“What the fuck are you doing?” I mumble, taking a swig of the bubbles. “This makes zero sense.”
It is possible Dom has been hiding out at Juliet for months. I can buy that, but where the fuck is Ashley? Where the fuck is Romeo?
I pull out my phone, wanting to call someone, but who in the hell am I going to call? Everyone I know is here. And…
Everyone is moving forward.
Lives are going on.
And I am standing still.
I’m going to end up like Dale Archer—lost and alone on the farm with nothing but a piece of hay stuck between my teeth. He doesn’t come to Juliet anymore because he cannot have what he wants—Jaid. And if I cannot have what I want, this is game over. Go on, make the losing video game noise.
I feel like my time here is dwindling down.
Time to call it quits and say Adios! Au revoir! See ya!
Tilting my head, I see Nico and Amber rushing—more like sprinting—down the path towards Serene, Deacon, and Dom. Why is it all of The Unholy are having some sort of meeting and I am not there?
I’m the motherfucking leader of this ship.
And then I realize the one clear reason why—I’m still sitting in the stagnating waters of Emily’s harbor.
Under the guise of the party, something strange runs amok. I stick a piece of gum in my mouth, rapidly chewing, and taking it all in. I light a smoke and puff out a line of rings. I could end it all in the barn tonight. Be done. Later.
“Shit,” I mumble, flopping back and staring at the shabby chic chandelier covered in vines as I contemplate my life’s worth. Leaving the smoke in between my lips, I crack my knuckles and run my fingers through my hair.
Without a peep, the dainty fingers sweep the cigarette from my mouth. “We really need to get some better lights in here. Don’t you think?”
Standing with her legs spread above my face, Iris takes a drag from my smoke. I linger a moment, taking in the vision of my shelter—the sheath for my sword of Sal—and embracing that everything I ever wanted is right there at the apex…the core…the central…awaiting my command.
I must trust her as she does me.
Gasping for air, I jerk up quick. “… What the fuck are you doing here?”
Dressed in tight black pants and form fitting shirt with her hair tied back in a sloppy bun, she looks incredible. I am awestruck. “I thought I should come say hello.”
“You cannot be here!”
“Sure, I can,” she says, smiling and grabbing the bottle of champagne. She takes a long sip. “It’s a free world. I can buy a ticket, get on a plane, and go anywhere. Or I can just borrow the Lotus jet.” She wiggles her butt to the music as she stands by the shoot. “Gosh, it’s a packed house tonight.”
“Did you make it?” Dom asks from the top of the stairs. Iris runs to hug him and the rest of The Unholy appear. I am so fucking confused my head hurts.
“Yes, the flight was great,” she replies to Dom and hugs Cruz. “Thank you so much.”
Losing my shit, I shout over their casual banter, “What the hell is happening?”
Iris turns to me. “We’re abducting Romeo. Correction, I am abducting Romeo.”
“You know where Ashley is?”
“Uh…” Deacon says, stepping next to Iris, as I fume. “She’s in Anna’s dungeon. We found her in Louisiana while you were in Japan.”
My temperature launches to a dangerous, extreme heat. “How did you know I was even in Japan?”
“As soon as you left to come home, I called Deacon to tell him you were on your way. I figured you told someone,” Iris informs, grooving to the beat. “I had no clue we were a secret.” She shakes her fingers—making damn jazz hands—and giggles.
“Stop dancing.”
“I can’t,” she replies, swigging another drink. “I have been in isolation for years. Anyway, I heard the baby crying and asked Deacon what was going on.”
“I’m not quite the babysitter you are,” Deacon admits, knowing he is in trouble. “Iris offered to take Romeo to Henney in France for us, but we knew if we told you…”
“I’d say no fucking way!” I interject, stealing the bottle from Iris.
“Exactly,” Nico says, pointing with his half-eaten churro. “We thought about letting her take Kade, too.”
“But I don’t think I can be without my little butterbean,” Serene says. “Nothing against you, Buttercup.”
“I know, Mistress.” Iris winks, bopping along. I glance at her mouth and I feel myself slipping…slipping…so far away from where I should be.
When everything you ever wanted starts to come together—shit just gets weird.
Iris touches my chest and flicks her sapphires up to me. “Agent Raniero, I am a trained killer. I can move one baby and return safely home.”
Angrily, I snap, “You are the fucking flower!”
“I’m aware of that,” she says. “But I cannot deny who I am any more than you can. I have one night of fun. So, are we going to play? Or are we going for a roll in the hay?”
56
Cuts Bleed Black
There are moments in life when you come full circle. Sometimes, you recognize the passage. Sometimes, they go by without even a nod. And sometimes, you fucking celebrate.
Remember when I was trying to count how many bottles of wine we would need for a wedding?
Double that and make it champagne when I marry the girl—my current Mistress—dancing, sandwiched between my ex-mistress and long-time friend with benefits.
Meanwhile, Deacon and I sit on the edge of the stage, watching Amber, Iris, and Jaid bumping and grinding. “I never imagined I’d see this,” I mutter, squinting to Cruz and taking a drag off the smoke in my fingers. “This is insane.”
“Hey,” Cruz says, patting my shoulder and eyeing the Reckless Rebellion boys. “You got enough security here, she ain’t going nowhere. Go have fun!”
“I’m not sure I remember what that is,” I admit, running my hand over my hair and straightening up the Juliet ball cap I stole. “I’m fucking tired of this shit in Boston.”
“There is only one good thing left in Boston right now,” he confides. “And she won’t answer my calls.”
“I’ll get on her,” I offer as Iris shimmies over. “Break her down”
She curls her finger at me. Deacon bumps my arm and acknowledges, “She is so in love with you. Don’t fuck this up.”
Stalking closer, Iris smiles, but I refuse to move, pointing at the ground in front of me. She sashays her way over, working those curves like she was made for insta-erections. “She looks incredible.”
“I don’t deserve her,” I confide as she slips close enough to take the bottle from my fingers. “Are you having fun, pretty thing?”
“So much!” She spins with her back to us, laying one hand on both of our knees. She runs her hand down our calves and grooves down to the ground. I nod at Deacon as we split apart and hoist her ass up to sit on the stage between us. “Wheee!” She giggles, drunkenly, and lays her head on my shoulder while tossing her leg on Cruz.
“Where did your date go?”
“You had a date?” Iris asks, chugging on the bottle. “Where is she?”
“Over there,” he says, pointing to X. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s not entertained the whole club by morning.”
Iris stares. “Maybe I need a breast aug.”
Deacon and I look at her and we simultaneously say, “No.” We give a high-five as she pulls in her legs and twirls around before laying down and flopping her head over the edge of the stage, so she is upside down.
“She’s gonna be so sick, man,” Deacon says, shaking his head. “Hold my hands.”
“What are you doing?” I ask as she spreads her legs into a wide-V shape over our chests.
“These boys are mine, bitches!”
I cannot stay in the doldrums any longer as I burst out laughing. “We should so go get her crossed.”
“Not until you danc
e with me!” She loudly squeals. “Both of you.”
Putting her legs back together, she sits up and pulls off her black shirt. Deacon flicks a gaze to me as the snug little push-up bra isn’t covering very much. I raise a brow because she is not the same Iris she was three years ago. “Baby girl,” he says, tugging off his cut. “Put this on”
“Thanks,” I say, knowing his plan would’ve worked great until she handed him her bra.
“I’m trying here, Nero.”
“I shouldn’t have this on,” she somberly says, nose to nose with Deacon. “I’m not a member of your club.”
“Babe, I’m the club prez and not a single person here is going to say a fucking word to me.”
She slides off the stage and we each keep a hand on her to make sure she doesn’t go boom. “Come dance with me!” she begs, swishing her hips between my legs. “Please.” I make a face as she moves over to Deacon and tries to get him to budge. He won’t unless I do, this much I know. “Please, I only have one night!”
“Fuck,” I say, yanking off my tank top. “If I do this…”
“We can go to the barn.” She winks.
“Fair enough.”
I hop down and Cruz follows as Iris leads our party onto the dance floor. I have no doubt we’re about to clear it and maybe this was my Old Poppa’s wish in helping Anna create Juliet—to give our madness someplace to unwind.
Iris twirls between Deacon and I when her hair comes tumbling out of the clip. I catch a whiff and it’s over. Nothing else matters anymore but this girl on this dance floor.
With Deacon’s hands pressed flat to mine, we lock her in and give her exactly what she wanted.
Hip thrusting. Gyrating. And sweat pouring off our skin.
Her fingers lock onto Deacon’s belt behind her as she drops and runs her tongue up from my navel to my lips. After kissing me, she spins to Deacon and gives his abs a tongue dance, sending an immediate jolt to my cock. She shudders her body up to the beat and her fingers pull his hair. He kisses her hard and I snarl. She isn’t the only one that enjoys those dirty locks.
With the cheering onlookers, I glance up to see all of the RR lined up along the perimeter. The Unholy are scattered around keeping a bird’s eye view on everything.
We’re safe here.
For now.
There was a time I would’ve let her take it all off of me, but the older I get, the less I want the public display—of her and me. Deacon is one thing. The entire crowd is another. They don’t get to see my girl naked. I should mention, they don’t get to see my boy naked, either. Or for that matter, me. But it brings about the question, as I’m hip rolling with Iris in front of me and Deacon behind me—who?
Would I allow Dom to take his crop to her ass?
Or allow Serene a round with her Buttercup?
These things, I don’t know.
Her arms lift, siding over my slicked chest with her ass rocking against my dick, and she reaches high to grab Deacon’s fingers as he rolls against my ass. They’ve fenced me in, and I’m just drunk enough that I don’t care. Everyone important knows we’re involved, and anyone who has an issue with it can fuck off.
“Let’s go,” she says, spinning towards me. I turn and duck down as she jumps on my back. I grab our shirts off the stage and hand them to her. She swings my white tank around in a circle and shouts, “Goodbye! I love you!”
A few of the RR take a bow before my Queen as we pass by. And Dom gives me a brohug with Iris still latched on my back. I squat to let him kiss her cheek.
“Be good, Iris!” Serene says, smiling. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.”
Deacon quietly stays in the shadows until we’re out of the crowd. “Hey stop! I need to say goodbye.”
“Are you going off with the girl?” Iris slurs.
“No, why?”
Iris quizzes, “Are you upset?”
“Why would I be?” he asks as I realize she is a little inebriated and not making much sense.
“I think she wants to know why you aren’t coming with,” I clarify.
He lays his hand on her thigh. “Because you need to be alone.”
She argues, “Bullshit!”
I march out to the parking lot. “You heard the lady.”
“Where are we going?” She rattles, “The barn is the other way.”
“You are not staying in a barn.”
Deacon gets into the passenger seat and I let Iris down. “Just get on his lap, we ain’t going off the property.”
“I like your new truck,” she compliments, smiling and holding Deacon’s hand. “It’s really pretty.”
“Thank you,” I say, feeling a moment of sadness because we’ve missed so much. “The Raptor is at my house in Nebraska.”
“… You have a house in Nebraska?”
“Yeah,” I reply, driving, as Deacon sees the pain in my eyes.
“Don’t do what you’re about to do,” he advises, setting Iris in the seat and crawling into the back seat. “Go to my house.”
“How do you know what I’m about to do?”
“Because I know you,” he says, handing Iris the seatbelt. “Put that on, baby. And if you go up there to those dungeon rooms, you are opening a can of worms you won’t be able to get closed. There will be a time, a day, and a place, but right now isn’t it.”
With a straight face, Iris asks, “Are we not going to have sex?”
Deacon and I laugh. “No babe, we’re going to have sex.”
“It’s just a matter of where and what kind,” he says, looking at me in the rearview. “We’re going to my house.”
“Since when do you have a house?”
“Since I bought it,” he answers, weaseling his way between us.
I peer over my shoulder. “You better get that fucking seat belt on boy.”
“Yeah yeah,” he brushes off as Iris cranks up the sound system, opens the moonroof, and clicks her belt. She is dancing in her seat as we fly down the backroads. “Deer.”
“I saw it.”
“Why do you two seem so paranoid?”
“We tried to kill ourselves a while back with a buck,” Deacon informs. “Tonight, we’re going to try and kill ourselves with a fuck.”
Iris grins so big as I turn into the driveway. “Oh, gosh… You’re close to Juliet. Who’s dog?”
“Neighbors,” we both say.
“Holy fuck!” I stop at the rushing river in his yard. “When did the creek get so high?”
“You can go around if you don’t want to try it, but it’s going to take another twenty minutes,” he says, leaning his elbows on the console. “It’s been raining a lot.”
Iris stares longingly between the two of us as I ask, “What would you do? Can your truck do it?”
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t take your sweet time.”
Iris lifts a finger. “Don’t gaglolly! I mean lollygag!”
“She needs some weed,” I laugh, backing up. “This is going to destroy your driveway.”
“I don’t fucking care, I gotta buy a tractor anyway.”
“Wait,” Iris says, undoing her seatbelt and standing through the moonroof. She peers down, dropping the cut in the seat. “You really need to get your trees trimmed, too. I can touch them and I’m short.”
Deacon and I look at each other with concern. “Do you have her?”
“I have her,” he assures, wrapping his arm around her legs. “Trust me. She isn’t going anywhere. Hit it, Boss.”
I quickly drop the sign of the cross and kiss my fingers before nailing it to the floor. The water is deep as we skid out on the other side in the mud. We do a complete 180º and face the creek from the opposite direction.
Iris giggles. “Oh, my fucking God…you two are so much fun!”
“Just back it up and pull in the grass,” Deacons says as the tires spin. “Go forward a cunt hair and throw it into 4WD.”
“I do know how to drive.”
Iris, who cannot sto
p laughing, lowers down onto the console; she is all boobs and smiles—both covered in mudsling. “Excuse me Sir, Is that a technical term?”
“Yes,” he replies as I start to move and she falls back. “I got her.”
I manage to get the truck to back up and drive up to the house. “We’ve got to get that fixed.”
“Yeah.” Deacon helps her out and says, “We do.”
The mud on my baby—both of them—is real. “You live here too Sal?
“Not yet he doesn’t,” he replies, stepping high up onto the porch. “But you both will soon enough. Lift her up.”
I do as she grumbles, “You know much like Sal can drive; I can climb.”
I head up behind her. “You need to save all that climbing ability for getting up on us.”
Deacon snorts and shakes his head. “I’ll go start the shower.”
“I’ll get beers.”
“I’ll…” Iris says, standing around and taking it all in. And there is a lot of bad to take in. “I’ll….”
“You take your clothes off,” Cruz answers as we smack hands. “Don’t let her fall.”
Neither of us would ever let that happen.
57
No Hesitation In The Scar
His Butterfly with The Master and His Ride
“How long do we have her?” Sal asks Deacon as I take a shower.
Sobering up in the water, I swing open the curtain. “Until tomorrow night. The helicopter is taking Romeo and I to the jet.”
“… You really brought the Lotus jet?”
“It wasn’t like I stole it,” I reply, grinning. “Get in here with me.”
“If we all three get in that tub there will be no room to move,” Deacon contends.
“Ha!” Sal replies, dropping his jeans and getting in behind me. “Get your ass in here, Cruz.”
Deacon wedges in. “This may be the craziest thing we’ve ever done. Add a bigger shower to your list, Raniero.”
“Check.”
Admittedly, it’s tight, but with good humor, Deacon grabs the body wash and squirts it all over the three of us. Our hands are all over one another. I drop down to the floor between them – because I’m the smallest – and scrub their legs.
Every Minute I Love You (a Tomb of Ashen Tears Book 3) Page 47
