Witness Protection

by Stacey Espino

  “Don’t say that, Cayden. It wasn’t your fault. You know that, don’t you?”

  “Doesn’t change the past. Doesn’t make me whole.”

  She cupped his cheek, finally understanding all his broken pieces. Sophia’s love only blossomed. He deserved a happily ever after. “My feelings haven’t changed. You’re still the same man I fell in love with. Strong, kind, and perfectly imperfect. I’m glad you told me.”

  “How can it not bother you?”

  “Cayden, I only care that you’re still hanging onto all this pain.” Everything made sense. She knew he’d been keeping something bottled up, something that really messed with his head. He trusted her enough to tell her, and she hoped it would help him heal.

  “I never told anyone before. Still not sure I did the right thing telling you.”

  She interlocked her fingers with his. “Thank you for telling me. I don’t want anything coming between us,” she said. “And nothing from your past will change my feelings for you.”

  “I wanted you to see the sunrise,” he whispered.

  “It was perfect.”

  He blurted the next words. “I’ll give what you want a chance.”

  “Oh God,” she murmured, her relief instantaneous. “Thank you.” She tried to kiss him, but he held her at arm’s length.

  “I was worried I’d fuck things up because of the shit I’ve lived through. But I could never hurt you. Never.” He held the sides of her head and massaged her temples with his thumbs. His features were set hard. “But it has to be equal. I’m tired of being second best. Do you love him more than me, Sophia?”

  She shook her head emphatically. “If I did, I would have chosen him. Please never think my love is diluted because of Hawk. It’s just different with all of us.” Sophia closed her eyes and took a deep breath before focusing on him again. “I told you I’m fucked up.”

  He tugged her against him, his mouth coming down on hers, kissing with hunger and a claim so strong her knees became weak. She wrapped her arms around his neck, unable to get enough of him. It had been like pulling teeth to get his attention back at the cabin. This was real. Perfect.

  “I need you,” she said. “I want to be yours.”

  He licked his lips, and she saw the need glazed over in his eyes. “Remember the trailer? I still remember the taste of your pussy. Sweet as fucking honey.”

  “Cayden. Oh, please…” She unzipped his leather jacket, running her fingertip along the single gun holster he had over one shoulder. Everything about him turned her on, made her desperate and wanton.

  He leaned close, his words a gentle brush against her ear. “Are you wet for me?”

  Sophia’s words caught in her throat. She wrapped her hand around his belt and tugged his hips toward her.

  “You’re not a virgin anymore, are you, baby doll?”

  Her cheeks flushed.

  “That’s okay. For now.”

  “Cayden, I want you. Take me and never let me go.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  There was nothing Cayden wanted more, but he wasn’t going to fuck Sophia in the nasty shack by the river. That place had its own set of twisted memories attached to it. He wanted to enjoy her in a proper bed. With his cock rock hard, his mind scrambled for options.

  His neighborhood was close by. He’d take her to his apartment. Claim her in his own bed.

  Then they’d return to the hotel, and he’d have equal ground with Hawk. Right now, Sophia belonged to the other man. Once Cayden had his way with her, she’d belong to him, too.

  His secret was out in the open, and she hadn’t run the other way. There was no reason for him to push here away any longer.

  The morning had already brought the city to life, but there on their way to the seedier end where Cayden grew up. He’d wanted Sophia to see a sunrise through his eyes, to have some time alone to express how this arrangement was screwing with his head. Part of him wanted to stab Hawk straight through the heart. Another part was curious, willing, and ready to commit.

  The engine settled as he eased up on the throttle, parking his motorcycle in front of his shithole apartment. Maybe she’d think twice about him after seeing how he lived on a daily basis.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  Cayden kept his guard up as they walked to the stairs to his basement apartment. He was on edge just being here again. It was different with Hawk there because they had the power of numbers and the burning desire to rescue Sophia.

  “What is this place?”

  “It’s my apartment,” he said as they descended the concrete staircase. “Or it was. Can’t exactly live here anymore after Hawk put me on the radar for every asshole in the city.”

  “Should we be here?”

  He turned to look at her. “Don’t think I can protect you?”

  She shrugged. “Just saying.”

  Cayden unlocked the door, then pressed a hand to her stomach, pushing her back. “Wait here a sec.”

  He pulled out his Glock and did a full sweep of the small apartment. It looked ransacked, but that was how they left it. Cayden ushered Sophia inside and secured the door.

  “Home sweet home,” he said, raising his arms to the sides before realizing he was still holding his gun. He holstered his weapon. “What do you think?”

  “I think you need to hire a housekeeper … and a handyman.” She pointed to the numerous spots with drywall damage.

  “I don’t like people in my space.”

  “What about me? I’m here.”

  He clenched his teeth as he watched her wander around, her little fingers touching everything in reach. She roused the beast in him with just her smile or the sound of her voice.

  “You’re different. I plan to keep you.”

  “Yeah?” She ran her hands up his chest, hooking her fingers behind his neck. He leaned down and kissed her on the mouth. They kissed, and the world went away.

  He backed her up to the nearest wall and raised her arms above her head. Her pulse raced as he pinned her wrists high. “Stay like that. Just like that.” Cayden lifted her shirt. She’d gotten ready in a rush, so she wore no bra beneath. Her tits were perfect, her nipples tight little buds. “I remember these.”

  “It’s not a game anymore,” she said.

  He covered her nipple with his mouth. She mewled, dropping her arms, and combing her fingers into his hair. He suckled the other tit, thoroughly enjoying her sweet, young body.

  “Only twenty-five. I’m a bastard for what I’m about to do.”

  Cayden tugged her shirt off all the way and scooped her up into his arms to carry her to his bedroom. He tilted her to the side as he went through the doorway threshold, like newlyweds on their honeymoon. His bed was unmade.

  He settled her down on the mattress and immediately tugged off her pants. She crawled backwards to the center of the bed.

  “Scared?”

  “I trust you,” she said.

  “You shouldn’t.”

  She leaned back on her elbows, her eyes roving over his body.

  Sophia was right.

  There was no fear in her eyes.

  He liked that.

  She only wore a little pair of white bikini panties, nothing else. If he thought he wanted to fuck her back at the trailer, that need was nothing compared to right now. This was going to happen. His whole world was about to change, but for the better he wasn’t so sure.

  He shrugged off his leather jacket and holster, resting them on the dresser. After tugging off his shirt, he bunched it up and held it in his fist as he crawled onto the bed.

  “Are you the big bad wolf again?” She smiled at him, and he knew there was no turning back. She’d stolen his fucking heart.

  “Do you like wolves?”

  Sophia nodded. She parted her legs, her chest rising and falling in heavy waves.

  He pushed her knees open wider and mounted her, his jeans rubbing against her little panties. She arched up against him, her eyes closed.

&n
bsp; Cayden nipped her jawline, kissing all the way around her ear and neck as he worked his hips to rub her clit.

  “That feels so good,” she murmured. Her hands were all over his shoulders and back, her nails gently scraping his skin.

  “I don’t know what it is about you. You’re everything I usually avoid, but I can’t stay away.”

  “Good. I never want you to leave me again.” She held him tighter. “I’m tired of this life. The death. The blood.”

  He wanted to be here everything, her knight in shining armor. “I’ll keep you safe.”

  “I just want to be loved. To fly away. To forget everything.” She cupped his cheek. “I miss painting.”

  He felt tears prick his eyes. Cayden never cried. He didn’t recognize himself. All he cared about was making this girl’s dreams come true.

  Cayden kissed down the center of her chest, shifting lower down her body. “You’ll paint again.”

  He planted kissed all the way down to her panties, giving her pussy one kiss before standing up at the end of the bed. She watched his every move. He unfastened his belt and stepped out of his jeans. Cayden palmed his erection over his boxers. She appeared fascinated.

  “I know you’ve seen at least one of these before,” he said.

  “Not yours.”

  He tilted his head. “Take off your panties. Let me see if I can fit in your little pussy.” She wiggled out of her undies and set them aside, keeping her knees closed. “Don’t tell me you’re shy now, princess. I’ve already had my head between those legs. Or have you forgotten?”

  “I remember.”

  “Then show me. Drop your knees.” She did as told. So obedient. He couldn’t help but growl deep in his chest. Everything was coming back. “Spread your folds for me. I want to see it all.”

  She used one hand to open her pussy lips, all pink and glistening.

  He removed his boxers, his cock springing free. She watched in rapt fascination as he climbed back on the bed. Cayden licked his finger and pressed it into her hot little cunt, nice and slow. He pulled out and reinserted two fingers, fucking her until she gasped for air.

  She reached for him. “I don’t want your fingers.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Your cock.”

  He smirked. “Such a filthy mouth for such a pretty girl.”

  Cayden settled between her legs again, this time nothing to separate them. He kissed her on the mouth. It wasn’t just the desperate need blazing inside him, but pure, unadulterated love. He wanted to consume her, own her, never let her go.

  He didn’t deserve her.

  But he’d take her anyway.

  He’d wrestled with his conscience and concluded that no man was good enough for her. All Cayden knew was he’d spend the rest of life trying to be what she needed.

  Her kisses made him ache. They squirmed amongst the blankets, kissing, necking, devouring. He didn’t hold back this time. Things felt different now.

  “Cayden, please. You’re killing me.”

  He poised himself, reaching for his cock. As he ran the firm head up and down her wet slit, she writhed, mewling with need. The sound turned him on. Everything about Sophia drove him nuts.

  “Tell me to stop if I hurt you.” He pressed in an inch, then another. She gasped, her body stiffening. “You okay?”

  “I never said to stop.”

  He continued to fill her with his dick, the tightness of her pussy making it nearly impossible to behave. Skin to skin. Sophia naked in his arms. It was fucking heaven.

  He began to piston his hips, pumping in and out, building up a faster rhythm. Cayden could go on all night long. It seemed like forever since he’d messed with a woman.

  Sophia wasn’t a whore. She was a fucking angel.

  The bed began to shake, the cheap frame clapping the wall each time he filled her with cock. She held onto him, her legs wrapped around his waist. Her sounds grew louder, echoing in the quiet apartment. She was tight and sweet and perfect.

  “You like it, baby?”

  She nodded, too breathless to speak.

  “Tell me what you want.”

  “Harder,” she chanted. “Faster.”

  He delivered, no holding back. Hawk had already deflowered the Morenov princess, so he didn’t have to go slow and gentle. He could savor her, enjoy her tight little cunt squeezing the shit out of his dick. She was slick and receptive, her body arching up for more.

  His thoughts briefly flitted to the future—when he’d be sharing Sophia with Hawk. He was surprised the idea didn’t repulse him like it should.

  ****

  Sophia felt complete. Cayden’s big dick was deep inside her, claiming her, joining them together. They were bonded now, body and soul. She’d never thought this day would come after he dropped her off at the hotel. She’d never felt so alone and desperate that day.

  Cayden had unwavering control, and she never expected he’d break and give her what she wanted. Give them a chance.

  “You’re mine now,” she said.

  “You do always get what you want, don’t you?” He kissed her temple, then shelled the rim of her ear with his tongue.

  “Today. Yes.” She squeezed her pelvic muscles, making him groan. The deep, masculine sound made her wetter. “Promise me something, Cayden.”

  “What is it?”

  “Promise you’ll never leave me again. You won’t get pissed off and disappear.”

  She wanted him to stop running, stop being the victim for the rest of his life. He was a grown man, strong, and had so much life ahead of him. There was more to him than his fucked-up past.

  “I’ll try.”

  Sophia shook her head. “Not good enough. Not if you love me.”

  “Such a bossy little thing.” He began to fuck her harder, his thick cock stretching her in the most delicious way. She could feel her orgasm building, but she wanted to enjoy him for as long as possible. His body was hard muscle, scars, and ink. Beauty and pain intertwined. She never wanted to stop touching him. Exploring him. Unraveling all his secrets.

  There was nothing that could shock her, not when her own thoughts could get so dark they suffocated the air right out of her.

  He pulled out when she was so close to orgasm. Before she could complain, he flipped her body over, tugging her hips up into the air. Within seconds, a strong hand pressed her back down and his cock filled her up again. The new angle brought more sensations to life. She gripped the sheets in both hands, stabilizing herself as he rammed her from behind.

  He was a machine.

  All man.

  Cayden fucked her, slamming in and out of her pussy, the sounds of sex filling the small room.

  “Come for me, Sophia.” A moist thumb circled her asshole, making her choke on her own cry. It felt so damn dirty and impossibly good. He impaled her with this thumb, still thrusting his cock in her pussy. “And next time I’ll be taking you right here, filling your cute virgin ass with my dick. This will be all mine.”

  Just thinking of him taking her ass, Hawk and Cayden double fucking her, sent her hurtling over the edge. Her orgasm detonated in her womb, making her see stars. The pleasure rippled out to all her extremities, making her feel like she was floating, flying. Cayden had taken her there.

  He growled and pumped his hips a few more times, then crashed down on the bed next to her. She collapsed to her stomach, still trying to catch her breath. Her body was pleasantly sated, the afterglow of sex still surrounding her, warm and comforting. After so many days trying to win him over, craving him like a forbidden toy—he’d finally given her what she wanted.

  Sophia rolled to her side, running her hand over his hard chest. Even now, she wanted him again. She licked the moisture off his shoulder, cuddling up closer.

  “It feels different when you love someone,” Cayden said. He stroked her hair absently, staring up at the ceiling. She studied his features—his strong jaw, thick lashes, and the scar on his cheek from that day she kept trying t
o forget.

  “Love?”

  He smirked, and she noticed a dimple she hadn’t seen before.

  “You’re thirty-five. Have you ever thought about settling down, having kids?” she asked.

  Now his brow furrowed. “I can’t have kids.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You need good role models to be a good father. I guarantee I never had one of those,” he said. “I’ll gladly break the cycle. It’s not worth the risk.”

  “What about Frank? You respected him, looked up to him. Why can’t he be your role model? The others don’t count. They don’t deserve to be in your head.”

  “It’s hard enough worrying about one day at a time. I shouldn’t be talking about bringing another life into the world. Especially our world. Did you have a happy childhood?”

  She shrugged. Sophia had some beautiful memories, but most of them came from painting or her imaginary escapes. “You’re a better man than my father was.”

  He kissed her on top the head, not saying anything more.

  A police car passed in the distance, the siren making her bristle for a moment. Cayden was right. Being raised in a crime family was dysfunction at its finest. But they could do things differently. Love harder. Learn from their parents’ mistakes.

  “Hawk will be worried,” she said.

  He groaned. “You’re thinking of him right now?”

  “If he brought me here, I’d be thinking of you, too.”

  Cayden pushed up on an elbow. “I told you we wouldn’t be gone long. I wanted to show you the sunrise, but I’d say it turned out much better than expected, no?”

  She smiled and he gave her a kiss on the lips. “It’s been a perfect day. For the first time in a long time, I can breathe.”

  “Hopefully it’s the start of a new trend. It’s time to start living,” Cayden said.

  “I agree.”

  They got cleaned up and dressed. She puttered around the small apartment, looking for more clues into Cayden’s life. There were no photos, trophies, trinkets. His life had been so empty, and she wanted to change all that.