by Hazel Gower
The more he spoke, the colder my body felt. My nightmares were of those men in jackets, taking girls away. I’d run into The Devil’s Queens before I’d seen what I had that night and I was damn lucky to get away, let alone untouched. It was because of my great hiding skills and my fight that I would rather die than let anyone touch and take my body that I’d gotten away. Another time, I’d seen them kill men and even a young boy, for not doing what they asked. There were many other things, but they were locked behind my doors. I figured out that they may hurt girls and women, but I hadn’t seen them shoot one pointblank like I had with men. With what I knew about the Devil’s Queens, it would have them going after me if they’d known my hiding spots, but now they knew where I lived, and if they knew I was testifying they would kill me, female or not.
“Shhh, bear, no one will get to you. I promise you. You’re safe. We have a lot of security and this is why you have Sam.” He rubbed my back and I hated to admit it, but he was right. I looked down and saw Sam sitting guard, and as everything I’d just learned settled in, I realized I was a very lucky girl to have found and been accepted by the Silverman family. I had love and people around me to protect me.
THE MOVIE SUCKED. ALEXA SQUEEZED my hand and was utterly captivated by the sappy mess we were watching. I gazed around the cinema and saw I was one of three guys watching this painful movie. I bet they were suckered into this by their girlfriends, too. Alexa had looked at me with such hope and when she nibbled on her lip and begged please, I’d caved like a pussy.
I looked at Alexa and sighed. Even though I hated this movie, for her I’d sit through it and suffer in silence. Her eyes were alit with an almost wonder as she watched the guy on screen dip the woman he loved and kiss her, after he’d just danced with her and everyone around them clapped. The flowery words he gave her before his lips met hers had all the women in the cinema sighing.
It was close to the end of the move, thank God, and the huge smile on Alexa’s face was undeniable. I looked down at Sam to see if he thought the experience had been as awful as I thought it was, but he was currently doing his job of surveying the room. The credits rolled and I spotted Tom and Darren come in, and the fuckers had huge smirks on their faces like they knew the torture I’d just endured and thought it was hilarious.
Darren masked his face before he turned to us, but it was too late, I’d seen his smirk. “Mason. Alexa. The restaurant is ready. Did you enjoy the movie?” The twitch of his lips betrayed how he felt about what we saw.
I shot him my best glare, which only made his lips twitch again. Standing, I held my hand out for Alexa. She took it and I pulled her up. “You ready for dinner?”
“Not really. I ate too much popcorn. I figure by the time we get in and order and dinner comes, I’ll be hungry. So, let’s go.” She tugged on my hand to get us moving and Sam squeezed in so he was walking a little before Alexa.
Sam was alert and ready, but the people around us weren’t giving him much room to do his job. Our security flanked us as we walked to the car. I could see the SUV waiting for us on the curb. The closer we got, the faster we walked. Since the kidnapping we hadn’t been out much. Our biggest outing had been to get the puppies and Sam. I knew Alexa had been going stir crazy so I’d organized this night, and even though we’d watched that shit, I was glad we were out of the house.
DINNER HAD BEEN AMAZING AND as we walked into the house I tried not to watch her arse in the pink skirt as she made her way to our room. My cock was so hard it was painful. I had permanent blue balls. I was going to be awarded sainthood. She had two weeks until her eighteenth birthday and I didn’t think I was going to hold out that long. My excuse for so long had been that Alexa wasn’t ready for sex and the steps that followed, but for a while now I’d known that excuse was bullshit.
One, I was trying to wait until she was eighteen. My brothers and even Divinity reminded me that the legal age for sex was sixteen.
Two, I’d watched my brother, cousin and uncle find their soulmate and I’d seen their struggles and watched their mistakes and I was determined not to make the same ones they did. I wanted our relationship to be solid and built on trust, not just sex.
Three, once I had sex with Alexa, I would want her tied to me in every way. Marriage, kids, the house with the big white fence. I was holding back. The number of times I’d barely stopped myself from picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder, letting myself go like the caveman I was craving to be, was in the hundreds. Controlling my urges was exhausting. I wasn’t stupid. We were young, but Alexa was my one, my soulmate, and we were meant to be.
Four, with what Alexa had been through, I didn’t want to scare her away. I couldn’t be the caveman I was craving to be. Working at my gym was my haven. It was keeping me sane. Some of my men were refusing to spar with me because I was so sexually frustrated I was using my fighting to keep myself from jumping Alexa’s bones.
“I can feel you staring at my arse.” Her giggle had my cock straining in my pants. God, this woman turned me on with just her giggle. She shook her arse and I clung to the wall. It was getting so damn hard not to ravish her and Alexa wasn’t making it easy.
“Let’s play a game. Catch me.”
The little minx threw her shirt and slipped her skirt down and off before I had the chance to realize what she was doing. In a lacy blue bra and underwear set, she ran from me. Frozen for a moment, I tried to calm down and remind myself of my four reasons, but when Alexa was at our bedroom door, she turned and did a shimmy my way before she opened the door, entering with teasing laughter.
Giving up my own fight, I let go and chased my woman.
I WAS BEING NAUGHTY. TEASING Mason wasn’t nice, but it was so good to be wanted. I loved seeing the lust in his eyes as I ate my cheesecake at dinner. I absolutely loved the power I felt flow through my body as I watched him shift on the seat and swiftly adjust himself.
Tonight, I was going to get more from Mason. Sure, we’d made-out, masturbated each other and a couple of times we’d even given oral, but I wanted more. We didn’t have to go the whole way, but showing Mason I was ready to take the next step was my goal.
It had it worked. When he caught me, I was going to set him straight, so once we started there would be no stopping and starting. By the end of the night he would know I was ready. I had found out legal age was sixteen and I knew Mason was waiting until I was eighteen, but he didn’t need to.
Arms circled my waist and Mason lifted me. I squealed when his lips brushed my ear. “I got you. What do I get now?”
His whispered words at my ear had my body shaking with need. His voice was deep, rough, and so sexy. With my history he should scare me, but from the first moment I met Mason he’d had the opposite effect on me. I was sick of fighting and ready to have something good happen in my life again. With Mason I felt safe. I felt horny, too. Very horny and he was a bloody saint because I was the eager one, and he was the one to slow us down.
The last three nights I’d had dreams. Sexual ones. They weren’t my first since moving in with Mason, but the last couple of nights had been the most sexual and they always ended just before I reached my peak. I awoke covered in sweat and not cuddling Mason. It was like my body was telling me if I didn’t jump Mason’s bones soon I was going to combust.
“Me. You get me.” I leaned back against him and he gently lowered me to the ground. I turned to face him. “I want you to let go tonight.” I winked. “What happened to that story you told me about soulmates and men in your family turning all caveman?” Before he could say anything, I held up my hand. “Before you say anything I promise I’ll make sure we stop before we get to the sex.” I wiggled my eyebrows up and down. “You know? The part where you put your cock in my pussy?” He groaned and I ignored him. “Tonight, go for it without asking me if I’m okay and stopping and starting. Once we start I don’t want to hear you talk unless it’s about our pleasure, or until I pass out from our explorations of each other.” His eyes had turn
ed so dark they were almost black. I raised my brow and looked deadly serious for a moment. “Got it?”
His hands on my waist tightened and he studied my face for a moment. He must have liked what he saw because he sighed and nodded. “Okay. No stopping.”
Excited, I grabbed him and yanked him down so I could paste my mouth on his. My fingers ran down his chest and I undid his buttons as I went. His tongue tangled with mine as his hands roamed my body. When I was done with all his buttons I tore my lips from his and growled, “Off. I want it off.” I pulled his pants down and eased away to let him discard them.
His hungry gaze traveled over me and as soon as he was naked my own gaze devoured him. He was built to perfection. His hours at the gym sure did pay off. His body was a piece of art. There was no fat and he had six pack abs above those muscles that formed a lickable V pointing right down to the most important part. So, I did what I’d been dying to do since the first time I saw him naked. I licked them. As I took in my man, I thought that when we stopped tonight because of the no sex rule, it was going to be the hardest thing I’d even done in my life.
ALONE. I WAS ALONE AT long last, well, besides the bodyguards and Sam and the puppies. I hadn’t been by myself in the house, like, ever. Even when I was in the hospital I always had a Silverman with me in the room. I was so happy right now. I needed time with just me, myself and I, and I was enjoying the peace. Tonight would be busy, a family dinner with Mason’s brothers and parents.
I bounced around the room dancing to My House by PVRIS. I loved the lead singer’s voice. Since moving in with the Silvermans they’d given me so many iTunes cards that my account was choked with new music. I was into rock music. There were a few pop artists I didn’t mind, like Demi Lovato, Gwen Stefani, Kelly Clackson, Pink, and a couple of others. One of the personal items I managed to keep during my time on the streets was my iPod with solar power charger. I had been tempted to pawn it so many times when my stomach grumbled after going two or three days without eating, or when I wanted clean clothes, but it had helped me keep my sanity. I never sang or danced on the streets or in the foster home, because to me you only did those things if you were happy.
The song finished and I stopped singing and almost jumped out of my skin when clapping sounded at the door. “Bear, that was beyond amazing. I had no idea you could sing like that.”
My cheeks heated and I ducked my head, my gaze darting around the room looking for a hiding spot. I hadn’t sung for anyone since my parent’s death. I hadn’t even realized I’d been singing.
“Not sure about the lyrics.” He winked. “It’s my aunt and uncle’s house, so not your house.”
Rolling my eyes at his comments, I took several calming breaths as I realized what I’d done. I’d sung, out loud, and Mason had heard.
“My family loved my voice. When I was six they started taking me to a singing coach.” I smiled as I remembered. “Racheal. Mrs. Racheal Whickhan. She was my coach. She called it fine tuning.” I laughed, but I could tell it sounded funny, not a normal laugh. “Racheal said I only needed fine tuning, because I could sing like a hummingbird and I had one set of pipes on me.” I shook my head, not wanting to go down that path.
Muscular arms circled my waist and brought me back to his chest. “From what I heard I agree with her. Do you only sing? What about an instrument?”
I settled against him, enjoying his warmth. “Piano.” His body jolted and I knew what he was going to say next so I spoke before he did. “I can’t. My grandmother taught me. She was an amazing player. I could sit and listen to her play for hours. I’m not one for classical music, but when it’s played right and by someone you love, it’s amazing.” Tears slipped down my cheek as visions of my grandmother teaching me and of her playing and me falling asleep to the soothing sound filled my head. “She even taught my type of music. I learned the classical to please her.” I turned in his embrace and gazed up at him. “It feels wrong to play without her. I . . . my singing . . . I haven’t sung out loud since they died. It was one of the things they loved. It’s theirs. It’s happiness.”
“Oh, Alexa. Bear,” he breathed out in a soothing voice. His fingers stroked my cheek. “I’m sure your parents and grandmother wouldn’t want you to keep those gifts to yourself. I would bet everything I have that they’d want you to share what they loved so much with others.” His arms squeezed me against him and his fingers trailed up and down my back in a calming motion.
I don’t know how long we stayed there just holding each other, but Mason eased away and kissed my forehead before brushing his lips over mine. His hands found mine and he tugged. “Come on. Show me. I want to see what your family loved. Show me, please.”
Mason’s eyes were molten chocolate as he smiled at me. I nodded, unable to speak at the moment, but I followed him. He took me to the living room where the huge white grand piano sat and placed me on the seat and lifted the lid. Gently, I caressed the keys as my feet settled over the pedals.
I could feel Mason’s gaze on me, but all I could do was study the piano. Leaning down I whispered, “Hello, old friend.” This wasn’t my old piano, it wasn’t even close. Mine had been my grandmother’s. I let the tears roll down my cheek as I straightened and tested the keys, checking they were tuned and I wasn’t surprised to hear they were perfect. I didn’t expect anything else from a Silverman’s piano.
Closing my eyes, I started playing my grandmother’s favorite, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata. I was rusty and I cringed when I hit wrong notes, but then as my tears flowed and I released the tension I’d been holding in, the notes poured out like a dam bursting free.
I switched to Clair de Lune and then when I couldn’t remember the notes I went back to Für Elise, and then finished up my classical with Mozart’s, Rondo Alla Turca.
I lost myself in music. I switched to my mum’s favorite song, November Rain by Guns N’ Roses. I sang and every emotion I felt rushed out. I poured everything into my song. I always felt I never understood this song. I never wanted to be away from my parents and I’d never loved anyone but my family. As I sung now, I knew the meaning of the words and I could feel the difference with each note.
When the last note played and every emotion had been wrung from me, hurt, anger, pain, sadness to love, happiness, and finally acceptance, I opened my eyes, my breathing fast and quick like I’d just run a marathon. I smiled for my family, for the hours upon hours I’d spent with them enjoying music. Mason was right. They wouldn’t want me to stop playing and singing music. They’d want me to share my talents. I know they would. They were always so proud of me and showed me off to anyone who was willing to listen. I was going to play. I was going to sing.
“Holy shit, bro. She has a set of lungs on her. That was fucking amazing.” Andrew interrupted my revelation.
I turned to look at Mason’s younger brother and gasped when I saw his parents, an older couple who I hadn’t met before, Richard, Bailey, and their baby Sebastian, and Zeck.
“Andrew,” Gillian snapped. “What did I tell you about your language?”
He waved his hand back and forth at his mum. “Yeah, yeah, mum. No swearing, bla, bla, baby, bla bla, rude. Come on mum, you have to admit that performance was swear worthy. I mean, come on mum, I bet you have no idea who Gun N’ Roses are but I bet you loved Alexa’s version.” He winked at me. “Fuuuuck.” He drew it out. “I think I even like your version better.” He shook his head dramatically and I watched Andrew trying not to laugh as he sighed. “I mean, I already thought you were a lucky bastard because you got an easy woman who hasn’t fought the curse, er, I mean, gift, of a soulmate bullshit and all that.” Andrew came over and patted Mason on the back and Mason swatted his hands away. “Bro, I was so wrong. You’re fucked. With a capital F. With her voice and skill on the piano and how hot she is now she’s all cleaned up and has been able to eat, well, yeah, she’s going to famous. F.A.M.O.U.S. Men are going to be throwing themselves at her. Hell, I’ll throw myself at her if she’ll
sing again.”
Mason whacked his brother upside the head. “Shut the fuck up Andrew. Can’t you tell no one cares what you think.” He groaned. “You’re right though. Alexa is amazing.” He gathered me to him and we both turned and stood to see his family. His parents seemed to have recovered now. Their mouths weren’t open in shock at least. Bailey and Richard were still staring at me in a daze of shock like they couldn’t believe what they’d come along and heard. Zeck was much the same as Bailey and Richard, but had a huge smile on his face and it made him look different. He usually had a thoughtful expression, like he was always thinking, always had the switch on.
“Alexa, that was beautiful.” Albert, Mason’s father shocked me by speaking. He didn’t talk often, well, not to me anyway. He was very protective of me, as I’d learned when the officers had come to the house, but otherwise he didn’t talk much. “I didn’t know you played, and your voice . . . ” He closed his eyes a beaming smile on his face. “It’s so strong and has so much feeling in it. We were all hypnotized.”
The older lady I hadn’t met stepped forward and held her arms open. “Come here girl. I’m Shirley and that old guy beside me is Russell, but you can call me grandma, grandmother or gran, if you’d like.” I didn’t move, but she came to me and grabbed me from Mason and hugged me tight. “My son and . . . ” She shot a glare at Andrew, who didn’t seem to care what look she sent him. “Grandson, are right. That performance was amazing. I can honestly say that was better than some of the performances I’ve seen in the Sydney opera house or Madison Square Gardens. You have a gift, truly you do.” She squeezed me. “Now I’ll let my grandson introduce you.”
Shirley pushed me back to Mason and I barely had time to react before his arms circled my waist and he brushed a kiss on my neck and then spoke. “Gran, this is my Alexa. Alexa, this is my gran and pa. They’re early. I didn’t think they were arriving for a couple of weeks.”
