by Chiah Wilder
He held the flailing Emily until she tired herself out. Looking at him with a gleam of hatred, she said, “Just leave me alone. You don’t know anything about me. My mom tells you how she loves me, but she doesn’t. She dumped me at Aunt Holly’s. She fucking threw me out.”
“She fuckin’ saved your ass from foster care.”
Emily stopped screaming and looked at him. “Foster care?”
He told her what he knew, what Belle had shared with him. “Do you know how fuckin’ hard it is for a parent to send their child away just to protect them? Fuck, you don’t know shit. Talk to your mama and fix whatever shit you two got going. I came to get you and I did, so now I’m takin’ you to your mother.”
Fixing her eyes on the floor, she mumbled, “I didn’t know. Why didn’t she tell me?”
“I don’t know why the fuck you two aren’t talkin’. I’m no fuckin’ shrink. Now, let’s go. Oh, and the asshole gave you up in no time. You don’t need a pussy like that.”
On the way out, Banger leaned down and snarled in Emily’s boyfriend’s face. “Don’t even think of calling or seeing her again. The law can get you for stat rape, but I’ll get you for not fuckin’ listening to me.” He punched him in the stomach again, smiling as the guy grunted and crumpled over. “Let’s get the fuck outta here,” Banger said, as they walked down the pathway toward their Harleys, Emily sandwiched between them.
He watched Emily trudge up the driveway to her house, head hanging down. Belle had flung open the door the minute Banger had turned off the engine. He felt a twitch in his groin when he saw her curvaceous figure outlined by the glow of the amber porch light. She stood there, chewing on her fingernail. As he approached, he saw her puffy, red eyes smile through the veil of tears.
“Emily,” she said, as she hugged her daughter tightly. Looking over the girl’s shoulder, she mouthed, “Thank you,” to him. He jerked his head then pulled back, letting mother and daughter go inside. He turned to look at Rock and Puck who patiently straddled their bikes. “You can go.” Without answering, the two men took off. Banger sat on one of the porch steps. The light from the neighboring homes flickered like an old movie reel on the ground, which appeared to be swallowed up by the inky darkness of the night. He jerked around when he heard the screen door open.
“You want to come in?” Belle asked in a low voice.
“You got stuff to talk about with your kid.”
“I know, but I’d like you to come in.”
He rose to his feet and walked in, placing a quick kiss on her lips. “Talk to her. I’ll watch TV.” He went into the living room, plunked down on the couch, and turned the set on.
After a long time, Belle came into the living room and sat next to Banger. Noticing her swollen eyelids and red nose, he stroked her cheek. “You two work some shit out?”
“A little. Emily told me she wants to come back home, so I called Holly and told her. For some reason, she acted pissed. Anyway, I want my daughter with me. If the judge doesn’t like it, then I’ll have to deal with it. The biggest thing is that Emily asked to come home and she’s agreed to go to family counseling. That is huge.” Her voice hitched, and she stopped to blow her nose. “Thanks for bringing her home.”
“No need to thank me. I’m glad you two are getting shit out in the open. I know you have to do it. When Grace died, I couldn’t talk to Kylie about it. Fuck, I didn’t know what to say, so I pretended everything was fine when it wasn’t. My sister finally told me I had to talk to the girl, and be there for her no matter what. It wasn’t easy, but we got through it.” He folded his arm around her, pulling her into the crook of his arm, then kissed her forehead.
Belle snuggled closer to him, and he breathed in her floral scent, which always got his cock going. But even though he wanted to be inside her, he knew what she needed was his comfort. So he gave it to her. He sat there quietly holding her, listening to her stuffy-nose breaths, feeling her soft hair tucked under his jaw, as he watched the blue flames curling and swaying in the fireplace.
Chapter Twenty-Five
After she dropped her kids off at their schools, Belle went back home and poured herself a cup of coffee, then sat down at the table to eat a slice of coffee cake she’d picked up from the bakery. She had cancelled her weekly walk with Holly, not in the mood to rehash Emily’s decision to return home. Belle had been elated when Emily had told her she wanted to come home, and she couldn’t understand why Holly seemed so angry about it—after all, Emily wasn’t her daughter. Holly had had an attitude with Belle ever since they went to the burger restaurant and Belle had bumped into Banger. And when they’d reconciled following his month-long silent treatment, Holly had been so pissed at her that she hadn’t spoken to her for a week. It seemed strange, but Belle remembered when Holly had become angry at her for forgiving Harold when he’d had an affair with his secretary. Belle appreciated her friend’s concern, but she’d wished several times that she’d just fucking butt out.
As she finished the last morsel of cake, her phone rang. Hoping it was Banger, she picked up.
“Hello.”
“You’re not going to get away with it. I know you killed my dad, you greedy, vindictive bitch. I’m going to make sure you spend the rest of your life behind bars.” The voice of one of her least favorite persons assaulted her ears.
“Jessica, I didn’t kill your father. You’re being ridiculous, and you know it. Are you that angry about not getting any money from your father’s estate? I told you he was broke when he died. You need—”
“I need to have you pay for killing my dad,” Jessica snarled. “I found the syringe, and when they do the tests, the cops will believe me. I never believed he died of a heart attack, and you refused to have an autopsy, even though I wanted it.”
“Jessica, your father would never have wanted that. The doctor said it was a heart attack. What more do you want? There’s no money at all. I don’t have a clue what he did with the millions he stole from the company. If I did, I would give you and your brother your share. You need to move on.”
“You’d like me to just forget the whole thing, wouldn’t you? Well, I won’t. I’m going to make sure you get everything that’s coming to you. You think you can get away with this?”
Belle pressed the disconnect button. Her quiet time had been ruined by Jessica’s call. She had thought Jessica would have grown weary from her vendetta against her, but she hadn’t. From their conversation, it seemed she was more crazed and obsessed than ever. Her malevolent accusations were making Belle’s life miserable, and having the detective snooping into her life was embarrassing.
Belle shook her head. Jessica had always been a spoiled girl; her father had placated her childish tantrums even though she’d been married with children. Belle hadn’t said much since it wasn’t her business, but she’d thought he was crazy to give in to her demands all the time. Harold had given Jessica a shitload of money over the years, and now she blamed Belle for the money being gone. The woman was a nutcase.
The phone rang again, and Belle ignored it. She was done with Jessica Dermot Hoskins, and if she kept bothering her, Belle would just have to make sure she stopped. The nut job was out of control, and it was high time someone pulled the reins in.
Chapter Twenty-Six
A few days later, Belle tried to tame her mass of curls before Banger came by to pick her up. He’d called earlier that morning, telling her to be ready in an hour because she was spending her day off with him. Her insides sang, and when she hung up, she immediately arranged for Emily to pick up Ethan at his school.
Since starting family counseling, she and Emily were working through some issues, and even though they had a long way to go, they were at least speaking to each other civilly. For Belle, that was a huge plus, and she’d hoped that all the darkness, the bitterness, and the hatred would eventually dissipate and they both could be whole again.
She heard Banger’s cams from a block away, and her skin tingled with anticipation. She�
��d never ridden on the back of a motorcycle before, and even though it was something she’d always wanted to try, she never had. When she and Banger had first hooked up, it was too snowy and icy to ride on the back of his bike. It was now spring, and they were back together, so she’d been bugging him about being his “biker chick” on the back of his Harley. When he’d told her he was coming by on his powerful machine, she was beyond thrilled.
Closing and locking the door behind her, Belle waved at Banger and hurried down the sidewalk. “I can’t wait to feel the wind in my hair,” she said as she hugged him.
“I can’t wait to feel your tits pressed against my back. It’s fuckin’ awesome to have a woman wrapped around you while you’re flying.” He handed her an orange bandanna. “Put this on to keep your hair from going crazy. You got a lot of hair, woman.”
She did her best to tuck her thick tresses under the scarf before she grabbed hold of his thigh and swung on, positioning herself until she felt comfortable and balanced. He instructed her on what to do, and as he spoke, fear coiled around her. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Before she could debate it with herself any further, she let out a squeal and held onto Banger’s waist for dear life as the Harley let out a pane-shattering roar. They were off.
When they cleared the town and turned onto the mountain roads, Banger disregarded the speed limits, and Belle held her breath. It felt like the bike was propelled by the wind, and the landscape blurred past her; the budding trees, tufts of new grass, and the butterflies’ kaleidoscopic wings were nothing more than a smudge on her field of vision. The sunshine was strong and almost had a touch of summer to it. The feeling of soaring through the air was exhilarating, and Belle clung tightly around Banger’s waist, the faint smell of oil and cloves winding around her. He had braided his hair, and she leaned her cheek against its golden softness. On the bike, careening through back roads, her body pressed against his, Belle felt complete.
They slowed as they passed through Larkspur Village, veering toward a narrow road at the outskirts of town. The Harley twisted and turned around the road until they pulled into a dirt lot, Banger cutting the engine before swinging his leg over the seat. He put out his hand and helped Belle off the bike, holding her as she crumpled into his arms. “Oh,” she gasped as her hands crashed against his chest. “My legs are like Jell-O.”
“First time, babe.” Banger winked at her. “You’ll get used to it, but I think I like you like this.” He bent down and kissed her deeply. “Loved feeling you behind me. Did you like it?”
“Yeah. It totally kicked ass.” She hopelessly tried to smooth her tangled hair down as she looked around the small dirt lot. “What are we doing here?”
Clasping her hand in his, he tugged her along. “I’ll show you.”
They walked up a flight of stone stairs, a wooden ticket booth at the top to their right. “Wait here,” he said as he strode over to the stall. He came back with two tickets and led her to another long flight of stairs. At the top, Belle saw buckets attached to a cable wire and a yellow sign stating, “Aerial Tramway.”
“We’re going in that?” She pointed to a brightly painted red tram.
“Yep. I love it up here, and I wanted to share it with you.” He handed the ticket to an older man, who sat on a metal folding chair, chewing a cigar butt.
“Is it safe?” she whispered to Banger.
He threw his head back and laughed, then snagged her around her waist and led her into the metal car. Coming up behind them, a group of four huffed loudly. Banger turned to the ticket man and handed him a hundred dollar bill. “I don’t want anyone riding with me and my woman.” The man nodded then opened the steel door, latching it shut after the couple settled in.
The tram glided high above the tree tops, and the spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains took her breath away. The jagged high peaks were still covered in winter’s snow, and evergreens, blue spruce trees, and blooming wildflowers wove around the mountains like threads in a tapestry. Belle stood in front of Banger, enveloped in his arms, his breath warm on her neck. “This is gorgeous,” she murmured, spotting the lone flight of a gliding eagle.
“Glad you like it. There’s a place we can eat at when we get to the end.”
The ride was too short, and Belle reluctantly left the tram and followed Banger into a small gift shop that had an eating area in the back. The shop had windows all around, and the couple settled in a booth, Banger seated next to Belle. She rubbed his arm with hers, then kissed him tenderly. He placed his hand on her thigh and squeezed while he kissed her back, drawing her lower lip between his. Desire flushed through her and she placed her hand on his crotch, his dick hard under her palm.
“You want anything to drink?” the teenage waitress asked.
She pulled away, immediately missing his lips on hers. “A glass of water and iced tea, please.”
“Coors on tap.”
The waitress shuffled away. For the next hour, they enjoyed the spectacular vistas, a wonderful lunch of burgers and fries, and the unhurried closeness of each other. After they finished, Belle bought a book about history and critters of the area for Ethan, and pretty silver leaf earrings for Emily, as well as a couple of T-shirts for them. When she was checking out, she noticed bags of peanuts near the register. “Are these for feeding the animals?” she asked the clerk.
The thin man with wire glasses and gray hair smiled. “Mostly the chipmunks and squirrels.”
“I’ll take a bag.” She joined Banger outside on the observation platform. “I got peanuts to feed the squirrels.” While she threw the nuts to the fattest squirrels she’d ever seen, Banger grinned and rubbed her back. After the bag was empty, he suggested they head back, since some dark clouds in the distance were forming. The weather in the Rockies could change in a snap, so they wound their way down the deck’s stairs and waited to board the tram.
On the way back, they shared their metal car with another couple who were visiting from Texas. They kept chatting with them, and Belle answered while Banger stared at them stony-faced. After they alighted from the red car, she and Banger walked over to the Harley and mounted it. Soon, they were riding against the wind. She knew he wanted to beat the thunderstorm that was threatening, but twenty minutes after they’d left, she felt the first drops of rain on her skin. Banger turned his head toward her and said something that was stolen by the rush of the wind. She shrugged and buried her face in his back.
As the rain came down harder, Banger turned off and rode a couple of miles then stopped in front of a dilapidated shack. He tugged her off the bike, and they ran into the wooden hut. The scent of rain was dark and heady, and Belle looked out the cracked glass pane at the black clouds sprawled across the sky, billowing in from the west. She shivered, the warm wind from earlier in the day having turned damp and chilled. A boom of thunder rolled over the boughs of the swaying trees, then a ragged line of silver split the sky before the rain poured down, its drops sounding like bullets on the rusted tin roof of the shack.
Banger came up behind her and drew her into his arms, kissing her neck in the spot that made her wild with desire. She moaned as he nipped and kissed her tender skin, and when his hand slipped under her top, she clenched her legs and whimpered. He unclasped her bra then cupped her heavy breasts, grazing their stiffening nipples with his thumb. She drew in her breath as he turned her around and lifted her top, exposing her tits. He bent down and sucked her hard bud into his mouth, and an exquisite streak of pleasure went straight to her aching pussy.
“Oh, Banger,” she murmured against his hair, as she buried her face in it. The sound of his mouth as he sucked and licked her breasts drove her mad with desire. She reached down and caught his zipper, but he stopped her.
“Babe, I’m pleasuring you.”
“But I want to touch you,” she breathed into his neck.
He chuckled then let go of her hand, and she unzipped his jeans. He groaned when her fingers tightened around his hardness. Her mouth watered
just thinking about taking it into her mouth and sucking every last drop of him deep into her throat. Lowering herself, she kneeled in front of him and swirled her tongue over the glistening tip. He jerked his head back. “Fuck, baby, you’re killing me.”
After tugging his jeans down, she continued licking and stroking his dick while he pinched and pulled her nipples, a sweet pain spreading between her legs. She took in more of him, her lips closing tightly around him as she slid her mouth up and down over his cock. He placed his hands against her head, moving it faster as his hips pushed him further down her throat.
“I love watching you suck me off,” he grunted, pushing his dick deeper into her mouth.
She looked up, and his smoldering gaze met hers. With a gentle touch, she scratched and cupped his balls, tugging at them very gently. Feeling them contract, she knew he was close, so she lightly pressed her knuckle against the spot right behind his balls. His feral growl pushed her to knead the area a little harder while he fucked her mouth faster. When he threw his head back, eyes closed, she pressed his bundle of feel-good receptors a little harder until a warm stream spurted down her throat while he blurted out her name in a raw, primitive voice.
She kept him in her mouth until he took a small step back, then she released his warm dick for him to tuck into his jeans until the next time. He handed her a tissue and she wiped her mouth. Then he placed his hands under her arms and pulled her close, hugging her as he kissed her neck and shoulders.
“What the hell did you do to me? Fuck, babe. I’ve never come like that before.” He hugged her tighter, and she relished the feel of his arms around her.
“The rain seems to have stopped, at least for now,” she murmured against his shoulder as she laid her head on it.
“We better take advantage of it and get moving,” he said in her ear, sucking on her earlobe.
