His Angel: The Wounded Souls Series

by Leah Sharelle

  “Legs apart and down on the mattress, Angel. Let me show you what you need.”

  Her legs fell open, and I looked down to where we were joined and saw a small smear of her virgin blood on my cock mixed with her wetness. I groaned loudly at the sight. She was mine, and no matter what fucked-up shit got us here, no matter what I thought I would never do with a woman again, Memphis was mine. I surged forward until she had all of me again, and her walls sucked me in and held me tight in her hot channel.

  “This is what you need, Memph,” I ground out as I pulled back and glided back in. Over and over, I kept the slow pace, in and out with slow glides of my cock. My jaw clenched so tightly as I fought the urge, the desperate need, to fill her with my release.

  “Creed, baby, I’m coming.” Memphis panted, her hips undulating like some exotic dancer, her legs still open and laying on either side of me, her whole body moving with each thrust. Her breasts swayed, begging me for attention, so I leaned over and kissed each pale mound, my thrusts becoming harder as I chased the climax my body had not felt for far too long.

  “Angel, I’m not going to last,” I said, my teeth clenched with the effort of holding back until Memphis got there first.

  “Now,” she screamed just as her pussy clenched and squeezed me. Her walls convulsed around my cock, and my come burst from the end of my cock into Memphis.

  “Oh, fuck, yes,” I growled against her neck, my mouth open against her damp skin. I kept pushing into her, not wanting to stop the incredible feeling of my climax. Minutes passed as we panted uncontrollably, her hands on my bare arse holding me in place like she never wanted me out of her.

  “Memph, I’m too heavy.” I tried to pull out, but she brought her legs up and wrapped them around my waist.

  “No, please stay, Creed. Don’t leave me,” she pleaded, her voice holding an edge of panic.

  Did she really think I would? That I could even leave her?

  “Okay, Angel, okay.” I shushed her with a sweet kiss and stayed inside her. Even though my cock was still hard, I wouldn’t take her again tonight. There was plenty of time for us, I thought to myself and ignored the little voice in my head telling me I just did something I never thought I would do. I just cheated on Lila Rose with my wife—her sister.

  Chapter 15

  MEMPHIS

  “Memphis, if you want this book published, you have to come into the city. You need to sign the contracts for it, and I need to get the cover design started.” My publisher droned on in my ear as I only half listened to her. Two weeks ago, the day after Creed and I made love for the first time, I started a new book. I had woken up the next morning deliciously sore between my legs, and the best thing of all had been waking to Creed wrapped around me.

  I had half expected him to be gone, feeling guilty for making love to me. But he had stayed just like I begged him to. That day, after we dressed and had breakfast, he had given me the promised tour of the compound, every inch of it, in fact. Since then, we had grown closer, a different kind of closer than what we already had. It was more intimate, and he called me Angel more often than not, though I was still Memph to him, and I liked that. Creed was the only person to shorten my name. Darth had tried to once, and I kid you not, Creed growled at him. Darth had snorted and muttered something about at least he wouldn’t be getting timeouts with this one—whatever that meant.

  I met Darth a few days after my arrival at the Souls compound. He let me see him, and I had to admit—of course, silently to myself because my growly husband was standing beside me—Darth was amazingly handsome. He had a few small scars, not as long as the one on Creed’s cheek, plus Darth had a beard and a man bun. When I reached my hands around to feel Darth’s hair, Creed put a stop to it, picking me up and taking me back to our room where he then proceeded to drive me crazy with his mouth and cock until he was assured Darth was no longer in my mind. There was no contest. My husband was the only man I wanted, craved, but that man bun… maybe Creed could be persuaded.

  “Memphis, are you even listening to me?” Rogena yelled down the phone line.

  I wasn’t listening because musing about my husband and his amazing sexual prowess was much more interesting.

  “Rogena, I am not sure how I am going to publish this book yet,” I admitted.

  I had been thinking about looking into self-publishing. If things worked out the way I hoped, and Creed and I got pregnant, I didn’t want to be pressured with deadlines. I wanted to be a full-time mum, and being blind was going to bring an extra set of challenges with it. I wanted to be a mother more than anything, and I was both nervous and excited. It wasn’t going to be easy with my disability, but I was confident Creed and I would come up with ways of coping with the baby. That was going to need my full attention for a long time, and now that I had fulfilled my current contract with my publisher with the books I owed them, I wanted to take a break from the hectic pace they had set for me. The manuscript I had given Colleen to edit was just for that, editing. After that, I was unsure what my next step was going to be. I figured the first thing I had to do was tell Creed what I really did for a living. My bookstore was a dream I always had, but it didn’t exactly pay the bills. How I was going to tell Creed, I had no clue. I made the flock swear they wouldn’t let the cat out of the bag, and Charlotte promised, but I was concerned she would cave before I got around to it. The woman really was bad at holding anything in. She was the sweetest person I had ever met in my life and had a beautiful soul, but as a secret keeper, she was hopeless.

  “What do you mean you don’t know? You have to contract that book with us, Memphis. Colleen says it is your best yet.” Rogena huffed and puffed. I could hear papers shuffling and keys on a keyboard being frantically tapped. I knew she was contacting my editor. Colleen was a friend as well as my editor, and she wouldn’t tell or do anything without my say-so.

  “Rogena, I don’t have to do anything. You have the ten books I signed up with you. They are published and out there, making you and me money. I want to slow down a bit and forget about deadlines. I also want to have more freedom when it comes to my covers and releases. For now, the book stays with me. End of conversation. Now, I have a date with a tutu-wearing princess,” I said firmly, then ended the call, but not before hearing Rogena shouting at me something about me regretting my decision. I wouldn’t because I had enough money in my account to live off comfortably for a few years, at least. Plus, Creed made good money at the bike shop so we would be fine, of that, I was confident.

  I grabbed my cane from the bedside table and stood up. Today was my day with Shiloh, and she was planning on introducing me to her beloved Zeke. Creed had given me a bit of backstory on the show and tried to describe what Zeke looked like, but it hadn’t helped really. Tall and male wasn’t going to give me much of a visual.

  ———

  My stomach ached from laughing so much. Shiloh was the funniest and cutest child I could have ever possibly imagined. I made a mental note to add a character like her into a future book. Of course, I would have to tone down the language, although, according to Charlotte, she was getting much better.

  We were sitting on the couch in the main room watching season two of her favourite show. Her enthusiasm was nothing short of entertaining, which was just as well because she was talking so much I could hardly hear what was happening on the screen.

  “Zeke is a cool dude. He’s just like my daddy and Darf and Unca Steel and Unca Vinnie and Unca Manny and Unca Creed—oh, and Fordy,” she told me going through all the names of the most important people in her life.

  I giggled at the names she used for Booth and Mannix, but Ford’s nickname was a hoot.

  “You are very lucky to have so many uncles who love you, Shiloh.”

  “They couldn’t lib wifout me,” she replied, snorting out a laugh.

  Her overconfidence was hilarious but was also a tribute to the men who had banded together and lost their hearts to a motherless infant. From what Creed told me over the y
ears and what I experienced the last few weeks at the compound, the men’s devotion not only to Shiloh but also to their women was amazing. Intense was also a word that came to mind.

  The ladies, who were now my friends, had found a love that some only read about in romance novels, the kind of love I wrote about. The kind of love I wanted with Creed.

  Don’t get me wrong, things were good between us. We seemed to have stepped over that hurdle of me being his former sister-in-law, the blind sister of his first wife. The only hurdle we hadn’t stepped over was Creed still being in love with Lila. I would be lying if I said it didn’t hurt that he wouldn’t give me that part of him. He cared, liked, and was happy with me, but he didn’t love me.

  It was our second time making love when I realised mine wasn’t the only wedding band on his finger. He had me so lost in passion as he loved on my body that I almost missed it—almost. As his hand was going back to my pussy to coax another orgasm from me, I put my hand over his, not to stop him because that would have been just idiotic. Stop Creed Stephens from touching me? No way. It was then I felt a thicker band next to the one I gave him. I remember vividly going with my sister to buy that ring. I remember seeing it, holding it, and being excited for my sister that she was going to marry the man of her dreams. And it was still on his finger, sitting right alongside mine. I hadn’t let on at the time that I knew he still had it on, and he, being just as lost in his desire, didn’t notice my gasp. Shock, surprise, and so much hurt. He had no idea that I also knew he wept quietly after we made love. He made no sound, so no sobs gave him away, just the small shaking movements of his body as he laid facing away from me.

  And the barely audible whispered plea begging for forgiveness.

  It was true what they said about blind people, that their other senses got sharper. My hearing was acute so I could hear whispers close to me better than I used to be able to, and my husband’s whispers came through loud and clear. He believed he was cheating on Lila despite us being married.

  “Youse got the best dog, ya know that?” Shiloh said, breaking me from the nightmare I was reliving.

  “Pardon?” I asked perplexed.

  “Apollo, he is the duck’s guts,” she announced with awe in her voice.

  What on earth did she mean? My mind was still befuddled from where it had gone off to minutes ago.

  “He is the what?”

  “Cowgirl, is you okay?” Shiloh asked, suddenly sounding serious for a four-year-old.

  “Huh?”

  “Youse is crying, Memph. Is you sad that Zeke didn’t get the bad guy?”

  “No, honey. I’m just being silly.” I rushed to reassure the little girl and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

  “So is you sad about Aunty Vegas? Darf is sad. He sometimes cries when he finks no one is watching. I dos, too. She died, did you know that?”

  I was trying to think of something to say when I felt someone standing behind me.

  “Squirt, your mum is looking for you. Reckon you might be in trouble again.” I heard the deep baritone voice of Darth.

  Hastily, I wiped my face again, hoping to clear away any evidence that I was upset.

  Shiloh sighed loudly, and I felt her move from the couch. “What’s got her panties in a bunch now, Darf?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh as did Darth.

  “Not sure, kid, but she is on a rampage,” he answered.

  “Hell’s bells. Okey-dokey, big man. I’s will go and find out. See ya later, Angel lady.” I then heard the small thumping of Shiloh’s boots as they faded off towards the hallway leading to the suites, leaving me to laugh with Darth at the new nickname she had bestowed on me.

  “She is one of a kind,” I remarked, patting the cushion beside me as I invited Darth to take a seat and join me.

  “That she is. There isn’t another kid like her,” Darth said as he sat down next to me. There was so much love in his voice when he spoke of his little goddaughter.

  “And very much loved,” I added.

  “There isn’t anyone in this world I love more than her. Not anymore,” Darth said softly, sadly.

  I held my hand out and waited for him to take it. By now, all the people who lived at the compound knew my methods. That I held hands a lot, that I touched their faces to see their expressions. Darth placed his hand in mine, and I immediately laced my fingers with his.

  “I have experienced quite a bit of loss in my life, too much. I lost my parents twice, once when they left me, and again when they died. I lost my sight, and if that wasn’t enough, I also lost my sister, and because of that, I also lost Creed.” I paused for a second, waiting for the squeeze from Darth that told me he was listening, and to go on, which to me, was the same as a nod.

  “You will be sad for a long time to come, and at times, it will feel like you are drowning in grief. But Darth, it does get easier. The pain of your loss doesn’t go away; it just … fades to a dull ache.”

  “And what about the guilt, Memphis? Will that fade to a dull ache, too? I should have told her that she was the centre of my world, claimed her in front of my brothers, and married her.” The hitch in Darth’s voice brought the tears back.

  “Did you treat her like she was the centre of your world? Did she doubt your love for her?”

  “I think she knew,” he answered quietly.

  “Then take that and hold onto it with everything you have. Let the knowledge that Julie knew you loved her ease your guilt and help you get through every day until it gets easier.”

  “That is something Vegas would have said. She had a way about her. She made me feel better even if I was being a dick. I never believed in second chances, that if you missed out, then tough, but fuck, I would do anything for one right now.” Darth squeezed my hand one more time before he let it go. With emotion thickening his voice, he said gruffly, “Got a meeting in the war room. Gotta go.”

  I smiled sadly in his direction. “Okay, see you later. Oh, Darth, what exactly is the duck’s guts?”

  Darth laughed a deep, throaty laugh, which I found I liked the sound of.

  “It means the best. Fair warning, Shiloh picks up on everything that gets said around here. I believe she learnt that one from Ford. Oh, and, Memphis?”

  “Yes, Darth.”

  “Creed needs a second chance at living a real life. Give him time, sweetheart. She was a huge part of his life. Don’t let him fuck up, but more importantly, don’t give up on him. He will see it eventually.”

  “See what?” I asked, too shocked at what he had just told me to find the hidden message on my own.

  “That he loves you.”

  I sat silently on the couch with the sounds from the television in the background, and I prayed Darth was right. Not just that Creed loved me but that I had the strength to give him the time to figure it out.

  Chapter 16

  CREED

  Darth walked into the war room behind Booth with the look on his face that we had seen on him since Vegas died. He was stuck in a nightmare. I wished I could offer him some words of wisdom, tell him it was going to be okay, that he would get over it, but that would be a lie. At least, that was my experience. Five years and I was still not over it, but thanks to Memphis, the pain was getting easier to cope with. Her sunshine was breaking through my cold heart, and the beats were getting louder. Her cheerful and kind nature was pulling me out of the darkness that I forced myself to live in, but it was the love she showered on me that I wanted the most. Our nights together and making love in our bed was what I found myself craving the most. Never did I think I could make love to another woman again, but Memphis was different. Her touch comforted me, and turned me on, making me harder than granite. If I was at the shop painting a bike, and she entered my mind, I was hard. In the kitchen getting a coffee and I heard her laughing in the main room, I was hard. Always fucking hard.

  At least my dick was working. My heart was another matter. I cared deeply for Memphis, her safety was my obsession, and I loved to h
ear her laugh and being the one who made her laugh. Loving her? I wasn’t capable of that, couldn’t even think about being in love with another woman. My heart belonged to Lila Rose, my body to Memphis. Even as I said that to myself, it sounded horrible. Memphis was special to me, and that was enough, wasn’t it?

  Even my feelings for Mia hadn’t come close to how I felt about my angel. Being with Memphis, I now knew that Mia was just a friend, a good friend, one I didn’t want to be without. Mia tempted me, yes, and more than once, I’d thought about sleeping with her. Damn, I was glad I hadn’t. Memphis made me feel things I never had before, even with Lila Rose, who I had loved more than anything in the world. Darth would find a way to live his life again. He just had to find that one reason.

  Pushing aside the thoughts going through my head, I looked up and saw Jason, Deck’s brother, walk into the room with Steel. My VP had a thunderous expression on his face. What the hell is going on?

  “Pres, has something happened?” I asked and immediately wondered where Memphis was. The last I saw she was with Shiloh watching Tour of Duty. Safe.

  “Jason.” Booth waved his hand at the table in silent invitation for us to sit down.

  “Two hours ago, Callie Stone was arrested,” Jason announced, and the room was eerily quiet despite the fantastic news.

  Steel stood at the end of the table near Booth, his jaw clenched so tightly the veins in his neck looked like they were going to pop with the effort.

  “How did she get picked up?” Mannix asked, breaking the silence in the room.

  “She was picked up driving an unregistered car. When the officer saw she was being belligerent, he got suspicious. He did a full car search and found some disturbing things in the boot.”