process.
Jax White, how could you?
I stuff my face in a pillow wailing until there isn’t a gasp left in my lungs.
“You okay in there?” Kacen pounds on the closed door, “Dinners cold.”
Quirking a brow, let out a blood-curdling scream before declaring, “I’m never leaving this room!”
Chapter 23
* Jaxxen *
Wylan exhales a puff of sweet-smelling Cheeba and I’m tempted to take a hit to settle my nerves. Weed never was my thing. I only socially drink but after watching Coralee leave with Luca, there’s been a dull throb in the back of my head I can’t shake.
“Don’t glower at me, Jax,” Wylan drawls, “I already apologized. She pissed me off when she showed up like that. Where the hell did she get that dress? She’s sneaky and resourceful. Told ya so.”
“Ass,” I flick his ear in passing to wash my face. She had looked gorgeous although I allowed Wylan to demean her until the relief in Coralee’s pretty eyes turned to dust. “At least you made her seem undesirable to the fucker holding her. I wanted to bash his smug face in until even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him.”
He laughs, “Yup. Wanna get out of here and have some fun? Coralee’s safe so now we can focus on Braden. I have an idea.”
We’ve booked the suite for another two weeks but calling Coralee safe with a bunch of gangsters is pushing it. “I’m sure you do. Give me a minute.”
I splash in the coldest setting for a few minutes before returning to the table to ponder the latest text one of Cavan’s men sent. What’s Coralee’s favorite color? I think back to what she always wore, and the embers of my low raging fury spark behind my eyelids. I don’t have the slightest clue what her favorite color or food is. Shouldn’t I?
Two hours later we’re outside Braden’s home in West Wind. Well, the abandoned house he squats in. Wylan paid a crackhead and his girlfriend to camp out across the street with a disposable phone with orders to call the second there’s any activity.
I’m skeptical of the cowards’ return. Coralee said Braden’s crafty and after Cavan gave up his plans, he’s gone to ground where no one will look. If we’re lucky, Luca’s men will flush him out with the other lie Wylan concocted.
“You want me to announce I’m offering Coralee’s virginity to the highest bidder? On her birthday? At the Onyx?” Luca’s disinterested tone doesn’t faze me.
“Exactly. Cavan won’t say shit, I made sure of that. He’ll show.”
“Hmm,” Luca clears his throat, “I’ll explain to Cavan what’s expected. After she signs the papers, I don’t want to hear your name in my city again. But…”
Luca pauses so long I wonder if we lost connection. He’s not one to mix messages so I brace myself for news I won’t like. “Luca, is something wrong?”
“It’s Coralee.”
I haven’t seen her in days. Luca assured me there’s an open line of communication, but she needs to be the one to initiate it. “Is she okay?” I keep my tone respectful but there’s an edge of warning laced in.
The night I delivered the whereabouts of his aunts marked grave he informed me he could no longer trust anyone to uphold their end of the bargain after Cavan showed up blubbering like a prissy prom queen denied her crown and I had to stand silently by as they ripped Coralee away. Right now I should be balls deep in her tight pussy, but she had to go flouncing around the city as if Luca cared for a single word her sweet mouth uttered.
“My man keeps her perfectly safe,” he draws out whatever point he’s getting at, “He told Coralee what you did to Cavan. How you sliced off his finger and served it like raw sushi.”
I slam my fist on my thigh, “Why? She’s doesn’t need to hear that shit!”
“Yes, she took the news badly. Refuses to come out of her room. My man makes sure she’s fed and watered… but she’s being extremely difficult.”
“Coralee’s not a fucking animal!” I bark, losing control, “You said we’d be able to talk. Have your man call me immediately!”
“Careful,” he responds, icy detachment slipping into a low growl, “I understand your concern. She’s no use to me catatonic.”
Shit, how bad is she? I flinch when my headache returns full force at the base of my neck. “Luca, I respect your position, but I need to see her. Can you take Coralee somewhere to meet if only for a few hours? She needs reassurance.”
Another long pause from his end makes my teeth grind together. Luca’s a sociopath. My cutting off Cavan’s finger is nothing compared to the stories whispered about him and his second in command, Austin. Coralee’s mental state’s at risk, and he holds all the power.
“Tomorrow, I’ll text you an address. I don’t break my own rules lightly, Jax. If you fuck me, there will be no place you can hide I won’t find you. Braden’s already looking at a short, painful existence.”
I roll my eyes at the threat, “Appreciate the favor.”
He hangs up.
I swallow the dryness in my throat, watching Wylan on the phone. He’s got feelers out all across the city for Braden, not to mention keeping Cavan on a tight leash until next week. Leaving Wylan alone until Monday isn’t smart. Working in pairs keeps us safe.
He peers at me with concern after ending the call. “You don’t look too good, man. What did Luca say?”
“I’m staying with Coralee until the party. I want you to be eyes only. Even with the crackhead. Relay information to Luca’s men.”
“I will,” he continues eyeballing me, “You getting sick?”
“A stupid headache.”
He shrugs, accepting my answer. I open a bottle of water, gulping until the plastic crumples. Since coming to this damn city, things have spiraled and I haven’t slept much. I gotta shake this pain in the neck soon.
Just one more day, then I’ll be able to comfort my Sunflower. The guy taking care of her, better be treating her right, or a missing finger will be the least of his worries.
It’s pissing rain when I arrive at the destination Luca sent me. It takes two hours to reach the secluded property past Tucker City limits. There’s nothing but trees and I had to slow down the car I borrowed from Cavan’s fleet when the sky opened.
Parking in a garage next to a blacked out Land Rover still have another half mile to walk to the quaint house settled in the middle of a field. I’m drenched head to toe by the time my boots hit the wooden porch.
The asshole greeting me with a smirk’s the same man who drove off with Luca from the club. “Damn, never thought you’d make it in the rain. Pussy prevails. I’ll get you a towel.”
I ignore the obvious taunt, taking off my wet shirt before stomping through the hallway to find my Sunflower. All the doors are open except for one and I nearly ripped the doorknob off shoving it wide. Lightning strikes across the sky, highlighting her form curled in a rocking chair.
Pitch black descends.
“Braden?” she gasps.
My spirit dies a little at the desperation in her voice. I want to fall at her feet and smack her ass all at once. “Is that who you’re fucking pining for?!”
Another startled pant, “J- Jax? Why are you here? How?”
I prowl close without turning on a light, “That’s not denial! Are you hoping Braden will come to rescue you from this problem you created? Am I a fucking idiot for loving someone as damaged as you? Sitting here in the dark eager for that perverted coward to snatch you up, poison you? Place a goddamn ring on your dainty finger?”
“Fuck you!” she’s up, pounding my hammering heart with her small fist.
“Not yet,” I seethe, storming out before doing something I’ll regret.
She slams the door and I find the kitchen, helping myself to lunch meat and bread. I’ll feed her then punish her for making me come out here thinking she’d jump in my arms with relief. With joy over the fact she’s not alone.
“I’m Kacen,” the dude sighs from a circular table on the other side of the kitchen, watching me with interest, “She doesn’t eat. Or shower.”
Drawing a deep breath, balance my fury into a ball for later. “Luca said she was being cared for.” my tone bitingly accusing.
“That’s why you’re here. I’d have to get physical. Want me stripping her, tossing her naked ass in the tub? Forcing my fingers into her mouth so she eats?” My snarl is answer enough, and he holds up his hands, “See? Haven’t touched your girl. Coralee’s feisty. Sandwiches are easier to clean off the wall than soup. Found that out real quick.”
Food on plates, I slam them on the counter, returning to her room. She’s locked herself in the bathroom so I kick the door down with a loud CRACK! She screams when I snag the white shirt she has on, wrangling her like a hissing wildcat into the hallway.
“You will eat!” I roar, throwing her over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold, catching sight of the black silk panties she’s got on, “I don’t care how upset you are, we’ll overcome this.”
“I won’t!” she pouts when I place her down in a chair while Kacen leaps across the room in self-preservation. “It’s my fucking life! How could you think I’d want Braden? Fuck you!”
“It is,” I agree, kneeling down to her level, scrapping her greasy locks back so I can get my fix of those amazing hazel eyes, “What do you need, baby? You ran from me. Again.”
Without warning, she punches my distracted ass then flees out the front door. I gasp in shock more than pain, slowly standing to follow. Kacen stands stock still with his mouth open. Asshole.
It’s on.
My dick turns rock hard, chasing her through the grassy field, thunder and lightening showcasing her pale form racing towards the forest. “Coralee!” I rage.
She falls, the soil soggy and perilous. I pounce, crashing the both of us onto the cold ground. She screams to the heavens, flailing under my vice-like grip on her hips. I kiss along the exposed column of her throat, hearing her whimper.
“Stop fighting me!” I urge, “Sunflower, don’t do this! I love you!” I’m a fool, but I’ll do anything for this girl. Doesn’t she realize what’s on the line?
“You don’t love me!” she wails, “How can a monster love?”
I rip off her panties, sinking two fingers into her soaked slit, “How can a Sunflower bloom in filth? She prefers it. So do I. Look at this… you’re drenched, and it’s not the fucking rain.”
“Jax!” she undulates in the sexiest way, thrusting against my coercive entry, sharp fingernails raking up my slippery back. I hiss, embracing her wrath. “Let me go!”
“Never!” opening the fly of my jeans, my straining cock pops out, “It’s too late. You gave me your heart. Your body.”
“Yes!” her voice breaks when I slam deep into her weeping pussy, “You’ll kill me! You’ll never be satisfied!”
“You’re all I need,” I snarl in her upturned face, watching her lips twist in denial through a sheet of rain, “Do you feel me?” I fuck her harder, faster, ripping her head to the side by the roots of her hair to whisper in her ear, “You’ve branded my soul. You’re all I need and no one will ever matter more. Nothing will. Nothing!”
“Ahha! Lies! Damn you! Don’t stop!” her folds flutter around my cock, seeking release then I spot Kacen near the trees, stroking himself to the free show.
Shifting Coralee’s vision in his direction, she gasps in disapproval while her snatch strangles my dick, “I never lie. See that? I know what gets my woman off. Those years you spent on Braden’s sexual pedestal were just preparations for my cock. Mine! Should I let Kacen fuck your mouth while I make you squirt all over my face? Fucking you in the mud isn’t the dirtiest thing we’ll do, Sunflower. No, this soil will deepen our love.” I thrust inside her warmth once more before flicking my thumb over her sensitive nerve bundle, “Come for me, dirty flower!”
She explodes around my cock with a guttural cry, arching up off the ground entrancingly and like the asshole I am, pull out before she truly understands my words or can relish in the bliss coursing through her veins. I flip her like a coin, driving our knees into the spongy turf before slapping the full globes of her ass.
Once.
Twice.
Three times I beat that ass until her hoarse screams echo through the night while I explain her strikes, “You ditched Wylan, not even knowing if I survived a shootout with your traitorous brother! Went to another man for help! Fucking sucker punched me!”
Whack—whack—whack!
Kacen only pings on my radar when he comes with a feral growl before disappears in the inky darkness. I’d forgotten he was there, so entranced with how Coralee took her punishment, ass wiggling for more, pretending she doesn’t prefer it rough. The slash of lightning along with the rainwater cascading from her swinging breast paint her pale skin in the most perfect light and it takes all my willpower not to fuck her senseless.
“Up!” I bark, tucking my still hard as nails dick inside my ruined jeans, “Get in the house and shower. We’ll have dinner afterward.”
“Asshole,” she whimpers, floundering in the muck.
I remain stoic, “Is this what you wanted? What will it take for you to trust me?”
Her hands grip my muddy pants, using them as leverage, rising from the ashes of our joined fervor, “Leave Braden alone.”
“Why!” I blow up, gripping her cheeks so my confusions not missed, “Do you love him?”
“No! Never!” she tries to shake her head so I clinch her tighter, closer, “It’s not about him! You’re turning.”
“I’m turning?” I breathe in her air, “I’m here because I love you! Do you think I enjoy doing this?”
“Yes!” her answer is honest while those eyes I adore hold nothing but pity, “I witnessed your inner demon, Jax. I saw him. Saw who you try to hide. That’s why you were in Montana, isn’t it?”
I stagger away from her words of insightful accuracy.
Ditch my heart in the storm and filth, lose myself in the wilderness before I turn Coralee into the very thing she proclaims I am.
A monster.
Chapter 24
* Coralee *
Jax fucked me in a raging thunderstorm until everything I’d withheld even from myself spewed unsettling forth from concealed heart chambers only true lovers understand.
He called me damaged.
I forced down a sandwich, dripping all over the floor before taking a twenty-minute shower. My skin and privates stung, washing mud from scratches Jax created wrangling me into submission, but for the first time in days felt wholly alive.
And terribly conscience-stricken.
I spooked Jax. The candid pain in his eyes before he darted into the forest nearly broke my resolve to push him out of my life, but it’s for his own good. The speech he growled while nailing me into the ground were the ones echoing in my own heart, but admitting it would only leave me vulnerable.
I slept like the dead until angry voices made me throw on an oversized tee-shirt—my go to these days—and the sight of Kacen, with his shorts down and dick out while Jax slams his head against the wall draws a giggle from my scratchy throat.
Wow, Kacen packs some serious man meat.
“Think this is funny?” Jax snarls, “He was jerking off with you in the next room!”
“Kacen,” I admonish, clucking my tongue, “We have an understanding!”
Kacen hurries to right his clothing when Jax stalks in my direction. I hold up a hand, afraid if he touches me, I’ll melt into a puddle. My core clenches, remembering the way he savagely took my body hours earlier. I’m sore in all the right places and hurt in ones that make me wince.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss crossing my arms, “I ate. I showered. Go home.”
“Good,” he stops inches away and I feel the heat of his flesh like it’s my own, “We need to talk. What? You thought I’d leave after you accused me of being a monster? Baby, deny it all you want, but you love it.”
I want to slap the smugness off of his handsome face but return to my bedroom instead. He’s on my heels, closing the door before crowding me against it. Staring into his silvery depths, clench my thighs together in anticipation.
“You’re clean,” I observe, sweeping my eyes over his low slung blue jeans and a hoodie, “Where did you go last night?”
He places his forearms on either side of my head, “Doesn’t matter. I owe you the truth.”
“Owe me?”
“Yes,” his rough timber crumbles my previous determination to stonewall him, “The reason I moved to Montana was over a woman.”
My chest tightens and I hate he’s so close, seeing the jealousy that’s no doubt shooting from my wide eyes, “Who was she?”
Jax exhales a shuddering breath stepping backward, creating a huge gap between us. It’s in the air and the lack of eye contact making my heart stutter in my chest. “Jim’s daughter. We grew up together although he kept Keiry as far away from the business as possible. Still, living in the same house, she was bound to find out why he treated me different. Why I took beatings he promised were in her place. I loved that girl so fucking much it took me years to realize he was just a sadist prick who liked to fight young boys.”
Oh.
Sinking onto the bed, draw my legs up so he can sit if he wants, but he paces, lost in painful memories. I try to picture young Jax, learning how to kill people while falling in love. Keeping his soul intact while being abused. I know all about being taken advantage of by people who were supposed to protect you.
A shiver rolls through my aching limbs, realizing Jax’s choosing to show me this is real. That he has a history as seedy as mine and ready to explain why he’s violent while shockingly kind. I’ve asked over and over who he is. Why he lived in isolation before taking an interest in me. Now after I’ve decided my life will be better off without him, he’s telling me what I want to know. I’m undecided if I should be angry or thankful Jax’s finally inclined to express himself.
“Keiry was a year younger than me, but it didn’t matter. We’d go to school and there we were inseparable. No one messed with us or cared I kissed my so-called sister because I thrashed anyone who looked at us sideways. Home life was the other hassle. She wasn’t allowed to leave the house, but I’d be out at all hours, doing jobs for Jim or training. He’d beat me if I so much as whispered to her in a dark corner. Our love was the only reason I never ran.” he pinches his lips with his fingers, sliding his eyes across my exposed knees, “Never thought I’d love again after she died.”
My breath catches at the anguish in his admission, “I’m sorry.” Such weak words for the heartfelt confession this cold-blooded killer just gave me, but his past is ten shades darker than my own. He’s bottled up years worth of unspoken misery and projected it on my situation which isn’t fair.
He suddenly kneels in front of me, “Don’t be Coralee. She would have wanted me to love you. How could I not? Have I waited too long to tell you?”
Tears build behind my eyes and I can’t hold his earnest expression of hope, “Jax…”
“Jim died when I was twenty-five. I was out of town and when I called Keiry, she didn’t pick up so I flew home to learn a rival had broken in, killing them both,” his voice chokes on the last sentence, “I tore the city apart looking for their murderer. Became an unstoppable force. Took jobs that promised death just so I could numb the pain with blood. You’re right. There’s something deeply satisfying when I hurt men who’ve wronged those I care about.”
I lift my gaze, but his remain down, “Jax, I get it. Why Montana?”
He swallows, and I watch the bob of his Adam’s apple under the scruff of his jaw, “That’s where she wanted to live. She was in school to be a veterinarian. She planned on finishing college then we were gonna run away together to set up a clinic for her to treat farm animals. Jim kept a tight leash, but I hoped he’d see how much we loved one another and that she deserved the best life possible. When I finally brought justice to those who deserved it, there was only one place I thought to go.”
“So you moved to Perla because you were afraid of who you were becoming after killing Jim and Keiry’s murderers?”
He sharply inhales, pinching the tender flesh of my thighs, “Exactly. I wanted to continue to rid the world of rapist and thugs but she wouldn’t have wanted me to fall so far down. When I saw you Coralee, knew you understood such turmoil. Damn, I thought, here’s a girl who knows life’s a dark vacuum but she’s gonna see light one way or another. You know all about inner demons.”
A sob escapes me before sliding into his tender embrace, “I do. I love you, Jax. I also fear for you. Don’t fall down for me. Stand with me. I’m perfectly capable of fighting my own wars, but you need to let go of the notion people have to bleed for redemption. Sometimes letting them live with their actions can be twice as painful as death.”
He kisses my wet cheeks, wrapping strong arms around my waist as I straddle his thighs on the floor, “I don’t know any other way!”
“Then this won’t work,” I bluntly state and he flinches, “I’ve never had freedom. I won’t be told what to do any longer.”
He squeezes my ass, “Wanna bet?”
The smile playing at the corner of his mouth can’t hide the fear in his eyes. I kiss his warm lips, letting the magnitude of this moment seep through our bubble. We’re in a bubble of doubt wrapped in truthfulness and there will never be another man for me but he doesn’t get to downplay my needs or wants.
“Thank you for telling me about Keiry,” I whisper, stroking my thumbs over his furrowed brows, “She sounded lovely. Do I remind you of her? Is that way you pursued me?”
He guffaws loudly. Cracks up so hard I fall off of his lap. “Fuck no! Talk about complete opposites!”
“Sorry I asked,” I grumble, trying to crawl onto the bed, but he captures my sore hips, pulling me back.
“She was very timid. We were lonely kids and now I can admit I’d fallen in love with her as a protector of sorts. She jumped at her own shadow and we were all each other had,” his eyes slant at my uncertain pout. I only questioned to see if he’d let me face my own battles, but it’s obvious he latched onto my misery hoping to defend another damsel in distress. “The truth? I wanted to help you at first. Sure, I itched to fuck the shit outta this tight body,” I roll my eyes as he explores my backside carrying on in a low grumble, “but after you explained how bravely you plotted to escape after years of torment with Braden, realized all you needed were tools to continue your revenge.”
“My revenge. Not yours.” I agree, losing myself in the way his deep timber rumbles across my chest while his hands kneed knots from my tense shoulders.
“I’ll stand with you,” he hums, lips lightly brushing my jaw, “If you quit fucking running.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I groan under his manipulation of my flesh, “Stop conspiring behind my back and stop hurting people.”
“Coralee,” he turns serious, gripping my forearms until I flinch and meet his steely regard, “If I hadn’t hurt Cavan, he’d be dead. Luca would have killed him for the stunt he pulled. He still might. By dishing my own punishment, it showed Luca we are genuine in our allegiance while Cavan isn’t. Braden’s marked. One more screw up on Cavan’s end, not even his father will be able to save him and the Conry’s won’t have a foothold in the city. You’re only safe as long as Luca gets what’s promised. You were close to a bullet trying to meet Luca but luckily I was there that night upholding my end of the bargain.”
Sometimes I’m so stupid. “I only wanted to help. Why is it is a woman can’t fight her own battles?”
“It’s the mafia,” he growls, a hand pulling my hips flush with his while the other grips the back of my neck, “I told you to stay by my side, but that doesn’t mean I’m not by yours. Violence is rewarded while words deemed unprofitable unless being beaten out of someone for more gain. My reputation’s solid and my actions speak louder than words. Understand? My sweet Sunflower, sometimes you seem so smart then you do something so unbelievably stupid I’m tempted to lock you up so nothing bad happens to you.”
“Gah! I’m done being locked up!” I shout, shoving his chest, surprised when he lets me up, “Done with men dictating my future!”
“I know,” he stands to tower over me, “You’re almost home free if you can keep your shit together.”
“Fuck you!”
He chuckles, stormy eyes roaming over my body with hooded lids, “That’s the spirit. I haven’t heard you curse this much before. Fucking sexy.”
Gush. My panties have become one with my vagina.
Heading to the door saucily snap, “Still think I’m fucking sweet?”
“Sickly so. Come back here.”
I’m able to take two quick steps inside the hallway before he sweeps me off of my feet returning me to the bedroom. I can’t help but laugh when he tears the blankets from the small mattress then pulls me down to lay next to him on the makeshift bed on the floor.
“Tell me you love me,” he rasps, rubbing his scuff teasingly along my throat, sucking my earlobe into the warmth of his mouth until I squirm, “Apologize for making me worry.”
I pretend to mull it over until a low growl erupts from his lips and he bites my collarbone hard enough to leave a mark, “I’m sorry! Sorry, I’m determined to stop more blood from being shed and I’m terribly sorry for worrying your pretty little head.”
His hands roam under my shirt, “And?”
I giggle when his fingers lightly caress my sides, “I love you. My stubborn Viking!”
His heated touch stills over my belly, “Viking?”
“I’ve been calling you that in my mind for a long time,” I shyly admit, “You could have been one, you know? I bet in a past life you conked chicks on the noggin before dragging them to your cave to have filthy sex.”
“Vikings didn’t live in caves,” he pinches my left nipple and I cry out in surprise, “Are you saying I’m a fucking caveman?”
“No! Caveman probably had better manners,” He smirks while I inch out of his grasp, “Why are you still here? Don’t you want to go home?”
Frowning, he props his head on his hand, “You thought I’d abandon you to the wolves? What’s love to you Coralee?”
“So far every single person I’ve trusted has deceived me, but I loved my parents. I even love Wylan.”
“You do?” his eyes narrow and I detect jealousy.
“He’s awesomely funny. Plus he saved my life.”
He tenses, spitting through clenched teeth, “Rich hit you. His death was too fast.”
“It was horrible,” I shiver at the memory, “How is Braden still alive? He shot at us.”
“Gave me the slip,” Jax clips, rubbing my back, “Shit, I bruised you.”
Peeking over my shoulder, flush at the finger marks along my legs and backside. “Doesn’t hurt. You fucked me in the rain! Animal.”
He licks his lips with a smug leer, “Animal. Caveman. Viking? Pick one. Damn, sure you’re not in pain? Also, you loved it as much as I did. I should beat the shit outta Kacen for watching.”
Straddling his wide hips scoff, “You let him!”
“I knew you were a dirty little flower,” he groans, tearing the material down the middle while I nod in agreement, grinding on his erection, “Perfection. Are we good?”
In just my panties, I’m completely open to his heated stare. This is the time to tell Jax I won’t return to Montana where his past haunts current actions. After learning about Keiry, a lot of how he identifies and reacts to situations makes sense but he doesn’t understand my viewpoint. Not entirely. Taking the coward’s way out, kiss his mouth which devours mine until we’re panting.
“Wait,” Jax presses my breastbone until I’m upright, “Say we’re okay.”
“We’re good for now.”
“Dammit, Coralee!” he shoves me to the side before jumping to his feet, “Get up!”
Shaking, wishing he hadn’t ripped off my shirt, do as he commands. He opens the closet, gaping at the assortment of women’s clothing stacked three feet deep.
“You’re unbelievable!” Covering my nakedness with a blanket instigate another argument, “They’ve kept other women here against their will. It’s disgusting you defend them.”
He whips around like I slapped him upside the head, “What the fuck? Defend them?”
“You think violence is fine as long as there’s a man behind it with a piss poor reason for evening the score,” I hiss, “Handing over my deceased mothers’ hard earned money to someone who doesn’t care if I live or die is downright despicable! Luca drugged me but here you are, coming and going without restrictions! Men have put me through hell! Braden, Cavan, Luca and even you can kiss my ass after my birthday. This won’t define my future because I will have one.”
I’ve never seen Jax so upset. His handsome face flushes fire engine red, jaw ticking as we glare at each other. Why can’t we have a normal relationship? It hurts my heart to spew these barbed accusations, but he needs to hear my reasoning. How this entire fiasco isn’t as cut and dry as he makes it seem. There will be no return to paradise for us.
“Two seconds ago you claimed to love me,” his voice so icy it freezes the breath in my lungs, “I can fuck off, huh? I’m just another asshole taking advantage of you, is that it?”
Dropping my head in my palms, realize there are no take backs. I’ve grouped Jax with dishonest criminals and he knows it. I love him. I do, but explaining myself is becoming exhaustively redundant.
“I’m trying!” he shouts, making me jump, “Trying to be who you need is like navigating a minefield! What’s your fucking problem? One second you’re on my jock then suddenly I’m the enemy!”
“I’m damaged, remember? Plus, I never asked you to change!” I scream in return, poking his unmovable chest, “Not everything is about you! Remember the night you asked if I wanted to find out who I could be without the threat of Braden hovering in the background?” he nods sharply, fist at his sides, “Well, who can I be without you, Jax? I want complete freedom! Choices of my own!”
“Without me?” his gruff tone flat, stepping around me with a look of disdain, “Got it.”
I watch through frustrated tears as Jax exits the room and leaves the house with a slam of the front door.
Kacen pops in after a few minutes warily asking, “Okay, sweetie?”
Taking a deep breath with the knowledge Jax won’t be back, ask, “What’s for dinner?”
“Dunno. Jax said he’d return with dinner once you calm your pretty tits down.”
My jaw drops.
What a stubborn fool!
Kacen gives me a smug nod before leaving me alone and right then I fall in love with Jax a dollop more.
Chapter 25
* Jaxxen *
I’m losing her.
Wylan had been spot on in his assessment of how long Coralee would take my bullshit. I held on to tight and now she wants nothing to do with me.
I’ve been sitting in the car for the last hour staring at the pizza place I plan on entering at some point tonight. Rage, worry and a sharp pain in my rib cage renders me motionless. I keep seeing the way Coralee fumed, spitting on the moment of peace I felt after telling her about Keiry. I buried those hurtful memories and the bloodstained years that followed so deep that when I was finally telling Coralee about them, found there was nothing worth hiding from her any longer.
Then she freaked the fuck out. The inferno in her eyes made me want to hurt her and fuck her at the same time. The changes I’ve noticed in Coralee blow my mind. I knew there was a fire there, but damn.
Why did Luca drug her? No one told me and I want to locate that mobbed-up piece of shit and put a bullet through his cocky face. How dare he treat her like that? Coralee must have been terrified, and I gave her the silent treatment the night he took her.
She’s wrong about one thing though, I do have restrictions. I’m not allowed to turn on any electronics within thirty miles of the safe house so now switch on my phone to check in on Wylan feeling the need to unload like a thirteen-year-old girl.
“Sup?”
“Are you high?”
“When am I not? How’s our girl?”
My chest tightens a little more, “She’s pushing me away. With fist and words but I know what needs to be done.”
I hear a woman’s voice in the background and movement on his end, “Wow, she’s pissed off, huh? I thought she’d be glad to see you.”
“Where are you?”
“At the hotel. Picked up some strange last night and let me tell you, college chicks rule. She wants to call over her dorm mate saying they’ve been waiting to find a man as experienced as I am. Believe that shit?”
“No,” I deadpan with a roll of my eyes, “She must’ve meant as idiotic as you.”
“Dick. Tell me what’s going on with Coralee.”
I talk and he listens. Doesn’t interrupt me once. Even when I falter and rub the sore spot over my heart. He agrees with my plan and promises everything will work out because he’s that type of friend.
When I return to the small house set in a field with three lukewarm pizza’s in hand, my heart is ready to deflate entirely catching sight of Coralee and Kacen laughing and talking around the kitchen table through the window.
Entering the room smile at them both, placing the pizza boxes down with a flourish, “Sorry it took so long. Hope you like what I got.”
Kacen shrugs, immediately digging in without bothering with plates or napkins, “Better than what’s left in the fridge. Coralee isn’t much of a cook.”
Smirking, she keeps her lips sealed. Coralee’s a hell of a cook. Grabbing us Cokes and plates, sit across from her. She thanks me, avoiding my stare. Well, at least she’s speaking to me. Breaks my fucking heart but I have to say something.
“Coralee,” I clear my throat and she shyly peeks up, “Could I stay here until Monday night? We both said stuff this afternoon, and recognize I never took into account of what you’ve been through. Only my own irritation over how things have played out. I had no idea they drugged you.”
Those bright hazel eyes widen and glass over.
“What is it?”
“I’m thinking if another man comes at me with a needle I will do everything in my power to shove it up his ass.”
I laugh and Kacen drops his head with a scowl. “We have four days until your birthday. I’d like to spend them getting to know you.” I smile before taking a bite of my cheese slice, “What kind of pizza do you actually like?”
Kacen watches our exchange with rapt attention. He’s a strange man, reminding me of Wylan. Coralee wipes her slender fingers off smiling back. Now we’re getting somewhere.
“Chicken barbecue,” she softly tells me, “Also, I’d love it if you stayed. It’s not your fault Cavan betrayed Luca. You’ve treated me like a princess, and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. You aren’t a monster.”
Kacen’s head swivels and I shoot him a scathing glance, wishing he’d go the fuck away.
“You’re a warrior princess. I killed Chiara,” I admit, “I’m responsible for some of this mess. Didn’t even think twice, just wished you weren’t in the room at the time. I’m not looking for Braden any longer and after your party, wish you the best of luck. Do you know where you want to live?”
Her mouth opens and closes with a startled expression frozen on her face. Yes, baby, I’m telling you I’ll leave you alone. My chest squeezes and I rub the place over my heart for the thousandth time today.
“Wanna get drunk?” Kacen asks, lightening the mood, “There’s a bottle of Jack and a deck of Uno round here someplace.”
“What’s Uno?”
Coralee and Kacen exchange smirks, but before I feel like an idiot she explains, “It’s just as silly card game. Fun.”
“Oh. I prefer Poker.”
Coralee’s still staring at me when I finish my slices and fish out drink tumblers with ice. Getting Coralee drunk sounds like fun. I have four nights to enjoy her company and want to experience everything. Kacen finds the cards and soon she relaxes, but still doesn’t acknowledge the fact I said she has the freedom she so fiercely covets.
Freedom.
How many times has she said that one word while I glossed over it, thinking I was it? Bringing her into my home, shutting her away from the world did nothing to stop Braden. I refuse to resort to begging to keep her when it’s so obvious she thinks men cause nothing but pain.
“Wylan’s banging Coed’s right now,” I laugh a while later after losing two games to Kacen, “Will you miss him, Coralee?”
She blinks slowly, draining her third glass of liquor, “He’s like the brother I imagined Cavan would be like before meeting his shifty ass. Sometimes I wonder if he wants to fuck me. Wylan, not Cavan.”
Kacen huffs, scooting the bottle out of her reach, “You’re hot, of course, that dude wants to pound you. Cavan’s a piece of shit.”
“Duh,” she gathers up her long hair, licking her plump lips, “I’m tired.”
“Are you drunk?”
Those beautiful eyes scan my muscles, “Not really, why?”
“Because I want you.”
She releases her flowing mane, smiling so sultrily I nearly take her on top of the table. “How does it feel to want?”
“Don’t play coy. You’re wet as fuck for me. Should I check?”
“Jax!”
Standing, hold out my hand, “Unless you wanna keep drinking?”
She flushes that adorable pink, shooting Kacen an embarrassed wince, “Oh, if I drink any more I might get sick.”
“Let’s go lay down.”
She stumbles a little, giggling without a care. Wrapping my hands around her waist, grin when she gives a full body shudder. My Sunflower’s so responsive. I inhale, memorizing her scent.
“Don’t mind me,” Kacen whines, pouring a shot, “I’ll put on some porn to drown out the one going on in there.”
Coralee cackles and I clench my jaw. Once in the bedroom, see she rearranged the bedding on the floor into a more comfortable setting.
She lazily yanks off her shirt, and I stare at her perky tits, “Kacen said you’d be back. Only so much room for my Viking.”
Undressing down to my boxers stand anxiously by for her to finish in the bathroom. I’m nervous. Why am I so nervous? She obviously still wants me, but I need to hear it. She’s had that effect on me from day one.
“Jax,” she purrs, coming out completely naked and my dick stands to attention, “I know what you’re doing.”
Tilting my head, wait for her to speak. She doesn’t know shit.
“Asking permission to stay here? As if I could get rid of your stubborn ass.” she saunters over to the bedding kneeling at my feet, pretty eyes sparkling under the low lighting of the lamp on the dresser, “I love you, Jax. Don’t doubt for one minute I don’t.” Then, as if reading my mind whispers, “I want you.”
I push her thick hair away from her face to see her better, “I know, Sunflower.” tapping those plump lips with my index finger order, “Open.” She does and I groan, pulling my boxers down, “No more talking.”
I slowly feed my cock into the warmth of her mouth until hitting resistance. Heaven. I rock my hips, holding her head in place. Her eyes stay on mine while her tongue works feverishly to keep up with my punishing rhythm.
“Damn,” I mutter when she swallows and I slip further inside, “Feels incredible. You look like a dirty angel sucking my cock.”
It’s then she reaches up, fondling my balls and I find out she doesn’t have a gag reflex. Fuck me! Pounding my prick into the back of her throat my eyes roll from the intensity. She moans and I spurt a little. If I’d known she had this superpower, we’d never have left my bed in Montana.
“S- stop,” I stammer, staggering backward, “Good fucking God woman, wake me up every day with that mouth.”
She giggles, “Why d’you stop? I want to taste you.”
Lowering myself to the floor chuckle, “Don’t worry, you will. Lay down.”
When I bury my face between her thighs, she lets out the sexiest moan I’ve ever heard. She becomes so turned on her tasty pussy gushes and I relish in her cream until she’s shaking, clenching her toned legs around my head. I don’t stop until she screams she can’t handle another orgasm. I only counted three, but give her a moment to calm down.
“You’re so good at that,” she pants, running fingers through my hair.
Licking my way up her torso, give those perfect tits my attention next. I’m in love with them. So full and round, taking the heavy-handed way I bite and suck the dusky nipples. She squirms, gasping for air, begging me to fuck her within minutes.
Condoms. I fucking forgot once again. What the hell is wrong with me?
I take her hand, pulling two fingers into her dripping slit. “Work yourself. I’ll be back. Don’t stop or I’ll whip those tits with my belt.”
She shivers, “Promise?”
This girl! I hastily pull on my boxers then rush to find Kacen. He’s outside reading. His smirk when I joined him on the porch isn’t one I’ll soon forget. Particularly because my obvious hard as nails dick is close to escaping my briefs.
“Hey, man,” I try to come across nonchalant, stabbing a hand through my fucked up hair, “Got condoms?”
He closes the book and I see it’s on Psychology. “Sure. Go through yours already?”
I refuse to admit I’m a caveman. She might have had a point earlier. Knocking up Coralee would be the highlight of my existence, but she’s days away from forgetting mine, so just shrug. He doesn’t give me any shit, going into his room to hand me an unopened box. I nod in thanks returning to the bedroom in time to watch Coralee come in a full body orgasm that leaves my mouth dry.
“Perfection,” I growl, “My turn.”
Coralee’s provocative form was made for me. Coming together, there’s no hesitancy or awkward fumbling. Slamming my cock as deep as her body allows, only mutual lust and pull for dominance fuel us.
Me on top telling her how tight her pussy is while she tugs and pulls at her nipples.
Her on top, hips swiveling, until I nearly come from the erotic picture she presents.
Shoving her onto her stomach so I can slap that perfectly shaped ass and slip a finger into it as well.
Her hollering for more. Me saying shut the fuck up because I’m already fucking her within an inch of both our lives.
“Jax,” she pants, bobbing on my shaft while I kiss and nip the sweaty column of her throat, “I never knew it could feel like this. You make me weak. I told myself I could go without. You’re addicting. Do it again.”
“It’s you. It’s us,” I groan watching a drop of perspiration fall from my chest onto her bouncing tits, “Nothing wrong with letting me worship the shit outta you. I’ll gladly give you a fix anytime you need it. Is it six or seven?” I ask before pinching her clit.
Her entire frame locks up, then I have to keep her from breaking my dick as she comes once again, screaming obscenities, body bowing outward. It leaves me in reverence when she fly’s, unashamed and deadly sexy. I’ll never get enough.
Seven it is.
“No more,” she begs her pupils blown until I can’t see the other colors, “I want you to come in my mouth. No—I need it.”
“Is that all you can handle?” I smirk, “I’d love to face fuck you. Beg.”
She climbs off, falling to her hands and knees and I unfold my legs, “I need to taste you.”
“That’s not begging.”
“Please?”
“Please what? Use your fucking words. Beg me for what you want!” This is fun but I’m already close to bursting just by the way she can’t get enough.
“Jax, please fuck my face! Use me.”
“I will. More.”
“Come down my throat. My face. My tits. Let me suck you off until there’s not a drop left.”
I rip off the condom growling, “Baby, I love you. Such a dirty mouth.”
She licks her swollen lips, and I spend the next twenty minutes receiving the best damn blowjob of my life.
Chapter 26
* Coralee *
“Wake up.”
“No.”
“Coralee, get your ass outta bed. I have a surprise for you.”
Tossing hair out of my face, groggily focus on Jax perfectly put together after a long night of earth-shattering sex. I drank too much and now feel gross. My body aches in the best way possible though. He’s older, but his stamina astounds me. Astounds is an underwhelming word when I remember the number of orgasms he gave me. Such a giver.
“What time is it?” I whine, stretching my arms up over my head.
He tracks my movement smirking, “Well, it’s not morning. I can tell you’re sore. Take a hot shower and meet me in the kitchen.”
“So bossy!” I grouse, “And here I hoped we had a breakthrough.” His face falls and I immediately roll to kneel at his feet sputtering, “I didn’t mean that. I mean, not how it came out.”
He strokes my hair with a heavy sigh, “I get it. I like you kneeling, but next time it’s gonna be with my cock in that sassy mouth.”
“Don’t push it!” I playfully warn.
When he leaves with a sexy lick of his lips and chuckle, reluctantly roll off of the floor. It’s a clear day with no clouds in sight when I pass by the window on my way to the shower. Wonderful.
In the bathroom, notice Jax laid out an outfit. Jeans, light blue cotton top, and pink lingerie. Sometimes I think taking care of my needs comes second nature to him. When Braden used to lay out my clothes, it irritated the hell out of me, but with Jax, know he does it to show me he cares.
Once I’m showered and have pulled my long wet hair up, join Kacen and Jax in the kitchen. Both men were deep in conversation but stop once they see me.
“So, what’s this about a surprise?” I ask, opening the fridge to pour a glass of orange juice.
“Day hike.” he beams.
I scrunch my nose, then laugh when Jax’s excited face drops in disappointment over my initial reaction, “Yippee?” I fake excitement, bouncing in my shoes.
Kacen sighs, rubbing his eyes. He looks hungover and I wonder if we kept him awake. I wasn’t quiet and neither was Jax. Serves him right for being an unwanted babysitter.
“I packed lunch. There’s a relatively easy trail through the woods.” Jax joins me behind the counter, “I thought it would be nice to get out of here, even if I can’t take you on a real date.”
My heart melts, “We tried once.”
His jaw ticks, “The rodeo. You wouldn’t have liked it anyhow. Bria cornered me straight off and would have made you uncomfortable.”
I haven’t thought of the bottle blonde in forever. He’s going home and will most likely resume their relationship. I become angry, then remind myself it’s my decision to leave Jax in the first place. He has every right to date once this week is over. I can’t picture myself settling with another man, but imagining Bria taking up space in his beautiful cabin makes me slam the glass on the counter harder than intended.
He cocks his head, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lie, “Ready when you are.”
Kacen stands saying, “Back before dark.”
Jax clenches his fist, “Yeah, don’t worry.”
My stomach sours, but storm outside before my mood does. There’s too much rolling around in my head. Even with Jax here, I’m still a prisoner. Why couldn’t I have been wiser and stronger than Braden or Cavan? At least I’m not tied up drugged out of my mind. Wow, way see the sunny side of life, I inwardly sulk.
“Coralee,” Jax hurries to catch up since I’m halfway across the field lost in grim musings, “Fresh air will do you good, baby.”
I follow his lead to the right as he adjusts a backpack on his wide shoulders. We’re silent during the walk, simply enjoying the crisp breeze and tall pine trees surrounding us the deeper we venture into the forest. He takes my hand and I traipse behind him with a smile plastered on my face, leaves crunching underfoot. After a while, we enter a clearing where wildflowers have mostly taken over, and he shrugs the pack off before kissing me tenderly.
“This is no waterfall picnic,” he mutters, running his tongue along my upper lip, “but it’ll do.”
“Was wondering when you would do that,” I tease making him laugh, “It’s so peaceful out here. How did you know there was a trail?”
He gives an unintelligible answer, focusing on pulling out a blanket. I grab the pack, gasping when I see a gun.
“Really?” I pout, pointing to the weapon, “Are you planning something?”
“This is who I am,” he states in a hard tone of voice, “Yesterday you said you never asked for me to change, so why does this surprise you? You’re still in danger. Just because Luca thinks no one knows where you are, doesn’t mean I’ll lower my guard. I will always protect you.”
I cross my arms feeling all sorts of turned on and confused, “When I said that, it was over the fact you made it seem you’ve been pretending. There’s no need to lay a guilt trip on me.”
He places his hands on his hips, taking a deep breath before grinding out, “Why is it every time you open your mouth we end up fighting? What if you’re hurting me? Hmm? After I told you about Keiry, it was like you couldn’t wait to argue. Do you even care how difficult it was to talk about her? About Jim?”
My chest burns from the sudden onslaught of tears threatening to fall. Shaking my head, blink rapidly to keep the waterworks at bay. I’m a complete bitch. Of course, I understand how hard it must have been for him to rehash the past. He looks away from me in disgust.
“Jax, I’m sorry,” I sputter, “Sometimes I have bad timing. I didn’t mean to hurt you but I needed you to listen.”
His dark hair shimmers like raven’s feathers in the sunlight streaming through the trees as he refuses to meet my burning stare. I wring my hands together, not knowing how to fix this.
“Hungry?” he huffs, sitting on the blanket, “Leftover pizza or a sandwich?”
“Look at me!”
He does and I shiver at the blankness in his pale gray eyes, “What? Are you finished with that selfish apology? Or this fucking pity party? Keep it up Coralee, and you really will be free. Alone in every way possible.”
It’s as if he hit me. All my breath swooshes out and tears drip down my cheeks like fat raindrops, blurring my vision and can’t take his wounded gaze anymore.
I bolt through the woods and he doesn’t follow.
When I head back to the house, it’s late. I aimlessly strolled through the woods without purpose, trying to fault Jax for my recent behavior. He’s right. Every time we’ve spoken I’ve turned it around until we’re both so angry one of us leaves.
In Montana, I took for granted the uncomplicated way we connected. The soft touches and carefree discussions. Playing with Ren and Stimpy. Even after Wylan arrived, we had a blast avoiding reality.
Jax said he’s letting me go. Leaving Braden’s fate to Luca. I picked up his words loud and clear last night before we had sex. Can it really be so easy as to sign over my inheritance to earn my freedom? Do I have the strength to leave Jax?
I love him. He loves me.
Is it enough for what I want out of life?
Everything has happened so fast I never worked out what I’ll do once Braden is no longer a threat. I once fantasied about owning a bakery. Nothing big, just a little shop to bake, and sell my favorite recipes. A coffee and pastry spot of my very own! Daydreams of decorating a house, laughing with friends who will never know how hard I fought to meet them, make a smile to form on my lips, and I tilt my face so the sun shines on it. I don’t care if I walk away next week penniless. There isn’t anything I can’t do if I put my mind to it.
I rub my eyes after standing in the tree line for a while, Jax’s sharp remarks on a loop. Pity party? Puh-lease! How is telling him my hopes and dreams, my thoughts over the way he totes firearms like others do bags of M&M’s, make me the bad guy?
A loud, pain filled roar comes from the house and my first reaction is to go towards it but I stop at the edge of the field. The front door burst open and two dark-haired men run out, tearing down the driveway before one notices me, alerting the other and they change direction. Think of bad men, and they shall appear! I curse, turning to dart into the woods but crash into a solid wall of muscle.
“Quiet,” Jax hisses covering my mouth, dragging me into the thicket before forcing me to crouch in some high brush.
“She was right here!” a man with glasses shouts, “Go left.”
I tremble in fright, gripping Jax’s waist so tight he flinches. How long did he follow me? I should have known. He’s protective even when I’m a self-centered bitch. I will always protect you, his statement from earlier somewhat eases my panic. What do I do if they catch me?
They walk near our hiding spot, and I fear they’ll hear my frantic breathing. Jax must have the same thought because he jumps up, throwing the backpack at the pistol the one without glasses has aimed at the ground, disarming him.
“Stay still,” he orders, and I gape in amazement when he punches four-eyes so hard his entire body does a weird spin before he plops face down, knocked out cold.
The gun landed mere inches from my position so I scurry to fetch it, hardly registering the weight before I pop off a bullet right into the foot of the man backpedaling away from Jax. He issues a high-pitched scream, making me jump and almost shoot him again.
“Dammit Coralee,” Jax snaps, confiscating the weapon from my shaky grip, “No.”
“No?” I sass, then the magnitude of my actions catches up to my brain, “Oh, no! I shot you!”
“Yeah you shot me, you goofy bitch!” the stranger hollers, trying to keep off of his left foot which spurts a stream of blood and I gag, “Look at my toes! You’re fucking crazy!”
“Don’t call me names! You shouldn’t have come here!” I scold, wincing when four detached appendages flop out of his ruined shoe when he bounces on his good leg. I swallow vomit, “I’m sure you’ll be fine! Maybe they can reattach them?”
“Who sent you?” Jax effortlessly lifts the man off of his feet, ending our bizarre back and forth.
He flinches, eyes flitting between me and the giant shaking him like a rag doll, “B- Braden Leone! Don’t kill me! It’s just a job!”
Jax tuts before throwing him against the closest tree trunk, “When you come after MY woman, it’s signing a death warrant. Braden’s marked.”
The guy drops to his haunches with his hands up, “I didn’t know! We’ll leave. We weren’t going to hurt anyone but the fucker inside shot at us.”
I gasp, running towards the house. Jax shouts for me to wait, but I need to see if Kacen’s all right. He might be a perverted jerk, but I’ve grown attached to the olive-eyed man who tried to coax me out of my false depression with silly jokes and sloppy sandwiches.
I’m tackled from behind and at first, think it’s Jax, but when tattooed fingers reach up to circle my throat, scream my head off. I fight, doing everything I can to wiggle out of his grasp, but he huffs a sour smelling chuckle in my ear, forcing me to stand as a human shield to face Jax who holds the pistol I used minutes ago. This asshole doesn’t even have a weapon and in my current distressed state wonder if this is amateur hour.
I’ve become accustomed to violence, and it sickens me.
“Don’t move,” the asshole tightens his hold, cutting off my airway.
Jax frowns, “Idiot.”
I panic when my body demands air, scratching like a wild animal at any exposed flesh, kicking backward until he grunts, bowing to the left. It’s all the distraction Jax needs, shooting him in the shoulder. The asshole yowls, releasing me. Jax is quick, slamming the butt of the gun in the mans’ face repeatedly until my screams for him to stop penetrate through the blind rage he’s caught up in.
“Are you hurt?” I can’t believe how calm he sounds with his attention returning to the forest.
“N-no,” I rub my sore neck, avoiding looking at the person whimpering at our feet, “We need to check on Kacen.”
“Go ahead,” Jax dismisses me to jog back to the other men in the woods.
The place is a wreck. The recliner has several scorched bullet holes through it and I fear that’s where Kacen was sitting when the intruders barged inside. There’s a trail of blood leading to the hallway and rush to find Kacen in the main bathroom holding a towel over his arm.
“Thank fuck,” he grits through clenched teeth, “Are you okay?”
“You’re worried about me?” I stumble next to him, touching his soft blonde hair, scanning his body for injuries, “They shot you? You need to go to the hospital!”
“Cora,” he grabs my hand, squeezing until I whimper, “I’m fine. Take a deep breath.” I do and he smiles, “Better? Where’s Jax?”
I massage my stung fingers amazed these guys don’t buckle under pressure, “Outside. He… stopped them. What do I do, Kacen?”
“Calm down,” he stands from where he was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, “A bullet grazed me is all. Come on, let’s go see Jax in action.”
I blanch, “Gah, he’s so strong. I thought he would pop one of the attacker’s head off with a single punch. Then I shot the other one in the foot! I can’t believe I did that! The poor guy!”
Kacen ignores my guilt-stricken ramblings, holding a bloody towel to his left shoulder storming outside. I anxiously follow, glad I skipped lunch because my belly roils from the scene in the driveway. Jax hoovers menacingly over the three thugs. They’re all bleeding from broken noses and wounds I caused.
“Rope?”
“Look under the kitchen sink. There’s a kit.”
I cover my mouth. A kit? For what? Murder? The pissed off almost kidnappers glower at me as if the situation is all my fault. Jax takes my hand when he passes and like a robot, allow him to lead me into the kitchen where he directs me to a chair at the table.
“Listen up,” He bends until we’re eye to eye, “Stay right here. Don’t move. Kacen and I will deal with these punks and then we’re getting the hell out of here.”
“Are you sure they’re alone? You want me to sit here even if more are out there?”
He huffs, “You’re a walking, talking contradiction. Why did you pick up that gun?”
“I wanted to protect you,” I honestly say, “We stand together, remember?”
He gives me a soft smile before kissing my forehead, “Always. Stay here.”
“Okay.”
He stares into my eyes for a few seconds before moving away to rummage underneath the counters. Gazing out the window where I’m able to see everything they do, watch Jax place a makeshift tourniquet on Kacen’s arm, before marching the defeated men down the driveway until they’re out of sight.
How did they know where we are? Braden’s obsession is setting a new psycho record. What’s so special about me? The games he played haunt my nightmares, but this is ridiculous. Something doesn’t add up. Is it the money? How does he intend to get it when Luca Romano has undoubtedly already lined up the paperwork?
I grow agitated when the adrenaline wears off, leaving the kitchen after what feels like hours have passed. With a bottle of water, drift into the bedroom to pack. None of it belongs to me, but I’ll need clean panties and a toothbrush where ever we end up next. Kacen has my phone. I want to talk to Wylan to find out why Jax suddenly had an about-face regarding Braden.
And me.
“Coralee!” Jax’s clipped shout from the front makes me jump.
I rush into his arms, “Are you okay? What did they say?”
His jaw ticks when he pulls out of my embrace and I try to not let it go to my head but this whole day has been a heart-wrenching disaster. Is he still mad at me? Kacen brushes past us to his bedroom. I hear him packing while I impatiently wait for Jax to speak.
“Luca believes the car I borrowed from Cavan led them here,” Jax bites out, storming outside, “Pack and go with Kacen.”
“What?” I chase after him, tripping on the last step of the porch, crying out when I fall. My gracefulness has abandoned me like so many other things. “Jax, where are you going?” I demand once I’m on my feet, “What’s going on?”
He spins around, capturing my face and I cringe at the red-stained bruises covering his knuckles, “I have shit to do. Kacen will keep you safe.”
The lack of empathy in his voice makes my blood run cold, “Please don’t leave! I’m sorry! I won’t argue anymore!” I’m blubbering, wiggling closer until our bodies meet but he remains stoically detached, “What did you do?”
He closes his eyes on a forced exhale, kissing my forehead before untangling himself from my desperate grip on his contracting forearms. He presses a familiar object into my palm, “It’s not your concern. Promise you’ll listen to Kacen?”
“Fine.” I gulp, wondering if I’ve once and for all broken Jax’s heart. Slipping the sunflower pendant into my pocket whisper, “Promise.”
“Go inside,” he growls, then walks away without a backward glance.
I refuse to cry because he’s chosen to take off this time. Not me. I shot someone, he shot someone. Only I feel remorse. Jax never does.
This is why I have to fight my own heart and quit Jax.
Chapter 27
* Jaxxen *
Luca speaks in Italian to several guys dressed in all black outside a factory deep inside the city. Kacen said to bring the pinheads who attacked us here—so I did. It’s nearing midnight and my patience is thinning. I expected it would be a simple drop off but Luca wanted information I don’t think those fools possess.
The warehouse is two stories tall and dozens of men and women come and go from the guarded gate. Soldiers and sketchy looking thugs gave me a wide berth when I arrived. If this is one of Luca’s main operations, the sooner I’m out of here the better. They converted the first-floor space of the warehouse into different sections. The room I deposited the assholes who attacked Coralee into was clearly designed for death.
“Jax,” Luca waves me over and I hold in a sigh, “Are you sure Cavan is no longer interested in selling his sister?”
I rub the scuff along my jaw in agitation, “Not after I put the hurt on him. He wants nothing to do with Coralee. Wasn’t it Braden who sent those idiots to your safe house?”
“He could not have hired those men without help. Kacen took Coralee to his penthouse where security is impassable. I need you to bring Cavan to me.”
I want to say, go fuck yourself, but Luca wouldn’t hesitate to blow my head off. So instead, crack my knuckles, “Here?”
“Yes. Now. Take the truck on the edge of the lot,” he tosses me a set of keys.
After jumping in the black Dodge Ram the key fob beeped for, roll my neck to loosen the tension building between my shoulder blades. This blows. I’m not an errand boy. Who knew talking to the new girl in town would have me beating and killing men again?
Coralee thinks I like this shit? Hurting men who lay hands on her is one thing, but she only sees the violence, not the man I am. I fucking tried to make her see ME, but every time we talk now, it’s as if we’re an old married couple and she’s ready for a divorce.
The last person I want to pick up is Cavan. That moron disgusts me and if it weren’t for his ties to Luca and Coralee, would have added his death to the long list I keep buried in my heart. Forty-two. I’ve killed forty-two men and women in my life and the list never seems to stop. Pause maybe, but it never ends.
Coralee said she saw my inner demon and who I try to hide. She’s scared. Hell, I would be too if I didn’t know my own limits. You’d reckon a girl like her would be used to guys like me, but Braden did a good job of sheltering her for his perversions only. Unless she overcomes whatever fears she harbors and lets me in that complicated mind of hers, we’ll never be together. All we’ll do is fuck and fight.
But damn can that girl fuck.
I locate Cavan in Chiara’s Diner with his usual meatheads in attendance. He sees me coming and tries to exit out the back but I’m quick and catch his scrawny ass before he leaves the alleyway by the scuff of his stupid suit coat.
“Best to come willingly,” I say, eyeing the goons pulling their pieces, “And call off the dogs. Luca wants a meeting.”
He straightens his black jacket when I let go, “So soon? Didn’t the paperwork come through?”
I don’t have time for this shit, “You can ask him yourself.”
Cavan holds his head up high as if he isn’t pissing himself. The last time we spoke it was after I shoved his finger down his throat. Smirking, see the bandages wrapped around his hand.
“How’s Coralee?” he asked once we’re on the road with his men following behind in a separate vehicle.
“Why do you care?”
“She’s special, that girl,” he has a slight slur to his voice I notice, now I’m not distracted by guns pointed at my head, “So pretty. So innocent. Do you think you deserve a woman like that? My wife? I deserve that cold-hearted cunt because I’m a bastard. But my sister? Nah, that piece of ass belongs to someone as wholesome as she is.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growl, tightening my hands on the wheel, “You don’t even know her.”
“Are you saying she’s not sweet like a peach?” he taunts, reaching into his jacket.
“Stop,” I grip his wounded hand, and he cries out in pain, “What are you doing?”
“Just getting my flask!” he grits out, “Asshole!”
“You’re a sick fuck to talk about your sister like that,” I grind out after releasing his mangled hand, “Don’t bring her up again.”
“Why? Trouble in paradise?”
“If I put you in a room with Coralee and gave her a gun, she’d pull the trigger.” I smirk, deciding he needs this information to keep the hell away from her, “Wholesome? She shot a man in the foot without blinking.”
His eyes widen into round saucers, “Seriously? Why?”
“Don’t you realize this shit has rubbed off on your precious little sister?”
He opens the silver flask with shaky hands, “Well, you would know since you’ve been the main event in her life. Braden never lets business interfere with their relationship. He would never allow her to witness what you have.”
This fuckwit’s lucky I’m driving, “Shut your damn mouth.”
He does, but his statement holds undeniable truth. I’ve done a lot of messed up shit in front of Coralee and she seemed to take it all in stride but she’s also young and impressionable. Shooting that dick in the foot surprised me, but I saw the guilt she had afterward. She bitches over the fact I carry a gun, but she protected me without a second thought. Doesn’t that mean something?
Cavan and I enter the warehouse a while later and escorted into the cemented floored room with a large drain. Luca sits relaxed in a metal chair against the wall. At the center of the space are the three idiots who tried to snatch Coralee earlier in the day. Cavan skimmed over their bound positions on the floor without any outward recognition.
“Cavan,” Luca’s smug tone make his footsteps falter, “Thank you for joining me at this late hour.”
So fucking polite. Luca’s a coiled viper and I stand aside to not get bit.
“No problem,” Cavan clears his throat, “Is the paperwork for the transference of Coralee’s inheritance to your satisfaction?”
“Si,” Luca stands, buttoning an ash gray jacket over the white vest he has on, “Do you see these men on their knees?”
Cavan nervously looks over and shrugs, “Yeah?”
“They said Braden Leone hired them to come to my house and capture Coralee.”
“Really?” Cavan peers at the men some more, “Interesting. They obviously failed.”
“Obviously,” Luca circles around the men who shuffle in place. They don’t need to be gagged because Luca’s presence alone renders them mute. “Jax borrowed a car from your fleet the other day, correct?”
Cavan finally gets the point, “Ah, yeah. Where is my car, Jax?”
I keep my mouth shut, crossing my arms.
“There are certain rules we must live by,” Luca’s voice takes on a meaningful lilt, and I watch a guy wheel over a cart filled with wicked looking knives and other torture instruments. “When I allow one of my soldiers to drive my vehicles, there’s a protocol. Before and after. Can you tell me, seeing as we are both important men, what they are?”
Cavan sweats, rubbing his brow, fidgeting with the flask I didn’t notice him take out, too focused on the serrated blade Luca picked up. “I’m sure you’re not talking about checking the oil. Ha, ha.” No one laughs, “Security. Signs of tampering. Tracking devices. Shit, my old man was nearly done in by a car bomb five years ago.”
“I never turn on my own car,” Luca chuckles humorlessly, standing in front of the guy Coralee shot, “Do you?”
“Yes,” Cavan watches Luca like a rabbit would a snake, “Are you saying they found Coralee’s location with my car?”
“I haven’t said anything,” Luca smirks and I want to roll my eyes. These guys and their power plays. “But yes. This one told me everything. Do you know any of these men?”
“No,” Cavan quickly chirps, “Never seen them before. Have you caught Braden?”
“The number he gave these fools has already disconnected,” Luca sounds as disappointed as I feel, “We’ll sweep up that piece of trash soon enough. Your vehicle’s in the back lot. I had my best mechanic give it a look, a courtesy I rarely offer.”
“I understand. Thank you,” Cavan’s shoulders relax slightly but he, like everyone else in the room, know Luca is just getting started, “Is there anything I can do for all your help?”
Luca slants his amber eyes, appearing amused at the meekness Cavan oozes. You never show weakness to a man like him. These men have had dealings their entire lives because of family connections but they couldn’t be more different.
Luca tosses the blade in the air, catching it by the heel. Color me impressed. One wrong move and it would have sliced off his fingers. I wish. The low lighting glints off the knife when he extends it in Cavan’s direction.
“Kill these cretini. Use the incinerator when finished,” the men on the floor whimper, “Then get the fuck out.”
Cavan swallows and grips the steel handle with a steady hand, which surprises me. He’s been shaking like a leaf since I picked him up. Sometimes blood lust curbs nerves. I should know.
“Done,” Cavan nods once.
Good riddance.
I turn to go when Luca’s sharp voice stops me cold, “You’re not going to watch?”
“No,” I snarl, “I’ve seen enough.”
Luca walks beside me as we leave screams of death behind, “Are you in a rush?”
“What do you want?”
“There were rumors when you gave up the life. Women will never understand or appreciate what we do in silence on their behalf. Even after they’re gone.” Luca pauses and when I stay stoically guarded, he asks, “Do you ever miss it?”
“What’s there to miss?” I don’t blink when two prostitutes walk past us giggling on their way upstairs, “Death is something no man should miss unless he’s suicidal himself.”
“Good one,” Luca gazes at his phone when it chimes, “Kacen is expecting you. Take the truck. Can I ask you a personal question?”
I curtly nod. How dare he bring up Keiry? This fucker enjoys riling me up. We’re both assholes after all.
“Coralee shot that man in there and told she’s funny and smart. I’ve never pictured myself married until you said Chiara groomed her for me. If I was to propose, allowing her to retain her mother’s money, do you think…”
I snap and he’s lucky his men pounce to keep me from cracking his head into gnarly pieces. It takes five to hold me at bay. “Don’t fuck with me! She’s ghosting and you won’t interfere! She doesn’t deserve this.”
Luca smirks, waving for his goons to back off, “I know, but you do. So, you’re willing to die for Coralee and let her go at the same time? A killer with a conscience? As I said, women make you scarso, Jax. I already gave you my word. Relax. Until Monday.”
The asshole strolls away and I stand there for a few moments as red drains from my vision. Was he testing me? Luca didn’t flinch and I think if his men hadn’t held me back from kicking his ass, he’d have handled me fine.
He was looking for a fight.
Masochist.
After exiting the warehouse district, give Wylan a visit. When I let myself into the hotel suite, curse under my breath. Young, pretty girls boozed to the gills dance to loud rock music blaring from the speakers mounted on the walls.
“Well, hello,” a tall red-headed girl in pale green lingerie purrs, “Wow, you’re huge! Do you play in the NFL? Where have you been all my life?”
She’s cute, but reeks of cheap booze, “Where’s Wylan?”
She giggles, taking my hand to lead me through the throng. There are no men, only scantily dressed girls no older than twenty. Did he invite a sorority into our suite? Damn, this kid knows how to party.
“Wylan!” I bark, startling him from where he was in the middle licking a body shot off of a petite blonde.
“Hey man!” he slurs, patting the flat stomach of the blonde who giggles in return, “Is Coralee with you? Shit, this looks bad.”
Smirking, shake off the red-head, “No, she’s somewhere else. Who are all these girls? Why are they all in their underwear?”
“Ugh, dunno.” he blinks slowly as if just noticing the young ass partying all around us. “Pajama party? You staying?”
The music’s giving me a headache but I need to decompress before returning to Coralee so shrug, snagging a beer, “Carry on.”
A couple of hours later I stumble into my room after kicking most of the girls out. A few turned out to be quite sweet and chill and I got to drinking and talking way longer than planned. Wylan lit up several joints until a pile of sleeping beauties littered the floor and furniture calling it a night.
“Oh,” a doe-eyed raven yelps under the covers when I flop down on the bed, “I’m sorry!”
Fuck! Her bare tits nearly slap me in the face before I roll off of the mattress. “Why are you naked in my fucking bed?”
“I- I threw up on my clothes,” she simpers, using the sheet to cover her body, “I’ll go.”
With a sigh ask, “Are you all right? I can get you something to wear.”
She softly cries and I feel like shit for yelling at her. I hand over a shirt and shorts that belong to Coralee, and she scurries to the bathroom to dress.
“Thank you. Your friend said I could sleep it off but you’re tired, huh? Um… I’ll leave,” she frets when she comes out.
I couldn’t care less what she does, laying down to doze.
“My ride left,” she sighs in my ear suddenly, jolting me, “Can I stay with you?”
Fucking hell. “No,” I growl, “Take a cab.”
“It’s late,” she whines, “Please? We can have some fun.” her small hand slithers down my side.
I flip over, pinning her to the mattress by the neck. Her lips part with excitement, chocolate eyes begging for me to fuck her so hard she’ll remember me when she’s stuck in a shitty marriage with three bratty kids. She moans, reaching for my cock and I imagine Coralee like this with another man and my blood boils.
“Go ahead,” she urges, running her palms over my pecs but my dick is a limp noodle.
This is wrong.
Wrong girl.
Wrong bedroom.
There’s only one woman I want under me and she’s across town. Damn Cavan and Luca for making me face the truth. I love Coralee but she would rather run away than be with me. My dick hasn’t worked for anyone else since I laid eyes on the fiery vixen.
“Didn’t your daddy warn you about fucking monsters?” I snarl, “Acting like a slut will get your pretty ass hurt one of these days. You shouldn’t be so damn trusting.” I jump up, stabbing my fingers through my hair, shooting her my best fuck off glower.
She blanches, “But… you helped me!”
“Get. Out.”
The girl runs like her ass is on fire and I get my shit together before leaving the hotel. When I arrive at Kacen’s high rise building, there are two guards on duty who nod in acknowledgment before allowing me inside the apartment. The open floor plan allows me to see the slate gray furniture adorning the living space. Kacen must be an avid gamer from the massive TV and electronics hooked up to it.
I test a few doors in the hallway until I find Coralee asleep wearing a skimpy chemise sleep set. My body instantly relaxes when I lay next to her. She automatically rolls into my arms and I grin, smelling her sweet scent. Always sweet.
“Jax,” she mumbles, voice raspy from sleep as she rubs her long legs along mine, “Are you okay?”
“I am now,” I kiss her forehead, “Go back to sleep, Sunflower.”
She nuzzles under my chin as we fall asleep in each other’s arms. I pretend we do this every night and will continue to do so for the rest of our lives.
Chapter 28
* Coralee *
Waking up in Kacen’s spare room with heavy arms and legs pinning me in place, squirm in alarm for a second. Jax. With a smile, nuzzle into his hard chest until an unfamiliar odor mixing with his usual scent of outdoors makes me scoot backward.
Holding in a gasp, gawk at lipstick stains around the collar of his tight gray shirt. The unmistakable stench of cheap perfume, alcohol, and weed is the last straw! What kind of idiot does he take me for? I’m up and in the bathroom before I realize I’ve stripped for a hot shower.
I can’t believe Jax laid down to sleep with me after being with other women! When Kacen explained Jax had to help Luca with the men who tried to kidnap me, it took the sting out of his parting behavior. He needed his head in the game to deal with Luca. I was up half the night worried out of my mind what he was having to do. Then he shows up wearing another woman’s lipstick and perfume? Nice to know after partying all night he didn’t hide it. Gross.
Do not cry. You knew this was coming.
When I walk into the kitchen, decide I need a distraction to keep myself composed. From losing my shit. Kacen smiles brightly from the craftsman style kitchen island, an E-reader in one hand, coffee in the other. Taking a deep breath, pour a cup of strong coffee from the cup he motioned for me to use before joining him.
His apartment is clean and modern with dark furniture. Sparse. Last night he’d given me a half-ass tour before sitting down to play video games I’d never heard of. It kept me distracted for a while until I tired of him yelling at people over a headset for getting him killed. I could tell he was glad to be home.
“I want my phone,” I snap, “Now.”
He cocks his head, olive eyes assessing my bad attitude, “Okay?”
“Also, I want to cook. If I make a list, can you get the ingredients?”
He frees his hands to place one on the back of my chair, leaning in, “What’s wrong sweetie?”
Swallowing a scalding gulp of coffee, choke on the burn as he waits me out. “I miss baking. Nothing’s wrong.”
He hums in disagreement but nods, “Anything you need can be delivered. Do you want me to make breakfast?”
“I’ll do it,” Jax says, walking in startling us both, “What do you feel like, baby?”
I avoid looking at his clueless handsome face, hiding my disgust behind my coffee mug.
Kacen sighs heavily, “Dude, didn’t think you’d be up so early. Wait, is that lipstick?”
I peek up over the rim of my cup in time for Jax to notice his ruined shirt. His eyes find mine and my lip curls with obvious revulsion. He groans, turning a slight pink as he rubs his overgrown facial hair. Is he actually blushing?
“Wylan threw a party last night,” he shrugs as if it’s all the explanation needed for why he smells and looks as if he’s come from a whorehouse, “College chicks.”
Kacen laughs and I snap my fingers in his face, “Phone. Paper.”
He mocks salutes me, “Yes ma’am.”
“Shit, I didn’t realize my clothes were so dirty,” Jax comes over to invade my space when Kacen leaves so I jump off the stool, circling the counter, “When I checked on Wylan he had the whole suite filled with drunk women. Stayed and had a few drinks.” he takes in my skittish behavior with a gleam in his eyes, “I didn’t do anything.”
“Doesn’t matter if you did or didn’t,” I fake nonchalance, opening the fridge, “We’re going our separate way in a few days. There’s no reason for you to not screw someone else. Was she pretty? Big tits? I know you’re a breast man.”
Gah, my jealousy’s showing and he gloats, twisting his lips into a cocky smirk.
“Coralee,” he growls, crowding me inside the fridge until the cool shelves score my backside, “You really think I’d be so callous? Damn girl, I’m in love with you. Come here.”
He doesn’t let me argue, slamming his mouth on mine. I moan, feeling his hard erection press against my belly. I place my hands on his ribcage to push him away, but he engulfs them, winning back control, positioning our bodies until we’re dry humping in the open refrigerator.
“What the actual fuck?” Kacen snaps behind us, “My electric and cleaning bill is now yours. Get out of there before I have to throw everything out!”
Chuckling, Jax backs up, still holding onto my wrists, “Sorry man, the only thing I saw to eat was Coralee.”
He makes a gagging sound, placing my stuff on the counter, “Funny. I’m going to play Call of Duty. My team members miss me. Ever play, Jax?”
He slowly peruses me and I blush bright red, “Nope. My member misses something too.”
Not happening, I mouth with a sassy flip of my hair. He pouts adorably but throws up his hands in defeat. Snatching the pen and paper, write a quick list of items I need to make blueberry cobbler plus dinner as the guys head into the living room.
“I’ll shower,” Jax sheepishly says after Kacen left to give my note to one of the men watching his apartment, “I can’t wait to taste your cooking again. What are you making?”
I bite the inside of my cheek when he pulls off his shirt, taking in his tanned muscles, and the defined way his waist tapers down into a V, “Um… what?”
He winks knowingly, pulling me into his arms. I run my palms across the wide expanse of his chest, nearly purring at the flawlessness of his body. “Don’t start something you won’t finish,” he growls, nipping my lower lip, “You’re so sexy.”
“Me?” I gulp, “Have you looked in the mirror?”
He pats my butt playfully, “No, because I only have eyes for you.”
“So cheesy!” I giggle, blushing under the seriousness of his heated gaze, “Today we enjoy our time together. Okay?”
I must have magic because it’s as if I cast a spell with my words, causing Jax’s entire being too light up. He kisses me softly, but deeply. We’re in the hallway and he presses me up against the oyster-colored wall, once more trying to fuck me through our clothes.
“Jax,” I moan in against his mouth, “You stink of other women.”
He snaps his head back with a grimace, “Sorry. If it were you, I’d spank your ass. I get it. Give me a few minutes.”
“No, wait,” I babble, “I’m going to cook and you will be patient. This is our…” He gets the hint, hurt flashing in his gray eyes. This is our last full day together. I don’t love the fact he partied all night with Wylan while I chewed my nails down to nothing, but trust him.
He stabs a hand through his hair, adjusting his hard-on with the other, “Fuck. Okay.”
For the next few hours, I’m in my element in the kitchen, listening to the guys scream and yell at people through headsets on the PlayStation4. Kacen had another gaming chair delivered like a pizza so they could sit side by side. Boys and their toys.
With my second pie in the oven, hole up in the bathroom to call Wylan. It’s after five but it takes two tries before he picks up with a surly, “What?”
“Evening sunshine,” I quietly snicker.
“Hey honey,” he drawls, “Thought you lost this phone. How’s my favorite girl?”
Rolling my eyes say, “I doubt I’m your favorite after hearing about the college girls you probably have in your bed at this very moment. Do you even check to see if they’re legal?”
“What?” he sounds offended, “College means eighteen right? But, you’re my number one honey. Where are you?”
Leaning against the sink counter, stare at the closed door, “With Jax and Kacen. Did… did Jax tell you what happened yesterday?”
I hear him blow out a breath, “Yup, shit got heavy, huh? You okay after shooting someone? They’re dead. You realize this, right? Those guys know what happens once men like Luca Romano get hold of them.”
Swallowing the sudden dryness in my throat squeak, “Yeah. Yes. I’m fine. Are you looking for Braden?”
“Nope,” he pops the P, and my shoulders sag, “Jax is respecting your wishes, which I think are seriously fucked but understandable.”
“What?” I frown, “What’s fucked?”
“He loves you, Cora,” Wylan snaps and my frown deepens, “You’ve been playing with his heart and emotions since this all started. Oh, I know what you’re thinking,” I doubt it, jerk, but don’t interrupt, “You’ve made it clear you don’t need a man to save you, but he isn’t doing that. He’s shown you he cares, going to lengths I’ve warned him against. You’re the only woman I’ve ever seen matter to him. If you walk away, don’t come back. He deserves someone who will fight for him as hard as he’s fought for you. You are not wired for his lifestyle and like I said, it’s understandable you want to journey out on your own, but end things right with Jax so he can move on if that’s your final decision. You aren’t the only one who’s in line for a shot at happiness.”
Wiping away tears, struggle for a snarky comeback but no words form over the frankness of Wylan’s lecture. Wow. Confusion swirls in my brain. He claims to understand while suggesting I intentionally hurt Jax and should cleanly break whatever we have off so he can love someone else. Am I as cruel as he makes me seem with so little regard to Jax’s feelings? Never had I thought I played with his affections, and it’s not as if I hid my hopes of freedom from either man.
I can’t change my mind. I won’t.
“See you tomorrow,” Wylan sighs, “Take care, honey.”
He hangs up and I stare at the phone in shock. He’s right. Jax deserves a lover who can give their whole heart to him. I’m not ready for that.
“Sunflower?” Jax bangs on the door, startling me.
Turning on the cold tap, rush to wash the tears off of my face. “Just a minute.”
“Who were you talking to?” he opens the door looking murderous, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” I lie, “No one. Wylan. I invited him to dinner, but he’s busy.”
“Busy?” Jax crosses his arms, not believing me for one second, “What did he say? Were you checking up on me? I told you, nothing happened last night.”
I push past him to check on the pies, “We’re good, okay? Seriously. Drop it.”
He watches me flit around the kitchen in silence. I keep active wiping down counters before starting on dinner. Roasted rack of lamb with asparagus and baby potatoes.
“Hot damn,” Kacen walks in rubbing his belly as I’m searing the rack before popping it into the oven after brushing the meat with my secret sauce. The men watch in fascination then he jabs Jax in the shoulder, “Did you know she could cook like this?”
“Yes,” he smirks, “I’ll set the table.”
“Thank you,” I soft say, still avoiding his piercing stare, “Dinner in twenty.”
“Are you bipolar?” Kacen barks after he showed Jax where everything is, “Maybe you have split personalities.”
I snap my head up in bewilderment, “What? Why would you ask me that?”
“I know women and you’re all over the damn place. In less than five days you’ve gone through so many phases my heads spinning.”
With a laugh, wave him off, “Then you don’t know women. We’re resilient and if you want to eat, you’ll stop distracting me.”
He shakes his head, going into the small dining area where Jax is poking at his phone instead of laying out the silverware. He’s more than likely texting Wylan, which brings back the shameful way he made me feel. Wylan’s such a good friend to Jax to express what he did, but it still hurts.
After setting the meal on the dinner table, prepare two extra plates for the watchmen outside. Kacen and Jax whine about sharing, but I shoo them to the door. Opening a bottle of red wine, sit at the table for a few blissful quiet moments, gazing at the feast. I really outdid myself.
“You are a wonderful cook,” Jax whispers in my ear, the sneaky ninja nearly causing me to spill my drink when I jumped, “Thank you, baby.”
I flush under his appreciative gaze, “After everything that’s been going on, I needed to keep busy. Did you have a good day?”
“I did,” he smirks, snapping the cloth napkin before settling it in his lap.
Kacen is the first to pile food on his plate then digs in, moaning and groaning making me laugh, “Damn, sweetie. Want to be my personal chef?”
“Wylan’s missing out,” Jax agrees, “Can’t wait for dessert. Although,” he slants his eyes to my chest, “I intend to use the whipped cream on something other than pie later.”
Kacen pauses with his fork half-way to his mouth, “Yup, cleaning bill is all yours, Jax.”
We burst into laughter. The night continues to be pleasantly enjoyable. Kacen loads the dishwasher, saying since I cooked it’s only fair. I tell him he’ll make a great boyfriend and he fakes throwing up, claiming there’s not a woman alive who can withstand his lifestyle and sadly, think it’s true. I’m so ready to be out of the city, far away from men like Luca and my brother.
We move into the living room to watch a movie on Kacen’s gigantic TV and I restlessly sit through an action flick with Jax playing with my hair, slipping a hand under my shirt, skimming the underside of my breasts until I’m fixed to come with a single stroke of a hardened nipple. He plays my body skillfully, knowing exactly what he’s doing.
Kacen sat in his chair, oblivious to our heated antics on the sofa behind him. Jax placed a blanket over us and then rubbed my clit over my clothes. It’s maddening and such a turn on. Over and over Jax taps and rubs my pussy until I bite his arm, my moans a soft mewl when I fall apart. He curses and Kacen glances over his shoulder.
“Good movie,” Jax shakily huffs.
Kacen shakes his head, winking at me.
Jax suddenly picks me up and I squeal a goodnight as he rushes into the guest bedroom. He gets naked, pulling and yanking at my jeans as I laugh at the animalistic lust on his face.
“If I knew how close you were to coming, there’s no way I’d done that,” he growls, spreading my knees with his thighs, “Your sounds are for me.”
“Jax!” I hiss, arching when he bites my nipples before sucking the sting away, “How could I not? You turn me on with every look.”
He kisses me hard, then slams inside my aching pussy. Finally. Moaning together, work our hips until sweat coats our skin. He’s not gentle, squeezing my hip in one hand, the other raking over my heavy breasts. I come so fast my head spins. He rolls me over, thrusting in again, this angle so much deeper.
“Oh fuck,” he reaches down to flick my button, “Come for me again. I’m not gonna last. I’ve waited to pound this pussy all day. Such patience, for you,” he snarls against my back, bringing me higher and higher until certain the release we’re chasing will leave scorch marks on the sheets when I land, “Sixty seconds, baby. Damn, I love how you feel. I think I’ll fuck my way into your womb. Place my stain there. Bet you’d like that, huh?”
“Yes!” I shout, not really understanding what he’s suggesting.
Grunting from the forceful pumps of his hips, swivel mine in tandem. It’s all rainbows and screaming euphoria at the exact moment he roars, blasting me full of his seed. He holds me as if I might disappear, still in my pulsing channel as we fall to the side.
“Shit,” he buries his sweaty face in my neck, “Give me a second.”
Giggling, my walls grip his cock and Jax jerks, growing hard once more. We make love this time. He whispers words of adoration, gently cupping my face. Staring into my eyes. There’s only him and I. Everything fades away. Nothing else matters. It’s so perfectly wonderful I cry a few tears and he licks them off my cheeks, promising things he knows I won’t be sticking around for.
I whisper in his ear how much he means to me after he’s passed out, an arm possessively gripping my waist. “You’re my hero,” I admit, “You’ve liberated me. Maybe someday our paths will cross again when I’m not so scared and you’ve stopped looking for someone to save.”
He sleepily opens his eyes, “Did you say something? Aren’t you tired? Wanna go again?”
Gah, what a horn-dog. Can’t blame him though, we do have amazing sex.
I smooth his tousled hair, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “Shh. We’re dreaming.”
Chapter 29
* Jaxxen *
Monday is now my least favorite day of the week. Not that I have a favorite. Maybe I should have woken in a better mood considering today needs to go as smooth as butter, but manage a tiny smile when Coralee rolls over, throwing me a sexy smirk before going down on me.
She’s incredible with that mouth. I refrain from seizing control, letting her leisurely pleasure my knob until we can’t afford to stay in bed any longer. There’s no warning besides my satisfied grunt when I wet her tight throat. Bringing her up to my lips, bite the underside of her jaw before licking my way to those heavenly tits. She giggles cutely until I finger her into several orgasms that leaves us both winded.
“Happy birthday, baby.”
“Thank you.”
I say nothing else, crushing her to my chest, breathing in her air. The need to assure Coralee everything will be fine is on the tip of my tongue but play with the silky strands of her hair instead. I’ve poured my heart out more than once and refuse to keep her from whatever she wants out of life. I’m not that selfish.
“Someone’s here for Coralee,” Kacen bangs on the door, ruining our moment.
Her bright hazel eyes shutter and I bark we’ll be out in a few minutes. Her fingers trail across my face lovingly before she rises and walks into the bathroom to shower. I prefer to join her but throw on some clothes to see who waits.
A tall dark-haired woman loiters in the front foyer with a rolling rack, several dresses hanging from it. I cross my arms when she blushes and stutters she’s here to dress Coralee for the party at the Onyx. Luca scheduled a makeup artist to come later. She awkwardly hands me a garment bag and Kacen takes one too.
“The fuck is this?”
“Um…” the poor woman begins to shake.
“Luca arranged everything,” Kacen casually says, taking the black plastic from my grasp, “Suits. I’ll put them away.”
“I want nothing from that man,” I spit.
He raises his eyebrow, “Careful. Consider yourself lucky he went along with your plan. Luca doesn’t play games.”
“This isn’t a fucking game,” I grumble.
Kacen ignores my scowl, directing the flustered lady to the bedroom. I’m sure it will piss Coralee off when she realizes she’s being made up into something she’s not before stripped of her rightful inheritance.
“Coffee?” Kacen asks, “Relax, it’s almost over.”
I swallow the curses I want to expel, but yelling at him won’t stop tonight from happening. Sipping coffee, watching Kacen get his ass kicked at games he’s no good at, wait for Coralee to find me. Hours pass, and even after the stylist leaves she doesn’t leave the bedroom.
Wylan text, alerting me he finished Coralee’s birthday gift. Deep in my heart, know Coralee will accept my present without hesitation.
I contact Nason next. Asking how my dogs are, jokingly promising I’m returning this year. He assures my boys are doing just fine and not to worry. When I go back, plan on finding him a girlfriend. He’s too decent a guy to be wasting his youth working the ranch without someone to come home to. What am I thinking? I’ll be lonesome too. Two lonely bachelors drinking away the pain at Old Toms is what we’ll be doing when I return to Perla.
“Are you guys staying together?”
I jolt, realizing my mind has wandered, and Kacen’s staring at me, “Dunno. Why?”
“Do you love her? I mean, it’s none of my business, but what Cavan did needs vindication.”
“I’m well versed,” I growl, rubbing my eyes, “Our relationship is nobody’s business. Paddy did her a favor by not acknowledging her as his daughter. Has anyone seen him?”
He frowns at his controller, “Luca held a meeting. Told the family about Chiara. Her funeral’s next week. She was his wife, but no one knows how to reach him. Do you think Cavan has?”
Dryly laughing voice my suspicions to someone I probably shouldn’t, “That idiot has done something. I’m sure of it. Doesn’t concern me though, or her.”
A text comes through his phone and he says the makeup artist is on the way. I tell him to wait, checking on Coralee. She’s on the bed with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, eyes puffy.
“Baby,” I croon, pulling her onto my lap, “Crying? Spill.”
“Why do I have to wear a dress?” she hiccups, curling into my chest, “Is Luca going to hurt me?”
“Never!” my grip is too strong, and she flinches, “Sorry. He’s throwing you a birthday party. You’re twenty-one. It’s just for show.”
Her eyes have turned an incredible moss colored green from weeping. Stunning. But, they also peer at me with suspicion, “You knew he planned this? Dammit, Jax, I can’t stand these secrets!”
“We aren’t staying.” I deflect, “In fact, as soon as Luca gives the okay, I’ll take you as far away from them as possible.”
She bites her lower lip and I check myself from saying more. No need to overwhelm her with details of how things may go down at the Onyx. Coralee needs to get through the next few hours without breaking and it’s on my shoulders to guide her safely out.
“A woman’s coming to ruin this fresh face,” I tease, kissing the tip of her red nose, “Did you pick out a sexy dress? Fuck, imagining you in covered in silk, knowing I can’t touch your sweet pussy, is already driving me crazy.”
She flushes, wiggling on my growing erection, “Yes. Are you dressing up?”
With a Smirk, hop off the bed, catching her before she lands on her ass, “Men don’t dress up, but I have a suit. No more tears, all right?”
She nods, sadness still etched around the corners of her mouth, “You won’t leave me alone with him, will you?”
“No. Don’t worry so much,” I hate how worked up she is, “Relax, Sunflower. You’ve got this. My beautiful bad-ass can handle a few lawyers. Right?”
A small smile appears, “Right.”
After a lingering kiss that leaves my dick hard, because every moment with her sets my blood on fire, shave and shower then use Kacen’s messy bedroom so Coralee can ready for a party she will not be attending.
“Holy shit,” Kacen whispers behind my back, “Lucky fucker.”
The air in my lungs freezes when Coralee joins Kacen and me in the hallway outside the apartment. The off-white, strapless body-con mini dress holding her curves instead of my jealous hands complement her long legs which clack our way in red high heels against the floor in a tempo mimicking my heartbeat.
“Gorgeous,” I purr, careful to not smudge her pink lipstick when we kiss.
“Same to you,” she breathes, flattening the awful maroon tie that came with the monkey suit I loathed to put on, “You look like a whole other man dressed this way, Jax. I still prefer your tight jeans and Henley’s though.”
I place her arm in the crook of mine smirking, “I don’t wear tight jeans. Let’s go.”
Downstairs a black limo idles and I refrain from rebelling at the lavishness Luca has gone to, concealing his villainous intent with asinine gifts because Coralee requires my unfaltering strength. Everything I do tonight is for her. She puts up a great front but needs me to lead her through the darkness and I’ll shine brighter than a fucking lighthouse to navigate us both safely to the other side where only light and happiness waits.
“Where are my compliments?” Kacen teases when we’re moving, “Champagne for the birthday girl?”
She looks to me for permission, so shrug with a nod. Alcohol might loosen the anxiety that’s coming off of her in waves so thick I almost taste it. She drinks the glass in one go, then turns to glare out the window as I eye Kacen.
“I killed for the first time on my twenty-first birthday,” Kacen casually tosses his sins in the open, knowing how fragile Coralee is, “I’ve always wondered why I waited until then to end someone’s life when I had so many opportunities before.”
Coralee shivers, giving him a scathing once-over, “Do you think of this person on every birthday?”
“No.”
“You should because each birthday you enjoy is one he’ll never have again.”
“Who said it was a man?”
“Stop,” I snap at them both, “This isn’t a conversation.”
“It is now!”
“How many people have you killed?” Kacen goads, “There’s blood on your hands, Cora. Spattered deep inside your tarnished soul. You can’t face facts.”
I’m seconds from jumping across the seat to strangle him before she quietly agrees in a pained tone, “Yes. I can. There is, but I never harmed anyone because I could. Is that what you want, Kacen? To hurt me?”
His green eyes flash with uncomfortable guilt, “No. You’re a good person, but don’t judge me or my way of life pretending we don’t share something half the world doesn’t. We’ve taken lives. The people you murdered won’t be celebrating in a limo with expensive champagne on their birthday either.”
She licks her lips, shooting me an unsteady smile, “You’re right.”
He adjusts his black tie muttering, “Sorry. I haven’t thought of that day in so long, seeing you heading to your party reminded me.”
“How do you guys do it?” she grumbles.
Guilt and anger stir in my stomach and I’m grateful when they both shut the hell up for the remainder of the drive. If Coralee had asked me how many people I’ve killed, would I lie to her? My first kill took place in a dark alley with a broken bottle when I was eleven with Jim watching to make sure I didn’t fuck up.
The limo stops. We pile out behind a large brick building which has seen better days. Kacen leads the way to a side door and we enter a dimly lit stairwell leading down to god knows what.
“Damn heels,” Coralee gripes.
After the steep staircase, we journey down a slabbed corridor, and it dawns on me where we are. Under the city, bypassing the clubs street entrance. The longer we walk, the shakier Coralee becomes. She’s ahead of me and when we reach a steel door with a keypad Kacen confirms my assessment saying, “Luca thought bringing you into the Onyx unseen the best course of action. Ready?”
“So, Coralee,” I exhale, running a hand along the stiff collar of my shirt, “The Onyx is a fetish club.”
Clasping her hands together she nods, “Okay?”
“There are certain… levels,” Kacen joins in awkwardly, “We’re under the official establishment where anything goes, except tonight is a planned event. Jax, you should have explained earlier.”
“Explained what exactly?” she looks pissed, but sexy as hell when she pops a hip, placing a fist on it.
“Auction,” The word virgin won’t pass my lips, “they auction women to the highest bidder. We’ll skip out before then. But, you might see things you’ll find disgusting. Don’t react.”
“Don’t react?” she repeats through clenched teeth, “Are you fucking serious? You know what Braden made me do!”
“It’s completely consensual,” Kacen snaps with just as much restraint, “The men and women in our care are extremely compensated. No one’s here against their will.”
She blows out a breath before throwing me that cute frown-squint, “Fantastic. Let’s get this over with.”
He shakes his head with a smirk, punching in the security code. The small hallway we end up in points to an enormous ballroom. The marble floor shines, reflecting the delicate chandlers above. Men in suits and beautiful girls with barely there lingerie strut and dance to the heavy music blaring from the DJ booth somewhere in the cavernous space. I’ve been down here twice before, and it never fails to leave me a little nervous knowing there’s a whole other building on top of us.
“Hey, honey,” A tall man in a white tuxedo with slicked back hair approached while I was busy taking in the room, “Are you on a ticket? I’m willing to pay now if it means I can-”
“Fuck off,” I growl, wrapping an arm around her waist, “Now, if you know what’s good for you.”
He scans her greedily before shrugging, leaving to seek a new victim for his shitty pickup lines. Her frame quivers with unease and rage so press my fingers into the curve of her shoulders, whispering to relax. Yeah, easier said than met but caressing her silky flesh with careful strokes seems to melt some tension. She smells incredible. Edible. It’s difficult not to sport a boner but I will it down and continue to ward off any fucker who dares to look at her twice.
“This way,” Kacen says in a bored tone when he returns, “Luca and Cavan are waiting.”
“Why is he here? Gah, if he so much as suggest I go home with him I’ll kick him so hard in the balls, his doctor will swear he had a sex change!” she seethes, making me stifle laughter.
“Baby, have I told you I love your sense of humor? You say the sassiest stuff and sometimes I want to stop the world just to laugh at the moment with you, but since we can’t right now, I kinda hope Cavan gets on your bad side again so I can see you fuck him up!”
“Really?” her excited, breathy gasp going straight to my cock, “That’s such a weird but sweet thing to say.”
We exit the ballroom to enter a lengthy corridor. Doors with brass nameplates line both sides. It’s supposed to indicate class, the rooms set up with the distinct taste where whores under Luca’s protection pleasure the sick bastards that purchase them.
Kacen opens the last door on the right to an office of sorts. More like a security room with banks of monitors where attentive looking men remain watchful for signs of trouble. Cavan and Luca stand with two others in the back around a conference table.
“Coralee,” Luca purrs, giving her a once-over with appreciative amber eyes before assessing me, “Jax.”
Ever the sassy, but the polite woman she is shoots Cavan a nasty glower before greeting Luca, “Hello. Um… thanks for the dress?” she sounds confused by his kindness, but it’s not altruism. Just another fuck you to her and her family. To me.
Luca nods once then motions for us to sit, “Sei Bello. Happy birthday. Kacen, drinks.”
“No,” I quickly say, shoving my chair next to her, “We’re not thirsty.”
He quirks his eyebrow, “These men are to witness and notarize the will.”
Coralee bites her lip, nodding in understanding. She takes a few minutes to read over the words her deceased mother wrote with tears shimmering in her eyes. It’s pitiful. Cavan, in his usual sloppy suit and Luca in his impeccable one, has no compassion, observing the both of us with unmasked disdain.
“Debt paid,” Luca swipes the papers into an envelope as soon as his lawyers stamp their approval, “Would you like to return to the party?”
“No,” snatching Coralee’s hand, gently pull her to rise, “We’d prefer to leave.”
“Kacen will take you. A thrill to have met you Coralee.”
Her cheeks turn bright red, mouth twisting as she withholds what I’m sure is the best rebuke he might ever receive from a woman. Fortunately, she keeps silent and Luca leaves without a backward glance. Not once did Cavan speak, exiting with the lawyers. Good riddance.
In silence, Kacen leads the way through the ballroom and tunnel. Once we hit the night air, Coralee starts crying, smashing her perfectly made-up face into my jacket.
“It’s okay,” I sooth, “It’s over. I promise.”
“Cora,” Kacen flinches when he tries to touch her and I shove him back, “Goodbye sweetie. Good luck in life and all that.”
She sniffs, lifting her head to give him a watery smile, “You can be sweet, but please, the next time you’re holding someone for ransom, don’t put on porn. It’s creepy.”
He laughs with a shrug, “Gotcha. Later Jax.”
Alone, at last, take a minute to hold her. To remember this moment. She calms down as we stand in the parking lot knowing the next twenty minutes will shatter my black heart. With one arm wrapped around her waist, walk toward a gas station nearby.
She doesn’t ask where we’re going but gifts me with a radiant smile. It takes everything I have not to drag her into the dirty alley to ruin the white dress Luca had no right to buy. She’s mine to care for. She flushes a pretty pink, tugging at the material as if reading my mind.
“That party wasn’t for me, was it?” she whispers into my arm.
“No. It was for greed. We’re here.”
A powder-blue Nissan situated in the back next to a dumpster facing a sagging chain-link fence, chirps from the key fob Wylan gave me the other night. Her eyebrows furl in confusion when I open the drivers’ door.
“It’s yours,” my voice sounds anguished so clear my throat so I don’t come across as hurt as I feel, “In the glove box, there’s a false identity if you still consider Braden a threat. He won’t outfox Luca for much longer.”
“W-what are you saying?” she backs away distrustfully, “What is this?”
“Your birthday present,” bitterness dripping off every word, “Isn’t this what you fucking wanted?”
Damn, I’m making a mess of things. Tears fall while she gapes at me as if I’ve grown another head.
“There’s money too. Your clothes. Enough to start over somewhere. Take the keys.”
“Jax,” she sobs, but chooses the car over coming home with me, “You planned this? You’re done?”
Tucking my hands in pockets grit my teeth. No, I’ll never tire of this beautiful woman, but she needs this, so I’m giving it to her. I never want to deny her anything. It’s gonna be hell not knowing if she’s safe or happy, but this girl begged for freedom. Earned it. Deserves the whole fucking world.
“No,” I drink in the way she stands confidently in a sinfully tight dress with dark streaks of mascara contrasting with the pale skin I’ve caressed and enjoyed marking over the last few weeks, “Baby, if you ever need me, I’m only a phone call away. You’ll always have a place in Montana. With me. I love you.”
She jumps in my arms, and I catch her before she kisses me as if she hates me. Maybe she does. Our teeth click and yet it’s the hottest kiss we’ve shared. Cupping her ass, press her to my body until she squeaks she can’t breathe.
“I love you,” she pants against my mouth, “So much. You’re incredible. Thank you.”
“Find your peace,” I whisper, setting her on her feet, “Be safe. Goodbye, my Sunflower.”
Without looking backward, jog to the street before she delays the moment. The moment where we both cry and she drives off knowing her place is with me. I’m one hundred percent certain she’ll join me in Montana after realizing I’m her happiness.
She’s stubborn but wouldn’t change anything about her. Coralee’s everything. My once in a lifetime and as I take my surly ass back to the club, pretend she’s on vacation. A trip.
A round trip.
“Cutting it close,” Kacen grumbles when we meet by the bar, “Lock-down in ten.”
Although the guy seems reasonable, did it occur to him that saying goodbye to my girlfriend might take a few minutes? “After you.”
Back in the underground ballroom, the meaty bouncers give me a once over before closing down the elevators and doors. We’re the last to arrive. Coralee was seen for approximately forty-five minutes which means word should have gotten around she’s in attendance. Scanning the crowd as I circle the room, detect no one close to Braden’s height or smarmy looks.
They wheel out ten girls in cages. Actual cages. They wail and loudly plead to be set free and my face must show disgust because Kacen saddles up next to me to whisper, “They’re told to be convincing. It’s an act. They are virgins, but also receive half the pay once the transaction’s complete. We only hold these twice a year because once word gets out how much money Luca pays, women practically beg to take part and of course, we can’t have that kind of heat.”
“It’s not sexy.”
He snorts, “Depends on your kink, but I agree. The redhead looks bored out of her mind.”
“That one supposed to be Coralee’s proxy?” I motion to a buxom strawberry-blonde with hazel eyes. Her mouth is all wrong and her nose is too long, “He’s not here, is he?”
“Doesn’t look like it. Sorry, man,” he claps me on the shoulder before moving towards the bidding station.
The girls sound absolutely terrified. Unable to stomach it a second more, leave the staging area to spy on those hiding in shadows. Running into a woman I never expected to see again, has me doing a double take.
“Mindy?” gripping her arm, pull her into a vacant spot along the wall. She’s passive, allowing my touch and my jaw ticks when I clock her right eye heavily made-up to cover a black-eye, “Who hurt you?”
She stares at me with underlined appreciation, then away at the party, “Like you don’t know.”
Same shitty attitude. She’s wearing a black and silver bustier same as the other servers with a tiny scrap of cloth covering her mound, and her thick hairs in a complicated knot showcasing the graceful column of her neck. The red gloss painted on her full lips highlight how fuckable she is. Men probably fall all over themselves for a chance to treat her like the dirty whore she is.
I should let her go but she has secrets. The insinuation I should know something when I’m hoping to trap Braden before he learns Coralee’s no longer in the city under my protection makes my trigger finger itchy, “Luca or his clients give you that shiner? Braden?”
She suddenly looks frightened, “No! No, I’m treated well. More money than I ever thought I’d make. I should thank you for this job. Fuck that piece of shit, Braden. Haven’t seen him since West Wind.”
“At least you’re capable of gratitude,” I smirk, “Why are you scared?”
“Where’s Wylan?”
“Wylan?” tugging at the tie strangling my throat, try to rationalize her behavior, “Have you seen Wylan?”
“I need to get back to work.” she stammers, “D-don’t tell him we talked. Okay?”
“Mindy, what’s going on?” I hiss, but she runs into the crowd where a displeased woman hands her a tray with champagne glasses.
Had Wylan kept seeing Mindy even though he said he’d holed up in the hotel? Sure, I was away for a few days but what motive could he possibly have to hurt her? He’s an asshole, but to think he’d lay hands on a woman makes no sense. Unthinkable. Pulling out my cell phone, see there’s no service. I figured he’d be at the gas station to see Coralee off, but with the need to return to the Onyx didn’t think much about it.
The bidding war starts and it’s obvious Braden’s a no-show. Mindy might have tipped him off as I hoped, but he could also plan on cornering Coralee afterward, so stalk who won the proxy but nothing happens. Either Braden left the city, or someone warned him to stay away after the foiled kidnapping.
It’s after one in the morning when the doors and elevators reactivate. Impatiently waiting, exit through a side door into a dimly lit alleyway where stragglers pile into high-end cars or limousines after spending years worth of salary on one night of debauchery and hedonism.
I ring Wylan then text. He doesn’t respond the entire cab ride to the hotel. When I enter the suite, find his things cleared out with a short note of how he tried to call, but I have no missed called or massages! He’s gone home for a job he can’t pass up, saying he’ll check in after he finishes, wishing me well.
And just like that, my girlfriend and best friend hightailed out of my life without a courtesy fuck or celebratory beer. After weeks of stress and uncertainty, both walked away as if nothing happened and my heart shriveled and sharpened at the same time. With resentfulness and acid boiling inside my guts, reminded myself Coralee deserved more.
Still, it fucking stings being discarded like yesterday’s garbage.
Packed and confident there are no stray bullet casing lying around the rooms, grab a taxi to an all-night car rental to start my drive back to Montana where my dogs and lonely life wait until Coralee gets her head out of her ass.
She has to.
We made love last night without a condom, now fairly certain we’re gonna be parents by the goods I deserted in her womb. It wasn’t intentional. She never once objected going bareback. And if my little swimmers didn’t take, maybe that’s fates idea of giving me another fuck you Jaxxen White–shitty waste of space who doesn’t deserve to procreate. She’ll probably hate me but her natures too good to keep my child from me.
Let the vacation/countdown for Coralee’s return begin.
Chapter 30
* Coralee *
Did Jax just leave me behind a crappy convenience store after saying he loves me? Where the hell am I supposed to go at ten o’clock at night? Swallowing shock and disappointment over his hasty retreat, pop the trunk of the Nissan to see my possessions packed inside two duffle bags.
After picking out an outfit along with shoes, enter the store. This area’s not the safest, noticing a lot of shady guys checking out my designer dress. I need to get out of here. Fortunately, there’s a restroom so handle my business and grab a few snacks for the road.
Back in the car, search the glove box. A tan envelope’s stuffed with a stack of bills and paperwork. The pink slip to the vehicle and insurance has me shaking my head. He thought of everything although bewildered how I’m expected to continue payments after counting out three grand. With a shrug, stuff all but the cash away to deal with another time.
How can Jax do this? The way he took care of me before gifting the sedan blew all previous worry out of mind. It felt as if we were headed towards a new beginning except he had different plans. He expected me to take the keys and run but before I could suggest we return to the hotel; he dashed into the night. Where is he? What was so damn important he’d bolt without another word?
This is what I chose, right?
Hadn’t I argued insistently over the weeks the only thing I craved was to escape Tucker City… without Jax? He’d fulfilled my wish and here I am, crestfallen. Why didn’t he fight? Fight? What a joke. All he’s done is keep me safe, and all I did was throw it in his face.
The waterworks turn on and then I’m sobbing, screaming at the roof wondering what I’ll do now. It’s late, and need somewhere to sleep before deciding which direction to travel.
“Hey!” a homeless man bangs on the window, “Saw that money! What’s wrong? Open the door. Let me in!”
Ah, hell. I’m homeless too. Only this time it’s by choice.
With no destination in mind start my car, and drive out of the city. Drive and drive until the sun comes up. Exhaustion sets in so pull off the freeway, checking into an Inn. Once settled, eyeball my phone for messages but of course, there’s none. Jax isn’t the type to reach out first.
“Montana,” I breathe aloud.
I really liked Montana even before meeting Jax. Perla’s small so figured it was a good hiding spot. Would moving back be so bad? Not to Perla, but one of the bigger towns? Maybe someplace near the Rocky Mountains.
Yeah, because you loved hiking with Jax!
After sleeping half the day away, shower and hit the road again, toward Montana. It’s a tug I don’t ignore. Being close to Jax feels right. I love him even if I want to spread my wings independently from our relationship. For once the weight of Braden catching me isn’t my sole motivation for distancing myself from Tucker City.
Before the sun sets I find another motel with a diner and check in for the night. Sitting in the restaurant, pull up a map of Montana on my phone after ordering a hamburger and vanilla milkshake.
“Hey,” a girl with blue hair taps my shoulder, scaring the shit out of me, “Is that your car?”
I squint to where she points in the parking lot, “Ah, yes?”
“I hate to ask this, but could you give me a ride?” she sheepishly bounces on both feet.
Uncomfortable and suspicious of strangers, blatantly size her up. Besides her odd colored hair, seems normal in a conservative light green blouse tucked into black slacks. She appears the same age as me if not a few years older. When she smiles hopefully nod for her to sit opposite in the booth.
“Do you not have transportation?”
She blushes, tucking a lock of indigo behind an ear, “This is so embarrassing. I came here with a man only to find out he’s fucking married! He had the nerve to demand what did it matter? Like I shouldn’t have morals or opinions about cheating. What an asshole, right?”
“Right?” Somehow I don’t believe this chick is telling the whole truth.
She rolls her eyes and moves to stand, “Sorry. Figured you’d be cool. I’m stranded! I need to return to Montana by tomorrow.”
“Isn’t there a bus?”
She sighs, “Broke doesn’t begin to cover how messy my situation is. Where are you headed? I’m Sheila.”
Darn, her eyes swell with tears and instantly feel like crap. “Coralee. Are you staying in the motel?”
“Ugh, there’s no sense going back. Plan on hanging out until finding a ride,” Sheila explains, blinking rapidly, “He didn’t even care I walked out after having such a wonderful weekend. Men can be such dicks.”
I recall the way Jax abandoned me yesterday without a backward glance, “Yes, they can, but they can also be myopic. Look, Sheila, you’re welcome to share my room and we’ll go to Montana together. I’m on a… road trip.”
“For real?” her eyes sparkle with something I can’t place except maybe she’s grateful not to repeat her pitiful tale to someone else, “What does myopic mean?”
“Blind,” I smirk and she grins, “Where in Montana do you live?”
My meal arrives, and she paints a pretty picture of a town not too far from Billings, called Pear Flats and how she has a three-bedroom house she shares with another woman. Sheila laughs a lot and is easy to talk to. Pear Flats sounds great.
“What do you do for a living?” I ask later after brushing my teeth.
She takes off her shirt, “I’m a stripper.”
Luckily the rooms only lit by one pale bedside lamp so my shock goes unnoticed, “C-cool.”
“Come on Cora,” she teases, “you don’t have to spare my feelings. I’m not ashamed of what I do. It pays the bills. Sometimes I get caught up in shit, like taking vacations with married men, but that’s what being young is all about. I can tell you have great stories too.”
“Wouldn’t call them great,” I huff, pulling the blankets down, “No judgment. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three,” she tosses her slacks over the chair in the corner, “You?”
“I turned twenty-one yesterday.”
She claps, and her breasts bounce in the scandalous crimson lingerie set she has on, “Happy birthday! Is that why you’re here? Sowing your oats on the open road before returning to college?”
I picture Jax and my throat clogs, “No college. I um…”
She slides into bed, “It’s okay. Don’t cry. Is it a man?”
“Something like that,” I mumble, joining her on the other side, “Would it be weird if I stick around? Are there any jobs?”
“Depends on the job.”
“Anything really, but want to become a chef. Pastry chef,” I clarify.
“Oh, fancy. Hmm… there are quite a few restaurants and bakeries. The joint I work at is off the highway and owned by a fellow who knows everyone in town. Since you’re super awesome to help me out, why don’t you stay with me?”
“You’d do that? We barely know each other!”
She giggles before kissing my cheek, “We girls need to watch each other’s backs. Fate led us to each other tonight!”
I stare into her twinkling blue eyes with shock, “Sheila, don’t get offended when I say I don’t trust easily. I’m sorting through a lot of personal issues right now and although I appreciate the offer, should probably find somewhere else to stay.”
“Nonsense,” she clicks off the light, “save your money. Pear Flats can be expensive in the tourist season. Look, just sleep on it. Tomorrow when we get there, check it out and if you still want to be alone, I’ll understand.”
She falls asleep long before I do.
I miss Jax, wondering if I’m making a mistake returning to Montana. Pear Flats has a population twice that of Perla, so finding work shouldn’t be too hard. Sheila seems sweet if not a tad ditsy but her pitch doesn’t sit right. She already has a roommate.
Recalling how Jax opened his home wanting nothing in return makes me ashamed for feeling Sheila might have ulterior motives. I am doing her a big favor, so her propositions a natural response. Gah, sometimes I’m such a freak. I haven’t had a female friend in a long time, chalking my paranoia up to the fact I’m used to being in danger.
My hands become clammy just thinking about Braden and if he knows I left Tucker City. What will Luca do to him?
He’s marked.
Do I care what happens to the man who kidnapped and mentally and physically tortured me for years? No. He’s finished. No longer a threat.
I’m free to do whatever I want which means taking leaps of faith and trusting others. People who genuinely want to see me succeed. Jax taught me this. Not everyone is out to hurt me, and it’s high time I take back the powerlessness I’ve always buckled under in these uncertain situations.
Time to live my life.
Turns out Sheila’s roommate left the weekend she’d been away, moving in with her boyfriend, which placed her in a financial bind. She begged me to move in and finding her home beautiful said yes.
The house is a large two story with polished oak floors decorated with so many shiny pretty things it could be on the pages of a magazine. Every sofa and side table looked brand new and in the kitchen, I nearly lost my mind over the high-end stove and appliances. Upstairs she showed me my room, and it was bare except for frilly blue curtains overlooking the backyard. I’d have to purchase everything myself, but at least have a private bathroom. The only downside is the amount of money Sheila requires monthly. Almost a thousand not including groceries and other amenities.
“You can’t go without a bed forever,” Sheila declared after a week as if I was sleeping on the floor on purpose, “I spoke to my boss. Here’s an address of a bakery on Main Street. I’ll drop you off.”
Sweet Treats’ is owned by a cute elderly couple. Tears sprung in my eyes when I introduced myself because they reminded me so much of my parents. They’d opened the shop twenty years ago and employ a small staff. After a lengthy chat about my qualifications, beyond thrilled when offered a job on the spot.
Days and lonely nights blend together until one afternoon I hear a familiar drawl, “Hey honey, what’s sweet to eat? I’m in the mood for something pink and warm.”
Placing a hand on my rapidly beating heart give Wylan a wide grin, “What are you doing here? Still vulgar I see.”
He shoots a knowing smirk to my ogling co-worker, “Always. Got a few minutes?”
“We close at five,” I shake my head, amazed he’s standing in front of me. Well, on the other side of the pastry counter.
“I’ll wait for you at the bar down the road. Okay?” he holds my attention like a tractor beam and I fiddle with my droopy ponytail. I’m a mess from baking all day.
“The Pale Pear? Sure.”
He nods with a conspiratorial wink before zipping through the doorway out onto the sidewalk and my coworkers pounce, demanding details about ‘the seriously hot but dangerous looking guy’, causing me to blush and swat their questions off with half-truths. I fix my appearance before leaving work, nervously crossing the street the bar.
Wylan sits at a table in the back and stands when he spots me, “Good to see you, honey. Surprised?”
We share an awkward hug before I slid into the seat next to him, “That’s an understatement. How did you know where to find me?”
His cheeks flush and I notice his skin is darker as if he’s spent time outside, “No small talk? You never were one for pleasantries.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” bristling immediately at his scoffing tone, “You show up out of nowhere to shoot the shit? Did Jax send you?”
“No,” he clenches his fists and when I lean back he exhales, laying his hands flat on the table top, “Kinda. Where’s the sunflower necklace he gave you?”
The blood drains from my face, “He’s been tracking me? He hasn’t called once!”
“Jax wants it back.”
“W-why?” I stutter the question, afraid of the answer when he looks at me with pity.
“He’s done. Possibly moving.”
“What?” it comes out a whisper and Wylan takes hold of my hands as the bottom drops out of my world, “What do you mean done? Explain.”
“Baby, if you ever need me, I’m only a phone call away. You’ll always have a place in Montana. With me. I love you.”
“Sorry. Jax and I spoke the other day and when he asked me to recover the necklace, came as soon as I could. After everything you’ve been through, deserve better. He’s an asshole.”
I can’t decide if I want to cry or scream, “I’m going to be ill. I forgot about the pendant.”
“That says a lot about your relationship, now doesn’t it?”
“Are you here to watch my heart break?” I snarl then look around to see if anyone’s bothered by my outburst, but no one cares about the whiny woman in the back. “I love him. I’ve only gotten settled, and he promised to wait.”
“Hey,” he squeezes my wrist, sympathy oozing in his softened gaze, “Cora, I can be an ass, but I’d never hurt you on purpose. The car. The money, that was all my doing.”
“Really?” I sniff pathetically, “Thank you. So much. I thought…”
“Jax was with you, remember? Came up with the idea after you guys had that big fight.”
“Which one?” I half-heartily joke, “It’s only been a few weeks. He’s probably just mad I haven’t contacted him.”
“A month.”
“Huh? Weeks, months? Damn him for forcing my hand. It’s a test, isn’t it?”
“Cora,” he places an arm across my shoulders with a sigh, “Ever hear of hero worship? Perhaps you imagined more between you than there actually was. He likes helping people. Hell, so do I. What was the last thing he said to you? I bet it was something like, good luck before leaving you all alone after meeting Luca. Damn, a sex club? Were you scared?”
“I was,” I admit, my belly knotting tighter and tighter with each word out of his mouth, “Jax kissed me, told me he loved me and ran. It was late, and I had nowhere to go.”
“Oh honey,” he purrs, placing a chaste kiss on my forehead, “Wow, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there.”
A waitress saunters over to flirt while I think about Jax’s parting behavior and words. Again. Every freaking night I replay the final moments I had with that infuriating man.
With Wylan distracted, clumsily dash into the restroom and throw up my lunch. My stomach empties until only bile remains. I wash out my mouth wanting nothing more than to run home and take a long hot shower. My head spins and I grip the cool counter until the world rights itself. Am I getting sick?
“Are you okay?” Wylan stands when I exit the bathroom ten minutes later, “You’re as pale as a ghost.”
“I have to go home,” I snap, grabbing my purse, “Let’s not continue this in public. I’ll find the necklace if you want to come over.”
He rubs my shoulder, tossing a few bills on the table, “You’re right, I’ll drive.”
It hits me then, Wylan’s touching and kissing me as my heart’s shattering at the possibility of losing Jax forever. I don’t know what’s changed, but accept any comfort I can. Sheila and I have become no closer than we were in the motel and my coworkers never ask to hang out. I’m still a paranoid loner, afraid to let anyone close.
He whistles when he pulls into the driveway next to my car a few minutes later. The shop’s a mile from the house so usually walk instead of drive. “How did you manage this?”
“Roommate,” I chirp, unlocking the door, “It’s her place.”
When he sees my room his eyes blink in surprise, “If you hadn’t used a key, would think you broke in. You plan on staying, right? Where is your bed?”
“Can’t afford one yet,” I explain in embarrassment, “Sheila’s rent’s steep and I’ve just started my job. I’m fine.”
“The hell you are, but we’ll fix this. Nice space otherwise.”
“Shut up,” I playfully growl without meeting his amused stare, “It’s lovely here and my job is so much fun,” admit with a shy smile, opening the closet door to retrieve the duffle bag on the top shelve.
“I’m happy for you,” he softly says, moving to gaze out the window, “I also missed you.”
Once the pendants clutched in my palm, hot tears streak down my cheeks, “I didn’t forget about the tracker. I thought… he’d come for me. I should never have pushed him away, Wylan.”
He turns and I swear pure hate flared in his blue eyes before blinking then he’s standing in front of me, “You left and these are the consequences of your actions.”
“Stop,” I shove his chest but he doesn’t move an inch, “It hurts too much. Show some compassion.”
“What do you call this?” he smirks, rubbing my arms, “Relax, honey!” His icy blues dance around my features and for a second wonder if he’s going to kiss me, but he steps back instead, “I’m here for you, Cora. Where’s your phone?”
My phone? Like an idiot, pat my jeans pockets and laugh at myself when I come up empty, “Why?”
“Do you still have my number? I’m in town for a while. We could go out? We’re friends, right?”
Friends. Wylan has always pushed my buttons, but he’s one of the few who knows what I’ve lived through with Braden and my family. I’m a wreck or I’d invite him to stay to hash things out, “Yes, if it’s the same.”
He rips the sunflower out of my grip and a piece of my soul goes with it. “Great. Call me, honey. For anything.”
I walk him out and he kisses me on the cheek before driving off. A shiver runs down my back at the lingering way his lips pressed against my skin but not in a good way. I’m not attracted to Wylan. Maybe at first because he’s handsome, but he’s also a hot mess.
“Who was that?”
I jump, not expecting Sheila to be home. She always parks in the garage and I don’t so sometimes she pops out of nowhere when I think she’s at work or off doing whatever the hell it is she does. She’s twice as secretive as I am when I catch her off guard and mean. “A friend in town on business.”
“Damn girl, he’s sex on legs. That jaw and those eyes! Just a friend, huh?”
Laughing, join her in the kitchen where she opens a bottle of white wine. She likes her alcohol I found out one night where she became so drunk the following day I called in for her, lying about the stomach flu. That was the evening something dark climbed out of Sheila.
“Hey, do you do more than strip at Pear-A-Gal? An awful name by the way.” I’d asked after refilling her glass with some fruity wine she’d guzzled during dinner like juice.
“Whatever you’ve heard, I couldn’t give two fucks about! You’re a loser and this is the ONE and only time we’ll discuss it. If you bring it up again, I’ll set you on fucking fire,” she drunkenly snarled in my face, latching onto my arm with sharp nails, “I don’t even want you around, but debts, right?”
“Get off! Just asking if you waitress!” I pushed but her acrylics dug in harder and her acerbic breath stung my nostrils before spouting more venom.
“You’re useless! Money sure, but as useful as a yeast infection. Grow up and grow a pair! Bet you’re a virgin, huh? Ha, you blush like a whore! I mean… fuck you Cora-fucking-lee! No one tells me what I can and can’t do when I’m off the clock. Men are a rash. Member that!”
Money? What is she talking about? Does she need more? She’s brought home more expensive clothes in the last week than I’ll be able to afford in a year. Her claims of being broke when we met clearly a lie. This girl is a disaster, and I vowed right then to hold on to any extra cash to find my own place.
“Let go,” I growled, jumping off my seat at the dining room table, “Conversation over. I won’t ask again.”
“See you don’t, bitch. I’ll do things to you no amount of… payment will save your snotty ass from.”
The next morning she was sick and claimed not to remember anything. Blacked out. Thinking about that night reminds me of my puke-fest at the Pale Pear.
“He’s a tad dickish,” I warn, “but go for it.”
“Not me, you! Afraid of dating?” she teases over the rim of her drink, “Saving yourself for someone special?” Tears well in my eyes and she rounds the counter, “Shit! Me and my stupid mouth. If you’d only confide in me, sweetie. Who crushed your heart?”
Where to start? My real parents, my adoptive ones, Cavan, Braden… Jax? People constantly disappoint me every single time in every personal way imaginable. Everyone tears pieces of my heart out before stomping them into dust. It’s exhausting and never should have believed Jax any different. I’ve given love away to easily it seems. To horrible individuals. No wonder I’m so cynical!
With a shake of my head, ease towards the hallway, “Ugh… not feeling so well. I’m going to lay down.”
She sighs, waving her wine in the air, “When are you going to get a bed? It has to suck sleeping on the floor.”
I don’t respond, going to my room. My back hurts some mornings, but sleeping on the floor reminds me of Jax and the night I fell completely and utterly in love with him. How he held me, swearing he experienced the same incredible pull as I did when we’re together.
“It’s you. It’s us.”
Why did he send Wylan? It’s not like Jax to be so cowardly. He never shied from sparing my feelings, a gesture I appreciated even though he came across as an asshole most of the time. A month and he’s already written me off? No. He doesn’t get to ask a lackey to break up with me after swearing his fidelity. The argument sounds hypercritical to my own mind, considering I’d ripped a hole in our relationship first and by cutting off commutations made it seem I’m the one finished with whatever’s between us.
It’s called love, you dink.
I have to speak to him. There were many sleepless nights my finger hovered over the call or text button these last weeks and seeing Wylan cemented what I already figured out—I’m a coward. Jax always seemed to know what to do or say and it intimidated the crap out of me. Braden had the same effect for years until I realized he was a bigger chicken shit than I was.
Lately, I’ve been going through the motions. Stuck in the past while also moving onward. Back to keeping one eye over my shoulder for Braden, and the other hopefully forward, willing for change. What a joke. Nothing has changed. My insecurities and unwillingness to become close to anyone keeps me a prisoner and if I were ever truthful to myself, could do with a heavy dose of therapy.
Sheila doesn’t make things easy, sometimes I catch her glowering at me. Her hours are erratic, so can never determine an exact time she’ll be home but when she is, there’s a degree of false friendliness neither of us confronts.
Then there are the nightmares. Dreams of guns and blood. So much crimson reflecting mutilated fingers, toes, and mocking laughter drifting through a dark forest I never find a way out of. Sheila forcefully shook me awake one night, saying I was calling out for someone. I didn’t ask who, and she never said, ignoring the signs of who I yearned for when the night terrors struck.
Searching for my phone, come up empty. Sheila calls and still can’t locate the stupid device.
“Did you leave it at the pub?”
I stop tearing through my purse, “How did you know I went there?”
She primly sits on the dark red leather sofa, switching on the TV after eyeing her wine glass thirty feet away. Sheila has weird rules about eating and drinking anywhere but in the kitchen, dining area, or expandable bar cabinet tucked in the corner of the great room.
“You said you met your friend there.”
“No, I didn’t!” Gah, am I losing my mind?
She rolls her eyes, “Whatever, maybe you left it at the shop? I’m sure it’ll pop up.”
“I need to talk to someone!”
“You can say that again! Calm down! Go away, crazy,” she laughs, then ignores me for some reality show.
Not only do I not have Jax’s number memorized, didn’t think to ask Wylan where he’s staying so I could track him down for it. Basically, I have to chill until work tomorrow to see if I left my cell in an apron. Luckily, I’m on the early shift which starts at four.
Seething, return to my room forgoing dinner. Jax can move on, but he will say it to my face. If hearing he’s through waiting from Wylan hurts this bad, can’t imagine I’ll recover if he’s truly no longer in love with me.
Gah, he’s a fucking murderer!
“There’s blood on your hands, Cora. Spattered deep inside your tarnished soul.”
Holding back a sob, vow to tell Jax how much I adore him.
Kacen might have been right, I just may be bipolar!
There’s no reason to be this miserable when he’s hours away. My next day off isn’t for a week and decide I need to pay him a little visit.
Let Jax look me in the eye and say what we share is hero worship.
I fucking dare him.
Chapter 31
* Coralee *
I woke the next morning to a flat tire and, although work is a mile off, called an Uber with Sheila’s phone because it’s raining cats and dogs. My coworker, Barry, offered a lift home when our shift ended, and I gratefully accepted. I hadn’t been able to find my phone, much to my irritation. Barry talked my ear off all day but remained oddly silent on the brief trip to my house.
My mouth dropped, catching sight of Wylan working on my car in the pouring rain. I quickly thanked Barry and then joined Wylan in the driveway.
“What are you doing?” I demand.
He smirks, his blue khaki overcoat doing nothing to protect him from the weather. “What’s it look like? No spare, but I can locate one.”
“Come inside before you drown,” I sigh, remembering my manners. “You don’t need to help; I’m perfectly capable of fixing my car.”
He came into the entryway and paused. “I’m already soaked. Let’s go now.”
I rubbed my forehead, uncertain what to do. “What will it cost?”
“I’ll pay,” he scoffs. “I should have checked the tires before buying the vehicle. The interior was mint, so I figured the rest was maintained.”
“What do you mean? It wasn’t a nail or something?”
“Sidewall ripped,” he gestured to my clothing. “Do you have a raincoat or umbrella? Why don’t you stay here, and I’ll be back in no time?
“Wylan,” I groan, “Wait, how did you know I have a flat?”
“Drive by,” he flashes a charming smile. “I sent a text, but you never replied.”
“Ah, my cell’s disappeared. Can’t find it anywhere!”
He laughs and opens the door. “Today is a day filled with misfortune. Relax, honey. If you want to lend a hand when I return, get a damn umbrella. Rains cold as fuck.”
I reluctantly agreed, and half an hour later, Wylan taught me how to change a tire. When he was washing the dirt and grease off, she made hot chocolate as a thank you.
“We can’t drink in the living room,” I explain, opting to sit in the dining area. “My roommate is sort of OCD.”
He chuckles, then quietly moans after taking a sip, “Mmm… real shit. She sounds intriguing. Do you get along?”
I shrug. “Sometimes. Hey, will you write down Jax’s number?”
His face darkens. “What for? Cora, he’s a serial killer.”
What? “How can you say that! He’s your friend! Besides, you killed someone too.”
“Are we going there?” He slams his cup down, blue orbs pinning me in place. “Past being subtle, huh?”
“We’re beyond that. What’s wrong?”
“I saved your life that day! And how did you thank me? By running off and getting captured by Luca fucking Romano!” he shouts loud enough to leave a ringing in my ears.
I gulp, shame and indignation coalescing as I defend my actions. “I thought my brother was plotting with Braden, and you were taking me away before I could alert anyone! We didn’t know for certain Jax would be okay since gunshots were popping off everywhere. Truthfully, I needed to take back some control my family stole from me.”
He bites out a caustic laugh. “They weren’t working together. It was a setup. Like Chiara. Do you know why Jax took your virginity the night before?”
A deep blush sweeps up my neck. “Stop! I’m not discussing this with you.”
When I stand, so does he, grabbing my arm to keep me still. “Jax realized if you returned a virgin, they’d take you. So he fucked you, and Cavan wasn’t able to sell you as planned. Braden would have done the same, only he fell in love with you.”
“Why?” My knees threatened to buckle, so I slid back into my seat. “Did Jax tell you this?”
“You’re so fucking naïve.” He stabs a hand through his hair, releasing my arm. “He kept you in the dark, so cock hungry you’d believe anything that came out of his mouth. You willingly slept with a murderer who lied to your face, giving him what Braden never took.”
I jump to my feet, slapping the smugness from his cocky features. “Fuck you!”
He shoves me against the table, and then his lips are on mine. I’m so shocked; several seconds pass before my brain catches on to the fact that Wylan’s kissing me! I hurl my fists against his chest until he backs off, panting with a smirk.
“What are you doing!” I scream, “Get out!”
“Cora,” he pleads as I run to the front door, “I’m sorry. I can say what you refuse to do. The truth about Jax. He used you. I’ve wanted to explain everything, but he kept us apart.”
Is he telling the truth? Did Jax sleep with me so my family wouldn’t profit from my virginity? I recall the time we had sex and the way he ordered me to repeat that I chose him to be my first. He had just met Luca, and the next morning he confessed to knowing about my mother’s will. How they promised my legacy to the Romanos without asking.
So many secrets!
“Jax isn’t right for you,” he continues, trying to sway my mind about a man I considered his friend. Friends don’t kiss other dudes’ girlfriends. “I’ll go, but you need to hear me out before you do something stupid.”
I remain silent while glaring daggers, holding the door open. He let out a grunt of frustration but walked into the storm. After making sure all the doors and windows were locked, I holed up in my room. With my back against the wall, I gaze out the window as the weather rages on.
Does it matter Jax never informed me of the fact Cavan intended to traffic me? My own brother! I’m not surprised Braden tried to trick my family. He’s the devil’s uncle after all.
Is anyone honest anymore?
There are no tears to cry. I’ve shed more tears since meeting Jax than Braden ever elicited. I push thoughts of Jax aside, trying to puzzle out why my phone went missing and why my tire went flat.
Sometime later Sheila knocks. “Cora, I’m ordering pizza. Want to watch a movie?”
She never offers to pay for dinner, let alone spend time with me. I ignore her as I change out of my work clothes. I need a phone, and sitting here pouting won’t make one magically appear. When I come downstairs, she’s half a bottle of wine deep.
“What are ya doing?” she slurs. “Why didn’t you answer me?”
I slip on my raincoat, avoiding eye contact.“Sorry, not in the mood to hang.”
“Seen that hottie,” she ggiggles.“You need to get on that.”
“Where did you see him?”
“Outside. He seems fun.”
With a groan, stalk outdoors to find Wylan idling in a black truck along the curb. The rain slowed to a light mist, allowing me to spot his startled expression before banging on his window.
“I have enough stalkers,” I growl as he steps out.“Been doing some thinking, Wylan. You’re not here for a job, are you? That kiss? What’s going on with you?”
His mouth hangs open for a second before twisting into a smirk. “You’re a beautiful girl! I got carried away!”
“Cut the shit,” I shout. “Jax might have kept me in the dark on matters he felt I couldn’t handle, but you showing up here to play mind games won’t fly. You seem to forget, Braden did it for years.”
His smirk darkens into a scowl. “How is the truth fucking with you? Jax only stuck around until getting what he wanted.”
“Care to elaborate?” I cross my arms, hiding the trembling of my limbs. Confrontations aren’t one of my strongest qualities. I either run or make everything worse. Right now, it’s both, but he’s the one camped outside my house.
“No,” he says, throwing his hands into the air. “Friends, I talk to. You’re hostile and argumentative. I have nothing else to say until you apologize for the way you’ve treated me and stop acting like a brat.”
With that, he jumps in his truck and drives off. Shit! Well, he told me.
I have better things to do than worry about Wylan and his hot and cold behavior, and I have come to the conclusion that even if I apologized until I was blue in the face, we would still butt heads. The guy has issues, and yeah, I tend to lash out when cornered, but what is his deal? He said Jax sent him here, but after the kiss, I wonder if Wylan came here for different reasons.
He didn’t deny my accusations!
If he seriously thinks we can be together after throwing Jax under the bus, he has a screw loose. And… gross. He’s handsome but not my type.
I can’t reach work without a phone, and my top priority right now is getting my car fixed. I head to the nearest phone store before they close, purchasing a smartphone with a monthly plan. The way they kept disappearing, I almost bought a backup.
When I walk in the front door an hour later, I hear Sheila sobbing on the sofa. Rushing over, I gasp in disbelief to discover her pretty face swollen with a nasty black eye forming.
“What happened?” I demand, while carefully examining her for further injuries, “Who did this?” Do I need to call the police?”
She whimpers, staggering to her feet, “Fuck no! Leave me alone. It’s not your problem.”
“Did you have a man over?” I’m confused because when I left, she was about to eat pizza.“Let me help! Sheila, whoever hurt you needs to pay!”
“No!” she screams and runs to her room.
Seriously? What a hell of a day!
Unsure of how to assist her, I decide to prepare a cup of hot tea for my roommate. After her drunken speech a few weeks back, I was afraid to push for more answers, but that doesn’t mean I can’t offer comfort. When Braden used to punish me, I had wished for someone to hold me, so I understand what she’s going through.
Compassion heals wounds you can’t see.
I’m suddenly furious Wylan is trying to keep me from Jax. Undermining our relationship. He healed a piece of my heart I thought broken beyond repair. Time and encouragement slowly bled the bitterness I carried for so long, overwhelmed with the realization there’s solace in unburdening yourself to another. We aren’t meant to bear hardships alone.
“Hey,” I tap on Sheila’s door. “I made you tea and an ice pack too.”
She opens the door after a minute goes by, smiling grimly, “You’re a good girl, Cora. Thank you.”
“Sheila, I get you’re a private person, but I need to know if the guy who harmed you will return.” I awkwardly hand over the items bundled in my arms. “Please, are you in danger?”
She grunts, placing the ice over her right eye. “No. Look, I have something to confess.”
I wait, leaning against the doorjamb. Poor girl’s probably tricking, and some asshole followed her home. As much as I want to help, I also have to move out. Being around violence and being lied to by someone I share a house with is a major setback to moving forward and living my best life.
Gah, I can be so shallow sometimes.
Then she drops a bomb.
“I’ve been overcharging you for rent,” she sighs dramatically, flipping her teal hair. “I owed money, but it’s cleared up now. I’ll only need four hundred on the first.”
“What?” I cock an eyebrow. “Really? I would have helped if that were the case. Could you please answer my question?”
“I’m not in danger,” she pouts, then pops painkillers. “Rough sex, ya know? Do you? Cora, are you a virgin? Are you into women?”
My cheeks heat. “No, not that it’s any of your business, and getting punched in the face isn’t sex. It’s abuse.”
“Are you on birth control?”
“I…” Her questions are unexpected and rude but also curious. “Why do you want to know? Sheila, who hurt you?”
“Thanks for understanding.” She’s done talking, trying to close the door, but I’m blocking it. “I need to rest before my shift tonight.”
“Don’t.” I’ve had enough of people keeping me in the dark. “Why ask me such personal questions when you’ve just received a beating?” This is insane! Can’t anyone tell the truth? “There’s something I need to tell you too.”
“Can it wait?” she groans. “I really am tired.”
“No, it can’t.” I decided to test her. “Has a guy with blonde hair and navy eyes approached you recently? Have you seen a man with a body built like a sexy Viking with clear gray eyes so intense they see into your soul?” My face flushes again, damn. Talk about gushing over a man.
She blinks, face bblank.“No…. why?Does this have to do with the hot dude you’re dating?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “Not dating! He’s… I don’t know what we are, but steer clear of that one. When you met me, I’d just taken a break from my boyfriend.”
“What?” She drops the ice pack onto the hardwood flooring with a satisfying plop. “You’re involved? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Same reason you won’t say who gave you a black eye!” I explode in exasperation, “You are not the friendliest and admitted to extortion! How am I supposed to trust you?”
Her eyes water, and she walks further in the room, placing the tea on her extravagant vanity complete with LED bulbs. “Yeah, good point. Cora, I have an appointment for a booster shot at the clinic tomorrow. Will you go with me? If you’re not on any contraceptives, you should start.”
Gah, this girl is like a dog with a bone. “How is this relevant?”
Before she can respond, a sickening realization dawns on me.
I’ve heard about situations like this happening from news reports. Women are luring other young, lonely girls into sex trafficking. It all makes sense! She picked me out at a moment in my life that I was willing to do anything! She brought me into her home—that’s not accurate—I readily accepted the offer to move in knowing her lifestyle. Wait, why did she help find me a job? Did I dodge a bullet with my slimy family only to fall for the oldest trick in the book? Am I going crazy, or is she preparing me to meet her pimp?
It’s as if I lack the fundamental basics to avoid perverts. The phrase “Pimp this bitch!” could easily be displayed above my head.
“Not to be gross, but we live in the same house and noticed you haven’t had your period. You should get checked out. I’m always conscious of these things in my work. Shit, who wants to be a single mother at twenty-three? Not this gal.”
I stumble into the hallway. She’s right. The stress of moving, working, and above-average melancholy made me completely oblivious. Stupid, stupid! How had I missed the fact I haven’t had a menstrual cycle since living above Old Toms’ Tavern?
Oh… no!
“You’ve gone white,” she sighs, easing onto her silky red comforter. “Can you take me or not?”
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, issuing a garbled response. Flying down the stairs, I pick up my jacket and purse, then pause inside my car. Either I visit a Doctor or…
Twenty minutes later I’m sitting in a CVS bathroom waiting for the pregnancy test results with piped Muzak tones of Mad World in my ears. How appropriate.
Day from fucking hell.
“Where do you think you’re running off to now?”
Spinning on my heels in the driveway, I slant my eyes at Wylan and see Sheila peeking through the front curtains. Ten minutes ago I informed her I was moving out; an hour before that I told my bosses I had a family emergency and needed to leave town.
“Time to move on,” I curtly reply, cramming the last suitcase in the trunk of my car. “It was good to catch up.”
Before I take another step, he’s there, shoving me against the vehicle. “Jax doesn’t love you!”
“What’s your deal?” I shout back, “Wylan, you don’t understand. I—I’m pregnant.”
He closes his vibrant blue eyes for a fraction of a second, then snarls, “Of course you fucking are! He’ll get you killed or worse, Cora. Stay with me?”
“Get off!” I struggle against the cool metal until he backs away. “I don’t like you… that way. When have I ever given you the impression I have?”
He stabs both hands through his hair, glancing at the house. Sheila didn’t say a word when I told her I was leaving. I think she’s relieved. We don’t gel, and whatever she has going on is dangerous. Hopefully, I won’t see her face on the news saying someone brutally murdered her.
“You’d rather be with him?” Wylan paces, and the menacing tone of his voice scares me a little. “I saved your life! He would have been unable to find you without me. I saved you! You’d be halfway around the world by now! A sex slave! You’re ungrateful and need to be taught a lesson.”
Okay…. Nope.
I run towards the steps of the house, but he snags me by the waist, hugging me to him in a fierce hold.
“Stop! Sheila!” I squeal, struggling as best as I can out of his iron grip.
The front door bursts open, and Wylan simply lifts me and carries me inside. The door shuts, and to my amazement, he tells her, “Get the rope.”
“What is happening!” I scream, “What are you doing, Sheila? Wylan, please! This isn’t you!”
“Bitch, you have no idea who I am,” he huffs, taking me upstairs to my room.
“Talk to me.” I grasp at straws, hoping he’s just upset and not totally fucking crazy. “Okay, okay! Don’t hurt me. You’re right! I’m sorry! You saved me!”
“Shut up!” he backhands me once my feet hit the floor. “You brought this on yourself.”
Pain explodes in my jaw, and I fall to the floor. “Please, I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
Sheila saunters in with a long cord of nylon twine, and my eyes bug out when she coyly smiles at him. He ignores her, grabbing for me. I dodge across the space out of his reach, certain I’m the insane one. Who are these people I surround myself with?
“Stay still!” he hisses, cornering me in, well, the corner. “I tried to warn you.”
“Warn me?” I lash a foot out, landing a solid blow to his kneecap. “Please! Jax will kill you! Let me go! Sheila, help me!”
“For fuck’s sake!” she lurches, and he uses my attention on her to capture both my wrists.
After tying my hands and feet, both leave, slamming the door without another word.
Wylan and Sheila know each other? Oh shit! Did he beat her? Was he the secret she had been keeping all along? My face throbs from the slap he gave me, and I wiggle up against the wall, dreading their return.
If Wylan is in love with me, hopefully, he won’t harm me or my baby.
Baby.
Why couldn’t I control my mouth? The moment I saw the positive pregnancy test result last night, all I could think about was reuniting with Jax. It’s surreal, but until five minutes ago, I was elated to find out we’re having a child.
I already know Jax will love our baby. He’s kind and gentle, and I never should have pushed him aside.
The door to the bedroom swings wide, and instead of Sheila or Wylan, Barry steps through.
What is my coworker doing here?
“Cora!” He rushes over, crouching down to fiddle with the ropes.
“Hi?” I’m both startled and confused at his sudden appearance. “How did you know I needed help, Barry?”
“That fucker,” he grunts, working on the knot around my legs, “has been threatening everyone at Sweet Treats. We wanted to tell you, but Don and Karen owe him money and said to keep it to ourselves. They threatened that we would be fired if we stepped out of line, or worse. When I saw him outside your place yesterday, I knew he had malicious intentions.”
“He planned everything,” my voice sounds haunted, and Barry flinches. “My roommate, job… what else?”
“He left with Sheila,” he says, standing. “We need a knife. Hold on, I’ll save you!”
Story of my life.
Thank fuck someone in Pear Flats refused to be intimidated by Wylan.
Although bound, smile.
Wait until Jax hears about this new development.
Chapter 32
* Jaxxen *
Many times in my life, I’ve worked out issues plaguing my conscience that were my fault.
Things I did wrong when there could have been a completely different outcome. Maybe there’s a whole other universe where my opposite self is living it up with no heartache or death count in the double digits.
The time Jim caught me boosting cigarettes from the store down the street from our house while we shopped, knowing he’d beat me black and blue—which he did, and I lay in bed for a month clinging to my mortal coil by threads. (Instead, I stood by the unmanned register and waited for him to finish and later was able to take his daughter to a movie she’d been looking forward to).
Finger banging a girl I didn’t find attractive, just to piss Keiry off at a party, spending three weeks being a miserable prick because she heard about it through the grapevine at school, breaking her heart. (The alternative was I told her how seeing her talk to a boy I had a beef with was unacceptable and kissed the shit out of her). We forgave each other, but if I hadn’t placed either of us in the position, it wouldn’t have happened.
Leaving Coralee became another mistake I swallowed like a sour pill daily.
At first, pretending she was off on a road trip was an easy lie I sold to Nason and others who asked. Then as weeks passed, I couldn’t do it anymore. Going through the motions of running around my property with Ren and Stimpy or joining my only friend at Toms’ tore at my brittle frame of mind.
Bria waltzed in the bar one night, studied my cold, disinterested expression, and smirked, never approaching me again. If she understands my situation, then so does the rest of this small town. I’m heartbroken and angry.
Six weeks after losing Coralee, Wylan and a blue-haired chick appear on my porch. He seems nervous when I invite them inside. His black polo shirt and pants are wrinkled, unlike his usual put-together appearance.
“Hi,” she shyly said, shaking my hand. “I’m Sheila.”
I clock the shiner she has, the same as Mindy had the last time I saw her. Interesting. She’s cute, wearing a lighter-colored dress than her turquoise hair. She also has a pair of tits only money can buy.
“How’s it going?” I ask Wylan after giving them both water to drink and taking a seat at the oak table, “Didn’t think I’d see you for at least a few more months.”
He waves towards the girl gnawing at her nails, “She needs someplace to hang. Figured since you helped Cora, she can stay in her old room.”
It takes an effort to not clench my fists. I have touched nothing in her bedroom. I did clear out the room next to mine for a nursery, painting the walls a bright yellow. Two days ago I closed the door, hopeful Coralee will return soon.
“Wow, way to pressure a guy,” Sheila blushes, wiggling in her chair. “I like your house. What do you do?”
Delivering a tired smirk, say, “Thanks. I’m retired. Why do you need somewhere to live? Boyfriend getting rough?”
She ducked her chin. “Something like that.”
“Great,” I scoff. “Sorry, but I’m not running a charity.”
“Don’t be an asshole,” he tosses back. “Hey, give us a moment, okay?”
She jumps up, practically skipping outside. I grit my teeth to prepare for his next words.
“What, you can help Cora, but not someone who actually asks for assistance?” He sneers once she’s on the porch, “Going to let all that girly shit go to ruin just because she ditched your ass?”
I shake my head at his usual disregard for the woman I love. He has a thing against her, and it puzzles me. “Did you show up that night after I went back to The Onyx?”
“No, why would I? I had a job that needed my complete attention. Did they find Braden?”
I eye him and the manner in which he asks so offhandedly. No. Braden never reappeared after that day at Cavan’s, and I think he knows the reason why. I’ve had time to reflect, and a lot of what Wylan does and says deflects his rage over something I can’t pinpoint.
“You said you would be there.”
“Well, I wasn’t. Cora didn’t want to be around us, remember? She kept crying about being held captive by everyone in her life and needing to start fresh.”
“I know where Coralee is,” I state instead. “The objective of giving her space is so she returns. It may sound cliche, but the saying, ‘if you love something, set it free,’ resonates. She needs time.”
“Such a romantic,” he drawls. “So, where is Cora?”
“Why do you care?” I study his every expression.
“I don’t! Look, will you help Shiela or not? I’ve got stuff to do.” He fiddles with his watch.
“No.”
He widens his baby blues, slumping in the chair, “She’s a good girl. Likes to volunteer at homeless shelters. She met a guy; one thing led to another, and then he beat the hell out of her. She just needs a place to crash until the dick moves on.”
“No,” I repeat, unaffected.
“Wylan!” Sheila screams. “Come quick!”
We both jump out of our seats, rushing to the front door.
A gray Saturn barrels down my driveway, coming to an abrupt stop. I blink in awe when Coralee and a tall guy with a fearful gleam in his eyes climb out. She’s here!
“Damn,” the girl with blue hair mutters, biting her thumb. “Not good. Not good at all.”
“Stay the fuck away from him!” Coralee’s pissed off, charging towards us.
I’m still standing dumbstruck when I feel the cool metal of a gun press against the back of my skull. “Not another step, Cora!” Wylan orders.
She almost face-plants, halting in the dirt. The driver of the car withdraws, ducking inside. Coward.
“Everyone, calm down.” I slowly raise my hands in the air. “Wylan, you know better than to point a piece at me unless you plan on using it.”
“Who says I won’t?” He hisses in my ear, “On your knees.”
I comply, watching Coralee battle with herself. She craves to fight but takes my words seriously, inhaling deeply to steady her breathing.
She’s magnificent when faced with danger.
“I can’t do this,” the girl cries. “This is too much.”
“Okay,” Wylan makes the mistake of taking the pistol off of me to shoot the woman he proclaimed needs help.
I sink my elbow into his stomach, the bullet pinging into the upper rafter of the porch. Sheila screams, cowering instead of running. In a matter of seconds, I manage to knock his gun onto the deck, encircle his neck with my hands, and force him against the wall next to the window.
“Don’t move!” Coralee, my fierce hellcat, didn’t hesitate to pick up the fallen weapon. “Get over to the table.”
Wylan’s turning blue, his feet dangling off the ground. I focus on his murderous gaze so I don’t miss a thing. He hates me. This man I’ve known for years wants me dead. Why? He delivers a commendable struggle and even lands a solid blow to my mouth, and I taste copper until he grows limp. Once he’s unconscious, drop him like a sack of potatoes.
“C’mere,” I grab Coralee and plant an overdue kiss on her pillowy lips. “Hey, Sunflower.”
She moans, “I’m sorry. Wylan said you wanted nothing to do with me. They tricked me!”
“Lies,” I breathe in her sweet surgery scent, then snatch the gun from her loose grip. “Who’s the dude in the car?”
She gasps, and my heart plunges in jealousy. Is he her new boyfriend? Has another man touched what’s mine? How long has Wylan poisoned her mind? Doesn’t matter; she’s here.
“Barry!” she waves at the guy peeking over the steering wheel, “It’s alright. Um… you can leave?”
“Barry?” Sheila rubs her naked arms, bending at the waist where Coralee made her sit at the picnic table. “He let you go, didn’t he? I thought I saw him driving in our neighborhood when we left.”
“Shut up!” she snarls, then sags against my side. “He almost shot you!”
I drape an arm around her middle, resisting the urge to engulf her in a hug. “I’m fine. Did they hurt you?”
“He slaps me,” she whispers, “but no. What now?”
I need to contain Wylan before he wakes up, and a witness lingers in my driveway. “Get rid of Barry,” I order after examining her for injuries. “I’ll handle these two.”
She frowns, “Don’t kill them.”
I huff at the assumption she thinks I want either of their blood added to my list. “Sure.”
She scampers down the steps and hurriedly speaks to her scared friend. There’s no way a jellyfish like that would catch Coralee’s eye. I should thank him for helping, but there’s time for that later.
“We’re roommates,” Sheila reveals. “We live together, and she cares about me. Don’t harm me.”
Rolling my eyes, I divulge more with a conspiratorial wink, “I know who you are.”
She straightens. “You do?”
“Yeah, did you think I wouldn’t make sure my future wife wasn’t safe? Gotta say, I didn’t realize you were working for Wylan. Figured you as a prostituting stripper is all.” People forget I’m a paranoid bastard. I don’t even trust the lady at the post office. Mrs. Pills and her granddaughter are nosy as hell.
“He paid,” she shrugs, no shame in her game. “Wylan rented the house we lived in and gave me money to support her, but she wanted to work as a damn cupcake chef.”
“Did she?”
I was proud of Coralee for finding something she loved.
“Yes! She was always baking and making the house a mess. I treated her well. We are friends.”
“Are you?”
The girl licks her dry lips and says, “I—I’m not perfect, but I can do for you what she won’t.”
“Now you’re just making shit up.”
When the Saturn makes a U-turn and departs, Coralee joins us looking pale and exhausted. This isn’t how our reunion’s supposed to go. Fuck Wylan and this bitch for souring our moment.
“Will you do me a favor?” I purr, hoping she takes the bait
She does that adorable frown-squint, and my pulse hammers. Damn, I missed her. “What?”
“Go lie down.”
“Huh?” She glances at Sheila. “This is not nap time.”
“You have to care for yourself and our little one.” I smile when she flushes up to her ears. “What, didn’t you reckon unprotected sex results in pregnancy? I always meant for you to carry my babies, and I’m an impatient man.”
“You—you’re also a bossy asshole!” she stammers, but there’s no heat behind her slurs. “Gah! Ever hear of “my body, my choice”?
I cluck my tongue dismissively, sticking the gun in the back of my jeans under my shirt. “At least get a drink and rest. I need to handle them before Wylan wakes.”
“This conversation’s not over,” she argues. “It’s as if everyone’s gone completely crazy!”
“Baby, can you do what I ask for once in your stubborn life?” I plead, eyeing Wylan’s prone form.
“Cora!” Sheila whines, “Please—”
“I begged for your help!” she screams in her face, and my blood turns cold at this revelation. “You lied and let a psycho into our house! He hurt you! You’re not a good person.”
“So?” She tries to stand, but Coralee pushes her down. “You’re as fucked up as we are! I was doing what I could to survive. You have no room to talk, Cora! A hitman knocked you up!”
Oh, so Wylan told tales out of school. This only solidifies what has to be done. “Inside, now, Coralee,” I bark.
She shoots me a dirty look but does what I urge. Once the door closes, I take out the gun, and Sheila squeaks in fear as I close in on her.
“This will sting, but not as much as your miserable future.”
Her eyebrows fly up in confusion just before I smack her upside the temple with the butt of the Glock.
Dirty and worn out, I stroll into my cabin to see what Coralee’s up to. She’s asleep on the couch, pale skin illuminated by the lamp in the corner of the room. Her shirt’s ridden up above black skinny jeans, revealing a still-flat stomach. I can’t wait to watch her swell with our child.
I leave her there to rest and take a shower before beginning a late dinner. I haven’t shopped in a while, but scramble some eggs and pop some bread in the toaster.
“Hey,” Coralee slinks in to sit on a bar stool. “You were gone a long time. Where are Wylan and Sheila?”
“Hungry?” I ask instead of answering, “Are you having morning sickness yet?”
She reaches up to untangle her locks. “Jax, to the outside world it would seem you tricked me into staying with you by impregnating me as a sign of ownership. It’s chauvinistic and archaic.”
I frown, plating our food before joining her, “Are you saying you aren’t keeping the baby?”
“No,” she grins, and my chest loosens, “but fuck you for rushing.”
Dropping the dishes, place both arms on either side of her body, caging her in, “Such a filthy mouth. I missed the hell outta you. Two things: I picked up your car where they ditched it, and Sheila left.”
She peers into my eyes, breathing hard, “Okay. Good. Wylan?”
“Can I trust you? ” I wrap a lock of her strawberry hair in a fist. “Everything we do from now on is between us. No more secrets and no more running. I need your word, or our relationship will go the wrong way.”
She bites her lip, and I tug her scalp. “I promise I won’t run from you ever again.”
My heart expands when we kiss as she speaks her oath. She’s ready. It’s in her bright-colored orbs and decisive tone of voice. She understands my darkness and accepts it. She made the decision to return to Montana. She could have fled but came to stop someone we both considered a friend from tearing us apart.
Nothing can.
“Thank you,” I whisper in her ear, and she shivers. “Are you hungry, or should I show you where he is?”
She sharply inhales, “He’s here? Did he explain why he went nuts?”
I sit down, eating my eggs before they cool. “Tell me what’s been going on. I want to hear about your adventures.”
She rolls her eyes, picks up a piece of toast, and shares her story of meeting Sheila and finding a wonderful job, but the owners only hired her after Wylan bribed them. Barry found out he’d been stalking her for weeks and even sleeping with her roommate.
My so-called friend had plotted all along to get Coralee to leave me so he could use her against me. He pushed ideas into both of our heads, but he has nowhere to go now that I’ve trapped him.
“He paid for the house,” I sigh, wiping my hands on a paper napkin. “She told me before leaving. Guess she has to find somewhere else to live. Did you get enough to eat?”
“Yes, honestly, my nerves are shot.” She pushes off the stool. “Hey, where are Ren and Stimpy?”
“Funny story,” I chuckle, taking her hand to lead her outside. “A lady rolled into town right after we left. She’s a dog breeder, and Nason’s dating her.”
“Wait, you’re breeding them?” she sounds shocked.
“They’re pure,” I boast. “Why should I be the only one to procreate?”
“Such an oaf,” she teases, slapping my shoulder. “Where are you taking me?”
After handing her a pair of boots, I rattle my keys. “To visit Wylan.”
She doesn’t ask questions, and I would have declined to answer them even if she had. Having her back feels surreal, but so does the knowledge we’re going to be parents. There’s so much we need to discuss, but one problem needs to be dealt with right away.
Stopping outside the entrance to the bunker two miles from the cabin, I turn to her before we exit the vehicle. “The guy who owned this property before lived here his entire life. He was a survival nut. The underground dwelling is capable of sustaining ten people but has been modified over the years.”
“Crazy,” she gasps. “He’s in there? What if he gets out? I mean, putting a man in a hole isn’t normal.”
Smirking, jump out of the jeep, “I had limited resources or time to figure out what to do with him. Sheila’s not a threat, but he is. He knows my ways, let alone what he planned to do with you. Baby, I don’t want to kill him. Violence is my past; you’re my future.”
“I understand. He’s so angry.” She peers at the opening, although it’s too dark to make anything out. I draw my phone out of my pocket and hit the flashlight icon. “Can anybody enter?”
“No,” I usher her forward, “Only I know the code.”
Blocking her view, quickly tap in four numbers, and the door pops open with a hiss. She hesitates, so grip her forearm, pulling her along. I put my cell away, whacking a button on the cool cement wall. Lights flicker above our heads, illuminating the scene.
“My goodness!” she exclaims.
Yeah, Wylan had the same reaction when he woke up in the enclosure, only with a few more expletives. I never imagined I’d use the shelter to keep anyone hostage, but with my reputation, I can’t be too prepared. Initially, I converted the floor plan in case I needed to lock myself aside from danger even if someone figured out how to get inside.
Metal shelves hold MREs (Meals Ready-to-Eat), gallons of fresh water, and other assorted canned goods. Further back is a common area, a kitchen, and a bedroom with a special surprise. With short notice before Wylan came to, I tried to clear the place of as many dangers as possible. Like knives and other electronic crap, the fucker could employ to escape.
“Take me out of here, asshole!” he bitches, glaring at Coralee through the rebar cage I erected catty-corner to the main chamber. He’s able to wash and feed himself, but that’s it. “Sick bastard!”
“This is…” she trails off, examining the concrete space, “larger than I thought it’d be. Comfortable.”
“Shit,” he huffs as we both continue to ignore him. “Peas in a pod, you two.”
“Okay,” I reach for a bench under a shelf holding lanterns and candles, situating it in front of the enclosure. “Sit, baby. I think he’s ready to explain himself.”
She plops down beside me, and I can tell she’s afraid, so I wrap an arm around her shoulders until not an inch of space remains between us. Wylan sighs, leaning his forehead against the bars.
“You killed my brother,” he states flat out. “I wanted to make you suffer, so I hacked your shit to ruin you. But… you found me and beat the fuck out of me.”
Ah, damn. There’s nothing to be done about my past. He and I can’t come to a resolution. Blood for blood. After all these years, he’s been biding his time for retaliation. Coralee covers her mouth, blinking at me with tears in her eyes. The sad thing is, even if Wylan said his name, he wouldn’t be able to recall his face. I keep a tally, not a picture book of people I’ve executed.
“What were your plans?” I grip her harder. “After everything, you would hurt Coralee?”
He shakes his head, dark hair falling over his left eye, “She’s better than you. Well, maybe not since she’s willing to let you cage me like a fucking animal.”
“I could kill you?” I counter.
“Jax!” she shrieks, and in the confined space it echoes, “Wylan, how do you know he did it? Maybe you were given wrong information.”
“Honey, don’t pretend he’s a good guy!” he growls. “My brother wasn’t innocent, but I vowed vengeance. He was the only family I had.”
Scrubbing a palm over my face with my free hand, I try to come up with a solution. Who waits this long for revenge? I liked Wylan and considered him a close friend. He attacked us, and if I let him go, I will always look over my shoulder.
“I’m sorry.” It’s the only peace I offer him. An apology. “Your brother is gone, but you’re here. I thought you enjoyed your life but risked it for nothing. We’re moving on, and unless you beg for death, this place is where you’ll remain.”
Coralee jumps to her feet and staggers to the wall. “You can’t be serious? This isn’t right.”
“Ask him yourself,” I wave at Wylan. “Ask if he’ll leave us alone.”
“Never!” is his immediate response. “Neither of you deserves a joyful life. Murdering bastards!” He screams until he’s red in the face. “Stupid cunt! Bitch from the streets! I should have let Braden have you!”
“What do you mean?” she hugs herself, leaning forward. “Have you seen him?”
“Killed him,” Wylan hisses, “for you! Ungrateful slut! He told me everything too. How you liked to—”
“Enough,” I growl, standing to open the cage so I can feel his flesh break under my fists. “He wasn’t yours to end! How dare you take closure away from Coralee? When?”
“No,” realizing his slip-up, he walks deeper into the enclosure. “I’m done talking. If you’re keeping me in here, then fine. I’ve lived in worse places.”
“Too bad you’ll never have this. ” I take a deep breath and get on one knee in front of the woman I can’t live without. She gasps in surprise, and Wylan bangs a fist against the bars. “Coralee Winters, I love you. These last few months have been extreme but also necessary. You’ve seen how far I’ll go to protect you, and today you proved the same. Will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with a bossy asshole?”
She blushes bright fucking red, tears dripping off her chin when I open a little black box with a platinum-banded canary yellow diamond sunflower ring nestled inside. The single leaf wraps around six green diamonds, very rare but worth it because it reminds me of her eyes. It’s spectacular, and when I saw it, I knew it was meant for her.
“I-I… yes!” she stutters and leans close so I can place it on her finger. “Wow! A sunflower! Gorgeous!”
“I hope you both die a slow death and your abominable womb dries up!” Wylan’s back to hollering as I kiss my fiancé for the first time. “You fucks have no right! I’ll beat the stupid out of you, Cora.”
She gasps and pales. “Let’s go. ” She staggers to the entrance. “I’m overwhelmed.”
Fuck everyone, Coralee needs a hot shower and sleep. I need to take care of her, and then I will feel better about leaving her alone while I finish dealing with Wylan.
We hurry outside, and she throws up.
I presumed she’d be able to handle the darker side of our problems after what we went through with her family, but she needs time. Hell, she’s been through the wringer these last few days.
“Baby,” I croon, scooping her into my arms, “No one will hurt you again. Promise. Braden’s dead. Good news, eh?”
She looks at me as if I’m insane. “Who can we trust? Everyone is out to get you.”
I ignore the vomit, tucking her into the jeep. “I trust you. We have each other. Nobody can destroy our love, right? You said yes!”
She gifts me a radiant smile by the dashboard lights. “Our love will butcher anyone dumb enough to come between us. I’m not afraid any longer. I love you.”
“I adore you,” I peck her forehead, then drive us home. “So, any thought to names? How about Quinn for a boy and Sarah Ann if it’s a girl?”
She laughs, taking off her soiled shirt once inside the cabin. “Ugh, can’t discuss this right now. Sweet names though.” I don’t miss the joy in her eyes when she admires the ring.
I lick my lips, staring at her tits encased in a lacy black bra. “Gotcha. Shower and bed?”
“Yes, please,” she groans, and my dick hardens. “Don’t look at me like that, Jax! There will be no sex.”
Yeah, she’s on drugs if she thinks before the sun rises I won’t be inside her. “One day, I’ll be too old to give you this type of stare, so stop complaining.”
She swivels on her heels, long hair flowing behind her shapely ass, “Whatever, Mr. Bossy! Coming?”
“Every day I can,” I retort, following the love of my life upstairs while an enemy watches from the CCTV I installed for his viewing pleasure.
The traitorous asshole provided the tech but didn’t count on being the one stuck observing us live our lives because he has some grandiose plot to punish me. Over five years of friendship, gone with a pull of a trigger.
Wylan will never leave the confines of his prison, and we’ll always fight for our crazy, fucked-up love.
I pity anyone who tries to keep us apart ever again.
Epilogue
*Coralee*
– One year later –
“Stop squirming,” Jax huffs, slapping my bare bottom. “Take it.”
“Please,” I whine, “I’m sorry.”
“I bet,” I hear his smirk, and his cock presses deeper in my ass with a pop. “There, hold on, baby.”
“Jax… please…” It’s not a plea for him to stop. It’s a surrender to the sensation, to the punishment and the pleasure so twisted together I can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.
“That’s it,” he grunts, his voice strained with the effort of his control. His fingers dig into the flesh of my hips, holding me immobile against his onslaught. “Take it. All of it. You earned every damn inch.”
His words are filthy and possessive, a stark contrast to the tender man from this morning. This is a different Jax. The one forged in frustration and fear, the one who spent hours imagining every worst-case scenario when my phone went dark. This is the reckoning.
I had turned off my ringer while my friend and I had lunch and took in a movie, forgetting to turn it back on. Jax tried to reach me about shopping and panicked when he couldn’t get through. Sometimes he is so paranoid.
And God help me, I love him for it.
“Jax! I’m—I’m gonna—”
“Come,” he commands, his rhythm fracturing, becoming ragged and desperate. “Come on my cock while I fill this perfect ass. Do it. Now.”
I’m braced on the windowsill overlooking the front yard and catch sight of Wylan and Sheila pulling up in a truck. “They’re here!”
“Pay attention.” He slaps a palm on my heated skin again. “They better not wake Quinn.”
“They’re… gonna hear…” I gasp, my forehead pressed against the cool glass of the windowpane.
“Let ’em,” he snarls, leaning over my back, his chest a solid wall of heat against my spine. His mouth finds the juncture of my neck and shoulder, teeth scraping along my flushed skin. “Let the whole goddamn county hear what happens when you scare me like that.” His hand slides around my hip, his calloused fingers finding my clit again, circling with a ruthless precision that wrenches a shattered cry from my throat.
I moan as he pounds me with long strokes, my breath catching when he flicks my clit. “You’re impossible! Right there!”
“Shut up,” he growls, ever the romantic. “Gonna fill your tight little hole with my cum, and you’ll go downstairs with it sloshing as a reminder never to turn off your phone. My… dirty… fucking flower!” he grunts with every plunge.
I come hard, and so does he, bending over my heaving form so I’m squished against the cool glass. We take a small moment to bask in the afterglow, then Quinn howls down the hall.
“Damn,” he groans, dragging his jeans up. “Got him?”
I kiss his flushed cheek, righting my simple pink dress. “He’s hungry. Course.”
He lewdly honks my tits. “Thanks. I’ll send Sheila up.”
When I lift my tiny bundle of joy and sit in one of the two rockers Jax made—yes, created along with the crib Nason helped build—I reflect on how sweet my life is.
Wylan’s no longer a threat since he impregnated Sheila while trying to fuck me at the same time. He had something to live for, and after months of being cooped up in the bunker with the knowledge, he vowed to mend his ways. Jax and I know people can change, but the drama continued while we remained in contact.
“He’s so handsome!” Sheila squeals, standing over me while lost in thought, “Does he bite your nipples?”
Chuckling, adjust Quinn slightly, “Sometimes. Where’s Noah?”
“My baby finally fell asleep on the way here.” She brushes her fingertips over the top of Quinn’s wispy black hair. “Is it weird we’re all still friends?”
“Who else would I be friends with?” I intone, “Nason and Robin have no idea that we kept a man hostage for six months or that we aren’t exactly saints.” We’re not buddies, but I choose my battles with this crazy girl.
She nods in agreement, sitting in the chair opposite mine in the cozy nursery. “Wylan wants to move. He’s telling Jax.”
“Where to?” I’m not surprised by this or worried. Jax keeps them close to monitor Wylan’s actions but, after the birth of their son, won’t do anything to jeopardize their lives.
“He… wants to go alone.” Tears fall from her eyes, and I cringe, not from the words coming out of her mouth, but from what she’s wearing.
She is wearing a red skirt that barely reaches her ass cheeks and a black sheer blouse. Breast milk leaks out of her nursing bra, wetting the material. “He’s abandoning us. He says he’ll send money, but that he doesn’t love me. Not at all, only his son,” she bawls. “I thought I meant something to him, ya know? He doesn’t hit me anymore and seems happy! I can’t work and pay attention to a kid!”
“You can and you will.” My voice leaves no room for self-pity. “When I asked if you wanted this, you agreed. If I hear you’re prostituting, I’ll make Wylan’s stay in the bunker a five-star retreat compared to how you’ll end up. You aren’t the first single parent in the world.”
Her tears dry, and a pout replaces sadness. “You’re a cold stone bitch.”
“And you’re a mom!” I hiss, gazing down at my baby, who stares back with hazel eyes brighter than my own. “Don’t depend on a man for things you’re capable of handling yourself.”
“Fuck you,” she says, standing and stabbing a hand through her bright russet-colored strands. The blue is long gone. “Men have provided for you all your life.”
I refuse to dignify her snotty remark with a reply.
Wylan admitted to killing Braden the night Jax turned up at the safe house. He lied, saying they spoke. He walked up to Braden and shot him in the face, then buried his body but refuses to say where. Since he didn’t check with Braden, he had no clue three dunces were on their way to kidnap me. Hindsight and all that.
It took me a long time to realize Braden could no longer hurt me. Jax was very supportive. Knowing he’s dead and no other man will treat me poorly came at a high cost.
Until Jax, men caused panic attacks and made me run for my life. She’s lucky I’m holding Quinn. We don’t talk about it, but I often wonder where my father is. Often I wonder if Cavan might return at some point to repay his final favor. It does not stress Jax, so I keep it to myself.
“You’ll be fine.” I stand too, fixing my bra before placing Quinn in his crib.
After making sure Quinn is dozing, I creep out of the nursery with Sheila dragging her feet behind me. I’m apathetic about Wylan leaving her. He’s a violent person, and Ian deserves a better mother than this woman. Girl, really. This woman is immature and self-centered, displaying no signs of shame. Huh, funny, I considered Wylan the same when we met.
Downstairs, the guys sit silently at different ends of the kitchen table. I squeeze Jax’s arm, sitting beside him. Sheila continues to sulk, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall.
“We gave it a run,” Wylan breaks the quiet, grimacing at her. “I tried. What else can I do? Living a lie is unfair to both of us. You’ll meet someone. And hey, I’ll be a part of Noah’s life… just not now.”
“Bastard!” she flies at him before we stop her.
“Calm down,” Jax snaps, “Our kids are asleep for fuck’s sake. She’s right, though, Wylan; deserting your infant son is low.”
Wylan didn’t bother to rise when she slapped him or respond to their barbs. I exhale with a shake of my head.
“Stay in touch.” Jax gestures for them to leave our home. “We’re not listening to you two fight. Sheila, take care of that child.”
She bites her thumbnail and then yells, “Can’t you see I want something different too? Why does he get to bow out, but I can’t? I came here for help!”
“You don’t need them,” Wylan argues, heading to the blue carrier where Noah sleeps peacefully, unaware his parents are complete idiots. “You’re overreacting as usual. I already deposited ten grand into your bank account. I’m carrying the baby outside. Call you guys soon.”
I watch from the porch as they drive off, and Ren and Stimpy flop down on the worn steps after the dust settles. My heart pounds in sorrow for poor little Noah.
“Coralee,” Jax calls, “we weren’t finished.”
Running inside, I close the door with the heel of my foot before tackling him on the sofa.
He chuckles, brushing my hair away from my face. “Frisky?”
“I feel more like a failure to that little boy.”
He wrangles me until I’m straddling his hips. “Same. Sheila’s weak. I can’t believe you fell for her tricks.”
“We’ve talked about that,” I blush and shove his hard chest. “Having a bed isn’t a big deal. I was doing ok, even with their influence.”
“Right,” he smirks, “but should we snatch Noah tomorrow or wait until Wylan gets fed up and makes Shiela disappear?”
“Hm,” I rub our foreheads together. “If we work it right, we can have adoption papers before she becomes too out of hand. I also think Sheila will sign him over if we’re subtle.”
“Such a smart, dirty flower,” he smirks. “Take off your dress.”
Leaning backward with his hands sliding down my forearms, pretending to mull it over, “Why should I? My ass is leaking cum!”
He leans forward, closing the small distance I’d created. His lips brush the corner of my mouth, then trail along my jaw to my ear. “Take it off,” he whispers, the command a hot, intimate caress. “Or I’ll rip it off. And you love this dress.”
Holding his gaze, I slowly reach behind my neck for the thin tie of the sundress. I pull the bow loose. The fabric gapes at the front. I don’t look away from him as I shrug one strap off my shoulder, then the other. The dress pools at my waist, held up only by our connected bodies and his hand on my thigh.
His gaze drops, raking over my exposed breasts, the rapid flutter of my pulse at the base of my throat. His jaw tightens. “All the way.”
Bracing my hands on his broad shoulders, I lift my hips just enough to let the crumpled fabric fall past my waist, down my legs, until it’s a puddle of yellow on the bed around us. Now I’m completely bare to him, straddling his lap in the lamplight, every secret part of me open and claimed.
A sharp, approving hiss escapes his teeth. His eyes drink me in, tracing the lines of my body, lingering on the faint, reddening imprint of his hand on my ass, then dropping to where our bodies are intimately joined. His expression is one of stark, primal satisfaction. “There,” he murmurs, his thumb stroking my inner thigh. “Now I can see.”
He doesn’t move. He just watches, letting me feel the full, vulnerable exposure, the cool air on my skin contrasting with the searing heat where he’s buried inside me. The knowledge of what’s leaking from me, the physical proof of his claim, is a hundred times more potent now that I’m naked under his relentless gaze.
“You’re a vision, Sunflower,” he says, his voice thick. “My vision. Marked. Filled. Perfect.”
He finally moves his hands to my hips, his grip firm and guiding. “Now,” he says, his tone shifting from worshipful to commanding. “Since you’re so aware of what’s leaking out of you… why don’t you ride me and put something new in?”
He growls and pulls me forward to kiss and lick my neck over and over until thoughts of anything but letting him have his way disappear. As if I’d ever say no. During my pregnancy, we never left the bedroom except to eat some days. We both have high libidos and crave each other’s touch constantly.
“Promise me,” I whisper later after he filled all my holes to his satisfaction, “if Noah later asks if he’s ours, we’ll tell him the truth.”
“What, that his mother is a hooker and his dad a murdering asshole?” He scoffs, then sits up, back muscles tense. “Fine. Every kid deserves to know their parents.”
“I’m serious!” I checked the monitor on my side of the bed and felt content seeing our sweet baby still resting. “We both understand how lies hurt in the long run.”
“I do.” He stands to shower, a routine since Quinn doesn’t sleep through the night yet. “You’re forgetting one thing, sweetheart. We will cherish him so much that he will never question our love.”
I melt, “Damn straight.”
Quinn and Noah will grow up with what Jax and I longed for but were denied. Fathomless, unconditional love.
“Come on,” he grins playfully, “Once more with feeling in the shower?”
I sigh as if put out but race into the bathroom. “Only if you wake up for Quinn tonight.”
He laughs, and it bounces off the tiles as he turns the faucet, gray eyes twinkling, “Next time ask for something I don’t consider a chore. Sunflower, let me teach you the art of negotiation. Starting with, never use my son as a bargaining chip. That’s a sure-fire approach to getting your mouth fucked.”
I squeal when he picks me up effortlessly and directs my back under the warm spray. “I believe you!”
He hugs me tighter. “Coralee, what if I wash your hair and then make dinner?”
“Wash my hair?” I murmur into the hollow of his throat, the words softened by the shower’s white noise. It’s such a simple, domestic request. After the raw intensity of before, it feels profoundly tender. A different kind of claiming.
Swoon.
“Every strand,” he promises, his voice a low rumble I feel more than hear. His hands are already moving, one sliding up to cradle the back of my head, the other reaching for the bottle of my shampoo—the one with the scent of coconut and vanilla he once said reminded him of summer. He squeezes a generous amount into his palm, then works it into a lather with a surprising gentleness.
His fingers massage my scalp, firm and thorough, working in slow, deliberate circles. It’s not sensual in the way his touch was before; it’s caring. Methodical. He’s washing away more than just dirt. He’s washing away the ghost of Braden’s clinical, possessive grooming and the memory of silk bindings and detached admiration. This is a service offered freely. My eyes drift closed as a sigh of pure contentment escapes me. I melt against him, my arms looping loosely around his waist.
“See?” he says, his lips brushing my wet temple. “Negotiation. You get what you want. I get the sight of you looking like a happy, drowned kitten.”
I can’t even muster a retort. I just hum, leaning into his ministrations. He rinses the suds away with careful handfuls of water, his fingers combing through the tangles with a patience I didn’t know he possessed. Then comes the conditioner, applied with the same focused care. He takes his time, his rough carpenter’s hands surprisingly adept at this soft task.
When he’s finally done, he turns me gently under the spray to rinse it all clean. I open my eyes to find him watching me, water droplets caught in his dark lashes, his gray eyes soft. The playful predator is gone, replaced by the man who builds fences and remembers your shampoo.
“Dinner,” he states, as if it’s a settled fact. “I’m thinking steak. The thick cut from Nasons farm. Potatoes roasted in the oven with all that garlic you like.”
It sounds like heaven. A quiet evening, a meal made by his hands, the safety of these four walls. It’s the dream I never let myself have.
“Swoon,” I whisper, echoing my earlier thought aloud.
He grins, that devastating half-smile, and kisses the tip of my nose. “Good.”
Then the other shoe drops.
“Later on,” he says, his tone shifting seamlessly from tender to tactical, “we’ll run three miles with Ren and Stimpy.”
My blissful bubble pops. I blink water from my eyes. “What?”
He reaches past me to turn off the water, the sudden silence ringing in my ears. “Three miles. The loop around the north pasture. Ren and Stimpy need the exercise, and so do we.” He grabs a large, fluffy towel and wraps it around me, briskly rubbing my arms and back. “Cardio’s important, Sunflower. Clears the head. Builds stamina.” His eyes glint with a hint of the earlier mischief. “For future negotiations.”
I stand there, towel-clad and speechless, as he efficiently dries himself off. The whiplash is stunning. From soul-deep intimacy to hair-washing tenderness to… mandated group jogging with two hyperactive huskies.
“You’re insane,” I finally manage. “It’s practically dark. They’ll chase every squirrel and rabbit, and we’ll end up in the next county.”
“That’s why we have leashes,” he says logically, pulling on a clean pair of sweatpants. “And headlamps. It’ll be fun. Bonding.” He tosses me my clothes—soft leggings and a hoodie. “Think of it as earning your steak.”
This man. This impossible, wonderful, infuriating man. He gives with one hand—the safety, the care, the devastating pleasure—and with the other, he imposes his own brand of rugged, no-nonsense discipline. He’s not trying to break me. He’s trying to build me. To make me stronger and more resilient. To pull me fully into his world, which involves early mornings, hard work, protective instincts, and yes, apparently, twilight runs with canine lunatics.
I stare at the clothes in my hands, then back at him. He’s waiting, a challenge in his raised brow.
A slow smile spreads across my face. Because he’s right. It is a negotiation. And I’m learning.
“Fine,” I say, pulling on the leggings. “But I get the first shower after. And you’re rubbing my feet when we get back.”
He barks a laugh, a sound of pure approval. “Now you’re getting it.” He steps close, hooks a finger under my chin, and kisses me, hard and quick. “Deal. Now move your ass, Sunflower. Steak waits for no one, and the dogs are already whining at the door.”
As I follow him out of the steamy bathroom, the smell of garlic and herbs beginning to waft down the hall, I realize the truth. He isn’t too good to be true. He’s better. He’s real. And he’s mine, even if he comes with a side of forced marches and slobbering dogs. Especially because he does.
The End..
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