Locke Brothers Series

by Ashley, Victoria

  I grab the joint from her hand and take a few quick hits before tossing it back to Ace. “I’m driving her home and I’ll be right back.”

  * * *

  Kadence

  I glance over at Aston, wondering what in the hell I’ve gotten myself into.

  I’m head over heels for this guy, and I don’t even know how it happened, but ever since the first night I laid my eyes on him, he’s consumed my thoughts.

  I don’t know why I took those hits when Ace offered me his joint. I’m not even a pot smoker, but I needed something to mellow me out, and it seemed like the perfect time.

  The images of what we did in Aston’s room play through my head, making my want and need for him grow again. This man has a way of making me crave him, like my darkest desire.

  As it is my thighs are sore, the slight stickiness of Aston’s cum on the inside of my panties, making me acutely aware that he claimed me.

  I shift on the seat and notice he glances at me.

  “You okay?”

  I nod, my face heating.

  “I bet your panties are wet with my cum, aren’t they?”

  I find myself gasping, the shock of hearing him so blunt still unusual for me.

  He smirks, and the sight of the corner of his mouth kicking up has my inner muscles clenching.

  That wicked smile always gets me. It’s so unbelievably sexy in every way.

  God, I can’t believe I want him right now again. I am still sore from the other two times we had sex, and that wasn’t even that long ago.

  “Go on, admit it,” he says. “Tell me how wet your panties are from my cum.”

  My face burns as I grip the seat, needing something to dig my fingers into.

  I contemplate lying, but in all honesty I don’t want to.

  “You know they are wet.”

  He groans, this deep, rough sound that makes me tingle all over.

  Before long we are pulling up to my place, and I’m disappointed our little sex conversation can’t go on.

  The living room light is on, and I know Melissa is waiting up for me, so sitting out here too long will have her blowing up my phone again.

  Before we left his place, I called her, listening to her ranting about how worried she was. But the thing is, I didn’t tell her I was with Aston.

  Of course I have to. I have to admit that I am with him…that I am his.

  And as crazy as it is, I look forward to admitting that. I’m not ashamed one bit that Aston has claimed me as his own.

  “Good.” Aston’s voice is deep and full of need as he reaches between my legs and cups me. “Remember that if any fucker tries touching what is mine.”

  I close my eyes and suck in a breath as he wraps his hands into the back of my hair and leans in to bite my bottom lip. “Fuck, I need you, Kadence. I need us. Tell me you want the same.”

  “Yes,” I admit. “I want this… us.”

  “Fuck… I could listen to those words leave your lips all damn night.”

  My breathing picks up as his tongue swipes across my lips before slipping between them.

  I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to the sinful taste of Aston’s mouth.

  Once our lips separate, he releases the grip on my hair to place his hands on my face.

  I find myself swallowing as his eyes meet mine and hold my gaze. “I’m sorry about your mother.” My eyes close as his thumb gently brushes my cheek, comforting me. “I want to know what you’ve been through, Kadence. And if you didn’t need to get home right now, then I would’ve stayed up all fucking night learning about your life and everything that hurts you. I’m fighting really fucking hard to let you go right now.”

  I’m not really sure what to say, so I just nod and offer him a small smile.

  I haven’t really gotten to see this softer side of Aston yet, and I have a feeling it’ll only make me fall for him more.

  19

  Aston

  We climb out of the vehicle, and I want to immediately pull Kadence against me again, keeping her as close to me as possible.

  I should stay in the car, go home, and let her deal with this. But a part of me wants to protect her, wants to be there for her.

  Always.

  But there’s something in the air, something thick, almost ominous. I look around, not knowing what it is but understanding this sensation, this pull on my skin.

  We’re not alone. I know this feeling well. It’s something I’ve become used to over the years.

  I instantly bring Kadence closer, and I can see she’s worried, not sure what the fuck is going on.

  “What’s wrong?” she asks, her voice raised, her worry clear.

  “Shhh, baby.” I scan the area, and that’s when I notice the guy standing across the street, right in front of the house.

  I can’t see him clearly, just a dark figure in the shadows, but I know he’s one of the fuckers from the other night, the night my brothers and me fucked them up.

  He’s probably been waiting for his chance to get back at one of us, and this asshole would be smart if he ran inside and told his little friends about me being here alone.

  I push Kadence behind me, this protective instinct rising up. The need to protect her is the only thing running through my fucking head right now, consuming me.

  Once I see that he’s not moving from his spot, I grab Kadence’s hand and quickly begin guiding her to the house, needing to get her inside so I can relax a little. “Come on,” I demand. “Let’s go. Now.”

  Without question she speeds up in front of me, allowing me to walk behind her, my body protecting hers, all the way to the door. I don’t even wait for her to look for her house key before I reach out and turn the knob, hoping like hell that it’s unlocked already.

  Relief washes through me as the handle turns, allowing me to push it open and get her inside.

  “Make sure you lock this door as soon as I walk away. Got it?”

  She nods her head and turns the lock. “There. It’s already locked…”

  Before she can finish what she’s saying, I grip her face and crush my lips against her, feeling a rush of air leave her lips as I pull away and look her over.

  “I’ll be out here for a while. Get some sleep.”

  “Do you really think he’s going to try something?” she asks, sounding a bit nervous. “I don’t want anyone to hurt you.”

  My lips turn up into a small smile as I take a step back. It’s fucking cute that she’s worried about that asshole hurting me. “Don’t worry about me, babe. He’d be stupid to try.”

  Once the door is closed and I see the light turn on in Kadence’s bedroom, I head back out to the SUV, lean against the back and pull out a cigarette.

  I need something, anything, to calm my nerves right now. Even the slightest idea that Kadence could possibly be in danger has me feeling like a fucking madman, ready to explode at any second.

  Placing the cigarette to my lips, I take a long drag and slowly release the smoke as I scan the area once more, to see that motherfucker just standing there, staring, trying to be intimidating.

  After the hell I’ve been through, he’s gonna have to try a lot fucking harder than that.

  Still… it angers me to have him out here and so close to her.

  I don’t go after him though, not with the bastard just staring, although I want to. I’ll leave him be right now, watch him, make sure he doesn’t fuck things up or mess with Kadence.

  Tossing down my cigarette, I get in my vehicle and watch him. I’ll stay out here all damn night if it means I’m going to make sure she’s okay.

  Hell, I’d prefer to have her at my place, where I know she’ll be safe, where I know I can better protect her.

  But I also know I can’t smother her. She needs to be at her place, needs to feel at home. But I’m not gonna pretend that having this fucker just watching and waiting isn’t working my ass up and making me want to kill him.

  I’m so focused on the house across the street
I don’t even realize someone is beside my car until the sound of knocking on my window draws my attention. I turn to see Melissa standing there.

  I roll down the window and immediately notice how nervous she is.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” I say. “We don’t fucking hurt women.”

  She glances away, her focus on the ground.

  “Yeah, but I know how dangerous you guys are.” She lifts her head and looks at me. “Everyone knows.”

  Well, yeah, that’s the truth, but she should have also heard we protect women if it comes down to that.

  “I just want to make sure Kadence is in good hands, that this isn’t some random hookup for you. I can’t just stand back and let my best friend get hurt.”

  I have to give the girl credit; for being afraid of us, she sure has some balls of steel.

  I smile, not trying to be a bastard. “If I wanted her for a piece of ass, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t still be seeing her after I’ve already had my cock in her pussy, nor would I have made it known to everyone that she’s mine.”

  Melissa’s eyes widen, and I grin wider.

  “She’s mine.” I say it harder, wanting Melissa to know I’m not going anywhere. “Now go inside and lock the door. I don’t like you girls being outside when that asshole across the street is. Got it?”

  After a second she nods and heads back inside.

  I glance across the street again, and see the fucker is gone. But I’m going to hang out for a while, because leaving right now is not something I’m comfortable doing.

  If shit is going to go down, I’m going to be here to handle it.

  Even if that means sleeping in the damn Expedition.

  20

  Kadence

  The next day

  Melissa had an earful to give me the second I stepped into the house last night and shut the door behind me.

  I understand where she’s coming from. I do. We’ve been friends for as long as I can remember, and we’ve always had each other’s back, no matter what.

  Even when all the kids at school made fun of me because of my mother’s mental instability, her sometimes not leaving bed for weeks, Melissa was the one who stood up for me and offered to ask her parents for permission for me to stay with them from time to time.

  It’s not surprising that she’s still feeling the need to protect me after all these years.

  When my mother decided to take her life last year, Melissa begged me to move closer to her and told me she’d be there for me always.

  I hesitated at first, not wanting to leave the safety of my hometown, but after months of my mother being gone, moving in with Melissa seemed like the best thing for me.

  Especially with all the judgment and whispers being thrown around behind my back. People believing one day I’ll end up like my mother, allowing the whole world to cripple me and hold me down.

  That’s what my mother did. It started out with my grandparents beating her and abandoning her before she even turned sixteen. My mother met my father shortly after that, and he took care of her.

  But after a while he couldn’t take it anymore. Couldn’t handle her waking up in the middle of the night, crying and popping pills. So…he left too.

  Left the both of us, and after that everything went to shit, rumors being spread until there was nothing left of my mother, no strength or will to live.

  Then one day I found her lying on her bedroom floor, not breathing.

  She overdosed, looking for a way to escape. A way to run away from all the rumors and twisted facts about her and her life that people chose to believe because no one could understand the suffering she’d been through.

  I guess you can say that’s why I was drawn to Aston in the first place. I wanted to get to know the real him. To see and feel the scars that made him who he is today.

  Sighing, I look down at my tea, the liquid swirling around, the steam rising above it.

  “You know I just worry because I care about you.”

  I glance up at Melissa and smile, thankful that she’s been such a good friend to me. “I know, and I care about you too, but I really do feel connected with him.”

  Melissa smiles, her mood toward him seeming different now for some reason. “Yeah, I spoke to him briefly last night when you got in the shower.”

  That surprises me, and I’m curious about what they said.

  “Basically he said I have nothing to worry about because he’s claimed you.” She scoffs. “Sounds like a caveman.”

  I start to laugh, picturing what her face must’ve looked like when he told her this.

  “But if you’re happy, I’m happy for you.”

  I let her words play through my head. “I’m happy.” I find myself grinning. “He makes me feel like there’s something to look forward to. I haven’t felt this way in… well… ever.”

  “Good, then I’m going to stop worrying so much, or try not to at least.” She grabs her bag and stands. “I gotta head to work. Please, just text me or call me this time if you plan to stay out with him late.”

  I stand and give her a hug. “Sorry, I know. I should’ve done that, and I will from now on.”

  “Good. Enjoy the rest of your break and don’t work too hard.”

  I watch her leave the coffee shop and sit back down to finish my break and drink my tea. My thoughts instantly go to Aston, about what he said to Melissa and how he makes me happy.

  I want to know more about him, want to have him in my life, bond with him.

  I want him to be mine as much as I’m his.

  The future is still unknown, but that’s part of the appeal, wanting to see where it leads me.

  * * *

  Aston

  I pull my Harley up at the coffee shop Melissa said Kadence works at, and kill the engine, my mind being made up about being seen in public.

  Feeling a bit anxious, I slide my helmet off and jump off my bike, setting it on the seat.

  I flex my jaw, feeling gazes on me as I run my hand through my messy hair, smoothing it back while placing a cigarette between my lips and lighting.

  It’s been a while since I’ve been out during the daylight, around the prying eyes of this nosy-ass town, judging me. It’s something I try to stay away from.

  But after spending all of last night and most of this morning sitting outside Kadence’s house, I woke up and instantly wanted to go back to her.

  This need taking over, wanting to make sure that fucker didn’t try anything after I left.

  Although Melissa told me Kadence was safe, I couldn’t help but want to witness it for myself.

  Which is exactly why I’m here, standing in the open, with gazes all over me.

  Standing tall, I take a few drags off my cigarette, keeping my focus straight ahead as the whispers surround me, everyone taking this moment to try to figure out what I’m doing in town.

  I know they are all afraid of me, of the things I’ve done with my brothers to exact revenge. But if they don’t fuck with me, I won’t bother them.

  Everything in this damn town is so close together that it’s not just the people at the coffee shop getting this very rare glimpse of me, but everyone at the convenient store next door and the hair salon on the other side.

  I can still feel their gazes on me, their curiosity making it impossible to turn away as I toss my cigarette down and make my way to the door.

  If it was dark out, I guarantee each and every one of these people would be running fast and locking their damn doors, afraid of what I’d do to them.

  Smirking, I turn around and give them all a good view of my face before I open the door and step into the coffee shop.

  The scent of coffee and baked goods slams into my nose, surrounding me, momentarily making me feel like I’ve stepped off a damn cliff and entered a different world.

  The amount of times I’ve actually been in a coffee shop, diner, or hell, anywhere that had a group of fucking people in it, equals zero.

  And I sure as
fuck wanted to keep it that way, but for Kadence I’d do anything.

  That realization slams into me, and I falter in my steps. Fuck, she’s so embedded in me it’s hard to even fucking think straight.

  I don’t see Kadence right away, so I take a seat at one of the back tables, away from everyone, the shadows partially obscuring me.

  And then I see her walking out from the back, her bag over her shoulder, her focus on her phone. God, she’s so fucking hot, so mine.

  I rise, walk over to her, and in front of everyone pull her close. She gasps and looks up at me with wide eyes, her surprise clear.

  Keeping her body flush against mine, I cup the back of her head, aware everyone is watching us, their scrutiny clear, potent.

  I don’t give a fuck.

  And when I lean in and claim her mouth, press my tongue between her lips, make her taste me, take me, I hear her moan.

  “Kiss me back, baby.” I pull her in closer, harder. “Let’s give these fuckers a show. Let them see you’re mine.”

  I feel her smile against my mouth.

  After a long minute I pull back, loving how her mouth is red, glossy, and so fucking lush.

  “Let me take you out, show you off.” I never do this shit, never wanted to go this route. But with Kadence I want to do a lot of fucking things I never thought I would.

  She seems surprised again.

  I grin. “Let me wine and dine your sweet ass.”

  She laughs, and I pull her in for a hug, loving the feel of her against me.

  “So, what do you say, baby?”

  She makes me wait for an answer, this sexy smile on her beautiful face.

  “Yeah, wine and dine my sweet ass. Let the world know I belong to the youngest Locke brother and I don’t care what the hell they think.”

  I grin. That’s what I’m talking about.