Branding & Saving Lily Box Set: Books 1 & 2 (Jacob and Lily's Duet)

by Gracin Sawyer

  “Before we came to get you, Diesel told me that if something happened, if I was taken, then he would kill me before they could do anything to me. He said he refused to let me live through whatever they would do to me. I agreed. I don’t think I’d survive going through more than what Red did, and I saw what Knox did to my mom, I just couldn’t think about living through that, Jacob. I just can’t. So I agreed.” Lily gazed at Diesel and I understood there wasn’t anything happening between them. They both had a connection impressed upon them by a promise. It was hard not to feel relieved.

  “What happened?” I asked, much softer this time.

  “We were downstairs and one of Leman’s men grabbed me. The angle I was at and with the gun he had to my head, Diesel couldn’t do much. He didn’t want to, but wasn’t going to break his promise.” Lily sucked in a long breath, closing her eyes, probably seeing the event over in her mind.

  “I aimed my fucking gun at her, Jacob. I almost killed her. I wasn’t going to let those sons o’bitches have her.” He winced as he spoke as if poison laced his words.

  Lily opened her tear-filled eyes and sought my steady gaze. “But Carter came back down the stairs and saw what was happening. He shot the man holding me.”

  Holy shit. I couldn’t believe I was that close to losing Lily. Just down the stairs from where I was. Fuck. And Diesel, how much that would have killed him to do something like that. I could now see why he was so moody. Hell, he had every right to be. And now, Flapjack’s annoyance made sense. “You guys should have told me sooner.”

  “I know, boss. I’m sorry. Really. I just can’t stop replaying it in my mind. You know?” Diesel turned to leave, but gave Lily one more look. “I’ve replayed it a thousand times, and each time I am sure I would have done it.”

  “Diesel,” I growled, getting his attention. “I would have done the same. I’m truly thankful you would protect her even to the end.” I touched Lily’s face. “If it comes down to it, I’d rather kill you myself than let them have you. Diesel was right to give you that promise. I promised it too, remember?”

  Diesel nodded and opened the door, needing a moment. While I would do the same, I couldn’t imagine living with the fact that he’d actually raised his gun to her and nearly pulled the trigger. It would shake me to the very core too.

  “Well, I guess that explains the moody shit.” Bear reached for another biscuit. “Hell, she’s alive. That’s all that matters.”

  Fox stirred. “What are you guys doing up so early?”

  We all laughed. It seemed he was exactly what we needed. I wasn’t sure how he slept through all of that, but he was up now. “Get enough beauty sleep?”

  “Shut up,” quipped Fox, stretching as he stood. He snatched the blanket from the floor and placed it over a chair. “So, what’s the plans today? Are we headed back home?”

  “No,” I shook my head. “I won’t be hunted, and I sure as hell won’t let Lily be hunted, so it’s time to turn the tables. We’re going after Angel and Knox for sure.”

  Bear grunted with a nod. “Maybe I should go get Flapjack and Doc. They should be here for this.”

  It didn’t take long before they were back and sitting around the table. Everyone had their own opinion over where we should go or what we should do. But it came down to what I said.

  I went with what we knew. Knowing Knox was still here had me reluctant to leave too soon. He would be the first one to find. I was done with his bullshit and it was time he paid for everything he’d done to Lily.

  So far, there hadn’t been any real reason to believe Angel was even in Mexico, but I wasn’t letting my guard down. Maybe while we hunt Knox, we could find out more about Angel. Somebody was bound to know something, they always did. And in many cases, money talked. I wasn’t opposed to paying for information on any man threatening my woman. I wasn’t opposed to killing for that information either.

  With that settled, I stood to go grab mine and Lily’s bags to get ready. It was going to be a long day and we needed to get going.

  Outside was fresh but the heat that radiated held a heavy humid mix to it. Damn equator. I snatched both bags easily with one arm from the bed and started for the house.

  “Cardosa!” Garcia called from the gate.

  I groaned. I had hoped not to deal with him yet. It was inevitable and I might as well get it over with.

  “Cardosa, what the hell? I came all this way and you left me outside all night, only to ignore me now? What the fuck is going on?” Garcia’s withered brown eyes looked older today, tired and droopy. Lily definitely didn’t inherit her father’s eyes. Just one more thing to be grateful for.

  “You weren’t invited,” I pointed out, lowering the bags to the ground.

  Garcia’s eyes bulged. “I don’t give a fuck if I was invited or not, let me in to see my daughter.”

  I picked the bags back up and hefted them over my good shoulder. “We’ll be out soon. We’re getting ready to leave.”

  “Leave? What about that son of a bitch Angel? You have to find him first. I’ll take Lily back home with me while you stay and look for him.”

  I snapped. With everything going on just the thought of leaving Lily had me riled. I dropped the bags and reached through the gate grabbing Garcia by the collar. I yanked him close. “Fuck you. Lily’s safer with me. Where I go, she goes, and I sure as hell ain’t going with you.”

  Garcia stumbled, showing he still wasn’t up to his usual strength. “Watch it, Cardosa. You don’t know what you’re really getting into. Just because you’re fucking my daughter doesn’t mean she’s yours.”

  Garcia was lucky there was a gate between us. Still holding on to him, I rammed him into the iron as hard as I could. He tried to drop, but I wouldn’t let go. I kept him close, pulling him tightly against the gate and leaned in. “You don’t ever get to fucking talk about her again. She is mine. And I will send any man to hell who thinks otherwise. Including you.”

  Chapter 20

  Lily

  I wasn’t sure what happened outside with my dad, but Jacob barely let him follow us to town. I knew what Leman said, but it was still hard for me to understand. True, Garcia told everyone I was dead and had me kidnapped, but he didn’t want me dead. Did he? He was my father. I had to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  In the truck, I waited with Jacob and Carter for the others to come back hopefully with news about Knox or Angel. Knox had been making the rounds leaving breadcrumb trails for us to follow, but there was nothing on Angel. I knew that bothered Jacob, but I wasn’t worried. I knew he’d find him.

  My stomach growled, rumbling loudly between both men. For the first time in two days, Carter actually smiled at me before chuckling. He looked around me to Jacob. “It sounds like we need to feed this woman.”

  Jacob laughed. “I think you’re right.”

  “The others should be back any time. We can look for a place on the way to the hotel.” Carter leaned back in his seat and tapped on the steering wheel to a rhythm I couldn’t hear.

  “You remember that little corner place with the lady who wanted to marry you?” Jacob asked. His body shook with laughter.

  Carter groaned. “Ugh, how could I forget.”

  “Well, they had pretty amazing food. I think you should grab us dinner from there.” Jacob winked at me.

  Carter scowled. “You get your own damn dinner. I ain’t going anywhere near that woman. She damn near did everything but hog-tie me and hold me prisoner.”

  I decided to join in, a little playful teasing might help. “Carter, are you saying you’d let me starve?” I jokingly placed my hand over my chest and feigned being hurt.

  “Aw, hell, not you too! You guys are gonna be the death of me.” He opened the door and jumped out. “Fine. But if I come back dragging some woman at my ankles you better shoot me.” He flashed me a smile and I knew we were okay again.

  Jacob shifted so his back was against the door. His mouth lifted into a half-cocked smile as he watch
ed me.

  “What?” I could already feel the deep crimson blush warming my cheeks. He always had a way of doing that to me.

  “You are so beautiful,” he whispered, lifting his hand to my face. He slid his fingers to the back of my head and pulled me in.

  I braced myself with a hand on the headrest and scooted closer, unable to deny him. Our lips were so close I wasn’t sure a sheet of paper could fit between us. Gently, his mouth covered mine. My free hand found his chest and inched my way up to his neck and back down.

  His hand at the back of my head held me firmly from escaping. Not that I had any intentions of moving from that spot. His lips caressed mine urgently, pressing deeper. Between us, his hand in the sling rubbed my stomach releasing a new swarm of butterflies.

  It was like a natural instinct for me to get closer, climbing into his lap, straddling his legs while he turned to sit forward. His hand found its way down my back and grabbed my hip, pulling me down harder with a slight groan dripping off his tongue. I could feel his shaft growing under me, pulsating tight in his jeans. My lips crashed back down on his and I pressed myself harder against him.

  The driver’s side door opened completely breaking the spell over the moment. “Ah, hell, you two need a room.” Carter jumped in the seat and set a bag of food down next to him.

  I leaned forward and tried to hide in the crook of Jacob’s neck.

  Jacob laughed but a hint of the husky rumble still lingered. “Flapjack, you sure are a kill joy.”

  “Well, I was the only one with enough guts to interrupt.” Carter turned the key, revving the engine to life.

  “What do you mean?” I asked lifting my head to peer outside.

  Diesel, Doc, Jax, Fox and Bear were all there, waiting with shit eating grins plastered on their faces. I was mortified. I slunk back into my seat and leaned over to bury my face in Jacob’s chest, careful of his shoulder.

  Doors opened and I could hear Doc, Jax, and Fox getting in. That must mean Bear and Diesel were in the back of the bed. I couldn’t look at them. The heat in my cheeks burned and I was sure I was a brighter shade of red than a cherry.

  Jax laughed and patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We weren’t watching.”

  Like that made me feel better. If anything, that made it worse. They knew what we were doing and just stood guard so we could make out like teenagers.

  “How about we get to the hotel,” Carter teased. He paused. “You know, so we can eat dinner and sleep.”

  Shit. It really was like having a bunch of brothers. I was never going to live this down.

  The hotel wasn’t as fancy as the other one, but it wasn’t a dump either. Whatever Carter got us for dinner teased me more than the guys did about Jacob and I kissing. My stomach rumbled again. It smelled amazing.

  Like last time, Carter went in and checked us in, coming back with room keys for everyone. Three rooms. Jacob and I had our own. Jax, Diesel, and Fox had one, and Doc, Bear, and Carter had the other. We opted to all eat dinner together before separating for the night.

  Jacob had let Garcia know where we were, saying it was better to keep an eye on him than to have him out there doing shit we didn’t know about. A keep your enemies closer thing. He would be there soon, checking into a room next to ours.

  Dinner wasn’t as good as Maria’s cooking, but it was pretty close. I devoured every bite.

  “Rabbit?” Carter got up and walked to the door. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  I looked at Jacob. He shrugged, clearly just as curious as I was. Out in the hall, Carter made sure we were alone.

  “I want to say I’m sorry. I was being an ass to you and it wasn’t fair. I just couldn’t fathom the thought of you dead. You’ve really become like a sister to me and I just couldn’t understand. But I do now.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. “You don’t have to be sorry. Thank you for saving me.”

  He pulled back. “Well, it’s not like I was gonna let you out of our little bet that easy.”

  “Ha ha. You just wait.”

  He opened the door and gestured for me to go before him. “I’ll see ya tomorrow, Rabbit.” He chuckled. “At least try to get some sleep.”

  “Hey!” I twisted to smack him, but he was already darting away.

  “Goodnight, Rabbit,” he sang as his door closed.

  Jacob came up behind me and placed a hand at my waist. “Everything okay?”

  I smirked. “Yeah.” Damn brothers. Deep inside I was happier than I’d ever been, even with them teasing me.

  Everyone else decided it was also their time to go, one by one they slipped out the door. Jacob locked the door and leaned back on it. “I didn’t think I’d ever get you alone.”

  And just like that, my body responded with building desire, wanting him to touch me. He must have understood my silent plea because one second he was at the door and the next his hand was in my hair pulling me to him.

  He was slow and gentle, pressing his forehead against mine. Time stilled around us, my heart slowed, beating only for him. His fingers trailed from my hair, grazing the side of my face down to my mouth where he traced my lips. The feather light touch ignited a fire across my skin, tingling in a pleasurable pain, a new ache begging to be quenched.

  “Jacob.” Just saying his name kindled the flame.

  His hand left my lips making a path down my neck. The tips of his fingers circled the hollow of my throat before dipping lower, drawing his hand through the valley between my breasts. Even with a shirt on, I could feel the blazing trail his fingers left along my skin.

  Grasping the hem of my shirt, he pulled it up. My arms raised like an obedient student. The thin material no longer between us, I pressed myself closer, hating that his shirt was now the only thing keeping me from feeling his skin against mine. I slid my hands up and began slowly unbuttoning each button, wanting to create a burn in him like he’d done to me.

  Careful of his shoulder, I peeled the shirt off revealing the most beautiful chest. No other man in this world could compete with him. And he was mine. Jacob Cardosa was mine. The slow burn moved lower, burrowing between my legs. Already I was wet, soaking my clothes.

  Jacob found my hand and began walking away, pulling me with him. He stood at the foot of the bed. I stared into his eyes, getting drunk off their whiskey coloring growing darker with desire. My fingers worked smoothly, unbuttoning his jeans and began to lower them, until I was on my knees before him. He stepped out and I tossed the jeans away, reaching for the last part of clothing keeping me from seeing all of him.

  “Lily,” he groaned, touching my hand at the waistband, but didn’t stop me as I slowly pulled them off. His shaft bound free and stood tall and erect. Nothing could compare to this man who stood before me. He was everything to me.

  Softly, I trailed kisses across his thighs as I made my way up. I wanted to touch him, kiss him, take him in any way I could. Under my lips, his shaft pulsed. I caressed every inch of him, loving how velvety he felt and knowing I was the reason a low moan escaped his lips.

  My tongue licked the tip as I found my way along his length. Just the taste of him about sent me over the edge. I groaned in pleasurable excitement as I tasted him again and couldn’t resist the urge to take him in my mouth. This was different than last time. Last time I did this he was teaching me, this time, I was letting my desire lead me. After everything we’d been through, this was more than just taking back what was ours.

  Jacob leaned his head back and growled, “Lily.” His hand found my head and gripped his fingers in my hair. His hips pushed forward giving me better access to his full length.

  I took him in my mouth, every inch I could fit, but I wanted more. I needed more. I wanted to consume him, to be a part of him and let him inside of me, melding into one.

  “Honey, wait.” His eyes glossed over as he looked down at me. “I want more of you.” He flipped the sling off and let it drop to the floor before pulling me to stand.

>   I touched his bandaged shoulder gently and felt tears well in my eyes. He tipped my chin up. “Don’t cry.”

  “I came so close to losing you,” I breathed.

  His mouth crashed down on mine, claiming me heart and soul. “You’ll never lose me,” he purred between breaths. His hand inched its way up to my bra, unclasping the hooks allowing the lacey material to slip off my shoulders. “I’m gonna need help with your pants,” he drawled in a husky whisper.

  Stepping back, I watched him watching me as I slowly unbuttoned my jeans and tugged them over my hips then stepped out of them. The way he looked at me made me feel so beautiful.

  I took a step toward him, but he held his arm out, stopping me. “You’re not finished.” His chest rose and fell raggedly as he eyed the matching red pair of panties I still wore.

  Heat filled my stomach as I slipped my fingers under the thin strap at my hip and pushed them down, letting them fall around my ankles.

  “You’re killing me.” His deep voice rumbled through to my soul. “You’re so beautiful.” He went to his bag and pulled out a box of condoms.

  I chewed on my lip and watched. My eyes couldn’t tear themselves away as I watched him expertly slide the thin barrier over his fully erect length. Watching him handle himself had me close to coming.

  Stepping to him like a magnet, he wasted no time claiming my mouth once again. He twirled me around to the bed before finding his way to the mattress. “Come here,” he said lying back on the pillow. “You’re gonna have to be on top.”

  I hesitated, not sure I could do what was needed. I wasn’t experienced enough to give him what he gave me.

  “Lily, I need you.” He held his hand out for me. “Trust me.”

  My body reacted without a further thought and went to him, crawling onto the bed. My heart sped up at what was about to happen.

  He reached up and held the back of my head, pulling me down to him. His breath quickened. “Straddle me. Ride me like a horse.”

  I blushed thinking back to the last time we were on a horse. I slipped a leg on each side of him and felt his manhood throb between my legs. Just having him that close made me wetter.