by Hope Ford
So I left school earlier than expected and went home and showered, curled my hair, put on makeup and my prettiest dress. I figure if I’m going to tell James I love him, I should look my best when doing so. All I can hope is he didn’t change his mind after he left this morning. My luck, he’s already decided that I’m more trouble than I’m worth.
I’m driving the speed limit on the backroad that leads into town when I’m hit from behind, and my car lurches on impact. I look in the rearview mirror and it’s a big white van, but instantly I recognize Officers Johns and Green. I grip on to the steering wheel when I see them accelerate, knowing they’re going to hit me again. I’m reaching for my phone in my purse in the front floorboard when they hit me again and I veer off the road and barely stop in time before going off the big embankment. My head has hit the steering wheel, but somehow my air bags didn’t deploy. Dazed and a little confused, I raise my head just in time to see both officers with bats, swinging them at my car. They don’t stop until they’ve smashed in every window. All I can do is scream and cover my face as glass flies all around me.
When the noise stops, I peak between my hands and Officer Johns is staring at me through the side of the car. I reach for my purse again, but Officer Green is on the other side, and he already has my purse in his hands. “You looking for this?”
I shake my head. “You can have it. It’s yours. Take it, just leave me alone.”
Officer Johns peers at me through the window. I’ve always thought he was a little off, but right now he seems almost maniacal. “Officer Green can have the purse, but you know what I want, Addison. I want you.”
“I said no,” I tell him. “I don’t want to date you. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to do anything with you.”
Officer Johns opens my door and wraps his hand around my arm, pulling me from the car. I have tiny cuts up and down my arms, my head is hurting, and I feel dizzy like I might throw up. As soon as my feet hit the ground, I fall to my knees.
Officer Johns tugs on my hair, jerking my head backwards. He looks at me menacingly. “I mean, I thought I’d have to force you, but if you’re willing…” He starts to undo his jeans, and I can’t stop myself. I lean over and throw up, right on his shoes.
He’s trying to kick it off his shoes, and he lets go of me. I try to get away, but I am only able to crawl around two feet before he has me by the hair again. “That wasn’t very nice of you but don’t worry. I’m going to let you make it up to me.”
He pulls my head back and he’s so close, I’m afraid he’s going to try and kiss me. I spit right in his face, and when I do, he swings, hitting me in the cheek and pushing me backwards.
Lying on my back, I’m trying my best to stay conscious when I feel him climb on top of me. My hands are on his chest, and I’m pushing him, doing my best to get free.
He’s trying to pull my dress up when something stops him. I hear the sound of motorcycles, engines revving, and it’s obvious they’re getting closer. “We got to go,” Officer Green says.
“I’m not leaving until I get what I came for,” Officer Johns mutters as I continue to twist and turn underneath him.
They wait and listen, and when it’s obvious the motorcycles have turned onto this road instead of heading straight on the highway, Officer Green takes off running.
Officer Johns stands and tries to pick me up, but I keep fighting. I know if I get in that van with them, I may never get free. Finally, as the sounds get louder and louder, Johns finally lets me go and takes off running. I lift my head just in time to see that Officer Green still has my purse tucked under his arm. They peel out down the road until all I see is dust behind them.
I try to get up, but I can’t. Instead, I crawl on my hands and knees to get to the edge of the road. It seems like it takes forever, but it’s probably only seconds. The purr of the motorcycles is getting closer and I’m hoping it’s James or any of the Men of Valor, for that matter. When I get to the road, I fall back on my butt and wait.
There’s three bikes, and they slow as they get closer to me. I wipe moisture from my eyes, and I realize quickly that I’m not crying, it’s blood from my head that is falling over my brow. I use the edge of my dress to try and wipe it away and clear my vision. The three men crowd around me, and the first thing I notice is their cuts. They all have the Men of Valor patches, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
One of them squats down in front of me. “You Addison?”
I’m pretty sure I recognize him from the strip club the other night. I say yes, but it comes out more of a groan, so I nod my head, and then I flinch because even that small of a movement hurts too.
He reaches for his phone, hits a number, and puts it to his ear. “I got her.”
Whoever it is says something, and I hear the man respond. “Yeah, on the backroad between the shop and the highway. But hey, Ice, you need to bring a cage. She’s not able to ride a bike.”
I take a deep breath when I hear him say Ice’s name. Thank God, he’s coming.
The man holds his phone out. “He wants to talk to you.”
I reach for it, and my hands are covered in blood. “I’ll get blood all over your phone.”
I hear a screech over the phone, and the man hits the speaker button. “Ice, she’s going to be okay, but she’s in bad shape.”
“Addi, baby, can you hear me?”
He sounds out of breath, and I hear a car door slam. “Yeah,” I croak.
“I’m on my way, honey. I’ll be there in just a minute, okay? Wild’s not going to leave your side until I get there.”
“She’s nodding her head, Ice,” the man James called Wild says.
The phone clicks, and he pockets it but doesn’t move. “Hey, Savage, get her a water, will you.”
The one called Savage walks away and comes back with a bottle of water. He hands it to Wild, who uncaps it and puts it at my lips while I take a sip. Savage looks as if he’s standing guard on us, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he looks up and down the road. “Do you want to try and stand up?”
I nod my head.
Wild turns to the third man. “Knight, help me out here.”
They each get on a side of me and lift me easily off the ground. They keep their arms around me until they’re sure I’m not going to fall. “You okay?” Wild asks.
I nod my head and squint as headlights hit us coming down the road. The truck barely gets stopped before the driver’s side door is swung open and James is running toward me. When I see him, it’s like a waterfall of emotions hits me, and I release the two men at my side and instantly reach for James. He pulls me to him so hard it hurts, but I don’t dare say a word. I need this. I need his arms around me right now more than ever.
He pulls back searching my face. “Who did this to you?”
I point to my car. “Officers Johns and Green.”
“Did they? Fuck, Addi, did they…” I know what he’s asking me, and I can feel the bile rise in my throat again. I take deep breaths to calm myself before answering.
“They were going to. I think that was their plan, but they ran when the heard the motorcycles turn on the road from the highway.”
Pure anguish crosses his face, and he pulls me to him. He talks to the guys while he’s holding me. “Patriot was supposed to be watching her. They shot out his tires and he wrecked. A bunch of broken bones, and he’s in the hospital.”
“Fuck, Ice. They’re getting out of control.”
“I’m taking Addi back to my place, then I’m putting a stop to Johns and Green. They’ll never bother her again.”
I shudder at the venom in his voice. I want that. I want to be safe. But I don’t want him to leave me, not now. “Please don’t leave me?” I beg him.
He opens his mouth, but Wild interrupts. “We got this, Ice. They won’t mess with her again.”
James nods his head. “I owe you one, Wild. Make sure you let Pres know what’s happening.”
The three men all get
on their bikes and wait as James helps me into the van. We do a U-turn in the middle of the road and when we get to his place, the three men pull in and watch until we’re inside. I can’t help but ask, “Will they be okay, James?”
He nods his head. “They’re Valor, honey. In every sense of the word.”
Ice
Seeing her like this is going to be my undoing. Raw hatred is building inside me, and it’s killing me that I can’t be out with the guys taking vengeance for what they did to my woman. From now until the day I die, she’ll never know this kind of hurt again.
I carry her up the steps to my apartment, already deciding that tomorrow, or as soon as she feels like it, I’m going to look for a house. One with a white picket fence because the more I think about it, the more I want it too.
She sniffles. She’s covered in bruises, scratches, and blood. I set her in a chair in the kitchen. She has pieces of glass in her hair, and I do my best to pick them out. “Are you okay to sit here for just a minute? I’m going to run you a bath.”
She nods her head, but she doesn’t let me go. I lift her hand to my lips. “I’ll be right back.”
When she nods and lets go, I all but jog to the bathroom and turn on the hot water. As soon as it feels right, I put the plug in. I then go back to her and squat down in front of her. I need her clean, free of the blood and dirt. I hate seeing her like this, but right now I need to focus on what she needs.
“I wore a dress,” she says.
I try and smile, but her dress is ripped with grass and mud stains. “I see it, honey. You look pretty in whatever you wear though.”
“I wore it for you. I wanted to look nice. I worried about it all day and was afraid you were going to change your mind by the time I made it to see you. I figured you’d think I was more trouble than I was worth. And well, I couldn’t really blame you, looking at me now.”
My head drops. I hate the insecurity in her voice. “I love you, baby. Nothing’s changing that.”
She stops my hands with hers. “Look at me, James.”
I lift my head, but it pains me to look at her. I let her down. She needed me. I’m trained for shit like this, and she got hurt. It’s on me.
She puts her hand on my chin and forces my head up. “I know I’m a mess, but why won’t you look me in the eye?”
Guilt rages inside me. I stand up, trying to put some distance between us. I’ve never been in this position before. Vulnerable is not a game I play well. “You’re not a mess, honey. You’re always beautiful to me. I can’t look at you because I let you down.”
She’s shaking her head. She tries to stand up, but when I see her struggling, I fall to my knees in front of her again so we’re eye to eye. “I would rather die than let anything happen to you.”
Her hands go to my shoulders and she squeezes. “You didn’t let me down. This isn’t your fault. Plus, I want you looking at me when I say this.”
I stare into her pretty blue eyes. “I’m looking at you, baby.”
She takes a deep breath. “I love you, James. I love you so much. Thank you for coming for me. For as long as you want me, I’m yours.”
“Forever,” I tell her instantly. “I want you forever.”
8
Addison
I feel so dirty. Not only because of the grass and mud, but just all of it. Every time I close my eyes, I see the menacing look on Officer Johns’ face. I start to get up.
“Here, let me help you.” James is right there, and when I stand, I don’t even take a step before he picks me up in his arms. I could argue I’m too big to be carried, but this is where I want to be. I rest my head on his shoulder as he carries me to the bathroom. He sits me on the closed toilet seat and starts to undo the buttons of my dress. It takes some work, but together we get my clothes off, and he helps me into the tub.
I figured he’d leave, but I’m surprised when he grabs a towel and wash cloth from the closet and then drops to his knees next to the tub.
He wets the cloth and puts some soap on it. “Is this okay? I don’t want to let you out of my sight right now.”
I nod my head. He runs the cloth over every part of my body, even between my legs and when I squirm under his touch, he keeps methodically cleaning me. He washes my hair; he does it all. All I have to do is sit and enjoy it.
When he’s done, he helps me dry off and then covers me with one of his shirts before tucking me into bed.
He takes off his shirt, and leaving on his pants, he lies down next to me and draws me into him.
“My car...”
James runs a finger through my wet hair. “The boys will take care of it.”
We lie just like that for I don’t know how long. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but all I can think about is Officer Johns and Officer Green.
A chime rings on James’ phone, and he pulls it from his pocket. From where I’m lying, I can see the text is from Wild, and when he opens it, all it says is It’s done.
James texts him back and sets the phone on the nightstand.
I let the words on the phone process, and for the first time tonight, I breathe a little easier.
James must know what I’m feeling, because he pulls me tighter. “They’ll never hurt you again.”
And hearing him say it – knowing it’s done – I feel free.
I curl into James’ side and run my hand up his chest. He stops me and holds my hand. “No, honey. You need to rest.”
I lean up and look into his eyes. I feel so relieved, but I can still see the turmoil in James’ eyes. The guilt he feels is a heavy burden, but there’s nothing I can do to convince him it wasn’t his fault. All I can do is show him that I don’t blame him.
“Do you want me?” I ask him. I already know the answer. When he bathed me and even now, his cock has been hard. He tried to hide it from me, but I saw it.
He lets out a long, deep breath. “You know I do.”
I cup his jaw and rub my fingers through his stubble. “Well, I want you too.”
“I don’t...” he starts, but I don’t let him finish. He’s hurting. The way he looks now, he’s hurting more than I am. I can’t let his feeling that he let me down come between us. “I need you, James. I need you to take care of me.”
He’s still hesitant, and I lean up to lie across him. I kiss his chest, run my finger in circles around his nipple, and wedge my leg between his. His hard thigh hits me at my core, and I press my pelvis into him.
In a quick move, he pushes me to my back and holds himself up on his elbows over top of me. He’s staring into my eyes, and I can sense the internal struggle he’s having. He wants me, but because of earlier tonight, he feels he should wait. He’s a good man, something I’d already figured out, but every day I learn more about him.
“Are you sure?” he asks.
I nod my head. “Yes. I know I need you.”
He leans down and presses his lips to mine. Instead of urgent and frenzied, this kiss is soft, demanding, and loving. He’s taking his time, and a slow burn is building inside me.
I reach between us, unbutton his jeans, and slide my hands into his shorts. I wrap my hand around his girth, and his hips flex. “Addi,” he groans, and I smile into his mouth. I love that I can do that to him.
He pushes down his jeans and kicks them off before positioning himself between my thighs. His hands are everywhere – well, everywhere except where I need them. When I have enough, I pull him to me and wrap my legs around his waist. “Take me, James. Make me yours.”
Ice
Fuck. She already is mine. There’s no denying it. The ache in my heart right now feels that it might never heal. Seeing her hurt is my undoing, but she says she wants this, and until the day I die I will give her what she wants.
I thrust into her, slow and deep.
She moans, and I do it again, long drives into her, and her inner walls are bearing down on me as I go.
“Look at me,” I tell her.
Her tear-stained eyes a
re set on me, and I move in and out of her. The look we share is more personal than anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s as if she’s showing me her heart, giving it to me and saying, Here it is, don’t hurt me.
I try to hold back. But already I can feel my nuts tighten, begging to be drained. She must know it because she tightens her legs. “Don’t pull out. I want you to mark me.”
“Fuck. Yes. Come for me, Addi. Milk me, honey, take what you want.”
And she bears down on me, putting my cock in a vise as I try to move in and out of her. She’s coming, her body taut as she takes my seed from me. The whole time our eyes are connected. She’s crying, tears rolling down her cheeks and fuck, but I don’t stop. I don’t stop until I’ve released jet after jet of cum, painting her insides.
I kiss her then, tenderly so as to not mess with the cut on her lip. I pull back, and the need to reassure her is there. “They’ll never hurt you again, baby. I promise you.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not crying because of that.”
“Then why? What is it? You can talk to me... you can tell me anything.”
She sniffles loudly. “I’ve never been so scared in my life, but you know what? I knew you’d come for me. I’ve never had that before. Never had someone that cared so much about me that they’d save me or stand up for me.”
“I’ll always be by your side. Always, Addi. I’ll hold you up, I’ll stop the pain, I’ll do anything you need me to do. From this point forward, you are my life. It’s me and you.”
Her tears are flowing freely now, but I just pull her to me and let her cry it out. I almost lost her tonight. I can only imagine what those men would have done to her if Knight, Savage, and Wild hadn’t showed up. But she’s here now... and I’m never letting her go.
