Not Anticipated (Red Eyes MC Romance Series - Book #4)

by Blair Grey

  “I’m sorry that I went after Darren like that,” I told her softly. “I know you didn’t want me to have any part in that. I know that you can take care of yourself and that I had no right to jump in like that. But I couldn’t help being afraid that you were going to get hurt, and I acted on instinct. I would have done anything to make sure you were safe.” I smiled a little. “Actually, when Ray called me into his office earlier to talk about what I’d done and to chastise me, I told him that I would have beaten Ray up if he’d been the one threatening you.”

  Maybe that was too much to admit. But I thought I saw a hint of a smile on Mia’s face as well. She shook her head. “So you met Jack,” she said quietly.

  “He told you about that?” I asked. So what he’d said must have been true after all. I wondered what to do with that knowledge. But then again, I still had that feeling that I had earlier: that no matter what she told me, I would find a way to love her. It was sort of scary, having that depth of feeling for her. But at the same time, I couldn’t blame her for keeping things like that from me. We still had so much to learn about each other.

  “Yeah, he came by the bar tonight,” Mia said. “Did he tell you how we met, him and I?”

  “He said he was your lawyer,” I said slowly. “That you were on trial for killing your father.”

  Mia looked away, nodding unhappily. “That’s all true,” she said. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I told you that Maggie, my sister, was in an accident. But it wasn’t really an accident.” She paused, and I could tell that she was having a hard time getting this out. I scooted a little closer to her, putting my hand over hers. She gave me the barest of smiles.

  “My dad was always abusive, when we were growing up. And things got worse as we got older. My mom finally left. I’ve never even found out what happened to her—if she’s still out there somewhere or what. She just had enough. I think even seeing me would bring back too many terrible memories for her.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said softly, already sickeningly sure that I knew where this was headed.

  “After Mom left, my dad got even worse,” Mia continued. “And one night, he and Maggie got into it out by the pool. I don’t even remember what they were fighting about. They were both there because I had just graduated. We were supposed to be celebrating. Dad wasn’t supposed to be there, but somehow, he found out about the party. I don’t know.”

  She sighed. “Anyway, they got into it. It was pretty bad. And Dad gave Maggie a push. She fell toward the pool and cracked her head against the edge of it as she toppled in. Dad was too drunk to get her out, and I wasn’t strong enough of a swimmer, so it took me a little while. She went into a coma, and she never woke up.” She paused, her eyes flicking over toward me. “I killed Dad the night Maggie went to the hospital. Just took a gun and shot him right between the eyes.”

  I stared at her, trying to sort out how I felt about her confession. More than anything, I was just relieved to have it all out in the open. I didn’t want there to be any more secrets between the two of us. Part of me wondered if I should be frightened by how easily she admitted to having killed her father.

  But I knew her personality by now. At least somewhat. I could tell bravado when I saw it. Sure enough, when I put an arm around her, I could feel that she was practically vibrating with worry. She was afraid that I would never look at her the same way again. That I was going to want nothing to do with her.

  That I would think that she was a monster. I could only imagine the kinds of names that they might have called her in the courtroom. I remembered that Jack had said that it was a pretty big split in the jury. I could only imagine how difficult the trial must have been. Especially when she had lost her sister and her father in such a short amount of time.

  “That’s why I’m so scared to be with you,” Mia finally admitted, her voice barely audible. She folded in on herself like she was afraid to even look at me. “I gave Darren a chance. I started a relationship with him. And he ended up being just like my father. An abusive, jealous asshole. He’s not the only one either. There have been other Darrens in my life. I guess I’ve just come to the conclusion that I can’t pick the right guy for myself. That I’m going to end up just like my mother one day. And I don’t think I could bear that.”

  “Oh, Mia,” I said softly, shaking my head. I caught her chin in my fingertips, turning her head to face me. “I need you to trust me,” I told her. “To know that I’m never going to hurt you.”

  “I don’t know if I can trust you,” she whimpered. “That’s a terrible thing to say, but I just don’t know. I’m so scared.”

  “I know, I know,” I murmured, stroking her hair. “But I’m pretty sure you already do trust me, deep down. You might be trying to fight it, but you were willing to drive all the way to Florida with me. You were willing to let me have you on the beach. You knew what would happen when you told me about Darren, but you trusted me with that information as well. And you’re here with me right now, after watching me beat him up last night. I have to think that you trust me.”

  Mia looked down, biting at her lower lip. I could see tears on her lashes, and my heart ached for her. The poor girl had been through so much already. She really had been dealt a shitty hand. But I wanted to show her that it was time for her luck to turn around. That I was going to take care of her. That I would be nothing but kind to her for as long as she’d let me be in her life.

  “Mia,” I said quietly, and her eyes locked on mine again. I stared seriously into the depths of hers for a moment, letting her see just how much I meant what I was about to say. “I love you. And whatever has happened to you in the past, whatever happens in the future, I want you to know that we’ll get through it. I’ll be right by your side if you’ll let me be.”

  “But why?” Mia asked, still sounding so small and broken.

  “Because no one deserves to go through what you’ve gone through. And I know that you’re strong, you’re the strongest person that I’ve ever met. But no one deserves to go through what you’ve gone through alone. I want you to know that you can count on me. Whatever you need.”

  “What if you go to jail because of me, though?” Mia fretted. “I told you before that Darren’s the kind of guy who will press charges, and he has friends in high places.”

  “So does Landon apparently,” I said, shrugging a shoulder. “Ray called him back in town, and he’s sure that he can get this whole thing to go away. I trust him.” I leaned in closer to her, stroking my fingers along her cheek. “Don’t you worry about me, sweetheart,” I told her. “I’m going to be just fine.”

  Mia’s breath caught, and her gaze zeroed in on my lips. I could tell that she was still hesitant and unsure, but I could see two new emotions flare in her eyes as well: lust and hope.

  “I love you,” I repeated, feeling the tension drain out of her as I said it. Then, I pressed my lips against hers, trying to show her just how much.

  38

  Mia

  Braxton loved me. He loved me. And there was no way that I could ignore that. Especially not since I felt the same way about him. I wasn’t sure about trusting him. Not just yet, not entirely. But I knew that it was more my brain that was struggling with it. In my heart, I knew that he would never be like my father. He might tend toward violence sometimes, but it was justified violence. He wanted to keep me safe.

  I had to appreciate that.

  To be honest, the strength of his feelings, and of my own, frightened me. But it was more frightening to think that I might lose him than it was to think that I might be his girlfriend after all of this.

  I was so relieved to hear that Landon was sure he could get any charges dropped against Braxton. Because I just didn’t know what I would do if Braxton went to jail on account of my mistakes with Darren.

  This whole thing wasn’t solved just yet, but it was starting to feel a lot more manageable. If nothing else, I knew that I had Braxton on my side. And Candice. And
Jack. And Ray. A whole host of people who were looking out for me and who wanted the best for me.

  Maybe they were all right. Maybe it was time to move on, to leave the past in the past, and to focus on a better future.

  That better future might start right now, with Braxton’s lips pressed against mine.

  I shivered as his tongue tickled the roof of my mouth. The kiss was sloppy, needy. But there was something about it that was tender as well. Maybe the fact that Braxton wasn’t pressuring me for anything more. He was letting me set the pace, decide what I was comfortable with.

  I wanted it all. I couldn’t help it when I was with him.

  I slid over so that I was straddling his lap, grinding down against him on the couch. His hands rested easily at my hips, helping guide my movements, as I tangled my own fingers in his hair. I thought distantly about how we should probably move this upstairs. But I couldn’t bear the thought of taking my hands off him for even a moment.

  Braxton solved that issue, though. He hoisted me up into his arms and carried me upstairs as easily as if I were half my size.

  I was giggling by the time we reached the bedroom. Braxton pressed me back against the door, nuzzling my neck, a grin on his face. “You like that?” he asked.

  In response, I tugged at his hair again, tilting his head back so that I could continue making out with him. He carried me over to the bed and set me down on the edge of it, wasting no time before he started stripping me out of my clothes. I trembled as his eyes raked appreciatively over my body. Slowly, I lay back against the soft comforter, watching as he dropped his own clothing to the floor.

  He grabbed my legs, tugging me to the edge of the bed. Slowly, he pushed inside of me. I almost sobbed with how good it felt. I needed this after the last couple of days that I had. Hell, after the couple of years that I had. He was so deliciously tender, letting me adjust to his breach of my folds, his hands gentle along my sides, stroking away my worries.

  He placed a soft kiss just below my earlobe, and I sighed, my back arching as he slowly rocked his hips, in and out, against mine. I could feel the slow drag of his length inside of me, could feel the need building inside of me. But instead of the frantic sex that we’d had in the past, borne of desperation more than anything, this time felt slower, more drawn out. Like he wanted it to last just as much as I did.

  Because I would happily stay here with him forever, I realized. Warm and safe and loved. I couldn’t help trusting him like this. With my worries stripped away and our bodies moving as one, I just knew that he would never hurt me, that he would always take care of me.

  I pulled away from him and turned so that I was on my knees in front of him, wiggling my ass a little in the air. He groaned and crawled onto the bed behind me, draping his body over mine and pushing into me once more. From this angle, he could slide even deeper inside of me. Plus, he reached around to my front, his fingers playing across my nipples.

  I sighed softly, rocking back against him, meeting him stroke for stroke, my fingers twisting with his where they rested on my hip. It felt so utterly perfect. I was getting closer to orgasm, my body growing more and tauter. But it was like basking in the warm glow of the sun rather than being consumed by fiery passion. Even more pleasurable, a slow build designed to send me shooting over the edge when I couldn’t take any more.

  Braxton’s lips trailed across my shoulder blade. Then, he rolled me over onto my back so that I was looking up at him, but he stayed close to me this time. There was a sense of purpose in each of his thrusts. A slow drag out, a quick push back in, thrusts designed to drive the air from my lungs. My eyes fluttered shut as I couldn’t take it anymore. I whimpered, fingers clutching at him, my whole body in tune with these primal movements.

  I spilled over the edge, gasping out his name, as his fingers toyed with the nub between my legs. Sparks exploded behind my closed lids, and I felt consumed by my feelings for him. But I wasn’t complaining.

  He gave me time to breathe, but as his hips continued to move, his cock still thick and hard inside of me, I could feel a second orgasm fluttering just beyond my reach. I knew that if he had his way, I’d be there before long. And even though I already felt so incredibly good, I trusted him to use me, to pleasure me, to have me. He had my whole soul in his hands right now, there in his bed. His for the taking.

  And he took, and he took. His movements started to quicken, sending my pulse racing. I could feel his balls slapping against me, the sound reverberating through the room. I cried out his name as his teeth nipped at my neck, no doubt leaving a mark there. A love bite, because he loved me.

  I grinned at the very thought of it. But my grin vanished with a gasp as he leaned back, lifting my legs up and back, driving ever deeper into my wet and needy pussy. All my thoughts and all my worries vanished, disappearing in the face of extreme pleasure. All except for one thought which crystallized there in my heart, in my core, in the very center of my being: I loved him. I absolutely loved him.

  Braxton groaned, his hips stuttering against mine, and I could feel the exact moment that he climaxed, his dick twitching furiously inside of me. And just the thought of him there with me, and the love that I had for him, sent me spiraling through yet another white-hot orgasm, my whole body falling lax as desperate need flooded out of me.

  I lay prone on the sheets, my eyes still shut, barely aware of Braxton breathing just as hard, off to my side. When we had both finally calmed down a little, he reached for me, tugging me toward him, and I rested my head on his chest. I had never felt like this before, so comfortable in my own skin, so safe. Like the rest of the world didn’t matter. Because Braxton was there looking out for me, no matter what came my way.

  And I knew now that I had been wrong with Darren. I had been reaching for something. But I hadn’t known what. I had let myself believe that he was everything I needed, just because he had reached for me as well. But that had never been right for me.

  This was right. Maybe things weren’t perfect between us. Maybe Braxton wouldn’t always listen to me, and maybe sometimes I might cause a little drama. But for the first time, I had the feeling like we could work through it. Like we could get through anything.

  I nuzzled against his skin, basking in the afterglow of two incredible orgasms. Remembering what he had said to me before: he loved me.

  And just like that, all my fears were gone. I did trust him. I knew that I did. And what’s more, I knew that he trusted me. He would let me make my own decisions, and he would let me fight my own battles. He knew just how strong I was. But what he was trying to show me was that I didn’t always have to be strong. That I could let him take care of me too.

  It had been there all along. That tenderness. From the time he had brought me to Florida to protect me to the time he took me out to that nice dinner there. He wanted to pleasure me, and he wanted to spoil me a little. And I wanted to let him.

  Braxton smiled. “What are you thinking?” he asked quietly.

  I shook my head, hiding my answering grin against his chest. “Just, I feel really good, here,” I told him. “Safe.”

  “Good,” Braxton said fiercely, his arms tightening around me. “You are safe here. I’m never going to hurt you.”

  “I know,” I said simply. I peeked up at him and then ducked my face again. “I love you.” My words were quiet, barely audible. But I could tell from Braxton’s smile that he heard them clearly.

  He lightly kissed my hair, his hands stroking down my back and sides. “I love you too,” he said, just as reverently.

  And just like that, I wondered if maybe things would be okay. If somehow, despite Darren and everything else, we might just work out.

  39

  Braxton

  2 months later

  Despite Landon’s connections, I ended up going to trial for the fight with Darren. We had spent a long time talking it over with Ray, but I felt like it was the best way to make things right for Red Eyes.

  “I don’t like it,”
Ray had said, shaking his head. “If they find you guilty, you could go to jail for a long time. That guy’s in worse condition than they originally thought. He’s never going to walk again.”

  “I know,” I had replied, unable to help how viciously satisfied I was when I had heard that Darren would never walk again. Maybe I should feel some remorse. Maybe the fact that I didn’t made me a monster, just like Mia was afraid she was a monster because she had killed her father in cold blood.

  But to be honest, Mia was still having nightmares every so often that Darren had come back for her and that things had ended up even worse. And I hated the bastard for doing that to her. So no, I didn’t feel bad for paralyzing him. If anything, the fucker was lucky to still be alive.

  “But let’s say that we get this swept under the rug,” I said. “The next move that Red Eyes makes, they’ll be all over us. They want blood. Let them try to get me. Just let them try.” I folded my arms over my chest.

  “It does make sense,” Landon said slowly. “Don’t get me wrong; I don’t exactly like the idea of it. I definitely don’t want you to end up in jail, or even having to go through the appeals process. But if you think that Jack can definitely make a case for self-defense, it might be worth it. I think my guys can at least expedite the trial, so you won’t be stuck in limbo forever.”

  “I definitely think we can make a compelling case of it,” Jack confirmed. “Especially with the photos of his apartment. That place was creepy. Any juror is bound to agree with that. He was definitely after Mia. And we have the video evidence from the bar, too, which shows that he was trying to break into the place and generally exhibiting erratic behavior from long before the point that you showed up there. I think we have a good case.”

  Sure enough, it had taken two months, but I was finally a free man. I still felt a bit dazed about all of it as I walked out of the courtroom with Jack. “So that’s the end of it, right?” I asked once we were outside.