18
“No.”
West paced up and down. She stood and watched him, aware of Alec, Butch, and Jake watching them. One of Jake’s deputies was guarding Snake. They’d driven up on ATVs rather than riding. One of the ATVs was a two-seater so they could transport Snake back easier.
“West, just listen to me—”
“It’s not happening,” he growled.
“West, if you would just hear—”
“No. Nope.”
She looked over at Alec for support. He just shrugged.
“Whatever you decide, it needs to be now,” Jake said. “I got deputies headed to the place where he’s holed up. Not gonna take a chance on him running.”
“I just want to be there when he’s arrested.”
“I don’t want you near him.”
“You’ll keep me safe.”
He grunted.
“You, Alec, and Butch will be there. So will Jake and his deputies. I’ll be safe. I just need to know for sure he’s been caught.”
Before, she might have been conflicted over sending Spencer to jail. But not now. Not after Beau had been shot. Not after Snake had held a gun to her man’s head.
“You’re never going anywhere near that fucker again.”
“West. Please.”
He let out a low, growly noise. He stopped and studied her. Then he sighed, and she knew she’d won. “All right. You can come, but you’re to get nowhere close to that fucker. You’re with me the entire time. Understand? You do not move without my permission.”
“I understand.”
“Let’s go,” Jake said. “Duncan, you take Snake back and book him. Meet you at the station with O’Malley.”
She rode behind him on the ATV Snake had used to get to the cabin. The ride to where Spencer was waiting didn’t take long. Snake had told them he’d been holed up in a hunting cabin set on Spencer’s land. Honest to God, did every ranch have one? She wasn’t sure why he hadn’t just waited at the house. Maybe he was worried the Malones or Jake’s deputies were watching the house.
West pulled up out of sight of the cabin. “Gonna walk up from here so he doesn’t hear the bikes. You keep ahold of me at all times, understand?”
“Yes,” she whispered. It wasn’t like she was keen on wandering around in the dark on her own. She grasped hold of the back of his jeans as he made his way through the trees. It was growing lighter; dawn wouldn’t be far away. When they got closer they saw a shack that looked similar to the one she’d been holed up in with West. This one had an old trail running up to it, so it could be reached by a vehicle, and she saw her brother’s specially modified vehicle sitting there.
She swallowed heavily as she saw dark shadows move towards the cabin. One deputy moved to the car, one went around the back. Jake and another took the front.
Someone moved beside them and she jumped, letting out a soft gasp.
“Easy, baby girl.” West reached over and squeezed her arm gently. “It’s just Alec and Butch.”
“Police, open up.” Jake knocked on the door. To her surprise, the door opened almost immediately.
She strained to hear what was being said. Then Jake moved to the side and she saw her brother, sitting in his chair. She couldn’t see his expression, but she bet he was glaring.
“You will not arrest me!” he suddenly roared, making her flinch. “Do you know who I am? I’ll have your badge for this.”
Jake seemed to be trying to cuff him, but he resisted. She bit her lip; she knew how strong he was. Had felt those fists against her body, leaving bruises that were more than skin-deep.
“Where’s my sister? Where is that stupid slut?”
She closed her eyes, and West gathered her against him, holding her tightly.
“We need to go now before I lose my shit,” West said.
She nodded. Obviously, Spencer had been drinking. This had been a stupid idea. What had she been thinking?
“Is she here? Felicity? Felicity? Where the fuck is she?”
A police SUV pulled up out front of the cabin.
“Where is she? This is all her fault! All her fucking fault! It’s her fault I’m like this. Always your fucking fault, Felicity! You deserve everything you got and more! You ruined my life, you fucking little bitch! And you moaned about a few slaps. I’m this way because of you!”
She couldn’t leave. She couldn’t take it anymore. She broke away from West and ran out into the small clearing. She could feel West behind her, an infuriated behemoth, and she knew she was in so much trouble for this, but she was done being Spence’s punching bag.
No. More.
“There you are, and you’ve got your protector with you,” he mocked. “He know you open your legs to anyone who promises to help you? Does he know that, huh?”
“You want to shut up now, fucker, before I decide to ignore that there are cops here,” West growled.
“West, stop,” she said quietly. She looked up at him, pleading with him to let her have this. To her relief, he gave a small nod.
“You’re not this way because of me, Spencer,” she said in a calm voice.
“I was out there that night because of you! Searching for you! It’s your fault I’m a fucking cripple.”
“And for years I believed that,” she told him. “I blamed myself for what happened to you. That’s why I stayed. Why I put up with you.”
“Put up with me?” he roared. “You should fucking thank me. I took care of you. Our own parents didn’t fucking want to be around you, they took off halfway around the world to get away from you, and I fucking looked after you and this is the fucking thanks I get. You betray me?”
“I didn’t betray you! You beat me! For years. You blamed me for what was an accident. You probably blamed me for our parents’ deaths, but they didn’t leave because of me. I didn’t cause you to become a paraplegic. And, even if I had, you still had no right to beat me. You had no right to ridicule and shame me. And you definitely had no right to shoot Beau and send Snake to kidnap me. Was he supposed to kill West too?”
“He was supposed to do whatever he needed to in order to bring my property back to me,” he told her darkly.
Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs, she was trembling so hard she wasn’t sure how her legs were still supporting her. West reached around and pulled her back against him.
“I’m not your property. I remember the man you used to be, Spencer. Before bitterness and alcohol took over. That’s the man I choose to remember.”
“How nice for you,” he mocked. “But don’t think you’ve seen the last of me, bitch. I’ve got a lot of money; my lawyers will tie this up for years. No way I’m going down. I’ll be back, and you’re gonna pay for this.”
“Jake,” West said in a low voice.
“Get him out of here,” Jake ordered his deputies. He strode over to Flick. “He’s not getting away with this, Flick,” he reassured her.
She wished she could believe him. But he didn’t know Spencer like she did.
West had obviously had enough, because without a word, he lifted her into his arms and strode over to the ATV. “Can you hold onto me, baby girl? Just for a bit, until we get home.”
Chilled and shaken, she nodded. She didn’t remember the ride home. Or much about when they got there. Some hushed voices asked if she was all right, West carried her upstairs to her room, being so gentle as he undressed her and put her to bed, wrapped in one of his large T-shirts.
Now she was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“Sunshine, say something. Baby girl, you’re scaring me.”
He would never leave her alone. He was always going to try and hurt her. Punish her.
She took in a shuddering breath as tears leaked down her cheeks.
“Oh, baby girl.” West sat and pulled her up into his lap. “He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“He was looking for me that night. The night of the accident. I’d gotten mad about something. Something stupid. I ran
off. Got on my horse and rode away. He knew a storm was coming, he came after me. It was my fault.”
“It is not your fucking fault,” he said fiercely. “You didn’t cause that horse to shy. You didn’t cause him to fall off. It was a fucking accident. And he had no right to take it out on you. Blame you. Hurt you. That shit is whacked.”
She stared up at him. “You don’t think less of me?”
“You want a spanking right now?” he growled.
“Um, no.”
“Then stop saying fucked-up shit like that. Got me? I would never think less of you. Of him, yeah. Bastard was supposed to look after you. That’s what he was doing that night. But he failed to do it every night after. None of this is your fault.”
She buried her face in his chest. “He’s going to fight this. He has the money to win. He’s never going to leave me alone.”
“Sh,” he told her. “Everything will be all right. I promise. I’m not going to let him fuck with you anymore. Sh, baby. Come on. Calm down. Everything’s all right.” He took hold of her chin, tilting her face. “Trust me.”
“I do,” she told him.
“Then repeat after me. Everything will be all right.”
“Everything will be all right.”
“He can’t hurt me anymore,” he stated.
“He can’t hurt me anymore.”
“West is a god, in bed and out, and I am going to obey his every order without argument from now on.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your ego is out of control.”
He smiled.
She stared into his hazel eyes. “Did you really send some friends around to hurt Brian?”
“Baby girl, there’s a part of that question that should clue you into the answer.”
She frowned in confusion.
“I don’t have any friends.”
“Oh.” Relief filled her.
“I did send Butch to find him, though. Figured if he had a good life, Butch might teach him a lesson. Turns out the fucker is living in some shitty old camper in a RV park. Some bitch took him to the cleaners. He’s got nothing and no one. His life is a fucking misery.”
She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. But then you reaped what you sowed, and he’d played her. Hurt her. She guessed karma was a bitch.
“I would have sent him to look into those corrupt cops as well, but Jake said he’d take care of them. But if he doesn’t hurry up, I’ll be paying them a visit. Nothing and no one hurts you, sunshine. Ever. I don’t care who it is or what happens. You’re mine. Nobody touches what’s mine. And, soon, you’re gonna be a Malone and nobody messes with the Malones.”
“Soon I’m going to be a Malone? Are you saying that you want to . . .”
“Nope.”
“Oh.” What was he saying then?
“I’m saying that I’m going to marry you. Soon as I fucking can.”
“West Malone, you cannot just tell me that I’m going to marry you.”
“Already did. You gonna say no?” he asked.
“I can’t say no since you didn’t ask!”
“Exactly.” He grinned and she burst into laughter.
He was hopeless.
Epilogue
“Chest to the bed, I want that bare ass in the air.”
Anticipation bit through her. It had been a very long three weeks since Spencer had been arrested. And this was the first time she and West had had any time alone together. At least in a place where West’s brothers couldn’t see or hear them.
West had promised her punishment. First for disobeying him that night when Snake had found them, second for trying to exchange herself for him, and, third, for stepping out from the shadows when Spencer had been arrested when she’d promised to stick close to him.
The spanking she had coming to her was going to be a doozy, and West had wanted them alone when he delivered it. First chance he’d gotten, he’d brought her back to the cabin.
Spencer had broken the conditions of his bail, so not only had he forfeited his bond, but he’d had his bail revoked and had been sent to county jail. He’d been there about a week when he’d been had a heart attack and died. It had been a shock. She’d always expected to have the threat of him hanging over her.
And now he was gone. It had hit her far harder than she’d expected. Despite the abuse she’d suffered at his hands, she could still remember the good times they’d had. Sometimes she felt guilty about the fact that he’d died on his own, in prison.
But gradually the storm that Spencer’s passing had created in her had started to pass. West had held steady through all of it. Holding her when she needed it, listening to her when she’d ranted. She’d talked to him about the good old days, those were the memories she wanted to keep.
She glanced down at her hand as she got into position. The diamond on her finger glinted back at her. West had surprised her by going shopping and buying it himself. And he’d gone big. It was definitely a ring that made a statement.
Mine. Back off.
She didn’t mind, though. She loved being his.
He ran his hand down her bare ass. Over these past few weeks, her shoulder had healed, and her arm was out of the sling. It would never be fully right, but she could live with that.
West cupped her ass and squeezed it. “You with me, baby?”
“Yes,” she sighed. She wiggled her ass. “I’m ready.”
“This ain’t gonna be easy on you. You put yourself in danger. That’s something I’m never going to go lightly on you about.”
She shivered. She knew he’d brought a strap with him. He’d shown it to her as he’d packed it, building her anticipation. She was nervous but also turned on as hell.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“I know you are. But I’m going to make sure you learn this lesson. Next time, there won’t be such a long space between you earning a punishment and getting it.”
West smacked his hand down on her ass. “If we’d had our own space, I would have spanked you that same night.”
He wouldn’t have. She’d been a mess the night Spencer was arrested.
Smack, smack.
Her ass started to burn. It grew deeper as he kept spanking her.
“Which is why I’m gonna build us our own place.”
“We’re leaving the ranch?” She half-turned to look at him.
“Back in place,” he growled. He gave her a series of hard, fast smacks. Her ass now throbbed, a deep ache that had tears tracking down her face.
“You ready for the strap?” he asked her.
“I . . . I don’t know.”
He ran his hand over her lower back. “You have your safeword, you can say it at any time. It’s too much, you say it, understand me?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“I love you, baby girl.”
Slap. Slap. The strap landed, and she groaned. Oh, that deepened the burn considerably, and it was almost too much. Slap. Slap.
Her safeword was on the tip of her tongue until he paused and reached between her legs to play with her clit. She was practically dripping with her need, her clit throbbing and swollen. He flicked it, circled it, and suddenly the burn changed into something more.
“Fuck, I was going to give you a few more, but I need you, baby girl.”
“Please. Please.” She thrust her hips back. He gathered up some of her natural lubrication on his finger and moved it to her asshole, pressing it slightly inside her.
His other hand continued to play with her clit. She arched back with a scream, going off like a rocket, shocked by how quickly and how hard she came. She felt him move in behind her, then he flipped her over onto her back. He rested his weight back on his ankles and drew her up onto his lap.
She sank down on his cock.
“Ride me, baby.”
She placed her hands on his shoulders and raised herself up then slammed down. God, he felt so good inside her, claiming her, stretching her.
“Fuck,” he groaned. “Feels so
fucking good.”
She moved up and down. Faster and faster. He played with her right nipple, pinching it lightly, then pulling on it.
“West! West!”
He laid her on her back and held himself over her, taking over the pace. His movements were hard and fast. It was exactly what she needed, what she desired.
“Make yourself come, baby.”
“I can’t! I can’t!” Her head thrashed back and forth.
“You can. Play with your clit, baby girl.”
He pulled back out of her again, and she groaned. He flipped her onto her hands and knees, and grasping hold of her hips, surged inside her.
“Now. I’m close. Come with me.”
She reached down and played with her clit. Her pussy clenched around him. So close. She let out a scream as she came, her body rocking beneath his as she heard him roar his own release.
Ten minutes later, she lay curled up against him, her head resting on his chest listening to his heartbeat. Her butt was hot and sore, her body sated from those two orgasms.
“I don’t want to leave the ranch,” she whispered.
He ran his hand up and down her back. “Good, cause we’re not going to. We’re going to build a house on the ranch.”
She sighed. “Thank God.”
“Love that you love my family, baby girl,” he told her. “Love it even more that they love you. Think they might love you more than me.”
She had to giggle at that. “At least we don’t have to worry about how to pay for the house thanks to all the money I inherited from Spencer.”
That money made her feel uneasy. Like she somehow didn’t deserve it. She’d been shocked to learn she was the only beneficiary in his will. She’d been even more surprised to learn that her parents had set up a trust for her that she’d been supposed to come into when she was twenty-one. However, Spencer had been left in charge of the trust and had kept it from her all this time.
West tensed, scowling at her. “We’re not using that money to build our house.”
“Well, why not?”
“Because I provide for this family.” He sat up.
She sighed and sat, facing him. “West, that’s horribly old-fashioned.”
How West Was Won (Haven, Texas Book 7) Page 23
