Flawed Heart (House Of Obsidian #1)

by Bella Jewel

  She studies my face. “How do I know that’s the truth?”

  I press my forehead to hers, and her body relaxes in mine. She likes it when I do that. “Because anyone would have to be a true asshole to hurt a beautiful bird.”

  She giggles.

  I grin.

  I think I just got the girl.

  ~*~*~*~

  One Week Later

  “Max!” Belle laughs. “Stop it!”

  I lift the straw from my chocolate shake and blow the milk across the table at her. She puts a hand up through her laughter, trying to stop the little bits of chocolate milk from hitting her face. She’s already got it all over her.

  “Max!” she shrieks again. “Stop.”

  I chuckle and lower the straw, and she quickly lifts hers and blows hard. I get a face full of strawberry shake. Grinning, I leap over the table and grab her face in my hands, then I wipe mine all over hers. She laughs so hard the sounds stop coming out, but I can feel her body shaking. We’re both covered in milkshake, but that doesn’t stop me from crushing my lips against hers.

  Kissing Belle never gets old.

  Our lips mold together and I can taste the sweetness of our shakes on her lips. She stops laughing and clutches me, kissing me long and deep. Fuck, yes.

  “Jesus, you two, get a fucking room.”

  I pull back and look over to see Reese and his new flame, Emily, walking towards us. He’s got his arms around her shoulders and is grinning back as he approaches. I sit back and when he reaches the table, give him our team handshake.

  “What the fuck did you two do here? Have a milkshake massacre?” he asks.

  Belle grins. “Max doesn’t know how to drink one, it would appear.”

  “Apparently.” Reese rolls his eyes. “Anyway, we’re going down to the beach, you guys wanna join?”

  Reese accepted Belle into my life easily, and surprisingly so did my team. There’s a good group of people at school who are cool with it, and another group who aren’t. Those people follow Demi in hopes of being her friend, or being her fuck for the night. It divided the school up, but I kept a good deal of my friends and I’m happy with that. Being with Belle is worth more than every asshole who decided she wasn’t good enough for me.

  We still haven’t shaken Demi off, but I’m hoping she’ll get bored soon.

  Hoping.

  “I’m in,” Belle says, standing.

  I smile at Reese. “Right, that’s decided then.”

  We all stand and leave the café, but not before I catch a glimpse of the angry waitress storming towards our table. I flash her a smile and her look quickly fades as her cheeks grow pink. She waves and smiles. Works every time.

  I take Belle’s hand and we all head down to the beach. It’s a warm day, the middle of summer, so it’s packed with people lazing about, sunning their bodies.

  “Here,” Emily says, pointing to a clear spot.

  We all sit down, and I take Belle, placing her between my legs so her back is to my chest and my arms are around her. I put my chin on her shoulder and turn my head to nuzzle her neck. She shivers in my arms and my dick instantly goes hard. It’s difficult to keep it soft around her. Especially when she’s kissing me.

  “We’re going for a swim,” Reese says, jumping up.

  Emily gets up with him, tossing her shirt and shorts until she’s in a bikini. He throws her over his shoulder and runs towards the water, her squealing the whole way.

  “You wanna swim, baby?” I murmur into Belle’s ear.

  “Yes, I really do.”

  Grinning, I stand and pull off my shirt. I’ve got shorts on, but they’re not swimming shorts. No matter. Belle stands too, and stares down at her tank and tiny shorts, then she looks back to me. “I can’t swim in these.”

  “Course you can, sweetheart. I’ve got a shirt in my car you can put on.”

  Her cheeks grow pink, but I don’t let her hesitate. I do the same thing Reese did. I lean in, dropping my shoulder into her belly and hauling her up. She squeals happily and reaches down, slapping my ass as I jog towards the water.

  I throw her in first and her tiny body flies into the blue depths. Laughter trails behind her. I dive in too, fucking loving how the water feels against my skin.

  I find Belle and catch her in my arms. She wraps her legs around my waist and we float there like that a while, laughing and splashing each other. I let her go eventually and she ducks under the water, wetting her hair again. When she comes up, she’s got drops of it running down her skin. My dick gets hard again. Fuck, this is proving to be harder and harder with each passing day.

  She stares at me, no doubt seeing the lust in my eyes, and her cheeks grow pink. She looks down to the water, and murmurs, “Max?”

  “Yeah, baby?” I ask, my voice thick with want.

  “Um.” She swallows, and whatever is on her mind is making her nervous.

  I swim closer and pull her into me so our faces are close. “You can tell me whatever it is you’re thinking, Blue Belle.”

  “We kiss . . . a lot . . . and it’s so good,” she says, her voice low.

  “Fuck yeah it’s good.”

  “I just . . . I wanted . . . to maybe . . .”

  Fuck.

  “Maybe what?” I rasp.

  “I’ve wondered what it will be like . . . to touch you, and for you to touch me.”

  “I touch you all the time, Blue Belle,” I say, studying her face.

  “I mean . . .”

  “You want me to touch between your legs.”

  Her cheeks burn red but she nods.

  “You want me to make you come, sweetheart?”

  She shudders in my arms, and I think that’s a big fucking yes.

  “Then stay still.”

  “What?” she squeaks. “You can’t do it here.”

  I grin. “Can’t I?”

  I spin her around so her back is pressed to my chest. I use my hand to flatten her against me, and then I lower us into the water deeper, so only our heads are out.

  “Max,” she whispers.

  “Trust me, Blue Belle. It’ll be fucking explosive.”

  I run my lips over her neck and her entire body breaks out in little quivers. I keep one hand pressed flat against her belly, holding her to me, while my other hand slides down to her shorts.

  “Max,” she whimpers.

  “Just trust me. I’ll make you feel fucking incredible.”

  I put pressure on her belly and she makes a tiny throaty sound that’s so fucking sweet I shudder right along with her. I press my cock into her back and she gasps. “Do you see what you do to me, Blue Belle?”

  I unbutton her shorts and then slowly lower my hands into her panties. She gasps when I make first contact with her sweet little mound. I move lower, reaching the top of her pussy. Fuck. So fucking hot. She reaches over and grabs onto my wrist, stopping me. “I’m scared, Max. I’ve never . . .”

  “Hey,” I say, kissing her jaw. “I’d never do anything to hurt you, or embarrass you.”

  “But you’re experienced and I’m . . .”

  “Fucking pure and perfect. Let me give you my experience, Blue Belle.”

  I dip my hand lower and she drops my wrist. Her body tenses as I part her folds and gently slip my finger into her warm flesh. She gasps as I rub my fingertip over her aching clit. Holy shit. I feel like I’m going to come in my fuckin’ pants.

  “I can’t tell if you’re wet or not,” I growl into her ear. “But I’m guessin’ you are.”

  “Max,” she gasps.

  I rub slowly, loving every sound of pleasure and surprise she makes. She arches back into me and I remove the hand from her belly and raise it up to pinch her hard nipples through her shirt. Her gasping turns into desperate little cries only I can hear.

  “Do you like my fingers on your pussy?”

  “Oh, gosh,” she whimpers.

  “Do they feel good?”

  “Yes,” she breathes. “Yes.”

 
I rub a little faster now, loving the feeling of her clit hardening beneath my touch. I want to dip lower, to thrust my fingers inside her, but I won’t do that here. I just keep rubbing and flicking, pinching and twisting until her entire body explodes in my arms and she trembles. Little gasps of pleasure escape her lips and her head drops back onto my shoulder.

  My cock is so hard it feels as if it’s going to burst. I need to fucking deal with it, or I’ll never be able to get out of the water.

  “Turn around, Blue Belle,” I rasp into her ear.

  She complies, turning and putting her arms around my neck. Her eyes are pleasured and sleepy looking, and her lips are full and swollen. I need them on my mouth if I’m going to come.

  “I’m going to make myself come, sweetheart,” I grind out. “If I don’t, I’ll never get out of here.”

  Her eyes widen. “Y-y-y-you are?”

  I jerk my jean shorts down beneath the water and reach in, grabbing my cock. I start stroking it and Belle’s eyes move down to the water, then back to mine.

  “Kiss me,” I pant out between each pump of my cock.

  She leans in and starts kissing me, slow at first and then hard and deep. My hand works faster, my cock swelling as I get closer and closer to release.

  “Can I?” she whispers, tearing her mouth from mine.

  “You want to jerk me off?” I say, my voice tight.

  She nods.

  I use my free hand and take one of hers, bringing it down between us. I release my dick and then wrap her hand around it. She gasps and her eyes get big. “It’s . . . Max, it’s . . .”

  “We can talk about how big it is later, baby,” I grind out. “I need to come.”

  Her cheeks are pink, and I fucking love that. I close my hand over hers and start moving it up and down. She bites her bottom lip and meets my eyes, getting the movement on her own. I let her hand go and wrap my arms around her, stopping her from floating away.

  “That’s it baby,” I moan into her neck. “Stroke my cock. Fuck. Yes.”

  “Max,” she whispers, her voice shaky. “Does it feel good?”

  “So fucking good. Keep going.”

  She does, moving her hand at the perfect pace. My balls rise up and tighten and I can’t hold it back anymore.

  “Fuck, I’m coming,” I grunt into her neck.

  My dick explodes beneath the water and strand after strand of come pours out into the sea. Belle keeps moving her hand until I reach down and stop her. I pull her body into mine. “That was fucking amazing, Blue Belle.”

  “It was?”

  I kiss her, a little hard, a little deep.

  “Fuck yeah it was.”

  She smiles.

  My heart swells.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  NOW – ANABELLE

  It’s been four days since I’ve seen or heard from Max. He didn’t call and demand to know about Imogen, he didn’t even try to contact me. He just disappeared back into his dangerous little world. That hurt more than I ever could have imagined. I know seeing her would have come as a shock, but for him to turn away like that . . . without even a question.

  I never thought he’d do it.

  I’ve thought of so many scenarios. Maybe he thought she belonged to someone else and he was hurt. Maybe he doesn’t know how to handle it. Maybe he’s scared. All of those are good theories, but the Max I know wouldn’t have just run from something like this. He always wanted kids, and before everything had gone bad, we’d been trying.

  Tonight I’m going out with Pippa and her friends, Santana, Jaylah and Ash. We’re going to a bar downtown, and I very much plan on drinking . . . a lot. Imogen is having a sleepover with Aunty Tina. She’s had a massive week. To keep my mind distracted I’ve taken her to every park, beach and attraction in the town. Poor little girl is exhausted and is probably looking forward to a night off.

  Pippa and I are going to meet everyone at her friend Rainer’s bar. We’re all dressed and ready to go, both of us sitting in the back of a cab. I’m trying to push all thoughts of Max from my head, but it’s proving to be harder and harder. A night out with a solid amount of alcohol is exactly what I need. It’s not the best way to forget about someone, but it’ll work for a night.

  “So your friend Rainer,” I say, trying to make conversation, “he seems important to you?”

  Pippa nods with a smile. “He is. He’s such a great guy. You’re going to love him.”

  “If he’s a friend of yours . . .” I smile, “he’s a friend of mine.”

  We arrive at the bar and both of us split the fare before jumping out. It’s not a massive bar, but it does have a good amount of people milling around. We make our way to the front entrance and a bouncer checks our I.D. before letting us through. There are a lot of people here, but Pippa finds her friends right away. I’ve met them a few times before, but don’t know them all that well. They are great girls, though. All of them are old ladies to a member of the Joker’s Wrath MC.

  “Pippa!” her sister Santana cries, leaping up and running over.

  Santana is a beautiful dark-haired beauty who kind of reminds me of Pocahontas. She’s got that dark, mysterious beauty. She looks nothing like Pippa, which is strange because they’re sisters. The two girls hug and I wave to Ash and Jaylah, who are sitting at a curved booth.

  “Hey there, Belle.” Santana grins at me. “So glad you came.”

  “Thanks. I’m pretty happy to be getting out too.” I smile.

  “Let’s get a round of drinks,” Santana suggests.

  “I’ll get them,” I offer. “What are we all having?”

  “Cosmos! Next round is on me!” Santana beams, hugging me before wrapping her arm back around Pippa and leading her to the table.

  I walk over to the bar, and squeeze in a gap. There’s a blond girl working one end, and a gorgeous man on the other. I study him and my eyes widen as he nears. He’s hot. Seriously freaking hot. He’s the kind of man that makes you look twice. Not to mention he’s big, muscled and housing some epic tattoos. God, if I wasn’t so in love with Max still I’d definitely be trying to catch a man that looks like that. He’s like a dark god—even the way he moves is graceful and deadly.

  “Can I get you a drink?”

  I stare at him, not even realizing he’d gotten so close. His eyes are black, just like Max’s. In fact, a good deal of his looks remind me of my husband. His hair is dark, and longer than Max’s. It sits at the base of his neck, curling slightly on the ends. His face is less dangerous, and scarred, but he’s still breathtaking.

  “Ah . . .”

  “I’ve got customers to serve . . .” he prompts.

  “Rainer, have you got the shot glasses?” the blonde calls.

  Wait. This is Rainer? This handsome guy is the man Pippa has told me so much about. I know Rainer has been around to our place, but I always seem to miss him.

  “You’re Rainer?” I ask, studying him.

  His eyes flick back to mine. “Yeah, you are?”

  “Belle . . . Pippa’s housemate.”

  His eyes widen and then he grins. Good God, he’s even more beautiful when he grins. “Shit, sorry. I know we haven’t met yet.”

  He stretches his hand across the bar and I reach over, taking it. He shakes mine gently, even though one of his hands could cover two of mine. I beam. “No, I always miss you. Pippa brought me along tonight.”

  “Well, it’s good to meet you, Belle, and I hope you enjoy my bar.”

  “I will,” I say, then turn to look over at the girls. “I’ll get a round of Cosmos, please?”

  He nods, his eyes flashing over to Pippa. There they go soft. Oh . . . oh my. Rainer loves her. It’s written all over his face. The poor man—it must bother him that she’s with Tyke. He drags his eyes away from her and gets to work making cosmos in front of me. His hands move quickly. He’s a pro, without a doubt.

  “So, how long have you been here, Belle?” he asks as he makes the drinks.

  “I grew up
here, but I’ve come back recently because my mom has terminal cancer.”

  He looks up at me. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

  I wave a hand. “You don’t need to be sorry, you didn’t do anything.”

  He gives me a gorgeous half-grin, and then continues the preparation.

  “What about you, did you grow up here?”

  His eyes flash with something painful and his jaw tightens. “For a while, yeah.”

  “You and Pip are close?”

  He looks over to her again. “She’s the best thing in my life.”

  Oh God. He most certainly does love her.

  “She’s a good person.”

  He flashes me another grin, then lifts a tray and hands me all the drinks. I slide him some cash, then reach over and take it, thanking him before shifting through the crowd to the table. When I reach it, I place the tray down and greet all the girls.

  “I see you met Rainer.” Santana grins. “How hot is he?”

  “Tana!” Pippa scoffs.

  “It’s true, Pippi,” she protests. “You can’t deny it.”

  “She has a point.” I grin, sitting down beside Jaylah.

  “How are you, Belle?” she asks, turning to me.

  Jaylah is bubbly, gorgeous, bold and crazy. I love her personality more than any other person I’ve met. I haven’t spent a great deal of time with her, but when I do she’s always making me laugh.

  “I’m well, how are you?”

  “Good. Kids driving me nuts. I’m glad to get out.”

  I chuckle. “I know how that feels.”

  “You’re lucky you have a girl. I would kill for girls. My boys are too much like their father.”

  I laugh and we all start chatting about everyday things. I tell them about my job, and Imogen and my mom. Pippa tells us how things have been going with her, and we all spend the next few hours laughing and talking. Rainer has our drinks re-filled every time they get low and four Cosmos in and I’m lightheaded. It’s stuffy in here now the bar is filling up, and I need to take a breath. I need to pee, too.

  “I’m going to use the bathroom outside,” I yell in Jaylah’s ear as I slip out of the booth.

  I am not lining up inside, I’ll never get there. Pippa told me there’s a bathroom outside, because Rainer showed her when she was here one night. Thank God.