She moaned again around his length, and Braden pulled back from her.
Teagan looked up at him with surprise, worried she might have done something wrong.
He pulled her off the floor and leaned her over the side of the bed, her feet still on the floor as he moved in behind her.
“Tell me if I need to stop,” he said. “You might still be sore from yesterday.”
His head pressed against her wet opening and easily slid in. She let out a quiet moan.
It was still tight, but not as sore as she had thought. The farther he pressed in, the more her excitement grew. In fact, his slow pace was killing her.
Frustrated, Teagan pressed her hips back hard against him, slamming him all the way inside.
“Christ, Teagan,” Braden moaned.
She rotated her hips over him, glad for the feeling of him deep inside.
“Too slow,” she moaned.
Braden chuckled behind her, and she turned to see his smile as he pulled out and slammed back in.
Teagan moaned loudly.
“That better?” he asked.
She nodded eagerly. As long as he kept that up, she would be perfectly fine.
He hammered into her. The sound of their bodies slapping together filled the room and excited her. His hands gripped her hips roughly as he increased his pace.
Teagan reached down and rubbed her clit hard. She could feel her orgasm rising.
“Yeah, baby,” Braden moaned. “Come for me.”
She never thought she’d like hearing someone talk like that, but it turned her on in ways she didn’t even know.
“Together,” she panted. “Come with me.”
She felt his hands tighten as he picked up the pace. Her whole body shook as he hammered into her.
The first crests of her orgasm arrived. She could feel her insides rhythmically squeeze him as she came around him.
With one last thrust, Braden pressed deep inside her as he came. She could feel her muscles work him as he twitched deep inside.
Braden pulled out after, and they both collapsed on the bed, panting and spent.
Teagan rolled over to him and pressed soft kisses against his damp chest.
“This is the only thing in my life that feels right,” she said softly and then looked him in the eye. “You feel right.”
He kissed her. It was soft and sweet, the sort that might go on forever if they wanted to let it. When he pulled back, Braden swept her hair out of her face.
She was right. They did feel right together. It felt like the world had aligned just to get them together, and questioning it would be wrong.
“I don’t know,” he said with a sly smile. “I think we might need to go a few more times before I’m sure that we’re right together.”
Teagan giggled as he rolled her over and kissed her neck. Today, protected by the snow and wind, they would live in the moment.
Chapter Eighteen
Braden woke up with a start. The bed beside him was cold and empty.
He checked his phone and yawned. Not quite six in the morning. He was surprised he’d been able to sleep so long, but they had spent most of the day there in bed exhausting all the energy he had been saving up and eating only when they had to and then went right back to it.
About the only thing surprising was the fact that Teagan managed to get up before him. He was surprised she wasn’t even more exhausted from making love.
Braden let out a little laugh as he pulled on his pants and shirt.
Making love. He thought it so easily now, like they had always been together. She was a piece of his life, despite all the crazy that was going on, and he couldn’t be happier.
He shook his head. He was a damn idiot, but there was no stopping those feelings.
When Teagan said that they were right together, it was true. Through it all, in all the chaos and violence, they were the only thing that seemed to make sense.
Braden made his way into the living room, expecting Teagan to be there but found nothing but the scent of hot cocoa lingering in the air.
Worried, he tore open the door and stared out into the dim pre-dawn light. Among the piles of snow, she spotted a dark form on the dock.
Teagan sat there bundled in a blanket.
Braden went back into the cabin and pulled on his boots and coat. Then he made his way over to the dock. He thought he heard the phone ring in the cabin, but decided it could wait for the moment.
Teagan remained silent as he walked over. She smiled up at him and made room on the blanket she was sitting on. Braden sat down beside her, somewhat worried that maybe he had already screwed things up.
He sighed when she opened her blanket and wrapped half of it around him, scooting closer to his side. Braden wrapped an arm around her as she snuggled in and sighed at the comfort she always brought.
They sat there in the quiet of the morning, just watching the heavy fog as it rolled over the water and the snow-covered ground. She didn’t speak for a while.
“I want that Christmas I dreamed up,” she said softly. “I want the warm, cozy family, and I want it with you.”
She looked over to him, and Braden could feel his heart swell with all the feelings this woman brought out in him. Not only did she care for him, but she made him feel human again, like there would always be a place he belonged.
“I’d like that,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her tender mouth. “I’d like that very much.”
Teagan smiled at him, and he knew that she would always be the home he needed.
He frowned as lights flashed on the still dark water and turned to find two cars were pulling down the snow- and ice-covered driveway. One of the cars skidded before regaining control.
“Fuck,” he grunted.
There was no way Finn would be paying them a visit at this time in the morning. The Russians were making their move and right now, he and Teagan were sitting ducks.
Quickly he turned to her. “You need to run.”
Teagan shook her head, but he stopped her with a kiss.
“I need to keep you safe,” he said. “They aren’t going to hurt me. I’ve been careful. They may suspect, but there’s no way to prove I’m with Finn. But if they find you here, there’s no stopping it. You need to hide. I’ll find you.”
Teagan nodded and ran toward the end of the dock and jumped off the side on to the ground.
It was a smart move. She’d be able to cover her tracks, and the bank would give her some cover as they came up.
Braden stood and watched as the cars came to a stop at the end of the docks. He made his way down and stopped, still on the planks.
Boris stepped out with Ennis just behind him.
Braden clenched his fists. Ennis had sold her out.
“Hello, friend,” Boris said with a smile. “Seem you have little picnic at such odd time.” Boris gave a sly smile as if he already knew where this game was going.
Braden shrugged. “Thought this morning would be when the delivery got made,” he said. “Just thought I would come out here and wait in case they couldn’t see through the fog.”
Ennis refused to meet his eye, and he knew they planned to make this an execution. Finn might not mind getting his hands dirty, but Ennis was never one for that side of the business, likely why their father chose Finn to run the family.
If you were going to have a man killed, you should at least have the balls to look him in the eye. Ennis moved to the side.
“Where is the girl?” Boris asked, regaining Braden’s full attention.
He shrugged. “No clue.”
Boris pulled his gun from his side and pointed it directly at him. His men spread out, looking for where she might have hidden. Braden could only hope that she’d been able to hide her tracks for long enough that they would never find her.
“We know you have her,” Boris said. “Boss think you maybe like to play house.”
“She took off yesterday.
She got scared when he showed up.” He nodded toward Ennis. If Braden was going down, he was taking that fucker with him.
Ennis winced at the mention of his involvement.
Boris turned and snickered at Ennis. “We already have conversation. Now where is girl?”
“Fuck you. I don’t know.”
Boris snorted. “So little woman just run off during snow storm? Like magic little fairy?”
Several of the men laughed, and that only seemed to spur him on.
Braden shrugged again. “Or maybe she had the Kellys pick her up,” he said. “I wouldn’t know, asshole.”
Boris contorted his face in irritation and stepped forward. He poked Braden in the chest with the gun he held.
“See, I think maybe that a lie,” Boris said, his words full of menace. “I think you have her here and when we find her, I will kill her.” Boris grinned. “I have better idea. Maybe I have fun with her first while you watch, then I kill her.”
Rage poured through Braden as he lunged for the man, but Boris was ready. He cracked Braden in the face hard with the gun, and he stumbled to the wooden dock.
He stared down at the blood as it flowed freely from his nose, but it wasn’t the blood he focused on, but rather two eyes peering back at him from the darkness beneath the peer.
Chapter Nineteen
Teagan stared up at Braden through the slats in the dock where she was hidden in the freezing waters below, hoping the Russians couldn’t hear her chattering teeth. She knew he had seen her there, but she couldn’t just leave him knowing that they might kill him. She shifted over toward the shore.
Maybe they would move away from the dock, and she’d be able to get into the house and get the guns. Maybe she could get Finn on the phone. There were so many things that could happen, and she wasn’t about to abandon him when he needed her most. The only reason his life was even in danger was because of her.
“Get him back up,” Boris said with a sneer. “This is not over. No, no, no. Far from over.”
A large man thumped onto the dock and made his way over to Braden. She watched as the large man pulled him back to his feet.
Boris hit Braden again, this time on the other side. “Little bitch. You think you so smart, but look now. Who is smart and who is dumb?”
She winced and turned away. It hurt her to see him like this.
When she looked back up, she found Braden staring at her. There was anger and fear in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything.
“Maybe we keep hitting you until you remember where she is,” Boris said. “Keep hitting, keep breaking, keep cutting. You’ll remember, I think. Some little whore isn’t worth losing your prick over, yes? First, though, we just try the beating.”
She couldn’t let this go on. There was no way she could let him be beaten and tortured while she hid away like it wasn’t happening.
Teagan turned in the water to climb out but stopped when a firm hand clamped over her mouth.
“You should have really run away,” Ennis said quietly in her ear. “I can’t let you go charging up there. Boris would kill you both instantly. You have to be smart about this.”
Teagan struggled in his arms, but Ennis held firm.
She couldn’t see him now but could hear the blows as Boris continued to hit Braden. Tears streamed down her face and onto the hand at her mouth.
“I know what you think, but I didn’t snitch,” Ennis said in her ear. “They caught me coming back. I didn’t want this, any of this. Fuck, I’m the one who told Braden to protect you.”
She turned to glare at him. As if she would believe anything that came out of his lying mouth.
“It was the driver. He sold me out to gain some points,” he grumbled.
“Well,” a voice said from behind Ennis. “Look at what Big Boss caught.”
A strong arm yanked her out of Ennis’s arms and brought her face to face with the scarred Russian.
Boris laughed as she glared at him. “Looks like you didn’t run.” The smile he gave her chilled her to the bone. “Good. That makes it more fun.”
Teagan spit in his smug face. It wasn’t like it mattered anymore. She was dead either way. “Fuck you,” she shouted.
Boris wiped the spit from his face and gave a loud laugh. “I like this one,” he said to Ennis. “She will be fun. Good job.”
Boris pulled her arm behind her back until she cried out in pain and then forced her up the steep bank. When she turned, she found Braden still being held by one of the men, his face bruised and bloodied.
The Russian dropped Braden to the ground, and she twisted out of the grip Boris had on her to run to his side.
Gingerly, she placed a hand on his swollen cheek. They had clearly broken his nose, and his lip was swollen and bleeding. She could see a large bruise swelling on his cheekbone and didn’t even want to check the rib he was holding with his hand.
“You were supposed to run,” he said, his voice low and slightly slurred. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me, as long as you’re safe.”
Tears streamed out of her now as she openly cried. “I couldn’t leave you,” she whispered.
He tried to sit up, but she pushed him back down. She worried that if he tried to move he might end up hurting himself even more.
A slow clap started behind her, and she turned to glare at Boris. Never in her life had she hated a person as much as she hated him. Teagan wanted nothing more than to put a bullet in him for every time he’d hurt Braden.
“What a touching reunion,” Boris said when he’d stopped clapping. He raised his gun and pointed it at her. “We’ll be sure to put you both in same grave. See, now you can say, ‘That Boris, he’s so romantic.’” A sick smile spread on his sadistic face. “Though there won’t be much left to put in the grave.”
“No,” Braden shouted. “You leave her alone, you son of a bitch.”
Boris laughed. “I think you maybe not in any condition to stop me. But try if you care. You die now, you die later. All same to me.”
He pointed the gun directly at Teagan. “You move over here,” he said and gestured with the gun to the side.
Teagan looked down at Braden. “I’ll be fine,” she said with a trembling lip.
He held her hand, but it slipped out as she stood to face the man who held their lives in his hands.
“Maybe we should just—” Ennis said from the side but stopped when Boris turned the gun on him.
“You are in enough trouble. Stay quiet, or you die here, too.”
Ennis shrank back at those words. The only chance for help had just picked self-preservation.
“Get down on your knees,” Boris said and then turned to the large man who had been holding Braden. “Go get my kit. It’s time to play.”
She shook as she knelt on the snowy ground just off the dock. She could see Braden from where she was. He struggled to stand.
Boris came to where she was and looked down at her there. “First, I take nail,” he said. “With fresh snow, we see all the glory I can do. Much better than dark warehouse.” He nodded to himself. “I should do this kind of thing outdoors more often.”
Teagan looked up at him. She wouldn’t beg. It was what he wanted. A man like that who craved pain wanted to see her cry out and tell him not to do it. Instead, she held her head up high.
Boris frowned. It wasn’t the reaction he wanted, and she could see the anger in his eyes. He took a step forward but stopped at the sound of gunfire in the distance.
He turned to the other men around him, frowning. “Find out what’s going on.”
The men followed the sounds of the gunshots, but they didn’t need to wait long as a car came barreling around the corner. Several men leaned out the window and fired as the Russians scattered.
Boris stepped closer to her, his gun pointed at her head.
The car stopped, and Finn stepped out of the passenger seat, his gun raised.
“I think you’ve got a few of my friends here,” Finn said
with a smile on his face and murder in his eyes. “I’ll be taking them back.”
Boris pressed the gun more firmly to her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t take orders from little bitches.” He reached down and yanked her to her feet. He eyed Finn as he did so. “You step back, or I shoot her.”
Finn shook his head. “You aren’t going to shoot her. She’s the only thing keeping you alive right now.
Boris gave him a smile. “You think I won’t?”
Finn laughed. “Well, you might, but I can guarantee that if you shoot her, my friend here is going to make sure that you pay the price.” He grinned. “You see, I’d just want to kill you, but my friend will need to make you pay, and I don’t think I could really deny him his revenge.”
He nodded over to Conor who had stepped out from the other side of the car.
“I’ll make what you’ve been doing look like child’s play,” Conor said with menace, sheer hatred radiating off him, so much she was almost surprised the snow wasn’t melting.
She’d never seen the men like this in action, and if she were Boris, she’d start to worry.
“Fine,” Boris said, rolling his eyes. “I won’t shoot her. But I can’t leave without doing something, yes? If I do, I just be little bitch.”
With a great shove, Teagan went stumbling forward into Finn’s arms. She landed hard against his chest before she even knew what was happening.
A loud pop rang in the air, and she looked just in time to see Braden fall to the ground in front of her brother.
Gunfire ripped through the air as Finn shoved her to the ground. She didn’t care about any of it. All she could see was Braden on the ground, blood pouring from his chest.
Teagan crawled over to him. She could hear the bullets as they hit the car, and the sound of an engine, but it all faded away as soon as she was next to him.
She rolled him over and placed her hand over the hole in his side to try and stop the blood. Quickly she pulled off her red coat and pressed hard against the spot. She didn’t have a clue what she was doing, but she had to do something.
Braden: #5 (Kelly Clan) Page 9
