Salvation

by Terri Anne Browning

  I shifted, needing to know what was going on in front of me, and I peeked at Santino from around Ben’s arm. His hand on my back jerked me out of sight once again, but not before I’d seen the rifle pointed right at Ben’s chest.

  Tears burned my eyes. I couldn’t let Santino kill Ben. And I sure as hell couldn’t take the chance of him snatching the twins if he couldn’t get me.

  “If… If I come with you willingly, will you promise not to kill anyone else?” I called out to him.

  “Shut up, woman,” Ben growled at me. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “I won’t let him hurt anyone else,” I whispered. “Especially not you.”

  “Lexa, I swear on all that is holy, I’m going to tan your beautiful ass as soon as this is over.”

  “Yes,” Santino finally answered, amusement thick in his voice. “You have my word that no one else will be harmed.”

  “How can I trust you?” I demanded, ignoring Ben’s death grip on my hip now. “I don’t even know how many you’ve already killed.”

  “Think of it this way, cara,” he reasoned. “How many more people will I kill if you don’t come peacefully?”

  “She’s not going anywhere, motherfucker.”

  I jerked at the sound of my brother’s voice, then one more gunshot was fired off, making me scream.

  “Max!”

  To my surprise, Ben let me go when I took off running, but I couldn’t make sense of what I was seeing. Santino was lying facedown between my brother and me, blood and what looked like brain matter on the floor. There was a gun in Max’s hands that hung at his side, his breathing labored as he glared down at the dead body at his feet.

  I grabbed him, running my hands over his arms, his chest, making sure he was unharmed, tears streaming down my face. “What were you thinking?” I scolded. “You could have been killed.”

  “Mom followed Dad back to the house, saying some shit about being pissed at him but loving him too much, and she told me to take care of you. She would have killed me if I’d let that bastard get his hands on you.” His free arm wrapped around me, holding on tight. “And your crazy ass was just going to let him take you? What the fuck were you thinking, Lexa?”

  Ben eased the gun out of Max’s hold. “Let me take care of this, yeah?” he said in a calm voice. “Great job taking that piece of shit out, little brother.”

  “You going to arrest me now, Sheriff?” Max asked with a smirk. That alone told me he was going to be okay, and I sagged against him in relief.

  “Not today, kid,” Ben said with a wink at me. Tucking the gun into the back of his jeans, he wrapped his arms around both me and my brother, and surprisingly, Max let him. It was then I realized just how hard it was hitting my kid brother. He’d taken a life to save both mine and Ben’s, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. “I don’t know how your parents have survived this long if they have to deal with this shit from you two on a daily basis.”

  I felt Ben’s lips touch the back of my head, and I leaned into him.

  The three of us were still like that when Mom and Dad ran into the clubhouse minutes later with all my uncles, their guns drawn and ready for a showdown that was already over.

  “Who took out Santino?” Uncle Spider asked as he crouched down beside the dead body.

  “That would be me,” Max muttered, jaw clenched as he waited for Dad to lose his mind.

  Instead, Dad jerked Max against him in a bear hug that should have crushed every bone in his body. “Are you okay?” Dad choked out. “You’re not hurt?”

  “No, Dad, jeesh. Relax.”

  “Maybe a little more explanation is in order,” Mom said, taking in the carnage she’d missed out on. “There are five dead brothers outside, along with six of Santino’s men. India…” She swallowed hard. “India is dead.”

  Fresh tears burned my eyes, but I told Mom what happened—minus the sex right before we heard the gunfire. Not that Mom didn’t suspect. She was eyeing my hair and Ben’s unbuttoned shirt, but she didn’t comment on it.

  “Are you fucking telling me my girls were on this bastard’s radar?” Uncle Spider exploded. “And this little shit Gian is interested?”

  “That was what Santino said,” I confirmed, leaning weakly against Ben.

  It was a wonder the building didn’t blow up with the force of Uncle Spider’s rage. Cursing viciously, he left a trail of fire behind him as he ran outside. Moments later, the powerful engine of his motorcycle roared to life, and he was gone.

  “Flick and Rory are in the panic room,” Mom said, relieved, looking down at her phone when she got a text. But then she was glaring at me. “Which was where you should have gone as soon as you heard the gunfire. You know the rules.”

  “I wasn’t letting Ben go out there alone,” I told her. “And you shouldn’t have gone chasing after Dad. You just had surgery. You’re going to hurt yourself and put your health at risk before you even start chemo. Are you trying to give us all a heart attack?”

  “Yeah,” Dad and Max seconded.

  “This isn’t about me—”

  “Everything is about you!” I yelled. “You are the glue that holds this family together, and you have only put yourself at risk all day. Until you get the all clear from the doctor, you’re not doing shit from now on!”

  Mom’s lips twitched for a few seconds before she actually smiled. “And that is how the princess becomes the future queen.”

  Chapter 22

  Ben

  It was dawn before everything was cleaned up and the bodies were taken away, including Santino’s. Everyone gave their statement on what happened, with one minor change to the story.

  Max didn’t kill Santino.

  I did.

  After discussing it with them, I told them I didn’t want that on Max’s record, self-defense or not. It would follow him everywhere. When my deputies showed up, I told them I was the one who shot Santino because he was about to kill Lexa. No one batted an eye; no one questioned me.

  Being the sheriff had its perks at times.

  Now I was bone-tired and ready for bed, but not without Lexa beside me.

  Holding out my hand to her, I held my breath, wondering if the time of her second-guessing me was over. Without hesitation, she wrapped her fingers around mine and waved to her parents. “Night, everyone.”

  “Night, sweetheart,” Raven called after us. “Ben, drive carefully.”

  “Night, Davis,” Bash said with a nod. “Night, baby girl.”

  Opening the passenger door to my truck, I helped her inside then leaned in to kiss her. “I know you’re mine, but do you understand that now?”

  Her chilled fingers touched my jaw, a tired smile teasing at her lips. “Let’s go home, Ben.”

  “Lexa…”

  “I know I’m yours. And I finally realized that you’re mine too.” She stroked her thumb over the scruff on my chin. “I was scared. I hate admitting it, but yeah, I was. I let everyone get in my head…including your grandmother. But tonight, I finally stopped being scared. The fear of losing you outweighed the fear of you breaking my heart.”

  “Baby—”

  “I trust you, Ben. With my life—and my heart.” Cupping the back of my head, she pulled me in for another kiss. “Now, please, take me home.”

  Grinning, I touched my lips to the tip of her nose. Everything she’d just said was what I’d been aching to hear from her. “Whatever you want, beautiful.”

  The drive to my apartment took us right past Aggie’s, and I stopped really quick to grab us some breakfast sandwiches and coffee. I couldn’t even remember the last time I ate, and I could hear her stomach from across the cab of the truck, so I knew she was starving too.

  When I came out with the two large coffees and the bag of food, she was leaning her head against the passenger window, sound asleep.

  Putting down everything in my hands, I rearranged her so she was more comfortable, and I kissed
her forehead before driving us home.

  Leaving the food in the truck, I carried her up to my apartment—our apartment—and placed her in bed. Pulling off her shoes and jeans, I tucked the covers up around her and sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes, just taking in the sight of her where she truly belonged.

  After eating, I showered and finally climbed into bed beside her. As my body pressed into hers, she sighed my name in her sleep and turned over, wrapping herself around me like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. As if she’d been doing it all her life.

  The events of the day before faded from my memory, and the muscles in my body relaxed one by one.

  This was my peace.

  Having my woman cuddled up against me, knowing she was safe and I could touch and kiss her whenever the hell I wanted… It was my serenity.

  And Lexa was my salvation…

  The feel of warm lips against my bare chest had me reaching for her before I’d even opened my eyes. But she evaded my hands with a sexy little giggle and moved farther down my body, her lips leaving a blazing-hot trail in her wake.

  I hadn’t bothered with clothes after my shower, and when she got to my cock, her hand wrapped around it without hesitation half a second before her mouth swallowed half of my throbbing dick.

  Groaning, I tangled my fingers in her long, jet-black hair, silently begging her to take more. The tip hit the back of her throat, and she gagged for a moment, but she didn’t pull back. Instead, she sucked in a deep breath through her nose and relaxed her throat, taking all of me.

  Her mouth, tongue, and her soft-as-silk hands explored me until I couldn’t take it anymore. Grabbing her waist, I flipped her onto her back and tore her panties away. I wanted to thrust into her hard and deep, but remembering that she was probably sore and tender after the night before, I forced myself to take my time, slowly sinking into her tight heat inch by inch until she was squirming under me and begging for it harder.

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” I said between gritted teeth, sweat beading on my brow and rolling down my spine from the restraint of holding myself back from taking her how I really wanted to.

  She wrapped her legs around my hips, lifting her ass off the bed as she urged me deeper. “You won’t. I can take you. Please, Ben. I need it hard.”

  Cursing, I gave her exactly what she wanted until she was screaming my name and begging me to never stop. “I love you,” I whispered against her ear as her pussy contracted over and over around my cock.

  Her lashes lifted, those glacier-blue eyes seeing straight into my soul for the very first time. “I love you too.”

  Four little words. That was all it took, and I was suddenly exploding deep inside her sweet paradise. “Lexa!” I shouted her name, unable to hold back any longer.

  When I could finally remember where I was, I realized I was practically smothering her with most of my weight pressing her into the bed. But she wasn’t complaining. Her fingertips were running up and down my sides in a soothing kind of way that, when mixed with the euphoria of having just come inside her, was putting me in a catatonic state.

  I lifted my head and started to take my weight off her, but she wrapped her legs tighter around me. “Don’t go,” she purred. “I love this.”

  “Let me make you more comfortable.” Brushing a soft kiss over her lips, I rolled off her and onto my back, pulling her with me so it was me who was holding her and rubbing her back.

  I felt her smile against my chest. “You’re right. This is definitely much better.”

  Smiling contentedly, I kissed the top of her head. “Thought you might like it, beautiful.”

  “Lucky for you, I’m on the shot,” she mumbled sleepily. “You didn’t seem to think much about protection yesterday or today, Sheriff.”

  “Maybe I did think about it and said to hell with it,” I suggested vaguely, and her head snapped up, all traces of sleepiness gone.

  She glared down at me. “Really?”

  I lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “No, I was too far gone both times to even think about it. But it didn’t bother me to think about having sex without a condom like it would have in the past. The thought of being linked to you for life with a baby… I’d be okay with that.”

  Her eyes widened. “Don’t take this the wrong way, okay?” I nodded, already expecting what she was about to say. “Babies are great. One day, I would love to be a mom. But that isn’t anytime soon. Please tell me you understand that. I have to finish college, and my mom is sick right now. Although she acts like she can take on the world single-handedly, she’s going to need me in the coming months.”

  “But you’re not saying no?”

  She nodded. “I’m not saying no. Maybe we can revisit later down the road.” She crossed her arms on top of my chest and rested her chin on them, a smile lifting all the way to her beautiful eyes.

  I combed my fingers through her hair. “A baby would be a big distraction right now. And we should wait until we’re married…” Her head snapped up again, her mouth falling open, making me laugh. “What? Did you think I would just let you be my baby mama and not put a ring on your finger?”

  “Baby mama,” she repeated with a snort. “That just sounds so weird coming out of your mouth. But no, actually, marriage hadn’t even crossed my mind. We haven’t even known each other that long. And yet here you are, talking about putting a ring on it and making babies. Slow down for a second and let us enjoy being a couple first, Sheriff.”

  “I can give you all the time you need on the whole baby subject, Lexa, but on this, I can’t.” I skimmed my thumb over her bottom lip. It was still swollen from when she was sucking my dick so damn good. “I know it’s quick and it’s insane, but I also know I’m going to love you for the rest of my life.”

  “Ben…” She bit her lip, hesitation evident on her face.

  And that only made me panic. “Don’t say no,” I pleaded. “We can compromise on this. You don’t have to answer me yet. I’ll wait until after your mom is done with chemo, and then I’ll propose.”

  The hesitation disappeared, and she released her lip so she could grin down at me, making it easier for me to breathe again. “You really are insane. But I love you. And I know that I will love you for the rest of my life.”

  Hearing her repeat the same words I’d said to her only a moment before eased the panic, and I flipped her under me. “Say it again,” I commanded as I thrust into her soaked pussy.

  She grinned wickedly up at me. “Say what?”

  “Lexa,” I growled, nipping at her neck.

  “I love you,” she moaned as my teeth sank into her shoulder. “Oh fuck. I love you.”

  Chapter 23

  Lexa

  The pounding on the front door pulled me from a deep sleep. Groaning, I lifted my head, noticing Ben wasn’t in bed beside me.

  The pounding came again, and I jumped to my feet, irritated by the intrusion to my sleep. If it was one of my family, I was going to throw them down the stairs.

  Except for Mom. I wouldn’t throw Mom down them, I reasoned. But Dad or Max, yeah, they were going down the damn stairs.

  The room was dark, and I didn’t know where any of my clothes were. While the person at the door continued to pound away, I stumbled to the closet and grabbed the first shirt I touched. It was an old T-shirt from the feel of how soft the material was. I pulled it over my head, but I wasn’t a dainty little thing, and it just barely covered my ass, even though it was baggy. Stumbling around a little more, I found the dresser and pulled out a pair of Ben’s boxer briefs.

  I pulled them up as I walked through the living room, and no sooner were they covering my ass than I was jerking the door open. “What?” I snapped, before my eyes adjusted to the setting sun and I realized who was standing in front of me.

  Mrs. Davis.

  Shit.

  I cringed and stepped back, ready to slam the door and run and hide in embarrassment. A
fter what had happened the day before, this woman finding me dressed in her grandson’s clothes with wild sex hair and no bra was not how I’d wanted our next meeting to go. Especially now that Ben and I were officially together.

  “Hello, Lexa dear,” Hannah Davis greeted in that sweet old-lady kind of voice, and all the manners my mom and aunts instilled in me surfaced in a heartbeat.

  “Hello, Mrs. Davis. How are you, ma’am?” I was able to mumble loud enough for her to hear, while looking anywhere but at her.

  The sound of a vehicle pulling into the parking lot below caught my attention, and I nearly passed out with relief when I realized it was Ben. He opened his truck door and stepped out, carrying two huge bags from Aggie’s.

  “Gran,” he greeted with a scowl as he climbed the stairs. “What are you doing here?”

  She pressed her lips together, her shoulders lifting in a small shrug that looked vulnerable to me. “After yesterday, I felt like I owed you an apology in person, honey. You and Lexa both, actually.”

  As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, I snatched the bags out of his hands, barely noticing the smell of the mouth-watering food as I muttered I would put the meal on the table.

  When he met my gaze, his expression softened, and he nodded before taking my place in the open door without allowing his grandmother to come inside. I hurried into the kitchen, pulling the food from the bags without giving it much thought.

  Something was smeared on the pie container, and I licked it away at the same time the scent of peanut butter hit me and I finally realized what I was holding. A voice in my head was screaming danger even as I began to panic.

  Aggie’s famous peanut butter pie.

  The clear pie package fell onto the floor at my feet with what was a loud splat to my ears. “Ben!” I tried to scream, but my throat was starting to close up, that itchy tickle in my throat already making me cough. “B-Ben!”

  “Babe, what’s wrong?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen.

  My panicked eyes met his just as I felt my lips start to swell.

  Oh God, I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe.