by C. M. Owens
“No pressure,” I mutter to myself, turning to face the board.
So my new life plan is to find my father so we can kill him, and then let my ex-boyfriend kidnap me so he can have me all to himself at his mercy.
I move around some of the threads on the new pattern I see emerging, as I sigh and talk aloud to myself. “I wasted a lot of money and time on therapy.”
Chapter 26
RUSH
“How did she behave?” I ask Sledge, walking out of the locker room showers and drying my hair.
“You’re one of the fortunate few to have your own bathroom. Why are you using the communal showers?” he asks in deflection, which has me narrowing my eyes.
Rolling his own eyes, he lazily shrugs a shoulder. “She was quiet. She also worked on the board and actually may have come up with some good ground to search.”
“I presume someone ensured she stayed in my room. I’m trying to make it look like she has more freedom than she does. It’ll help me gauge if she’s playing me or not,” I say as the boys get a little rowdy.
Someone’s nose gets broken, and riotous laughter erupts.
I have no idea why people get quiet and move out of my way when I walk through. Usually they just pretend I’m not in the room, same as I do with them.
“Did the guy even talk?” Sledge asks as he follows behind me on the way to the stairs, as I adjust my towel on my hips when it starts to slip.
“He talked. I gave the leads to Snake, since he was restless and had nothing to do. Drex gone to get Eve or something? I couldn’t find him,” I go on as I start up the stairs.
He continues to follow. “Yeah. They actually just pulled in right before I managed to find you. He’s struggling to keep the ranks pulled in. You’re not helping shit by acting like you’re the one on top.”
“I’ll be gone soon enough. I do my part to keep my girl safe. I don’t give a shit about this club, or any club, for that matter. No offense,” I tell him over my shoulder.
“Well aware. I’m just saying that I do give a shit. This is my home, and it finally has the potential to be a good home. Don’t completely shit on it,” he says seriously.
I stop and turn, frowning over at him. It’s rare I feel bad for the shit I say, but I shrug at him. “Sorry. I’ll keep my shit more private now. I really won’t be an issue much longer. Not even Herrin has enough patience to allow his two kids to work together against him. Kara was always the ultimate thorn in his side. Drex was the lapdog.”
“No, Drex was just the one who had his head fucked up the worst because he was the first born and the boy. Kara was allowed enough time alone to grow rebellious and have individual thoughts,” he argues, getting actually angry at me. “Then she ran off and got therapy and started a new life. She’s not the same girl.”
“I know that. That’s why I’m getting her out of here after I put a few bullets in her dad,” I chirp as I turn and walk to my room.
He makes a frustrated sound that gets swallowed by the music’s increasing volume.
I push through my door, seeing the room only lit by the bathroom light that is peering through the crack. The sheet is barely covering her at all as she lies in a relaxed curl, the top swell of her ass peeking out from under the sheet.
Kara is naked...
Why is she naked?
Her hair is fanned out over the pillow, and she’s sleeping soundly. As if she feels the weight of my eyes on her, she stirs, flopping to her back, the sheet falling away.
My eyes rake over her body as she continues to sleep, and I drop my towel as I angle my head.
She makes another little sound that sounds almost like a soft snore.
She’s definitely asleep.
With slow, careful movements, I climb between her legs, running my hand up her thigh in a barely-there caress that only makes her moan in her sleep. My lips kick up in a one-sided grin when I let my finger barely graze the most intimate, aroused piece of her body.
“Ready for me, are you?” I whisper as I reach down to line myself up.
She startles awake just as I start sliding in, and her breath hitches in her throat when I lean down to take her lips. It’s like she’s still molded to me, and it doesn’t matter how many years have passed.
It doesn’t matter who she is now.
Her fingers slide through the strands of my hair as she kisses me, her hips moving to try and quicken the rhythm. I pin her tighter to the bed to gain more control, and she slips her legs around my waist, using the heels of her feet against my ass to spur me on.
I must be doing something right. She’s not pushing me away, and she’s getting into my bed naked, knowing I’ll take that as a cue to take whatever I want.
I take my time, pressing against her in all the right ways, and I kiss her until we both have to break for more air. “You’re torturing me,” she says on a whispered breath as I continue taking my time.
“I’m not a quickie sort of guy. You have a vibrator for that,” I say against her neck.
She makes a low sound in her throat when I find a particularly rewarding angle, and it starts getting harder to control myself.
Everything about her feels too good.
From the way she claws at me to get closer, to the way she desperately pleads for more...
The way her voice breaks when she cries out and clenches around me, making it damn hard not to just lose myself...
Our bodies start slicking with sweat when I resume kissing her, working hard to keep her just on the fine edge of her second orgasm, my body moving over hers in deliberate, short, calculated thrusts.
When she whimpers my name, the frayed thread of control snaps with it.
She cries out in frustration when I pull out of her abruptly, but her eyes widen when I roughly flip her to her stomach. She scrambles to her knees, just as my hand comes around her throat, and I shove in from behind until my hips clap her ass.
Her entire body shudders against me.
“This is my least favorite position,” she tells me with a little defiance now that she’s woken up well enough.
Leaning down to her ear, I nip the side of her neck, even as I fuck her the way I want to.
With her on her hands and knees in front of me, her neck in my hand, and her life at my mercy.
In spite of her protests, she makes another muffled sound, pressing her face into the pillow as her entire body shudders and she clenches around me even harder.
Over and fucking over.
Just as her body goes limp, painfully spiked pleasure drills through my body, all my muscles bunching with the serrated-edge bliss.
My chest slides over her back, both of us drenched by this point, and she trembles against me as she tries to catch her breath, my weight starting to press down on her as my hips involuntarily jerk one last time against her.
Fucking hell. I could live like this. Coming home to fuck her any time I like.
“I’ll kill anyone who ever tries to take you away from me again,” I whisper against her ear.
She shakes her head, turning it to the side as she pants for air, while I keep her caged in underneath me. “That’s not good pillow talk,” she says on a sigh.
Dragging my lips over her shoulder, I lace our fingers together, holding her to me as I get comfortable, dropping to the side to get the bulk of my weight off her back.
She inhales a deeper breath, but doesn’t make any attempt to move.
“Your ass looks good in this light,” I try.
She snorts. “Just this light? That’s not good pillow talk either.”
I kiss her neck, slipping one of my legs through hers.
“Roses are red. Violets are blue. I’ll let you go back to sleep, before I once again fuck you,” I deadpan.
To this, she chokes back a laugh, and her body shakes with the silent vibrations of her restrained humor.
I arch an eyebrow. “So we have a winner. What’s my reward?”
“You took the reward first, an
d I didn’t even get any romance,” she states dryly, the laughter tapering off before the delivery.
“What the hell kind of romance do you want in my room at the clubhouse? Candlelight next to my guns?” I drawl.
“Do you have a house?” she asks, glancing back at me.
I reluctantly let her crawl out of bed, and she goes to the bathroom. I wait until I hear the water running before I answer.
“I did. Don’t anymore,” I call out.
“What happened to it?” she asks as she pokes her head out and tosses me a warm, wet rag.
Apparently, she’d like for me to clean up.
“Sold it,” I say as I quickly tend to the task.
“Okay...want to tell me what’s been going on with you between me leaving and you kidnapping me to bring me back?” she asks as she walks back into the room.
My eyes follow her bare body as she slips back into the bed, lying facing me as she tugs the sheet over very tempting skin.
Immediately, I drag her against me until her head is resting on my arm, and she complies like a doll.
It turns me on how easily she does exactly what I want her to, something far different from before the sex-club.
“What do you want to know? A lot’s happened, so I’m afraid I’m going to need you to be more specific,” I tell her absently, running my hand down her side as I climb under the sheet with her.
She kisses my chest, and my eyes stay fixed on her as she uses her index finger to trace some of the ink I have there.
“You can start with why you got so much ink, and tell me anything else you’re comfortable telling me.”
Hmm. That’s not really a lot. She’s gone out into the world and been with normal, harmless people for too long, such as men who bow up when there’s a little rustle in a diner.
“You’re used to men who posture and try to intimidate someone with small town stature and smallminded balls,” I point out.
“I didn’t realize balls could have small minds,” she says on a flat note, quirking an eyebrow at me.
“It takes balls to stand up to someone like Herrin. It doesn’t take balls to stand up in a diner behind the town sheriff when some guys are making a girl uncomfortable,” I explain. “Except, those guys really think they’re a badass, and they proved it...that one fake time.”
“They’re good guys, Rush,” she calmly argues.
Bristling, I narrow my eyes at her.
“The definition of good is slightly askew through my eyes,” I tell her dismissively, dropping to my back.
As if she’s going for the good-behavior award, she slips her leg over my waist, getting as close as possible, as my arm curves around her in a more relaxed position.
After a few minutes of silence, I hear her release a heavy sigh that heats my skin closest to her mouth.
“You’re a little insane,” she finally says.
“I’m not dangerous,” I quickly point out.
She lifts her head and gives me a dubious look.
“Not to you,” I amend.
I feel her sardonic grin tug up, and glance down to see her unconvinced look.
“I wouldn’t ever hurt you,” I tell her very plainly.
“I know that. But you would kidnap me and take me to a secret location to lock me away. Too many people seem convinced of this.”
I nod, because that’s not dangerous.
She snorts against me, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t be laughing about this.”
“If I’m insane, you’re worse, because you’re indulging my delusions,” I say around a yawn.
She moves to be halfway on top of me, sliding all that skin across mine, as her lips brush my throat.
“Can you at least let me get to know this new version of you while you’re planning out my future abduction?” she asks with a slowly growing grin.
Her breath comes out in a surprised hiss when I flip her to her back, coming down on top of her as I slowly pin her hands above her head.
“I’ll be happy to make more introductions,” I tell her before my lips come down on hers.
Chapter 27
KARA
“I’m not doing it. I’m staying with Kara. Hell, I brought her here for a reason. We need some alone time together. Go do it yourselves,” Rush tells Drex and Axle.
“Dash is still in the hospital, Sledge has to keep an eye on the club, and we have to be extremely careful who we trust with this,” Drex bites out.
Rush has me sitting on the ground between his legs, surrounding me. He’s started hovering more and more...possibly because I’m allowing him to invade my personal space too much.
I lean my head over on his thigh, bored with this argument. Herrin will be gone by the time they decide who’s going.
“These are the sort of things someone has figured out before they think they have a lead,” Rush tells Drex.
I have to agree with him, but I know my brother is doing all he can to work against a much smarter, more paranoid, and definitely more cowardly adversary.
“Please,” Axle finally grinds out. “We need a good shot to cover our backs.”
Rush blows out a breath of frustration, and his eyes dart over their shoulders to where a familiar blonde is lingering, giving us a small wave.
“Where’s Jude?” Rush asks.
“He’s already on his way to the rendezvous point with the small crew he’s been using to try and draw Herrin out,” Drex answers.
Rush scrubs a hand over his face. “Fucking chaos all around me.”
He stands abruptly, stepping over me and leaving me behind. Axle and Drex both look surprised, since he hasn’t let me out of his sight for almost a solid week now. Since the night I decided to stop pretending I’m ever going to be normal.
I’m not even sure I want to be normal. I don’t fit in with normal people who talk about sports, cars, and the weather so they can avoid the real world.
Rush glances back at me, and then his gaze flicks to them. “I’ll get Sarah to give her a ride back,” he says a little angrily.
“Is this what our future looks like? You just deciding where I go and when?” I ask, lazily looking down at the abandoned phone on the table. “Not even allowed permission to call anyone?”
No one seems bothered by the fact I’m still technically a captive, as they all worry Rush is going to steal me away and turn me into...a captive.
The irony is lost on this group, who are more concerned with killing my father than basic human rights.
As Rush talks with Sarah, and Drex and Axle exchange a quietly murmured plan of action, I give a small nod. “Right. Got it. I’ll take that as a no. Thanks for at least acknowledging me.”
My little rant goes completely ignored, only adding more merit to the dismissed words.
“This is why I left the south. Nobody listens to a woman unless she has a big purse and talks or looks like a virgin. I don’t even have a phone or clean panties,” I add a little petulantly.
“Is Texas considered part of the south?” Sarah calls from across the room.
“Oh, shocker. The one person to pay me any attention is the other woman in the room,” I point out, glaring at my brother and Axle as they start drawing on napkins.
Rush lights a cigar, bobbing his head to whatever get-it-up-for-the-killing music he’s listening to, as Sarah continues to stare expectantly at me.
“You’re riding with me,” she adds.
I’ve spent the week getting to hear some of Rush’s...tales. Sadly, I think he’s kept the gory details to a minimum, and I’m positive he’s holding back. Just what I’ve heard has had me turning over more and more control to him, simply because I can’t fucking stand it.
He’ll never be that boy again. He has too much blood on his hands, and the only warmth he seems to really show is toward me or Sledge. Mostly me, I’ve noticed.
He stayed because of me. I left him because he chose the club.
Life is too fucked up for me to even deal with right now, a
nd I could have been doing it with him before he got this screwed up in the head.
Sarah tosses a hand up. Both Drex and Axle tell her bye.
They ignore my wave, resuming their tactical strategy session.
“Or maybe you have to be a homicidal maniac to have breasts and respect around here,” I mutter to myself, blowing a strip of hair out of my face, giving a little glare, and turning my head back around.
Just as my head faces forward again, a hand is firmly shoved in my hair before my eyes can focus on what’s in front of me. Rush’s lips come down on mine, even as the music blasting from his earbuds barely reaches my ears.
He pins me against the wall, kissing me harder as his arms go around my middle. This is his version of soft and romantic, I’ve learned.
My arms go around his neck as I fight the ridiculous, inappropriate smile that tries to spread across my lips.
One of his hands comes up, gingerly cupping my cheek. It’s a stark contrast from the firm, demanding kiss that is essentially devouring in nature.
He breaks the kiss abruptly, nipping my bottom lip when I find myself chasing his lips.
My eyes slowly blink back open, finding his gaze intently on me. “Stay with Sarah. Unless Sarah gets shot at. Then leave Sarah behind and get the fuck out of dodge. Understand?”
Licking my lips and clearing my throat, I narrow my eyes at him. “Stop talking to me like I’m a novice. I know how to exist in a first-world country with a corruptible government officials.”
He keeps me pinned in place with effortless ease when I try to push him back.
Icy eyes hold mine as an intense seriousness stays etched on his face.
He pulls out the single earbud he has left in, and I idly notice the music has stopped playing. “It’s a shit show out there,” he reminds me. “Run to the suburbs. The cops still give a damn if we fuck around there. No one’s going to shoot up the cardigan-wearing folks’ properties. At least not out in the open.”
I salute him like the smartass I am, and he gives me a bruising, punishing kiss as a result, before he abruptly steps away from me. I don’t realize my legs are a little unsteady until I pitch forward in the absence of him holding me up.
