Thorn's Redemption (Fated Lives Series Book 3)

by Kelly Moore

  I push the coffee table out of the way and kneel down in front of her. I pick up her empty hand and inspect the bruises on her wrists. “I’m sorry she hurt you because of me.”

  She places her mug on the side table and rests her hand on my cheek. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “She knew about us, about everything.” I look back and forth into her eyes.

  “She’s good and knows her victim’s Achilles’ heel.”

  “That’s a good way to describe how I feel about you.” I lean in and kiss her softly, even though my tendency is to devour her.

  When she pulls back, she presses her forehead to mine with her eyes closed. “I’ve thought about you for years,” she whispers as she reaches down and places her mug on the floor.

  I don’t need another opening from her. I sweep her into my arms and carry her to my bed. Placing her on her feet, neither one of us wastes time removing our clothes. When she’s naked, my gaze sweeps over her sexy body—the body of a woman, not the young girl I remember. Her neck and collarbone long to be kissed by me. Her breasts are the perfect size, and her nipples are tight, asking to be in my mouth. The curve of her waist is sexy and leads to her bare mound. Scanning further, her long, lean legs are silky and firm. My cock stands at attention, picturing her legs around my waist.

  “You’re more beautiful than I remember.” I slip my hands around her core.

  “Make love to me,” she says, staring into my eyes.

  “I’m not the same boy from years ago,” I tell her while lying her on the bed. “I like to be in control,” I add.

  “I’m okay with that.” She blinks her long, dark lashes.

  I open the bedside drawer, taking out a condom and rolling it on, then start at her feet, working my way up her body with my hands. Then my lips follow the path I created back down her body. “Roll over,” I command, and she does. I grab her hips and pull them up, and I lean my body into her so that she can feel how hard she makes me.

  She groans and arches her back. I slide my hands to her breast and twist lightly at her nipples, and she mewls, pressing her ass into me.

  I lift one hand and smack her ass. She looks over her shoulder with lust-filled eyes. “Do it again.” She licks her lips.

  Who am I to not give a woman what she wants? Part of my control is meeting her needs. I smack her other cheek a little harder this time, leaving my handprint on her. Then I rub her drenched center, giving her nothing but pleasure. As I push my fingers into her, I stroke my cock. “You’re fucking sexy,” I groan.

  She lies flat on her belly then rolls over, planting one long leg around my ass. Her eyes grow large as she watches my hand move up and down my length. I nearly come in my hand when she licks her full lips. “I want to feel you inside of me.” She pants out her words.

  She replaces my hand with hers, and I inch toward her entrance. I move down, placing one hand behind her. “Arms above your head,” I say between gritted teeth.

  She smiles and does as she’s told, grasping the headboard. I lower my head and draw a nipple into my mouth. One of her hands flies off the headboard and wraps around my neck.

  I stop sucking but don’t take my lips from around her nipple. “Put your hand back,” I command.

  She does and pushes her back up, pressing further into my mouth. I chuckle. “You’re not very good at being submissive.”

  “I’m sorry. I’ll try harder next time, but you’re driving me crazy,” she says between pants of breath.

  I lean back on my knees and wrap her other leg around my waist, and dive deep inside her. I have to bite my lip hard to keep control. Her warmth floods over me, and I crave her even more. I don’t move, and I can already feel her insides starting to pulsate around my cock.

  “Breathe, baby,” I say, and she slows her breaths. Once she’s gained her control, I rock back and forth inside her, leisurely at first. Her lips part and she’s gasping again. I move all the way out and plunge in again, deeper this time. “Play with your nipples,” I order.

  She releases the headboard and sexy as shit, runs her hands slowly down to her breast, squeezing them first. My cock throbs with the sight of her. Her bottom lip is gripped between her teeth as a moan escapes. Her fingers toy with her taut nipples, twisting, letting go, then repeating.

  My balls draw up and start to tingle, forcing me to thrust harder. I slide my hand between us and tweak her nub. Her body vibrates as she lets pleasure overtake her senses. She squeezes me tight, drawing me deeper inside her as she comes. The sensation is earth-shattering, and I can’t stop my body’s reaction to her. I growl with my release as my muscles start to shake. I cover her body with my body and trap her mouth with mine, swallowing both our cries of satisfaction. When our bodies are spent, I lie next to her, caressing her soft skin.

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  She rolls up on to her side with her elbow propping her up. “Not in the least.”

  I lift her hand and kiss the bruises encompassing her wrists. “When these heal, I’ll be the one tying you up, and I won’t leave bruises unless you resist too much.”

  She smiles broadly. “You aren’t the same lover I recall, and I don’t want to know how and why you changed. I’ll let that be privileged information.”

  I laugh. “Good because I’ve lots of new skills I’d like to share with you.” I move off the bed and toss the condom in the wastebasket and pull on a pair of jeans.

  She draws the sheet up under her chin. “Where are you going?”

  I walk over to the foot of the bed and yank the sheet off, exposing her. “I’ve got a debriefing downstairs, and we’ve got to map out a plan to find Nina.”

  She gets out of bed and finds her clothes on the floor. “You didn’t bring her back?”

  “No. She got away when the place exploded.”

  “I can help. I studied her whenever she was around.”

  “You’re not going anywhere near the action, but there is a journal that was Nina’s. It’s from her childhood. I’m sure it will give you more insight as to her inner workings.”

  “Where is it?” She tucks my shirt into her slacks.

  “Rebel has it, but there is something you should know.”

  “What?”

  “Nina claims that Fallon is her long-lost sister.”

  “Seriously?” Her eyes grow wide.

  “She has DNA proof.”

  “Damn. How is Fallon taking the news?”

  “She begged us not to kill Nina.”

  “She’s got to feel lost, given this information.” She heads toward the door.

  “Even though I think you should take some time off, Fallon could use your help right now.” I push the door shut when she opens it. “You and I need to figure out our situation.”

  She turns and leans against the door. “I…we…should let things settle down. We both got carried away.” She glances toward the bedroom.

  “No. What we did was bound to happen sooner or later. I told you things weren’t done between us and they still aren’t.”

  “We could both lose our jobs.”

  “I don’t give a shit. I’ll step down.” I stare into her eyes, so she knows I’m dead serious.

  She places her hand on my cheek. “We’ll find another way, but for now, I need to focus on helping our team.”

  “I agree. Just don’t shut down on me now that we’ve found each other again.”

  “Okay,” she whispers against my lips.

  “Unless you want everyone to know we’re together, I suggest you go change your clothes. I’ll head down to the war room.”

  She glances down at my T-shirt she’s wearing. “That’s probably a good idea.”

  “You can wear my clothes anytime you want. Better yet, nothing at all would be preferable.”

  “I’ll make note of it.” She giggles and heads out the door in the opposite direction from me.

  I take the stairs two at a time to find Rebel in his office on the phone.

 
; “I know she escaped! You don’t have to remind me!” He’s all but yelling into the phone. “No, sir, the mission isn’t over.” He listens for a moment with his jaw clenched.

  “Yes, Commander.” He slams down the phone. “Fuck!”

  “He’s not letting us go after Nina.” I grip the back of the leather chair.

  “No. He wants to let things around her die down and watch for her to rebuild.”

  “By then, there is no telling how many more girls will go missing!” I throw my hands in the air. I hear a noise behind me and turn to see Fallon walk into the office.

  “We have to find her,” she says, walking over to Rebel.

  “It’s no longer our mission. Commander Lukas is redirecting our efforts to another project that’s developing overseas. He’ll be here tomorrow with another team to brief us. We leave next week.”

  “No. I won’t let Nina start again!” She goes to walk away, and Rebel grasps her arm.

  “You can’t stop her. We can’t even locate her. Besides, we have a short window of time.”

  “Time for what? What are you talking about?”

  Rebel gets down on one knee. “To get married. We postponed it before, and I swore if you made it back alive, I wouldn’t go another day without making you my wife.”

  Fallon’s demeanor softens when she sees the larger than life Rebel gets down on one knee. Slowly, she joins him on the ground. “I thought the same thing many times. Every mission you go on could be your last, and that scares the hell out of me. But I love you, and I don’t want to waste any more time either.” He snatches her to him and kisses her, and it’s my cue to step out and shut the door behind me.

  I run into Theo on my way out. “Is Rebel in his office?” He points past me to the door.

  “Yeah, but he’s a little busy at the moment.”

  “Busy or not, we need to get back out there and find Nina.”

  I grab his shoulder before he can open the door. “It’s not our mission anymore. Commander Lukas is sending us with another team overseas.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until Nina is behind bars. She won’t stop, and more girls will be at risk. I’m not letting her put another woman through what she’s done to Fiona!” he yells.

  “We don’t have another option right now,” Rebel says as he comes out of his office with Fallon tucked to his side.

  “You have to convince him to go after her.” Theo stands up to Rebel.

  “I want her captured more than anyone, but we’ve been ordered to stand down for now. So unless you want to resign, you’ll do your job.” He’s firm with Theo. “She’ll resurface, and we’ll go after her.”

  Theo lets out a long, deep sigh. “What’s this mission?”

  He claps Theo’s shoulder. “We’ll be briefed tomorrow. Today’s mission is to marry this beautiful woman.” He kisses the top of Fallon’s head.

  “Today?” she asks. “We can’t get married until Sean is out of the hospital.”

  “Agreed. I’m headed there now to see if he can come home. If not today, then this week at the latest. I’m not going anywhere until we have rings on our fingers.” He smacks her ass and walks out.

  “Congratulations,” I say.

  Fallon steps up to Theo. “Would you be my best man?”

  “I’d be honored.” He hugs her.

  I take a step to walk away. “And, Thorn, I need someone to walk me down the aisle.”

  “You’re asking me?” I raise an eyebrow.

  “You’ve saved my life twice now. You’re protective like a father would be.” She casts her eyes downward.

  “I’d be honored to.” I crook a finger under her chin and lift it, and she smiles.

  “Thank you, both.”

  Chapter 17

  Nina

  “Damn them all to hell!” I watch from an abandoned building across the road as Fallon catches up with Derrick, and they drive off together.

  “I guess she decided not to hold up her end of our agreement,” I talk to myself. “I’ll have to remind her of what I’m capable of doing.” I sit on the cold concrete floor and place the binoculars next to me.

  “Why, Derrick, of all people did you have to fall for my sister?” I answer my own ramblings. Because she’s sweeter, prettier, younger, and way more innocent than I am. But, she’s not smarter or wealthier, not that those things seem to matter to him. I can be sweet. Can’t I? If I’d have been given the life she had, maybe.

  It goes back to my question, nature or nurture? I could walk away from my nature and have a different life, couldn’t I? Or would I always go back to being me? I’d be like her if it meant Derrick would love me. It would be rather boring, and I’d more than likely lose interest, but I could do it for a man like him.

  It’s my fault she won him in the first place. If I would’ve worked harder for him to be removed from his mission, he wouldn’t have found out that I was the one that betrayed him. He’d be none the wiser as to my extracurricular activities.

  “Why can’t I let him go?” I should be a million miles away right now, never to be found, and here I sit, only a few hundred feet from the men who’ve been hunting me. Is it merely for him, or some sick, gnawing feeling to be around my sister? Why didn’t I kill her when I had the chance?

  Because like it or not, she’s all the family you have left. It wasn’t her fault that she wasn’t around. She’s the lucky one. She could’ve let them kill me, but she didn’t. She begged them. I need to give her life beyond Derrick. She’s not the kind of woman that will support his lifestyle for long. She may think she loves him, but the danger he and his men live in will grow weary on a girl like her. She deserves better. I guess it’s up to me again to keep her safe.

  “Look at me, the big sister always doing what’s best for her family.” I laugh. And Derrick thinks I’m all bad. I’ll send her away and keep him for myself. He’ll need comforting knowing the woman he supposedly loves left him. He’ll drown his sorrows in liquor again, and I’ll be the one to pick up the pieces. He’ll lose his SEAL status and want to disappear right into my waiting arms.

  I’ll make her nothing more than a distant memory for him. I can make him happy. I’ll even adopt a few bratty kids if that’s what he wants. I have plenty of money to hire a nanny to care for them, so they don’t get in my way.

  “I have just the plan for you, Fallon Davis, never to be Mrs. Derrick Rebel.” I tuck my hair under my cap and sneak out of the building and head for Fallon’s office. It’s locked up tight but no match for my skills. I break in, sight unseen, and make my way up the stairs. I jimmy her door open and see her bloodstains on the floor from the last time I was here. I sit in her chair and rock back.

  “This is what it feels like to be my sister.” Rather boring. I open a drawer and take out pen and paper, putting my design into motion. When I’m done with her, Derrick will never see her again or want her back. I’ll pick the perfect moment to execute my plan.

  I finish the letter and head to the store, purchasing three burner phones, purple hair dye, and a frumpy dress I’d never be caught dead in. I hand the cashier a trumped-up credit card and take out some cash.

  Once I’ve checked into a hotel, I chop off my long hair and dye it. It’s hideous, but they won’t be looking for a woman with purple hair. I don the ugly dress and head to the streets of Portland. I take out a wad of cash when I see a homeless man on the street.

  “How would you like to make a few hundred bucks?” I ask the man whose clothes are barely hanging on his thin frame.

  He smiles and has two teeth missing in the front. “What do I have to do, lady?”

  “Come with me. I’ll show you who I need you to deliver a gift to. Easy peasy. I’ll even feed you.”

  He willingly follows me.

  Chapter 18

  Rebel

  Ashe is in Sean’s room when we arrive at the hospital. “What do you think, Doc. Can he come home today?”

  “What did you say?” Sean squints at me an
d tugs at his ear. Fallon picks up the board and starts writing.

  “I think you should give him more time. He’s going to need to go to short-term therapy,” Ashe tells me.

  “He can do that at my place. I’ll have everything he needs. I have the perfect person to get his ass moving.” Lawson already volunteered to help him.

  Ashe drags me off to the side. “He’s going to need a therapist too. He’s been through a lot of trauma, and not being able to hear will only make it worse on him.”

  “I understand. I’ll set up whatever he needs. Fallon can help teach him sign language. She has hearing issues and learned the language so that she could help people worse off than her. It will help that Sean adores her.”

  He looks over at them, and Fallon is already trying to teach him a few words. “I can see that.” He turns toward me. “You don’t need me anymore, and I’ll be catching the next plane home.”

  I stick out my hand. “Thank you for saving him.”

  “I’m glad you called me. Anything you need, let me know.”

  “Tell your wife hello.”

  He smiles. “I still can’t get used to calling her my wife, but god I love it.”

  “Marriage looks good on you, Ashe.”

  “When are you getting her down the aisle?” He glances over his shoulder at Fallon.

  “As soon as Sean is home. Do you want to stick around for the wedding?”

  “Thanks, but I’m headed home to my wife. Good luck, and congratulations.” He slaps me on the back and tells Sean goodbye.

  “He looks good,” Sean says loudly.

  “He does. Aedon finally got him under control.”

  “When can I go home?” Sean asks.

  I hold up one finger. “One day.” I take the board from Fallon and write on it, then turn it toward him.

  The first smile I’ve seen in a while covers his face. “You two are finally getting married?”

  I nod and add the word tomorrow on it, and that I need him to be my best man.

  “I won’t be able to walk.” He looks down his body to his legs.