Michael rounded the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. He looked down at his sister and nephew with a smile on his face. He finally noticed me in the corner and looked up at me with surprise. I was assuming he knew I was coming, I guess Araylia failed to mention to him that I would be tagging along.
“What is he doing here Ray? How the hell do you know him in the first place?” He questioned Araylia with a frown between his brows.
He thought Ray was staying with Cade. He obviously had no clue that she was now staying with me and that Ray and I were exclusively dating now.
“She’s staying with me now, it’s safer. And we are also dating now,” I told him, hoping that it wouldn’t cause problems for him and Araylia.
“Is that right, Araylia?” He looked down, waiting for her response.
“Uh…Yes. We decided that it would be safer for Liam and me to stay with him,” she stuttered over her words, clearly nervous.
“Jones. A word. Now,” he said to me, sternly.
Normally I wouldn’t like the tone of his voice and the way he was talking to me. Ray was a grown ass woman and could make her own decisions. As could I.
All I did was nod though. I followed him around the corner and into the kitchen.
“What the fuck? Did you not think to tell me about my little sister staying at your house, especially considering, number one, I’m her brother, I’ve protected that girl since before she could walk. Number two, you guys are dating and it’s a little soon for her to be moving in,” he was understandably pissed.
I understood more than a lot of people the importance of protecting your family and who you love. He should know me by now though and know that Araylia’s safety is my first priority. I would never fuck around with something so serious.
“We just decided that it would be safer for her to move into my house. I got a threating note signed by her ex to watch my back. She is also more than capable of making decisions for herself. She is a grown woman and she doesn’t need you to make decisions for her anymore,” I growled at him.
“Oh! She can make decisions for herself now? Seriously? What happened last time she made a decision by herself? She ended up with a fucking lunatic, who by the way beat her,” he growled right back at me.
I had just opened my mouth to respond back to him when I heard stomping feet behind me. I turned my head in time to see Ray come up to where her brother and I were standing. She lifted her hand a slapped him across the face.
“How dare you,” she hissed, tears already sliding down her face, “we didn’t know he was going to start abusing me. I couldn’t have known and you certainly couldn’t have known. How dare you take my misguided judgment on him to say I can’t make decisions for myself? I am almost 30 years old Michael. I know you’ve protected me my entire life, but I do believe it’s time for somebody else to.”
After she finished her sentence she looked at me, making it known to both Michael and me that I was going to be that ‘somebody’. She kissed my cheek, squeezed my hand, and walked out the door, Liam in tow.
I turned back to Michael to see he had a red hand print mark right on his cheek.
I pointed my finger in his face, “Fix the mess you made.”
He dropped his head in shame, acknowledging the mistake he made. I wasn’t going to give him any sympathy though. He had to know that what he said was a low blow and very wrong on so many levels.
I walked out the front door expecting to see Ray sitting in her car waiting on me. What I saw was an empty driveway with the exception of my motorcycle. I hopped on my girl and put the key in the engine. Revving the engine up, I raced out of Michael’s driveway, praying Araylia wasn’t driving with her emotions. I would hate seeing her car wrapped around a pole.
I still hadn’t found Araylia an hour later. I had already gone to her other two brothers, my house, Cade’s, and the hospital. I still couldn’t find her. I was back at my house, making sure if she did show up I would be home. I was fucking pissed that she would take off like that, not even telling me she was leaving. I was fucking worried out of my mind that she had gotten into a car wreck and I wouldn’t even know it.
I was pacing my living room when my phone rang.
Hitting the green answer button I barked down the line, “What?”
Kota’s soft yet slightly husky voice filled my ears.
“Mason, calm down. I know where Ray is. You can’t be mad though. You have to understand that when she’s upset she goes to this place to think,” she spoke softly as if she was talking to a wild animal.
“Well where the fuck is she?” I growled. I didn’t have time to fuck around.
“She’s at her papa’s grave. She always goes there when she is upset or needs to think,” she said with defeat evident in her voice.
I hung up the phone without another word to Kota. I walked into my foyer and grabbed my keys off the table by the front door. As I was walking out the door, I called and asked Ray’s Nanny where her late husband’s grave was. She had no problems telling me where he was laid to rest.
I pulled onto the gravel road where Ray’s papa was buried. I looked around the cemetery noticing the bright green of the grass and the many colors of the flowers on the graves. I rode slowly down the gravel road, as not to disturb the families that were there. I spotted Ray sitting on the grass with Liam in her lap a few rows down. I parked the bike and hopped off. I walked slowly, not wanting to ruin Ray’s private moment with her grandfather and son.
“…and you know I named you after him right?” I heard Araylia ask Liam.
I must have stepped on a stray leaf because they both snapped their heads around to where I was walking up. Ray’s eyes got as hard as granite and Liam smiled a toothy grin.
“Mace, come meet my papa!” He exclaimed, climbing off his mother’s lap and running up to me and grabbing my hand. He dragged me over to stand in front of Ray and the gravestone that had the name Liam on it.
I tried to smile at Ray but I knew she was pissed about me being here so my smile was more like a grimace.
“Hey baby why don’t you talk to your papa while mama and Mace talk?” Ray asked Liam. He bobbed his head up and down in agreement.
Ray led me over to a tree about ten feet from Liam. She turned around and glared, waiting for my explanation apparently.
“Woman. Don’t give me that look, you’ve been gone an hour and I was worried as fuck!” I whisper-yelled at her. I didn’t want Liam to know that his mom and I were fighting.
“Who told you?” That’s all she said. She didn’t show an ounce of compassion for the fact that I was worried.
“Kota told me you come here when something’s on your mind. Your Nanny gave me the directions,” I told her.
“Why did you come here? I would have come home eventually.”
“Really? Your ex-boyfriend is telling me to watch my back, and that threat could harm you as well, and you just go off grid? He could have fucking kidnapped you Ray, the least you could have done was kept your phone on so I could track you if needed,” I was starting to get even more pissed.
“Well excuse me if I want to have a private moment with my son and late grandfather. I think I can at least have that after the morning I had,” she hissed acidly.
“You can have that as soon as that fuck-head is done sending threats. Don’t sit here and act like I’m the enemy, I’m keeping you and that little boy safe,” I threw my arm over where Liam was sitting happily talking to his papa, “if that’s a problem then by all means keep your phone turned off so I can’t make sure you and him are safe.” I saw her eyes soften but I was done arguing with her.
I shook my head and turned on my heel and walked away. After I reached my bike and started it, I rode down the gravel rode till I reached Ray’s car. I put the kick stand down and walked over to the car. The windows were down; she wasn’t going to be able to do that anymore. I bent down and grabbed her purse, digging until I found her phone. I turned it on then left wit
hout a backward glance.
Chapter 16
Ray
I felt like shit. I should have kept my phone on so Mace at least had it as insurance that I was safe. I also shouldn’t have acted like such a bitch to him when he came here to make sure I was fine. I was still pissed at Michael for taking my misguided judgment and making it seem as if I couldn’t make decisions. It was an asshole move on his part.
I understood that he has been taking care of me since before my first words could come out of my mouth, but we all thought Luke was a decent guy. Sure my brothers didn’t like Luke, but they didn’t know he was an abuser. So for Michael to accuse me of not being able to make decisions really hurt me. I thought he believed in me, trusted that I was an adult and could make adult decisions.
I knew I had to get back to the house and apologize to Mace, so I rounded up Liam and told him to say goodbye to his papa. After Liam said his goodbyes I bent down and kissed his headstone whispering, “I love you Papa, I’ll see you soon.”
I had Liam on my hip, as he was asleep, and unlocked Mace’s front door. I left my keys on the table by the door and kicked off my shoes and slid them under the table. I walked down the hall and into Liam’s bedroom. I laid him down and took his shoes off and covered him up with his Toy Story blanket that he loved to death. I shut his door quietly and walked back down the hall to the kitchen to get a beer for Mace as a peace offering. I assumed he was in his bedroom because he wasn’t in the living room or kitchen when I walked in.
After getting our beers, I knocked lightly on his door. I opened the door and saw Mace on his huge kind size bed with the worn brown covers up to his waist. He had his back against the headboard and his laptop in his lap. He looked up at me when I walked in but didn’t say anything. His face was void of any emotion.
I held up the beers and gave him a small timid smile, waiting by the bedroom door, in case he decided to throw me out of his room.
He waved me over but didn’t acknowledge the beers or my small smile. I swallowed my nerves as best as I could as I walked over to the bed. I lifted a butt cheek and sat it down on the edge of the bed.
“I brought the beers as a peace offering. You were right honey. I should have kept my phone on to at least give you peace of mind. I’m sorry,” I admitted to him.
Mace tilted his head to the side and lifted his hand to take the beer I was offering. Does that mean he forgives me? I wondered. He wasn’t saying anything and I started to get nervous and getting nervous meant I would start rambling.
“I know I was a bitch to you and that was wrong on my part. I really shouldn’t have taken my anger toward my brother out on you. It wasn’t your fault. You were actually standing up for me. My brother is just a dick and I thought he had more faith in me. I’m just-” my sentence was cut off when Mace lifted his hand to tell me to stop.
He set his laptop aside and leaned forward. He grabbed my arm and flung me on top of him, eliciting a high pitched shriek out of me. After I got over the shock of him flinging me on top of him he brought his hand up and tenderly touched my cheek with adoration bright in his eyes.
That look brought out so many emotions in me. I can’t remember the last time a man looked at me that way. Luke did when we first got together, but behind that adoration was malice. I could tell that the adoration I saw in Mace’s eyes was true. There was no intent of malice behind it.
I brought my mouth slowly down on his. I started the kiss off slowly, wanting to savor the spicy almost cinnamon taste that was lingering on his tongue. The taste of whatever spice was on his tongue always turned me on. The longer I kissed him the more my panties became moist with my arousal.
Mace flipped us when the kiss started to turn into roaming hands. He wanted the control in the situation. After he was on top he lifted my T-shirt over my head and his mouth began its decent down my neck. He was trailing hot kisses all over my neck hitting the sensitive spot where my pulse was. His tongue continued its path toward my breasts. He rained kisses on the edge of my bra, half on the lace of my bra, half on my skin.
He was already bare-chested when I walked in the room, so my hands were clawing at his back, urging him to give me more. He lifted my back the slightest to unsnap the clasp of my bra. It went flying across the room and his mouth was hot on my nipple. He teased my nipple into a hard peak and went to work on the other nipple. I wrapped my legs around the back of his thighs, getting leverage to press my core into his.
I groaned at the contact of his dick rubbing against my most sensitive body part. Meanwhile, Mace moved down my body, he dragged his lips over my ribs and then my belly button. He looked up at me in surprise.
“I’ve overlooked this piece of jewelry last time we were in this position,” he told me in a husky, sex filled voice.
He flicked his tongue over my belly button piercing, causing me to moan. I had never known that was a delicate place.
After spending a little time there, he traveled lower, snapping the buttons on my jeans. My hips lifted off the bed in unabashed want, begging for some kind of contact to my pussy.
I reached down, grabbing his cock through his sweat pants. When I made contact with his cock he stopped and drew in a sharp breath, making me smile. I rubbed on him, taunting him to give me more. He didn’t move a muscle as I massaged his cock; I used that to my advantage and flipped us so I was once again on top.
I didn’t waste any time with foreplay and dove straight to his pants. He lifted his hips when I began pulling his pants down. I drew lazy circles on the way down to his cock. He kept raising his hips, telling me without words where he really wanted my mouth. I gave him what he wanted and licked the tip of him.
When my tongue made contact with his cock his head flew back and he shut his eyes tight, groaning. I took pleasure in his groan and gave him more, flicking my tongue at the very end of his head; his hips flew up toward me causing me to take more of him in my mouth. I didn’t have a problem with that, I took all of him in my mouth and sucked hard.
I had been sucking on his cock for a minute when he pulled me up to him by my arms. He slammed his mouth down on mine, taking all that I was so willing to give. He pulled his mouth from mine and slid his hands down my pants and slid those down my legs. The rough denim reminded me so much of Mace’s hands, hard and worn.
When he had my pants on the other side of his room, he ripped my panties off my body. His hand delved between my legs, massaging my clit. He rubbed vigorously causing a long moan to escape from my throat.
The feeling he was pulling from my body with every swipe of his thumb was unreal. I had never been able to get turned on from anybody and he was doing a marvelous job at it. I could feel myself fall further and further for him. I could feel myself trusting him more. I felt as if I was ready to give him the part of me that I hadn’t given anybody.
“I think I’m ready baby,” I whispered so softly that I didn’t think he could hear me.
He looked up at me surprise evident all over his face.
“Are you sure? Araylia, I won’t leave you just because you aren’t giving me your body,” he looked intently in my eyes, conveying exactly what he was saying, “I am more than content to take it slow and give you time-” I cut his words off by pecking his lips softly.
“Honey, you’ve already given me more than most people. I trust you, undoubtedly, not just with my body but my mind and heart as well. I’m ready,” I told him making sure he knew that it wasn’t just my body I trusted him with. It was true that I trusted him with my heart and mind as well.
“Babe. I really don’t want to do something you’re not ready for,” he admitted.
“Mason, I see the way you look at me when you think I’m not paying attention. When I apologized to you I could see the way you were looking at me. I see the type of person you are under that tough exterior. I want you to be the first person I willingly give my body to.” He finally believed I was ready and his tongue delved in my mouth. He stroked inside, exploring.
I pulled on his neck to get him closer to me and deepened the kiss. I started to rotate my hips so his hand could finish what it started. He moved his thumb in slow lazy circles around my clit. I groaned at the intense feeling in my lower belly. It was a pull and I didn’t know what was going to happen but it was going to be big.
He inserted two thick fingers in me and made a ‘come hither’ motion. I shattered, moaning his name loudly. I saw colors behind my closed eye lids. I felt as if I was floating on a cloud. I stayed on that cloud for a minute and when I came down, Mace was looking at me with a fierce expression. I scrunched my brows together and opened my mouth to say something but Mace beat me to it.
“You are so beautiful when you come. I’ve never seen anything like that, I could watch you do that for the rest of my life,” he whispered, stroking my bottom lip softly.
Tears stung my eyes and I didn’t know what to say to him. I had never had anybody cherish me like he did. I flung my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest so he couldn’t see the tears that were running down my cheeks.
He felt them on his chest though,
“Babe, why are you crying?” He asked.
“B-because nobody has ever looked at me the way you do, or cherished my body the way you do…I don’t know how to feel about it,” I replied feeling silly for crying.
“For as long as you are with me, Araylia, you will always feel cherished. I promise you that,” he told me vehemently, kissing the top of my head.
“I know baby. I know,” I whispered.
Since I kind of ruined the moment, I got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. I turned the knob all the way on hot and stepped out of my clothes. Suddenly the bathroom door flew open and Mace walked in with a couple of towels.
“What the hell Mace?” I almost yelled.
He looked at me with a smirk, “Taking a shower babe,” he told me, undressing.
The Lucky Bullet Page 9
