This Is Love, Baby (War & Peace #2)

by K. Webster

  Tears stream down my face and I start to bolt from him. His tight grip is around my arm before I can move though. “The name’s, Edgar Finn. Remember it because you’ll take it to your grave,” he threatens. “See you soon, Gardenia Lee.”

  He releases me and I push through the crowd away from him at breakneck speed. I need to make my escape now. There’s no way I’m going home with that lunatic.

  As I hurry away from him, I try not to make eye contact with the leering men along the way. They’re all the same. Monsters just like Gabe. I’d been an idiot to believe otherwise. There is no finding the nice side of this world. The only thing I need to worry about finding is the way out of it. Now.

  I shudder at the memory. “Do you think he really kills them? Edgar Finn I mean.”

  War swivels in his chair and stares at me, the worry over me written all over his face. When I’m being closed off, which is a lot of the time, he pours himself into his work. His weary gaze skims over my face and he frowns. “I wouldn’t be surprised. All of them are monsters.”

  Licking my dry lips, I sit up in the chair, suddenly eager for his undivided attention. “He bragged to me about killing those girls and dumping them in the ocean. Do you really think he does that? Wouldn’t people find their bodies? Do you think it was all an act to terrorize me or was he for real?”

  His eyes zero in on my mouth as I speak and a shiver, the first sign of life in nearly a month, courses through me.

  “You’re so beautiful, Baylee,” he murmurs, completely ignoring my questions. But I don’t care. I’m too enthralled in the way my body that seemed to be slowly dying has shown some real signs of life. My heart is beating erratically inside my chest and my breathing picks up. His mouth barely moves and I can tell he’s counting. Counting my beats, my breaths…he’s counting me. The smile on my lips is immediate.

  And it makes me so damn happy.

  “How many?” I question after what feels like a minute.

  His cheeks turn pink and he smiles sheepishly at me. “Nineteen blinks, fourteen breaths, and one big smile I haven’t seen in a long time.”

  Tears well in my eyes before one spills out and streaks down my cheek. His eyes follow its path and he stares at it as it hangs from my jaw. With a shaky hand, he reaches out and touches it, wetting his fingertip. The breath I seemed to have been holding rushes out quickly and I jerk my eyes to his.

  I can see it in his eyes. He craves to kiss me. To hold me and caress away my pain. But I don’t know if I can handle it. Each time he attempts to touch me in a way that is more than just friendly, I shy away.

  I’m too fucked up for him now.

  When I lean back his face falls, and with it, my heart plummets to the floor. I want to push through this thick wall in my head. To climb over it and into his warm, waiting arms. Why can’t I just get the fuck over it?

  I rub my hand over my belly and vow that tomorrow I’ll call the therapist Dr. Daniels suggested. I need to get better for the three of us. This baby will enter this world in a happy, loving environment.

  “Edgar Finn seems like a braggart. He seems the type to want to show others his handiwork. People like him are narcissistic,” I spit out in equal parts disgust of the monsters in this world and the lingering thought that War and I are still worlds apart. The latter my entire doing.

  His eyes glaze over as he gets lost in thought. I watch with sick satisfaction as he rolls the pad of his finger and thumb together, smearing my tear over his flesh. My heart pumps with overwhelming joy that he seems obsessed over touching a part of me.

  Just give yourself to him.

  But then he snaps out of it, used to my constant denial, and swivels back around. His fingers fly over his keyboard like a man possessed. I chew on my lip and try not to burst into full on tears at not being able to be the woman he deserves.

  “You’re a genius,” he mutters over his shoulder to me. “I was so fixated on his financials, I didn’t think about his house. Stark may not be able to get inside without a warrant, but we can get inside. He pays a monthly fee to Pacific Security each month. All I need to do is access their database and locate his account. A rich bastard like him is sure to have cameras on his property. Maybe we can find something.”

  Disappointment fades away as I hurry to my feet and watch in awe over his shoulder as War flies through the programs with ease. He’s a natural born hacker and there’s not a firewall that’s impenetrable when it comes to him. I just wish he knew how to hack inside my mind and tear down the wall that divides us.

  “Bingo,” he says with a satisfied growl.

  Without thinking, I slide into his lap to get a closer look. His strong arms wrap around my waist and his lips find my neck. Hot, quick breaths tickle my flesh and my heart rate thumps to life for the first time in weeks. The feeling is exhilarating and I missed it so damn much.

  “God, I’ve missed you,” he murmurs against my skin and then presses a kiss there. I want his kisses everywhere. All over me. Inside me. Owning and taking every inch of my broken being.

  I’m about to completely give in to his eager touches when I freeze in his arms. I had momentarily zoned out but he’d just found something. Something important. Tugging away from his love that burns so bright it scalds me, I look up at the monitor. “Oh. My. God.”

  Eight squares fill the screen. There’s no movement on six of them. Just empty rooms. But one reveals a room with several women huddled together on the floor, they seem to be comforting one another. It’s not that room that’s so terrifying though.

  As if reading my mind, he releases my waist to reach for his mouse and then opens the eighth square to make the visual on that room full screen. There’s no audio but the visual is crystal clear.

  Edgar Finn.

  He stands next to a bed wearing nothing but a pair of pants. His chest heaves as he takes deep breaths. Other than the small movement he makes breathing, he’s otherwise unmoving and fixated on the girl on the bed. Her stomach and thighs have been crisscrossed with bleeding cuts. Something, a rag maybe, gags her mouth and she’s bound with an appendage tied to each post of the bed.

  A bloody star fish.

  Just waiting to be released back into the sea.

  “You’ll bleed out all over my Persian rug and I’ll drag your ass outside to dump you in the goddamned ocean.”

  But she’s not bleeding out all over his rug. The blood slowly seeps from her wounds and runs down, soaking the comforter beneath her. Her eyes look past him and straight into the camera.

  I recognize the look in her eyes. A look of despair and resignation. One that has come to the realization she’ll never see her family again.

  “We have to save her,” I mutter, my voice barely audible as I jump to my feet. The room spins and his strong hands find my hips to steady me. He tries to pull me back into his lap but I start pacing the room. “Warren, you have to save her.”

  When Edgar Finn starts moving closer to her and the glint of his blade shimmers in the light, I feel bile rising in my throat. Bolting from the office, I run as fast as I can to the guest bathroom and barely make it to the toilet before throwing up.

  That girl. Nothing more than a commodity. Something for him to consume and then discard.

  “You are nothing but a meal purchased to be devoured with greed and no restraint.”

  I’m haunted by his words and it does nothing to help my nausea. I wish Land were here this evening instead of catching up on some work at the office. He could bring me a cold rag and some ginger ale. Land would take care of me like Dad would have. Instead, I’m left to deal with the sickness, the rage of what Edgar is doing, and the demons of my past all alone.

  But you’re not alone.

  War wants in. You have to let him in.

  He will save you from yourself, Baylee.

  War’s voice comforts me as he shouts at Stark over the phone, no doubt telling her to save that girl. His heavy footsteps can be heard as he paces around his house. He may not
be able to physically comfort me right now, but I steal any comfort I can get. And just hearing him sound so powerful and strong has my nausea settling.

  Let him in.

  On shaky legs, I stand and quickly brush my teeth. After I wash my face, I make my way over to the guest bed and crawl onto it. Curling into a fetal position, I let my emotions take over. I cry myself to sleep hoping and praying they can save that girl.

  Someone needs to save her from the monster.

  And one day she can move on and be free again.

  I just hope she doesn’t turn out like me.

  Drifting.

  Lost.

  Alone.

  She deserves to be free.

  I STARE AT my phone.

  With each second that ticks by, the next slower than the last, I grow more and more impatient. It pisses me off but I can’t speed things up. So, instead, I just stare at my phone willing Stark to call me back. But the call never comes. Finally, at just after midnight, I receive a text.

  Stark: We got the bastard. An “anonymous” tip of a woman being harmed was enough to get the warrant we needed. Finn is in custody. The other eight women are being treated for minor injuries. Girl number nine is in the hospital but expected to fully recover. You did well, War. Thank you.

  I let her words wash over me and I can’t fight the grin that spreads over my face. My initial reaction is to scream it through the house. To tell Baylee we’ve taken down one more monster in this godforsaken world.

  But then I remember she’s already gone to sleep. After those horrifying images showed up on the video feed, she disappeared. I could hear her retching in the bathroom but I was too hopped up on adrenaline to let it get to my head. I’d wanted to go to her—to comfort her in her time of distress—but Stark needed to get to those women. I had to make sure I sent them right into the lion’s den before it was too late.

  My feet carry me to the doorway where she sleeps and my heart sinks. She’s still curled up into a little ball, making her seem so much smaller. Day by day, the medicine makes me feel stronger. Levelheaded and calm. But I’ve been too focused on Finn. I haven’t stopped obsessing long enough to focus on my poor, sweet girl breaking apart before my very eyes.

  Jesus, I’m a fucking idiot.

  She whimpers, and I’m striding into the dark bedroom before I even stop to consider what I’m doing. This past month she has pushed me away every chance she gets. I’ve allowed her to—tried to give her the space I thought she needed. But not anymore. I’m going to get through to her. I’ll break through to her. Maybe she doesn’t need space at all. Maybe she needs me. My fisted hands clench at my sides as the urge to touch her becomes overwhelming. I want to fix her like she’s fixed me. I need to hold her and kiss away her pain.

  So fucking do it!

  With a growl of part determination and part desperation, I drop a knee onto the bed. Leaning forward, with shaky hands, I push them beneath her and drag her light frame into my arms.

  I expect a shiver of horror to course through her as the nightmares of Gabe plague her.

  I expect her mind to take over and play tricks on her—for her to shout and screech and claw at me like she’s done so many nights recently.

  What I don’t expect is the way her body reacts to mine. She’s warm and curls up against me. Her fingers thread into my hair and she holds on as if I might vanish at any second. My heart thrums with love at having her in my arms. I hug my beautiful girl against my chest and kiss her cool forehead.

  “War?” she questions, the grogginess in her voice revealing disbelief. Almost as if she thinks she’s dreaming me.

  “I’m so sorry, Baylee. I’m sorry I’ve never been enough of a man for you,” I apologize and kiss her sweet, pink nose as I carry her down the hallway to our bedroom. “But I swear to God I’ll always try for more. I won’t ever stop trying to be better, healthier, and the man you deserve. And I’ll never stop fighting for you. You once told me the queen always protects the king, even from himself. Well, beautiful, I’m returning the favor. I’m not going to give up on you. Not now, not fucking ever. I love you, Bay.”

  She starts to cry but I calm her with soothing hums of songs that always seem to still the raging beast inside my head. I swipe at the light switch, darkening the room, before peeling back the blankets. When I set her down, she lets out a sigh of relief and slides under the covers. I don’t even bother getting undressed and crawl in after her. Our bodies mold together and her cool skin begins to warm from the heat of mine. With every ragged breath she takes, my touch seems to breathe life back into her.

  My lips are pressed against her messy hair near her ear. Moments ago, I was worried to touch her for fear of her rejection. But it’s clear to see she needs me now. Desperately. And I can’t seem to get enough of her. I want to fuse my soul to hers. To tether us in a way we’ll never be separated again.

  She twists in my arms to face me, and even in the darkness, I can feel her pretty blue eyes on mine. Her hot breath tickles my lips but it doesn’t make me recoil from her like it would have several months ago. Instead, I lick my lips wetting them because I’m hungry for her. Fucking ravenous. My Baylee has changed me for the better.

  “Thank you,” she rasps out, emotion thick in her voice.

  I hug her closer to me until our lips brush against each other. “Shhh, I’m never letting you go.”

  Her fingers lightly feather up my neck and then brush against my cheek. “Kiss me and don’t ever stop for the rest of our lives.”

  Capturing her face in my hands, I tilt her head before diving in to kiss her. Her hot mouth is ready and grants my tongue easy access. The touch of hers against mine is enough to send a thousand volts of desire coursing through my body. Suddenly, the kiss becomes inadequate. Unfulfilling. I need more of her. All of her. Our kiss is nothing more than a tease. A small taste. A tiny sample of our love.

  I need every single part of her.

  Every last drop.

  My tongue waters to lick every inch of her flesh. I want to memorize the taste of her and have it fill my mind. The desire to learn every part of her flesh with my mouth is overwhelming.

  Breaking from our kiss, I grin at her needy yelp, and yank off her T-shirt. She’s not wearing a bra so in my very next breath, my lips are on her right breast as I push her onto her back. I’m starved for my sweet Baylee. The hunger for her is growing into a formidable force that can’t ever be sated.

  “Oh, God, I’ve missed you,” I murmur before sucking her sensitive nipple into my mouth. She lets out a gasp and then her fingers are in my hair. Tugging and clawing, she shoves my face against her tit, needing me every bit as much as I need her.

  As I nibble on her flesh, my fingers find the waistband of her yoga pants and panties. She wiggles her ass as I slip them from her body. I pull away from her and sit up on my knees. In the darkness, all I can make out is her shadowy form. Using my fingertips, I touch her swollen lips and then drag them down her throat, between her breasts, and along her still flat belly. When I run them over her pubic bone, she lets out a whimper.

  “Baylee,” I plead as I push her knees apart, “can I taste you? I need to taste you.”

  She lets out a sexy kitten-like mewl that has my cock straining to get free of my jeans. “Can you? Will you freak out? I don’t want to gross you out.” The shaky way she says her words lights a fire to the madness inside my head. It rages within me, eager to burn away the demons and burn bright with her light.

  “You could never in a million years gross me out,” I vow. And I mean it. Never fucking ever.

  Her legs relax at my words and she lets them fall to the sides. I lean forward and inhale her feminine scent that’s only unique to her. As I lower myself to her pussy, I become dizzied with the desire to devour her.

  I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.

  “You smell so…” I trail off, trying to find the right words, “clean.”

  She giggles, a sound so pure it should
be banned from this ugly world and only reserved for a place like heaven. “Way to make a girl feel special, War.”

  Her laughter dies in her throat the moment my lips hesitantly brush against her pubic bone. I lightly press a kiss there that has her breaths coming out in quick succession. The desire to count them is overshadowed by the craving to learn every inch of her pretty pussy.

  At first, I kiss her slowly until I reach her clit that seems to be throbbing with need. Using my thumbs, I open her like a special gift I don’t believe I’ve earned, and taste her almost tentatively.

  Sweet.

  Sexy yet pure.

  A taste like nothing else on this earth.

  “War,” she moans as I drag my tongue along her slit.

  The way she says my name drives me crazy—crazy in a good way and I want her to do it over and over again. I want to count how many times she chants it. And I hope it will be an uncountable number.

  My tongue seems to know exactly what she wants because soon I’m sucking and lapping at her, and she is squirming like a woman possessed on the bed. Her fingers have long since threaded into my hair and she pushes and pulls me to where she wants me. I let her be the guide and use my tongue for her own sexual gratification.

  “Don’t stop,” she pleads and holds my head in place.

  Of course I won’t stop. I don’t think I’ll ever stop. A part of me wonders if we are each other’s cure. Some magical remedy to my afflictions in my head and a glue for the broken pieces of her heart. A way for us to be free but together. Because when I’m between her legs, consuming all that is her, I can’t think of anything else.

  Just Baylee.

  My Baylee.

  Forever.

  And I hope to God she’s only thinking about me.

  “Oh!” she shrieks one, two, three seconds before she thrashes against the bed with an orgasm I’ve never had the joy to experience with her. An orgasm that takes hold of her soul and rattles it ruthlessly. Her moans and yelps are a chant I don’t understand but somehow feel deep down in my bones. Pure bliss and soul satisfying pleasure.