by Bijou Hunter
Giving him a little grin, I sighed. “I might not be strong enough for this, Vaughn.”
“You’re the strongest chick I’ve ever met,” he said, caressing my bruised knuckles. “You love me too.”
I heard the question, even though he stated it as a fact.
“I do love you. It’s not sex. It hasn’t been sex for a while, but I never thought we could have anything else. Even knowing that, I would think of us together in the future. I would imagine what our kids might look like. When something happened, even small stuff, you were the first person I wanted to tell. Not Lark, but you. That scared me so much because I always felt like we were on borrowed time. This last week, I kept seeing you dead. My mind showed it to me again and again. It killed me a little more each time. Now, I’m scared to lose you for real.”
“You were never going to be with anyone else, were you? I mean, I never even considered another chick after you said we were over. I need to know you never thought about another guy. It’s immature maybe, but I need to know.”
“If I lose you, there’s no one else. Ever. Those guys before were losers and I was a loser to hold onto them. You’re more amazing than I ever imagined a guy could be. I’ve always been willing to settle. Yet with you, it’s not settling. It’s like a dream. I know that sounds lame, but I wake up wondering what you’ll say and do. What you think about things? I want to see the world from your eyes. No guy has ever been like that for me. No guy could ever be like that for me again. It’s you or nothing.”
“Thanks,” he said, kissing my head. “It’s important for me to know I’ve ruined you for all other men.”
Leaning against him, I laughed. “You’re such a child. It makes me good about my immaturity.”
“We’re emotionally stunted, but together we equal a normal adult.”
“True.”
‘You know, I haven’t been able to pick just the right nickname for you, tulip pumpkin sugar darling. I can now. You’re hope. You give me hope.”
Eyes burning, I wiped angrily at them. “I’ve turned into such a sissy lately.”
“Love will do that.”
I smiled. “Yeah, it will.” Setting aside my coffee, I stood up. “Can we take a walk? It’s nice out here.”
Vaughn looked like a little kid offered a chance to show off his favorite toy. After pulling on our shoes, he offered his arm and we followed a natural path. Both in our heads, we remained silent for a while then I asked why he built a place out in the woods.
“The only family I had besides my mom was my granddad who lived in the mountains of West Virginia. He used to be a plumber until my grandma died and he sort of cracked up. He wanted away from the world, so he used his saving to buy up some land and build a house.”
Vaughn paused to change directions when the clearing ended and we reached thick brush.
“During the summers, my mom didn’t want me alone in our shitty apartment and getting into trouble. I got sent off to Granddad’s place and it always sucked the first few days. No TV, no videogames, no candy. Like death to a kid. I’d get up early and work all day around his property. We had to hunt for our food and take care of the chickens and cut wood. It was exhausting. I’d crash by eight a lot of nights. It was a hard life, but there was a beauty to it. He and I would sit quietly for hours. Sometimes, we’d talk, but he wasn’t a chatty guy. He was as hardcore as anyone I ever knew.”
Arriving at a clearing, Vaughn reached down and tore a flower from a bush. He pushed my hair back behind my ear then added the flower.
“I was thinking about him one night and I got it in my head that I needed a place where I could hide from the shit in town. I never bought into how I was a real Reaper. I was always on the outside. It was the same in the Devils. My mom married Ted and his brother was the president. I was just the guy who they gave the dirty work to. I never felt like I belonged. I got the wolf tattoos because I wanted to be a lone wolf, but it’s bullshit. Wolves belong to a pack and I want to belong too. With you, I do.”
Bending down to get a flower for his hair, I smiled. “Do you believe in God?”
“Sure. Mom didn’t believe in church. Said it was full of stuck up assholes. I think that’s because some jackass told her she was a whore to have a kid out of wedlock. She still believed though.”
“Do you think He cares about us?”
“Yeah, but not in a sissy way. Like he doesn’t hold our hands and shit.”
“I always thought there was a god because I saw some really cool stuff, but I didn’t think He cared. Not after He let Phoenix die. I prayed for Lark though and she found someone who makes her happy. I didn’t pray for myself, but now I’ve met you. Could that be God? If He wanted us to meet then maybe you’ll live and we can be together? Do you think that’s stupid?”
“Way I see it, believing in God and thinking He cares matters more than if it’s true. I didn’t believe in shit until I met you. I was just living day to day. Now, I believe in us and I have hope. I’m holding onto that hope even if it doesn’t make a damn bit of sense. If it gives us a chance at being happy, faith is all we need. Can you have faith in us?”
Studying Vaughn, I felt my fear fading. “I can’t believe someone as amazing as you exists.”
Grinning, Vaughn lifted his arms. “Ta da!”
When I lunged for him, he didn’t miss a beat. His hands grabbed under my butt and pulled me tight against him. My lips met his and I wanted to devour every inch of him. As his hands gripped my ass, I ran my fingers through his hair while grinding my hips against his.
“Wait,” he muttered, reaching for my lips as I pulled away.
“No more waiting,” I said, sliding off him and onto my knees.
Unbuckling his jeans, I grinned at him. “I like that you were worried about me with someone else. Jealousy is really sexy on you.”
“Baby, keeping up with a conversation isn’t going to be possible…”
Vaughn sighed as I released him from his jeans and gave his erection a lick. Sucking him into my mouth, I savored every inch of him. When he was rock hard and leaking onto my tongue, Vaughn decided to take charge.
Lifting me up, he pressed me against a tree and slid over the clothes separating us.
“I’m going to get chig bites all over my ass,” I murmured while nipping at his neck. “It’ll be worth it.”
Vaughn slid his strong fingers into my hair and tugged my head back. He bit at my lower lip then stared hard into my eyes.
“Never tell me no again,” he growled.
“Fuck off,” I said, giving his chin a lick.
A smile spread across Vaughn’s face and he entered me in one hard thrust. Our bodies moved together, quickly finding a rhythm. Vaughn sucked at my throat and I felt the pleasure building. Not only the physical pleasure, but the joy of knowing I had found real love. I wasn’t chasing losers who would disappoint me. I’d discovered a beautiful funny man who knew me better than anyone and loved it all.
When my orgasm washed over me, I felt reborn in Vaughn’s arms. I sensed he felt something similar. As his pleasure built to a fever pitch, his gaze met mine.
“You’re mine,” he said, thrusting harder.
“And you’re mine. No one is taking you away.”
Smiling, Vaughn let go and we came together. I held onto him even after we’d finished and his embrace never wavered. I wished to remain like that forever.
“Wanna go inside and do this again?” I suggested.
Vaughn sighed and let me down slowly. I adjusted my clothes and he redid his pants. We watched each other for a moment then he sighed again.
“It’s way past fucking.”
“I know. It’s love.”
Vaughn gave me a little smile. “If you’ll stick it out with me, I will fight anyone to stay alive. Until you, I was living because I didn’t want to die. Now, I have something real to live for. If you promise to give us a real chance, I’ll fight to live to be an old man.”
Hugging him, I smi
led. “I’m not leaving you. We’re a team and I’ll kill to save you.”
“Just stay with me and I’ll worry about the killing.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can kill too.”
Vaughn smiled then took my hand as we started back to the cabin. “I know you’re good with a gun which I find incredibly sexy, but killing is something else.”
“If someone comes to kill you and I can stop them, I’m taking the shot. I want you to be that old man getting sweet loving from this old lady.”
His smile widening, Vaughn glanced up at the sunny sky. “You give me hope and I am not letting go of you or it.”
“I’m sorry I blew you off at the bar that night.”
“Your dad freaked you out then I freaked you out more.”
“I handled it like a child. Threw a fit and ran away.”
“Yeah, but I threw a fit and ran away from you too. We always find our way back to each other because here is where we belong.”
“Fuck yeah.”
Vaughn grabbed me around the waist and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Let’s get back to the cabin.”
“I could walk faster,” I said as he jogged.
“I don’t want you wearing yourself out. Save that energy.”
Laughing as he nearly ran back to the cabin, I was ready to go the minute he tossed me gently into the bed. I stripped down then turned around and wiggled my ass for him. Vaughn nearly pounced on me and we didn’t stop for two hours.
After a short dozing nap, we ate soup in the family room.
“I like this place. It’s quiet and smells like you.”
“You really dig that body spray, don’t you?”
“Yeah because it makes me think of you.”
Vaughn smiled. “When this Devils shit gets dealt with, you and I can spend weekends out here.”
“Bring our kids out to teach them about the quiet.”
Smile fading, Vaughn studied me. “I want a family, Raven. A real family with all the boring crap most guys don’t like. I miss that closeness. We don’t have to start right away, but I really want kids. They scare Judd, but I like the little stink machines.”
Crawling closer, I kissed his bare shoulder. “I like them too.”
Vaughn opened his mouth to say something then changed his mind. I figured he was worried about jinxing things or maybe he was just getting used to being in love. Kids could wait.
We washed the dishes and prepared to leave. I was about to tease Vaughn about his choice of soups when a bullet tore through the window and landed between us.
Vaughn moved so fast I never had time to react. He pushed me down as a second shot whipped past. I stared up at him as his face hardened and the killer in the man I loved came to the surface.
“The fucker is going to open fire,” he said, getting onto his knees and turning me around. “Crawl towards the hallway.”
Before he finished his sentence, the shooter let loose with dozens of shots, destroying the front windows. As glass shattered nearby, we crawled into the hallway where he opened a closet and pushed me inside.
The closet held his weapons locker. Vaughn grabbed a handgun and gave it to me. Then, he took a rifle from the back.
“Stay in here. Don’t come out.”
“Vaughn,” I said, wanting him to join me.
“I’m not letting that fucker come in here. I’ll protect you.”
“Stay with me. We can both be safe.”
“Until he sets the cabin on fire,” Vaughn said calmly while checking his rifle. “He won’t come in looking for us. The guy might shoot for shit, but he’s not dumb enough to think he would be safe walking in here. No, he’ll burn it down and shoot whoever comes running out.”
“Please,” I whimpered.
Vaughn leaned forward and kissed me softly. “Do you trust me?” When I nodded, he caressed my lower lip. “This is what I do. Let me save my woman, okay?”
Nodding again, I wanted so badly to force him to stay with me. We could hide or wait for help. I knew they were both stupid ideas, but as he shut the door to the closet, I was certain I would never see him again.
I held the gun and waited. Outside the closet, I heard more fast shots followed by silence. The shooter would pause before letting loose again. My mind imagined Vaughn dead a million times.
Rocking myself, I thought back to when I saw Phoenix floating in the pool. I ran towards him and jumped in, all while thinking about how he would be okay. As I pulled him from the water, I begged God to save my little brother.
“Please, don’t take him,” I had said again and again as I tried to get Phoenix to breathe.
Kneeling next to me, Lark had wept and held her doll. Our idiot stepfather called for an ambulance once our screams woke him from his hung-over nap. Giving Phoenix mouth-to-mouth like I saw on TV, I tried to get him to breathe. All the while, I begged God not to take him.
As I waited for Vaughn to return, I begged God again. “Please, don’t take him,” I whispered over and over. The silence outside the closet taunted me. Was Vaughn dead? Would the cabin burn to the ground with me in it? I didn’t care if I died. Not if Vaughn was gone. Not if God took him from me like He’d taken Phoenix.
After an eternity, the door opened and I looked up to find Vaughn unharmed. He held out a hand to me and I took it immediately. Once he pulled me up, I grabbed at him, needing to know he was real and unharmed.
Vaughn cupped my face and studied my panicked gaze. “You still in this with me?” he asked and I heard fear in his voice.
“Till the end,” I said, meaning every word. “He didn’t take you.”
Smiling, Vaughn kissed me. First slowly, tasting and savoring. Soon, the kiss was nearly frantic, hungry and possessing. We were together and he was claiming me. Not just me, but a future. If the Devils wanted a war, Vaughn was ready to give them one.
Chapter Twenty Two – Vaughn
Before he became my mentor, Stinky lost his wife and baby son in a car accident one stormy night. The grief was so unbearable he literally drank himself to death. Even though the doctors resuscitated him, some guys in the club said Stinky never really came back. He was a shell of a man.
The one thing Stinky taught me was patience. Maybe it was because he was dead inside, but the bastard had more patience than anyone I ever met. We spent long stakeouts in a car where Stinky ate baloney sandwiches and listened to baseball on the radio. To avoid going insane from boredom, I learned patience and it made me a better man. It also made me a better killer.
Shutting the door on Raven, my biggest concern was returning to her. The best way to keep her safe was to stop thinking about Raven. Focus on the perfect shot. That was where patience came in.
When I built the cabin, I made sure to sit it on top of a sizable crawl space with an entry point near the closet. Dropping into the hole, I took my rifle and wormed my way towards the shooter.
Testing for resistance, the bastard continued shooting then paused to look for movement. When I reached the front of the cabin, the shooter poked his head out to study the area. I sensed he was considering escalating the attack, but was afraid to come out in the open. An amateur had come to take out Outlaw and would pay with his life.
The guy didn’t have the balls to attack. He fired a few more times and waited. I waited too. My rifle held steady as I slowed my breathing. I was in no hurry. Raven was safe in the closet. I’d stop the shooter before he ever got within feet of her. I just needed to be patient. If I fired too early and missed, he would know my spot and everything would get more complicated.
Twice, I had decent shots. They weren’t sure things, so I waited. I wanted the first shot to be the last. I also wanted to ensure the idiot didn’t have backup.
He didn’t come out of his hiding spot for a long time and I knew what he was thinking. It had been too easy. Had we died immediately? Were we lying in wait? If he came out of his spot too early, would he end up dead? What if we had called for help and he was wastin
g time? He finally decided he had to make a move.
I made mine too and took the shot as soon as he stepped out from behind the tree. As soon as he went down, I crawled out from under the cabin and hurried to his lifeless body. Kicking him over, I didn’t recognize the guy. Based on the tats on his arms, he did time in prison. His ID said he was from Arizona. The Devils’ patience was up, but they sent an amateur to do the job.
Returning to the cabin, I thought about the recent reports of a suspicious man stalking my hangouts. Twice, security interrupted someone breaking into my apartment. Both times, the guy got away. He’d obvious tracked me out here and found a perfect spot to do his dirty work. No one would have thought to come looking for me and Raven for days.
I texted a quick message to Judd before reaching the closet. Never did I worry Raven wouldn’t be waiting for me. She was smart enough to know when to obey. Just as I expected, she sat on the ground, still holding the gun. She looked like a fallen angel when the light hit her, but I knew she would have used the gun if I had been anyone else.
“You still sticking with me?” I asked, holding out a hand.
Eyes tired and afraid, Raven took my hand and stood up. “Till the end,” she said, grabbing onto me. “He didn’t take you.”
“Never,” I said, kissing her head as she clung to me.
“Who was it? A local guy or someone from the Devils?”
“An out of town guy sent by the club. Judd is on his way with a clean up crew. I don’t know if they’ll be able to get here if that asshole’s car is blocking the road. I assume he didn’t walk all the way out here.”
Raven finally released me and we walked into the family room covered with glass.
“The guy wasn’t a pro. He had a decent rifle, but didn’t take into account the thickness of the windows,” I said, grabbing a broom. “They aren’t bulletproof obviously, but I paid more to have them extra thick because of the storms. That and in case someone came shooting.”
Raven picked up a chair knocked over by the gunfire. “Did you build this cabin all by yourself?”
Frowning, I glanced at her and caught her grinning.
