The Devil You Know (Ashby Crime Family Romance Book 3)

by KB Winters

  “I’m right here, Kitty Kat.”

  I laughed, wondering how I ever could have hated that damn nickname because now, nothing sounded better coming from his lips. Except the moan I pulled from him when the back of my hand grazed his cock over his gray sweatpants.

  “I can feel that,” he moaned.

  I couldn’t wait any longer to taste those smiling lips, practically attacking him the way I wanted to do from the moment I knew what kissing a man felt like. This kiss was different, it wasn’t just hot and hungry and full of need. I mean, it was all those things but it was also something more. Something deeper as I slid my tongue between his lips, savoring the taste of maple syrup. “Pancakes?”

  Terry laughed. “Waffles. For dinner,” he shrugged as if he thought I might judge him.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have any more of that maple syrup, would you?”

  It was my turn to laugh when his blue eyes darkened with heat and his hands tightened on my ass.

  “You tryin’ to kill me, Kat?”

  I took a step back and shook my head. “No, Terry, I’m trying to taste you.” I licked my lips and stuck my hand into the elastic waistband of his sweatpants that did nothing to hide the effect I had on him. His cock was hot and hard, that layer of velvet skin so irresistible I groaned as I gripped him and stroked in long slow strokes that pulled an erotic moan from him.

  “Kat,” he growled and reached for my wrist, removing it from his sweatpants and tossing me over his shoulder in one smooth move, making only one short stop before he deposited me in the middle of his bed.

  His mattress was firm but with a pillowtop that gave it just enough bounce to be fun. He stood at the foot of the bed; face twisted into carnal agony thanks to the erection tenting his sweats. In his hand, a small bottle of maple syrup.

  “Gimme,” I smirked.

  He smiled and held the bottle just out of my reach, forcing me off the bed.

  “Come and get it.”

  Oh, the teasing version of Terry was my absolute favorite, especially with his hair all mussed and his lips parted in a smile. I stood and grabbed the sash on my dress, giving it a tug until the knot unraveled and let the black wraparound fall to his bedroom floor.

  “Fuck,” he growled at the sight of me in barely there lace the exact color of his eyes.

  “That’s the idea, but first…the syrup.”

  Before he could play more games, I grabbed the bottle and dropped to my knees, thankful he’d sprung for the plush carpeting even though nothing could have kept me from tasting his cock in that moment. In one quick yank, those sweatpants were around his ankles, his cock jutted out right in my face, a small pearl of liquid teasing me at his slit.

  “Such a pretty cock.”

  He grunted out a laugh as I took his cock in one hand and wrapped my mouth around the tip, sucking hard enough to make his legs quiver.

  “Kat.”

  “That’s me,” I told him with a smile as I popped the lid on the bottle and poured a light drizzle of syrup at the base of his cock, mesmerized by the path the liquid took over the thick vein that snaked toward the head of his shaft. “And this…is you,” I moaned and slowly licked and sucked the syrup from his cock. His balls. It was, without a doubt, the best, the hottest fucking blow job I’d ever given and my panties were soaked, my own body shook in anticipation as I savored the taste of him, knowing our time together was limited.

  “Oh fuck, Kat!” One hand fisted in my hair, gently but tight enough to make my pussy clench. I took him deeper, loving the way his cock swelled and hardened in my mouth.

  “Kat,” he growled once more as his hips started to move. He was close.

  So fucking close.

  I moaned as I felt his precome coat my tongue and took him even deeper so he could feel my throat close around the tip of his cock and he lost it. Knowing that I, Kat Ashby, had the skills to make this big strong man lose all sense of control, was empowering. I kept this cock in my mouth, licking up every drop and sucking until he was completely spent.

  “Definitely a fan of you plus syrup,” I told him with a laugh.

  But Terry wasn’t laughing, his expression was a blend of serious and aroused as he pulled me to my feet and pushed me onto the bed.

  “Definitely a fan of you sucking me off like I’m your last meal.”

  Last meal. It sounded ominous as hell and I didn’t want to think about our last anything. Not now. Not ever. I licked my lips and spread my legs, teasing him. “I’m hoping that was just an appetizer.” In more ways than one.

  Terry said nothing, just smiled a salacious smile as he knelt on the bed and crawled between my legs. He didn’t even slide a finger inside to see if I was wet, just put his mouth to my pussy with no regard for the lingerie which only caused more friction in combination with his lips and tongue and teeth. He tortured my pussy with his mouth and the scratchy lace like he had something to prove and I was happy, deliriously happy with every stroke of his tongue, every nibble of his teeth.

  “Oh my…fuck!” My hips bucked off the bed once and Terry held me down, forcing me to take every lashing of his tongue without moving. His lips puckered around my clit, the motion making the little button vibrate vigorously which only caused more friction with the lace.

  “Terry…please. I. Need. You.”

  He sucked even harder at my words until my body shook with the force of an earthquake, the orgasm roaring through me until I felt as though I was drowning in ecstasy. Until I was certain that he could see the love I had for him written all over my face.

  “Need, huh?” His words came out on a growl and all I could do was nod as wave after wave of pleasure rolled over my body.

  “Tell me,” he demanded, and my eyes popped open.

  His blue eyes were intense. Serious. Patient as if he really wanted an answer. “I need you, Terry. Now. I need you on me. I need you inside me.” I just need you.

  My orgasm was still going when his cock slid deep, filling me so slowly that it only stretched out my pleasure as he touched all my exposed nerves until he was right where I needed him.

  “Feel the way your pussy wraps around my cock? Almost as good as the way your mouth sucked me.”

  His words forced a blush up my entire body. “Almost?”

  Terry gripped my hips and his slow strokes had rainbow sparks shooting off behind my eyes as he gripped my thighs and pushed them towards my chest. “When I fuck you like this, your pussy is sucking my cock.”

  “Terry,” I gasped as every stroke rubbed my clit and sent another earthquake through my body.

  “And when I fuck you hard and fast like this,” he growled and pounded into my body over and over again until my eyes rolled in the back of my head. “Your tits jiggle so beautifully it’s like a real-life fucking porno right here in my bed.”

  His hands gripped my tits and he fucked me hard and fast, the jackhammer motion even better than my vibrator.

  “Who needs batteries when I have you?”

  His hips kept a furious pace as my body screamed pleasure. I was powerless to do anything but take what he gave me, accept the pleasure he pumped into my body.

  “Kat. What are you doing to me, woman?” He stopped abruptly and I let out a cry of despair, but he flipped me over and raised my hips. I winced when his palm flew across my ass. Then the back of his hand. Over and over. The heat from his hand intensified, making my nerves more sensitive and when his slick finger found my asshole, I bucked against him so hard he almost toppled over.

  “Terry! Yes!” Like a rabid dog, I growled out, “Fuck me!” and pushed my hips back to take all of him. He leaned forward, his chest flush against my back, his lips and tongue on my neck once again as his deep strokes worked my body into an unstoppable frenzy. One hand gripped my hip and the other found a nipple to knead and tease as his cock drove into me, hard and deep.

  The orgasm started in my toes and moved up my body at a glacial pace, allowing me to savor each time his cock plunged into me.
One tear slid down my cheek and then another. And another. When the orgasm hit my core, everything poured out of me. Tears flooded my cheeks and sweat dripped from my body as it convulsed with pleasure. Between my thighs, a rush of liquid made Terry’s strokes smoother, more intense as he found his own pleasure. “Terry,” I gasped.

  “Kat,” he grunted in response.

  “I love you, Terry.”

  The words came out barely above a whisper, and I wondered if he heard me, if he’d responded. I drifted off to sleep before I had an answer.

  Chapter Thirty

  Terry

  I love you Terry.

  Kat told me last night before she drifted off to sleep that she loved me. She said them again when I filled her pussy with my cock and her sweet little ass with a finger, bringing her so much pleasure it brought tears to her eyes. I love you. The words came easily and even in the heat of passion, I knew she meant them.

  I was just too much of a fucking coward to say them back. I wanted to, fuck, how I wanted to say those words to her freely. To have the right to say them to her and not blow up my whole fucking life. But I didn’t.

  I couldn’t.

  And asshole that I was, I felt relief when I woke up this morning and found Kat’s side of the bed empty and cold. I wasn’t prepared to deal with Kat’s emotions because I wasn’t ready to face the consequences of my actions And based on her actions, neither was Kat. Sneaking around was hot and maybe a little exciting, but it was also stupid and dangerous, something we both knew even though we never talked about it.

  Even knowing all that, I wasn’t ready to give her up.

  Maybe eventually I would, but not now.

  Not today.

  After I savored one more minute in the bed I’d shared with Kat, all night, I took a quick shower that took longer than anticipated as I was slammed with memories of Kat. I imagined the water sliding down her body, the soapy water dipping between the gap in her legs, remembering the way she arched into my touch. Moaned my name.

  My cock stood at attention, and I closed my eyes, letting the memory of Kat down on her knees sucking me off with a smile wash over me while I stroked my cock to satisfaction. It wasn’t enough.

  I was scared it would never be enough.

  Kat fucking Ashby was in my soul, in my heart and deep in my bones, and she’d made a home there.

  I dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with no plans for the day other than meeting up with Jasper later for updates. So far, the team chasing Brendan hadn’t found him and no sightings of Ravager anywhere. Made me wonder if whoever paid him off might have killed him.

  And Jasper’s stress levels were through the roof, which meant I needed to get all thoughts of Kat out of my head before I met up with him.

  Sniffing a delicious aroma on my way toward the kitchen, I called bacon. And coffee. Which was odd because I knew Kat didn’t cook, like, never.

  “What the hell?” The oven was on the warm setting that I’d never used in all the years since I bought the stove. Then I found the note taped to the refrigerator.

  Hey Ter—Don’t get excited, I didn’t cook but I did order you a breakfast that you richly deserved. Bon appetit!— KA

  That was it, no words of love or affection, just typical Kat snark and a doodled smiley face. Inside the oven was a huge breakfast. Two containers filled with bacon, scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes, waffles, sausage patties, biscuits and jam. The only thing that would have made the breakfast better, was sharing it with Kat.

  Instead, I snapped a selfie getting ready to dig in and sent it to her with a word of thanks. Then I ate every bite to replenish the energy I’d used fucking Kat all night. And all morning.

  A text came back quickly but it wasn’t Kat.

  “Midnight Mass. Noon.” Jasper’s message was short and to the point like all of his messages, but something about it set me on edge.

  “Sure,” I shot back, ignoring the acid that built up in my stomach. It was probably nothing but my own guilty conscience for lying to my best friend and sleeping with his sister. It was a violation of the Bro Code and I knew it, but I’d denied myself too long and Kat was too tempting.

  By the time I strolled into Midnight Mass and found Jasper in his back office, I’d convinced myself it was nothing. He didn’t know. He couldn’t possibly know.

  No one did.

  “Hey Jas. Why are we meeting here?”

  He glared up at me but face became impassive as he motioned for me to sit.

  “Just in case any shit pops off again, I’d rather be here instead of the casino.”

  It made sense and slowly the feeling in my stomach began to disappear. “You expect any shit in particular to pop off or just in general?”

  Jasper shrugged, and I noticed he looked tired. No, not tired, he was exhausted. “Had a visitor last night.”

  “Yeah, who?” I leaned forward, elbows on my knees as I mentally prepared myself for another shit storm. For more violence. More bullshit.

  “Brendan fucking Rhymer.” His words were calm, eerily so and that bad feeling returned with intensity. “God, that fucker is even more hideous now. His skin looks like a melted fucking candle, and he smells like Hannibal Lecter had a barbecue.”

  My lips kicked up into a half-hearted grin, but I wanted more details. “What did he want?”

  Jasper sat back with a smirk. “To let me know he was the one who blew up that Lambo in the parking lot.”

  “Big fucking shocker. Did he say why?” He had to have a plan if he met with Jasper. In person.

  “Wanted me to know it was him. Him. Not Daddy Dearest and not the pervert priest.” Jasper shook his head, disbelief written all over his face.

  “Crazy asshole got it in his head that his old man doesn’t give a fuck about him and won’t ever hand over power, so he came to let me know we now have two Rhymers to worry about.”

  I could buy that explanation. Almost. “But why tip his hand now? Doesn’t make sense.”

  “Hates Mueller and thinks if he’s out of the picture, it’ll make the old man more vulnerable. He’s not wrong. Without the protection provided by the church, The Crusaders would be in shambles.”

  His gaze remained fixed on mine, gauging my reaction to everything like he suddenly didn’t trust me. “He’s been watching Mueller. And Mueller’s been watching Kat.”

  Ice slid through my veins at his words, and I felt my skin go pale.

  “Where is she?”

  “Safe,” he growled and produced an envelope, which he tossed across the desk. It landed right in front of me. “Open it.”

  I did, hoping like hell that it wasn’t photos of Kat being stalked by one of Mueller’s crazy followers. What the black & white photos were of, was worse. Much fucking worse. Photo after photo of me and Kat.

  Kissing.

  Laughing.

  Eating.

  Fucking.

  Making love.

  In every fucking photo we looked like a couple in love. So deep in love that an ache formed in my chest because in that moment I realized what I had with Kat. At the same time that I realized it was over. We were over.

  “Nothing to say?”

  He leaned forward, an angry look on his face that I knew well, but it had never been aimed at me. Not once in more than twenty years.

  I leaned back and sighed, knowing I was caught and knowing that I had to take this, whatever it was, like a man.

  “What do you want me to say, Jas?”

  He smacked the deck in anger. “I want you to tell me that you’re not fucking my sister.”

  “I could tell you that, but I’m not a liar.”

  “That’s up for fucking debate,” he growled and glared at me. “You fucking lied to me every time you were supposed to be protecting Kat. But no, you weren’t protecting her, you were fucking her!”

  “Watch your fucking mouth, Ashby! Be pissed at me all you want, but don’t act like Kat is too stupid to know the fucking difference.”

  It
pissed me off that he even thought Kat would let any man use her. Ever.

  “So, what, now I’m supposed to believe you have feelings for her? Give me a fucking break man, I know you.”

  “Do you?” I sat back and examined Jasper closely as I wondered if he did know me. “Because if you knew me as well as you seem to think, you’d know that I’ve been in love with your sister for years. Years, Jasper. And you know why I never did anything about it?”

  “Because you were worried I’d kill you?”

  I flashed a bitter smile at his words, ignoring the ache they caused.

  “Because of our friendship. At least I thought it was a friendship, now I’m not so sure.” And that hurt worse than anything.

  Jasper shook his head, refusing to let my words sink in. “She’s my sister, man. My fucking sister. That’s Bro Code 101.”

  I shrugged. “I’m just a dumb fuck who never went to college. I guess I missed that lesson because here I was thinking you and I were brothers. Thicker than blood.” I stood on heavy legs and shook my head.

  “But that was all bullshit, wasn’t it, Jas? Meant to keep me close, to be your fucking lapdog, not your friend.” All the years I stayed away from Kat, denied my heart the one thing it desired, and it was all for nothing. “That’s what I thought.”

  There was nothing more to say.

  Jasper sighed and raked a hand through his hair, clear green eyes still shooting fire in my direction. “How can I…”

  “How can you what, trust me? If you have to ask then you don’t fucking trust me, man.”

  And there it was, my biggest fear realized. My best friend, my brother, hell my family, all gone in one fucking minute.

  “After this,” he motioned to the photos, “how can I?”

  I nodded, acknowledging the truth from Jasper’s perspective. The end of my time with the Ashby family.

  “You can’t.” I turned on my heels and walked away, knowing this was it.

  The end.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Kat

  Terry had been absent the past few days. As much as I worried about him, it was also nice to not be watched like a hawk for the past fifty-odd hours. Jasper hadn’t said anything about putting Terry on another assignment, then again, he wouldn’t tell me anything because he was in charge and didn’t have to.