Relentless: A Bad Boy Romance (Bertoli Crime Family #1)

by Lauren Landish

  "This is just fine," I said, unwrapping it to find a turkey sub with bacon and cranberry mustard dressing. Easily a half pound of turkey slices, probably an entire pack of bacon, and just a bit of cheese complimented the whole package. "It's a little Thanksgiving, isn't it?"

  "You can always enjoy a good Thanksgiving," Abby said, taking out a can of Pringles and a bottle of Cheerwine. She handed them to me, then got her own, much smaller sandwich and sides out, along with the same Cheerwine. When I looked at her bottle, she raised it in a salute. "A Southern tradition, you know."

  “I love it,” I answered, toasting her and opening both bottles. "I guess my question is, what happens next?"

  "What do you mean, next?" Abby asked carefully, setting her bottle down. "Do you mean with me going to grad school? Well, I'm planning on going to GT for my Masters too, and after that, well, we'll just have to see. What do you think of North Carolina? Duke and UNC both have great Ph.D. programs."

  "Last time I went to North Carolina, it was on leave," I said, thinking back into my memories. "I ran into some boys from the 82nd. When they found out I was 101st, we had a friendly discussion that ended up with my getting a black eye."

  Abby laughed and sighed. "That's what I like about you, Dane."

  "What?" I asked, taking a huge bite out of my sandwich. It was juicy and delicious, and I reminded myself to get the address of the shop from Abby, no matter what. "That I got my ass kicked? I mean, I gave as good as I got against three other guys, but that’s beside the point.”

  "No, that you're secure enough in who you are and in your maturity that you’re willing to admit that. Any other man I've ever met, after the way we met, at least, would have told me a litany of lies that made him look like the world's biggest badass," she said, laying back on the blanket and letting her body stretch out. She looked so sexy, I couldn't have taken my eyes from her anyway. “You’re the real deal, and you don’t try to flaunt it. It’s refreshing. And you know what else?"

  "What?" I asked.

  "I'm hoping that you’re going to take advantage of our privacy and this blanket," she purred, cupping her breast. "I've not been able to get that night out of my mind for six weeks. If that's what you meant by what's next."

  It wasn't, but I damn sure wouldn’t turn something like that down. Setting the delicious food aside, I lifted the basket out of the way, making sure it was clear of anything before I lay down next to Abby, pulling her into my arms and softly kissing her lips.

  I tasted the sweet wine on her mouth and tongue. Her breasts pushed up into my chest, and her legs were warm and strong under mine. Abby's kiss was tender and loving, her fingers running through my hair and pulling me in tighter.

  With a giggle and a squeal, we rolled until she was on top, kissing me with her hair dangling over our face. Breaking our kiss, she traced my forehead and eyebrows, looking down on me. "Dane.”

  “Yes, Abby?” I asked as she wiggled her body, rubbing against my now raging hard on.

  "Call me Abs. You're the first person to ever do that, and . . . well . . . I kinda like it."

  My answering combined chuckle and moan was more than enough of an answer, and we kissed again, my hands going from caressing to demanding, hungry to feel the silky smoothness of Abby's skin and to see her nude in the shaded afternoon light. "Abs." It came so naturally.

  She lifted her body enough for me to pull her tank top up and off, leaving her in just a lacy bra. I repeated the name over and over, kissing down her throat and finding her pulse on her collarbone. She mewled and gasped, struggling to form a question. "Please, can you take off your things too?"

  "Please? I like that," I teased, letting her get off me while I sat up. I'd dressed casually, but still more than she had, with a light cotton, button-down shirt to go with my own cargo shorts, five years or more out of fashion, but what I was still comfortable with.

  She reached for the button on her shorts at the same time, and I noticed that her bra had a front clasp this time. I wondered if she had planned on seducing me even as we had talked the evening before. I couldn’t complain. I’d hoped for it either way. She saw where my eyes were fixed and raised an eyebrow, unclasping the bra and letting her perfect, heavy teardrops expose to the air and to my view. I reached up, cupping one of her breasts and letting it rest in my hand. "You certainly like these."

  “How could I not?” I replied, taking my hand away and undoing my shorts. I pushed them down, glad I'd worn the Nikes instead of boots, as I could pull my shorts off easily. "Sorry, forgot the shoes."

  "I don't care," Abby said, reaching for my cock. "This is what I've been desperate to have."

  "I'm just a big cock life support unit then?" I teased, causing her to stop and smile.

  “Oh you’re a little more than that,” she teased. “But yes, you sure know how to use it,” she said with my dick in her hand. “And there's something I've wanted to do that I didn't last time."

  "Oh?" I asked, thinking back to the night in the apartment. It was hard to concentrate when I had a beautiful woman stroking my cock with her small, perfect hand, and my thoughts were totally blown away when she quickly knelt and took the head of my cock in her mouth, sucking and licking the sensitive tip.

  Abby's lips sealed around my shaft added to the sensation, and I knew if she kept that up, I was going to fill her mouth with my come before she even got all the way down. Reaching forward, my hand traveled over the smooth curve of her backside, noticing that she'd lost a few pounds since our first night. It must have been the stress of studying, I thought, but I didn't mind. She was perfect no matter what, and as my fingers reached between her butt cheeks to find the warm moistness of her cleft, I shuddered as she groaned around me.

  I stayed there for as long as I could, Abby slowly bobbing her head on my cock while I rubbed my fingers over the edges of her lips. Finally, I couldn't resist it anymore and I pulled back, grabbing her ponytail and pulling her up into a searing kiss. Our lips were hot and liquid, flowing over each other and sucking hard while we growled. Our inner feral natures were coming out, and this beautiful woman was more than willing to match my inner nature with her own passion.

  "Give it to me, Dane,” Abby hissed at me as her fingers pulled at the muscles along my shoulders and neck. "Show me what you can do."

  Her words stirred my passion to flaming heights, and I pushed her back onto the blanket, her legs wrapping around me as I claimed her mouth with mine again. Reaching down, I aligned myself with her wet entrance and pushed in, not too fast, but unrelenting. If she wanted to be my woman, she would be my woman.

  Abby didn’t make a single sound of complaint as I sank my entire length into her. A warm moan started deep in her chest as I pushed farther and farther in, until my balls rested on the curve of her ass below me. Pulling back, I looked into her sapphire eyes, which were wide with amazement and pleasure. Tracing my hand over her heart, I let loose the words of my heart. "You're going to be mine—forever."

  She smiled, bringing her hand up to rest over my heart, her voice thick and syrupy with desire. I pulled back and drove into her again. Shudders rippled through her body with the feeling. We fell into a fast, hungry pace, demanding from each other everything the other had. My right hand was still wrapped with her ponytail as I drove into her over and over, our eyes locked on each other as our passion built. I'd never found a woman like Abby before, whose genuine desire matched my own in perfect harmony, rising to meet me and pulling me in for more and more.

  My orgasm built quickly within me, and I didn't care. I could tell she was on the edge as well. I knew it—and knew there would be other times for gentleness and tenderness. This was about laying claim to each other. I was determined to make her mine.

  Faster and faster, my hips rose and fell while I pinned Abby to the blanket, my hand tight in her hair and her fingers raking down my back. I felt the steely fire of my skin tearing as her fingernails cut furrows in my back, but the pain fueled my passion even more, and my
hips pounded into her even harder. "Yes, yes, yes," she cried, biting her lower lip. "Fuck me!"

  We raced each other toward our orgasm, my body trembling and covered in sweat from the exertion and the heat of the early summer day. With a trembling growl, I plunged my cock into her one more time, her legs tightening as Abby's orgasm swept through her, her fingers digging in harder than they ever had. The feeling of her pussy clenching and massaging my cock that last time was the trigger I needed, and I exploded, letting out a powerful, feral growl.

  When I was finally done, and my body relaxed into the boneless happiness that is the wonder of a post-orgasm glow, I leaned down, kissing Abby tenderly and rolling both of us onto our sides. "I think I’m falling in love with you, Abs."

  “Me too, Dene," she said. When I cocked an eyebrow, she smiled and traced my face with her fingertips. “In my studies, I ran across the word that the old English used for the Viking warriors. They called them Dene, or what eventually became Dane. I thought it appropriate for you.”

  I kissed her softly, my heart warming. “It’s fitting, given what I’ve turned to religiously. I'll treasure it, Abs. Maybe I can get it tattooed on my body somewhere."

  "I was thinking of maybe having it tattooed on mine," Abby replied with a smile. “And what do you mean? Are you into Norse mythology or something?”

  I shrugged and shook my head. “I don’t know—kind of. I started looking for something to believe in after my conviction. But it started a little before that.”

  "Tell me about it," Abby said softly, rolling back and pillowing her head on her arm. "I want to know everything about you, even the dark parts."

  I nodded and rolled onto my stomach, tenting my chin on my hands and looking out at the river beyond. "I guess part of it was my upbringing. My family was one of those weekly churchgoing families—every Sunday, like clockwork. But there was nothing happening despite all that praying. It continued in the Army, as some of the biggest assholes I knew were also some of the most churchgoing. Still, I tried to keep at least a little bit of faith, but after what happened in Iraq, I practically gave up on it. So I thought about it, and I picked Norse mythology because it seemed to fit what I was going through. It's a religion where everything pretty much goes to hell, and the good guys get screwed in a major way. Kinda fit in with my outlook on life back then."

  "And now?" Abby asked. "Do you still think that life sucks and then you die?"

  I rolled to my side and kissed her nose, shaking my head. "I don't know for sure, but things do seem to have taken a turn for the better.”

  Chapter 13

  Abby

  Unfortunately for our desires, regardless of how long we wanted to stay there, I had to go home eventually. As it was, we stayed until the sun started to go down, then had a casual dinner at a little country barbecue place. "I never realized just how voracious an appetite you have," I said as he came back from the buffet with his third plate. "Have you been starving yourself or something?"

  Dane grinned and shook his head. "No, but I did work up quite an appetite this afternoon. And it’s a bit of an old habit that I've not quite worked past yet."

  "What's that?" I asked, enjoying the rich pork myself.

  "Until recently, I mostly just ate to live," Dane said simply as he used his plastic fork to split a biscuit in half. He took forkfuls of the spicy barbecue and put it on the halves, making an open-faced sandwich that he started consuming in efficient, neat bites. Despite it being his third plate, and the barbecue being soaked in nearly an obscene amount of sauce, his shirt was spotless, a far cry from my own.

  "Luxury for my family was getting eighty-twenty ground beef to go into our mac & cheese casserole. The Army was the same way, and Leavenworth . . . well, you can guess what that was like. In any case, during all that time, I ate enough to not be hungry, but I hated a lot of what I had to put in my mouth. On the rare occasions that I was able to have delicious food, I ate as quickly and as much as I could. I never knew when I'd get another chance to indulge in it again."

  "Well, now that you won't have that issue, it’s a habit I suggest you look at breaking unless you want to end up the size of a small elephant," I teased.

  Dane immediately set his fork down and pushed his plate away. “Well, I’m still going to have some Key Lime Pie.”

  I couldn't help it. I laughed. "Dane, I'm not saying don't enjoy tonight. It's actually kind of cute to watch. You act like a man, a real man. I've spent too many meals surrounded by frat boys who worry about their six-packs and their haircuts. So enjoy. I guess what I was trying to say, not too successfully, is that your life isn't that way anymore, and you don't have to worry about it."

  Dane thought about it, teasing the pile of barbecue with his fork. "Abs, we seem to have something going here, but I don't want to be a kept man. I never have been and never will be.”

  I blushed and looked down, twisting my napkin until it started to tear. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that either. I'm just trying to say, money isn't important to me. And I’m not going to live off of Daddy for the rest of my life—something I should have started already. I’ll admit, I'm self-centered, I'm greedy, and I'm spoiled rotten. In other words, I'm your normal girl."

  Dane laughed and pulled his plate closer. "You are far from normal. In fact, you're pretty exceptional."

  When I got home, Daddy and Brittany were enjoying a movie together in the family room, looking comfortable together. I hadn't seen them like that often before, and I had to admit that it was nice to see. They looked like a normal couple. "I'm back."

  "Did you have fun, sweetie?" Brittany asked, leaning against Daddy.

  "I did. The water was nice," I lied. "How about you guys?"

  "We had a good afternoon," Daddy said. "You want to join us? Blazing Saddles is coming on in a few minutes."

  I shook my head, tired after the warmth and the day's exertions. "No thanks. I'm pretty worn out. I think I'll get a bath and go to sleep, if y'all don't mind."

  I rarely let a y'all slip out. Brittany usually corrected me on it, but this time she was content, and I think our conversation a few days earlier helped. She waved from the couch, not even looking up from her position nestled next to Daddy to worry about it. "All right, Abby. See you in the morning."

  Up in my room, I noticed that my phone was blinking, meaning I had some messages or missed calls. I'd ignored it all day, in fact leaving it in my bag in the car while Dane and I spent the afternoon together. I turned it on, surprised to see over a dozen missed calls.

  Checking my call log, I was a little worried to see that ten of the missed calls were from Chris, with two from Shawnie. Also, there were three messages from Chris to my phone.

  Party's just getting started, I hope you get here soon!

  Hey, where are you? Your friend got here, hope you can join us!

  At least give me a call, or tell me what's going on.

  It was the tone of the last message that concerned me. I just got a sense that Chris seemed to expect something, and I thought about giving him a call to clear things up. I hope he didn’t get the idea that I wanted to see him again. It was nearly nine, though, and I decided to give Shawnie a call instead. She picked up almost any time of the day or night.

  Shawnie's phone rang over and over, and I grew concerned. She usually turned her phone off if she couldn’t answer. This time, though, her phone just kept ringing, until finally it kicked over to her voice mail. "Hey, Shawnie, it's me. Just wanted to see how you were doing. I saw you tried to call. I'm a bit concerned—you normally have your phone set differently. Gimme a call if you can and tell me how the party went. Talk to you later, bye."

  I repeated the message in a text and put my phone on its charger. Yawning, I realized I really was tired, and I changed out of my clothes into some sleep shorts and a pajama top and climbed into bed. Dreams of Dane and me making love on the side of the river warmed me throughout the night, and I woke up feeling better than I had in a long time. I knew that my dre
am had to have good meaning for the day ahead, and I planned again how I was going to approach Daddy about everything involving Dane.

  Taking my phone from the charger, concern swept back over me when I saw that Shawnie hadn't messaged me back. It was already nearly ten in the morning, and she had always been a notoriously early riser—to the point of annoying me more than once with her seven in the morning perkiness. I enjoyed sleeping in when I didn't have to be up, and after the physical exertion of the night before, I was more than ready to crash for a whole day.

  I quickly showered and changed clothes, pulling on some jeans and a t-shirt. Going into the kitchen, I saw Daddy drinking his morning green tea as he read a spy novel, a habit he had picked up at my urging. Considering the time, it was probably his second cup of the day before he enjoyed his Saturday morning. "How did you sleep, sweetheart?"

  "I'm fine, Daddy, but I need to go run an errand," I said, grabbing my car keys. “I hope it won't take too long.”

  "What is it, honey?" he asked, setting his tea and book down to look at me. "

  "My friend, Shawnie. She didn't answer her phone or the text message I sent her last night. I'm just a bit worried about her, and I want to make sure she's okay."

  I had expected him to protest, but he waved it off. Instead, he picked up his paperback and took another sip of his tea. "I was a bit too harsh on her, I think. You two have been friends for a long time, and I shouldn’t have taken out my concerns on her. Besides, from what you said the other night, you won't be seeing much of each other soon, and I don't want to stop you from having some good memories."

  "Thanks, Daddy," I said, going over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you in a bit.”