From the Ruins

by Janine Infante Bosco

  “You’re not his lackey,” I argue, shaking my head as I try to wrap my head around all of it.

  “Sure I am,” he growls. “I kill for him. I dispose of all the players he’s chewed up and spat out only hoping it’s going to bring me closer to him…but it won’t. It never will. I’ve got one shot to get him and I’ve got to send my brother who’s in a wheelchair into his lair and pray he doesn’t get killed.”

  “Linc?” I ask confused, trying to place his part in Jack’s master plan.

  Abruptly, he rises to his feet and shakes his head.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he continues. “I didn’t come here to unload this shit on you. Like I said, I wanted to thank you for the Brantley tip. He’s been a loose cannon since the department took down his partner and arrested him for stealing police evidence.”

  I didn’t want Jack to end the conversation with Yankovich there but at the mention of Brantley and the new information about his partner, I got sidetracked.

  “That public knowledge or Jones give that up?” I ask.

  Jones has been on our bankroll since Jack took the gavel. He’s the best investment the club has made. For the most part he keeps our asses out of jail, but should any of us find ourselves doing a bid, Jones has the club’s back behind bars too. Not too many people can run shit from a cell but a Knight sure as fuck can when he’s got the warden on his side. That’s another asset we’ve obtained through our alliance with the good cop.

  “Jones gave us the intel before it went to the public. If Brantley comes around these parts anymore you call me and I’ll take care of it,” he promises, glancing over my shoulder at my house. “Looks like you got a good thing here. I’m glad I got a chance to see that.”

  “I didn’t expect it,” I admit, turning to my side. Spotting Layla and the kids through the kitchen window, I smile momentarily. They look good there.

  “We never go looking for the missing pieces. They just find us when we’re least expecting it,” he wisely states. “I gotta hit the road,” he adds, causing me to turn my attention back to him.

  “I shouldn’t have blamed the club,” I say finally.

  “Not here to rehash that. You felt some kind of way and you acted on that. I’m not here to judge you for it, but should you decide you want your patch and your chair back it’ll always be there waiting for you. We’re family, brother. We don’t always have to play nice to give a fuck about each other. I know you got love for the club still. I also know you got something brewing here and you shouldn’t bypass that.”

  “Losing Oksana made me realize how empty my life was, and now I need to figure out where to go from here,” I admit honestly, pointing a finger to my house. “I’ve never had this,” I tell him. “I’ve never had a family outside the club. I didn’t think I wanted one until I had one. Until I had them,” I continue. My throat suddenly feels tight as I think about how Layla and the kids have weaved their way into my life.

  Into my heart.

  A heart I thought was dead and now beats for them.

  “I need this Jack. For the first time since I stepped off that bus, I want something more than the patch. Layla and her kids need to come first and everything else will come if it’s meant to be.”

  Understanding, he shoves his hands deep inside his pockets and rocks back on his heels. The darkness lifts from his eyes for a moment and I catch the faintest hint of a smile

  “Looks like you found your heart,” he states.

  “I guess I did,” I mutter.

  Another truth.

  Stepping forward, he pats my back.

  “Took you long enough, you old fuck.”

  It sure fucking did.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  My head hits the pillow as Lee lifts my ass off the mattress and buries his face between my thighs. Lapping at my clit, I grind my pussy against his mouth. Paired with his tongue, that beard of his drives me over the edge and I decide in that moment Lee’s got a talent for oral sex. I mean, if the man ever doubts his purpose on the planet all he has to do is get between my legs and I’ll assure him God created him to give me head.

  “This pussy,” he growls, lifting his head slightly. Instantly, I feel the loss of his mouth and force myself to gaze back at him. Through the sex induced fog, I watch as he pumps his fingers in and out of me, his beard and lips both are wet with my arousal.

  “Tell me,” he orders. “Who does this sweet cunt belong to?” he questions as two fingers become three and he licks his lips, savoring my taste.

  It’s the second time he’s eaten me out since I came to him in the middle of the night. The first time I barely made it through the door before he clawed my pajamas down my legs. In the hallway, he dropped to his knees and tore my panties off with his teeth before pushing me against the steps. My ass dropped to the second step and he spread me wide, latching onto my clit.

  After I came, he kissed me hello and I discovered my taste through Lee’s mouth. He carried me up the stairs and into his bedroom where he fucked me on the dresser, quick and hard. He didn’t ask why I was there or where the kids were. In fact, we didn’t talk much at all. After he came all over my tits, he threw me on the bed and took a wet towel to my body. Now here we are again. I’m on the brink of another orgasm and he’s asking me to confirm what we both already know.

  “Yours. Everything, every part of me is yours,” I cry out. My eyes go wide as he pulls his fingers from me. His hands travel up my body, his wet fingers paint me with my own arousal before he settles on my tits.

  “These too,” he grunts, cupping my breasts.

  “All yours,” I breathe, grinding against him, looking for something, needing every inch of him.

  “Open wide,” he demands, twisting my nipples between his fingers as he positions his hips between my legs. “Going to fuck you again,” he growls. “Want you coming and screaming all night.”

  I might die.

  But what a way to go.

  Obligingly, my hamstrings burn as I spread my legs as wide as they’ll possibly go. Expecting him to charge into me, I pin my eyes to his face because there is nothing quite like watching his features when he pushes himself inside of me. It’s that first thrust when I wrap around him taking every inch when his face looks most at peace. However, he doesn’t enter me. Leaning back, he grabs a pillow and orders me to lift my ass. He positions it under me, raising my hips and without warning he pushes his cock into me with force.

  The position of our bodies and the girth of his cock makes me feel incredibly full. So full, I can’t move at first.

  “You good?” he questions against my neck. His teeth graze my neck in between kisses. Have I mentioned how much I love the way he kisses me? He fucks like an animal but when he’s buried inside of me his mouth teases me in the most amazing ways. One moment he’s all ravenous the next he’s tender, his lips soft as they glide over me, making me feel like I’m the most prized possession.

  “I’m good,” I assure him as I wrap my arms around his body. He lifts his head and his eyes gaze into mine. Warm.

  Those dull blue eyes that were once cold and uninviting now radiate with warmth. My breath catches as his hips slow and he gently kisses my lips. I want to tell him everything running through my mind, everything bursting inside of me. In that moment, I want to tell him he’s the part of me that’s been lost, the other half of my soul.

  I want to love him.

  I want to spend my days loving this man.

  I want him to look at me and know there is no place I’d rather be than wherever he is.

  Deciding I want to give him my love, a truth that will change the game, I pull back. As I open my mouth to speak he pushes deeper. Rendered speechless and left panting he pistons his hips and fucks me like a savage. The words die on my tongue, my brain shorts and my body crests once more.

  Sex with Lee is like a rollercoaster. There is a slow climb before that brief pause. You hold your breath knowing what comes next but you can never prepare yoursel
f for when he pushes you over the edge. You fall fast and before you touch the ground, he loops you into another blissful bout of pleasure. As terrifying as it is, it’s glorious and I never want to get off.

  A moment later I feel hot spurts of his release fill me and I know the ride is over for now. We’ll ride again, over and over, Lee will take my body to new heights. Collapsing on top of me, he doesn’t pull out as we struggle to catch our breath. Once we don’t sound like we’re on the verge of having a coronary, he rolls us over and pulls out. He brings me into the crook of his arm and pushes my hair away from my face, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

  “Give me twenty minutes,” he murmurs.

  “You’re crazy,” I laugh, nestling against him as I drape one arm around his body.

  “Not really, I plan on having you do all the work next time,” he says, keeping his eyes closed as he smiles.

  I love that smile.

  I love knowing I put it there.

  Drawing circles on his chest with my fingertip, I close my eyes happily.

  I never thought I’d be happy again, and I most certainly didn’t expect Lee to be the one who I found it with.

  “What the hell is this?” he asks, forcing my eyes open. I glance up at the baby monitor he took off the nightstand and a laugh bursts from my throat. “A walkie talkie?”

  “It’s a baby monitor,” I explain, taking it from his hand. I turn the volume up and lift it to my ear.

  “Are you trying to tell me something?” he croaks. I wish I had a camera in my hand and not a monitor because the face he makes as his eyes dart to my stomach is priceless.

  “I didn’t feel right sneaking over here and leaving the kids. What if Lexi woke up looking for me? Should I have left a note that read hey kids, went next door to Lee’s to get fucked for six hours straight, see you at breakfast?”

  “Where did it come from?” he asks incredulously.

  “I’m sort of a hoarder,” I confess, leaning over his body to place the monitor back on the table. “I save everything especially when it comes to the kids. I still have Tommy’s first tooth.”

  “He’s sixteen,” he retorts.

  “Hey, saving that tooth came in handy. Do you know how many times he lost the other teeth that fell out or swallowed them? The kid swallowed at least three teeth and cried because he thought the tooth fairy wouldn’t come. Once he dropped it in the couch and I couldn’t find the fucking thing for the life of me. I took his first tooth and told him he must’ve dropped it in the bathroom. The tooth fairy came and all was well.”

  Lee’s chest shakes with laughter.

  “I can’t wait to bust his balls for that.”

  “Don’t you dare!”

  “Layla, I’m sure the kid still doesn’t believe in the fucking tooth fairy. If he does then you being a junk collector is the least of our problems.”

  “It’s not junk! Some of it is really great stuff,” I argue, mentally cataloging all the things I’ve collected through the years. He’s right. Some of it is absolute junk, but I won’t admit it.

  “Whatever you say,” he murmurs.

  “Are you going to sleep?” I question.

  “I told you twenty minutes it hasn’t been five,” he replies, keeping his eyes closed.

  Slapping his chest playfully, I sit up and pull the sheet with me. Looking at me with one eye open, he folds his hands behind his head and sighs.

  “What is it, killer?”

  “I didn’t come here just for sex,” I tell him.

  “Here it comes,” he mutters.

  What started off as a simple breakfast turned into a great day with Lee and the kids. Something I wasn’t so sure was possible after Jack Parrish showed up. The two men went out on the back deck and as curious as I was, I forced myself not to open the windows and eavesdrop on their conversation.

  Jack didn’t stay for pancakes and told us he hoped to see us again before taking off on his bike. I expected Lee to be closed off after their encounter. He had seemed so annoyed by Jack’s intrusion that I was sure the inner asshole would return. Instead, he sat down with us and ate half a dozen pancakes.

  We cleaned the kitchen as a family before he took a shower and drove us to Target where he bought Lexi a bicycle. We spent the afternoon at the park teaching her to ride without training wheels. I watched with pride as she got the hang of it and noticed Lee’s expression matched mine. When we left the park, he promised her it wouldn’t be long before he took her for a ride on his chopper.

  We went back to his house afterward since I moved my kitchen into his house that morning and I cooked dinner. Lee helped Jenna with her homework and then he and Tommy had a catch with the football.

  It was perfect.

  He was perfect.

  After dinner, the kids and I went back home. It wasn’t until everyone was asleep and I was in complete silence that I began to wonder what happened with Jack.

  “So…”

  “Jesus, just ask what you want to ask,” he groans.

  “Jack is nice.”

  “That’s a new way to describe him,” he mutters with a laugh. “He’s a real gem.”

  “Well he didn’t seem anything like the newspapers portray him,” I amend.

  “Don’t believe everything you read, killer. They’re just trying to sell papers,” he says, reaching out and wrapping a strand of hair around his finger. “What do you want to know?”

  “Why was he here?” I ask, preparing for the half-assed answer he’s sure to give.

  “I told you about his illness,” he starts, pushing himself up so he sits with his back against the headboard and gives me his undivided attention. “Well, he’s got some shit going on with the club that has his mind working on overdrive,” he pauses, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess he thought I could help make sense of it.”

  “Did you help him?”

  “I doubt it,” he admits. “I wanted to but no one can beat that bitch in his head. She’s vicious.”

  “I can’t imagine what that’s like,” I whisper. I don’t only mean what it’s like to suffer with a mental illness but also to watch someone you care for struggle with it every day of their lives. It’s got to be hard.

  “He mentioned me going back,” he says, shocking me. The fact that he’s offering information surprises me.

  “And what did you say?” I ask, suddenly feeling anxious.

  “I’ve got to go back to my club, Layla,” he says softly. To say those words disappoint me would be an understatement. It’s not that I don’t want him to do what he loves. If you have to ask someone to change who they are to be with you, you’re doomed. I don’t want Lee to give up his club or those people who truly care about him, but hearing him say that he has to go back there still hurts. It’s fearing the unknown and having no idea what that means for us.

  “I don’t know when that will be because my priority is making this work with you and the kids,” he continues, snapping my attention back to him.

  Wondering if I heard him right, I stare at him bewildered.

  “We still on the same page, killer?” he questions. “Last night you told me you wanted to give this thing between us a shot.”

  “I do,” I say quickly.

  “Then why the long face?” he asks as he pulls me closer to him. Running the back of his hand down my cheek, he leans his forehead against mine.

  “I never had a life outside my club and I’m not looking to fuck up my chances of having one now. If you’re with me, then we figure this out, make it go the distance and when we’re all figured out, when you, me and the kids are comfortable with life then I’ll reclaim my chair.”

  “You, me and the kids,” I repeat.

  “Lexi calls us a squad,” he says with a slight smile before he cocks his head to the side. “Gonna take good care of you, Layla,” he promises. “Take good care of those kids too.”

  God, this man.

  How did we find one another?

  Wrapping my arms arou
nd his neck, I lean in and press a soft kiss to his mouth.

  “We’re going to take good care of you too, Lee.”

  “You already do, killer,” he murmurs against my lips.

  Slowly pulling back, I glance over my shoulder and out the window as the sun starts to come up. Following my gaze, he gives me another kiss and pats my ass.

  “You better go before they get up.”

  “Yeah,” I murmur regretfully, not ready to leave him. Pushing the sheet off my body, I hesitate in making my way off the bed.

  “Layla,” he calls as I start collecting my clothes. Pulling my shirt over my head, I turn to him. He crooks his finger and beckons me back to bed. Having no willpower whatsoever, I take a seat on the edge of his bed. His fingers tunnel through my hair and he holds the back of my head in place as he levels me with those warm blue eyes.

  “Figure out what you want to tell the kids and pick a bed because this shit with you sneaking out of your house and creeping out of my bed is over. Want you in my arms when I lay my head to rest and your face to be the first thing I see when I open my eyes.”

  Truth…

  If I didn’t already think I was in love with him, those words would have sealed the deal.

  I love you, Lee Jameson.

  “Now take a pair of sweats from the drawer and leave your panties wherever they are.”

  I fucking love him.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  In the six weeks since Jack paid me a visit, my life has changed drastically. Things I never dreamt of doing have become part of my daily routine. I take the kids to school every morning, come home and tackle another room in my house. This old cabin of mine doesn’t look like a lonely man’s nightmare but a happy man’s heaven.

  After we told the kids that Layla and I were together we decided they would move into my house. Even if it was just next door, I didn’t want any of them away from me. I wanted to come home every day and see their faces, hear about their day and when everyone went to bed, I wanted to ravage Layla until the sun came up the next day.