TORCH

by Ashers, LeAnn

  Pause as he listens.

  “We will be there in a couple of hours.” He hangs up the phone.

  “Baby, you need to tell me everything.”

  Sighing in resignation, I sit down Indian style on the bed. “I had a bad childhood. Your father is supposed to be your protector, but it seemed like mine just wanted me to suffer. I was locked into my bedroom for hours upon hours. He would change the furniture around in the house so I would purposely get hurt. I would sleep while rats he put there would crawl over me.” I shudder at the thought. “He would hit me with things and I wouldn’t see it coming.” My life was hell, more so because I was blind. It got to the point I crawled wherever I could in the house; at least that way I wasn’t so defenseless. My mother sat by and watched. Then my grandparents came over one day unexpectedly and took me away. I have seen my mom on occasion, but I haven’t seen my father since that day.”

  “How did you get that scar?” Torch asks in a deadly, calm voice. He is talking about the half-an-inch-long scar on my forehead that I know is there because my mom told me it was a month or so after the cut healed.

  “He threw an ice pack from a lunchbox at me. It cut me. My mom put Band-Aids on it. I wasn’t worth the trip to the doctor’s office,” I quote his exact words.

  “Did he…?” Torch asks, and I know exactly what he is asking.

  “No, he didn’t.”

  “Thank God.” Torch lets out a sigh of relief, and I thank God above that nothing like that happened to me. Even though my situation isn’t as bad as some people’s, it has affected me my whole life.

  “Come here, baby,” Torch says before I am folded into his arms. I close my eyes. In his arms I feel like the whole world around me just melts away and everything will be okay. “I am so fucking sorry you had to suffer like that.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  I feel him shake his head. “I know it was long ago, but that doesn’t make it okay.”

  “I know,” I say sadly.

  “Go get ready. I gotta make some phone calls.”

  He slips out of bed and is out of the room a second later. I feel better telling him, that it is out in the open. I needed to get it off my chest. I had a sucky life growing up, but I won’t allow that to dictate my life now.

  Torch

  Rage doesn’t even come close to what I am feeling right now. My Kayla was treated like shit by her very own father.

  I call Ryan. He is coming with a few brothers to get her deadbeat mom. Opening her home to her mother, who has done nothing but treat her like shit, shows what kind of person Kayla is. She is a hell of a lot more lenient than I am.

  She is still upstairs getting ready when I hear four motorcycles pull up outside. Through our involvement with the MC, we all get paid from all the businesses we own. Kyle, Ryan, Trey, Techy, Me, and Butch are the originals. We started the MC from the ground up and have added members since then.

  “What’s up, man?” Techy asks when I walk outside to meet them.

  “Kayla’s mom called and is staying at Kayla’s house for a while. Her dad may be a problem. He beat the shit out of her mom and was horrible to Kayla her whole life.” I growl the last part as my anger flares again.

  “He was mean to Kayla, how?”

  All of the men in front of me are pissed off. “He liked to torture her because she’s blind. He would purposely set things in her way, lock her in rooms, and neglect her.” I clench my fists with the want to fucking kill the guy. I am controlling my anger as best I can only because of Kayla. I don’t want her to get stressed while she’s pregnant.

  “Torch?” Kayla calls and I walk back into the house. I see her standing in tight-ass jeans, boots to her knees, and a mid-sleeve shirt that hugs her every curve as well as her tits. My dick stands at attention at the sight of those fuckers barely peeking out at the top of her shirt. Her hair is hanging down around her face and down her back. Her fuck-me lips are pouty and her eyes look like they are staring straight into your soul. She doesn’t even know how gorgeous she is.

  “You’re a lucky fucker,” Techy says behind me. I grin cockily, because that woman is mine.

  I walk over to her and grab her hand. She immediately smiles that sweet-as-fuck smile. “You ready to go?” I ask. She nods and grabs her phone off the table she is standing next to.

  She lets go of my hand and walks in front of me a few feet, her ass shaking in those jeans. I look over at Techy and the rest of the guys, who are looking at her ass, too. Taking my gun out of my back holster, I cock it and point it at them.

  “Eyes off,” I mouth and arch an eyebrow, ready to blow a fucking hole through them, brothers or not.

  They all lift their hands up in the air in surrender and grin. I re-holster my gun, walk over to Kayla, and grab her ass. Mine.

  “Come on, fuckers, let’s go.”

  Kayla

  When we hit the open road, I can’t help but feel nervous. I am going home for the first time in over twenty years. That old fucking trailer holds too many bad memories. My father shouldn’t be there. He’s probably out getting high.

  My mother would never leave him, just sat by and watched while I was treated like shit. I can’t imagine how or why she would do that. The baby growing inside of me already means the world to me, and I would do anything to protect him.

  I place my hand on my belly, rubbing. Wishing he were already here so I could hold him, love him. Soon, baby boy.

  Torch puts his hand on top of mine, holding my belly with me. My heart squeezes at this man’s gesture. God, I love him and wish I could have met him a long time ago. I hear the guys’ motorcycles around Torch’s truck as we go down the highway.

  ***

  Two hours later, we pull to a stop and I know we are here. My stomach is in knots at the thought of being here after all these years, a place I thought I would never come back to.

  “Fuck. This is where you lived?” Torch growls. I hear the steering wheel crunch as he tightens his hands on it.

  “Let’s go get this over with,” I open my door, then hands reach inside and help me down. I know they’re not Torch’s, but one of the MC guy’s, yet I’m not sure whose.

  A hand wraps around mine. It’s Torch this time. I let out a deep breath. He is here with me. Everything will be okay.

  We walk toward the front door. I feel the presence of his brothers at my back, letting me know I have their support, which means more to me than they will ever know. Torch may not be their blood, but blood doesn’t make you family.

  I hear Torch knock and then the door creak open as it slides over the carpet from being broken.

  “Kayla, I’ve missed you!” my mom says, and then her arms wrap around me. I don’t hug her back. It feels wrong, so I push her gently away.

  “I brought some people with me. This is my man. Those guys behind me are his friends.”

  “Why are they here? I thought you were getting dropped off,” she says. My brow furrows in confusion. Why does she want me to get dropped off?

  “Why did you think that?” I ask and feel the men at my back come closer. Torch puts an arm in front of me and pushes me slightly behind him.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. She will make me a pretty penny. Why didn’t you tell me she is this good-looking?”

  My hearts stops. My father is here. Did my mom try to set me up?

  “Thanks for bringing her, man. I will take it from here.”

  “Motherfucker!” Torch roars, and I hear a loud noise, like something hitting the wall. My mother starts screaming, so I know Torch went after my father. One of the guys picks me up off the porch until we’re standing in the yard.

  “What kind of fucking father are you?” I hear Torch ask in a deadly voice that has chills running up my back. Then a gun cocks and my dad whimpers. “I should kill you now and do the world a favor, but that will be up to your daughter.”

  “Kayla,” my mom begs. I feel her hands touch mine. I push them away, not wanting to touch a person
like her. She tried to lure me here. Did she think Torch would just hand me over? He talked to her on the phone!

  “Kayla, want me to kill him and get him out of your life forever?” My dad starts crying.

  “Let’s just fucking leave,” I answer him. I hear another thump, then footsteps tell me Torch is walking off the porch and toward me.

  “I had no choice, Kayla,” my mom whispers, and my heart fractures a bit.

  “Please, Mom, don’t do this to me,” I beg her. She lured me here so my dad could fucking sell me.

  “Good-bye, Mom,” I whisper to her before I turn around. When Torch leads me back to the truck, I hear her crying. My heart is breaking all over again. I want my mother to be there for me. I want her to be there when I have my baby, to love me, to tell me that everything will be okay, for her to be my mom. When I came here today, I was holding on to that hope, but my father has his hooks into her so deep she is brainwashed to the point she thinks this life is normal.

  After Torch helps me into the truck, I lean my head against the back of the seat, closing my eyes in an effort to hold back the tears. I hear her screaming and it’s killing me. I want to help her, but look what happened when I was going to. What else am I supposed to do?

  Torch’s door slams shut and he starts the truck, driving me away from this place. All ties have been broken now. My heart is hurting so bad from leaving my mom behind like that. Even though she has done shit for me, I’m devastated. She is still my mom. I rub my chest and rest my head against the window.

  “Baby, come here,” Torch says. I move over to the middle seat and move my head to his shoulder.

  “I wanted to take her away from that life,” I croak. I blink and a tear falls down my cheek.

  “I know, baby. We all did. But your mom can’t be helped until she wants to be.” He kisses the top of my head. I wrap my arm around his, hugging it.

  “I just wanted a mom. I want my mom to be there when I have my baby, someone I can call in the middle of the night when he’s sick and I don’t know what to do.” I sniff as tears are rolling down my face steadily now.

  “I feel betrayed in the worst way. I came here today with a small glimmer of hope that she could be that person, but she was luring me in so my father could sell me or some fucked-up shit.” I wipe my eyes and close them, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

  “Sleep, baby,” Torch whispers and I nod.

  Torch

  Furious isn’t a word I’d use to describe how I feel right now. I wanted to kill her dad, because what kind of fucking father plans on selling his own kid? Kayla was so fucking strong and held her head up.

  Her crying is breaking my fucking heart. Seeing her so fucking sad today is messing with me, and I don’t like it. I know in this moment I will do everything in my power to make sure she doesn’t hurt like this again.

  I pull over to the side of the road and open my truck door. I lay Kayla down onto the seat gently before I silently shut the door and walk a few feet with my hands behind my head. I need to get ahold of myself before I turn my ass back around and kill her dad.

  “You have fucking more restraint than I do,” Butch says. I look behind me to see all my brothers standing there.

  “I want to kill that bastard, but I needed to get Kayla out of that fucked-up situation.”

  “How is she?” Butch asks. I look around at him, surprised. Butch usually doesn’t ask questions like this. He is looking through the driver’s side window at Kayla.

  “She fell asleep. I am going to stop at a steakhouse in town for dinner. You guys are welcome,” I tell them and they nod.

  I climb back into the truck, putting Kayla’s head in my lap so she can sleep comfortably. I sound like a fucking pussy, but I don’t care. I care about this woman, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

  For the next two hours, the drive back to Raleigh is silent aside from Kayla’s breathing. I put my hand on her still flat stomach, convinced I’m going to have a son this time.

  Kayla

  “Baby, time to wake up.”

  “Hmm.” I move my head and bury it deeper into my pillow.

  “Time to eat.”

  At that I sit straight up and get dizzy. “Whoa,” I mumble and hold my head.

  “You okay?” Torch asks.

  Yawning, I pull my hair up in a bun at the top of my head. “Yeah I just sat up too quickly.”

  He doesn’t say anything, but gets out of the truck. I open my door and wait for him to help me down.

  “How are you feeling, Kayla?” Ryan asks. I smile. “I’m okay.”

  Torch wraps his arm around my waist and we walk into wherever we are eating. The door opens, and I’m hit with the smell of steak. My mouth starts watering and my stomach growls loudly. The men behind me laugh.

  “My baby is hungry,” Torch says and rubs my stomach.

  “Starving,” I tell him. The waitress seats us.

  ***

  “Torch, where are you?” I call as I walk down the stairs later that night. His arms wrap around me, and I lay my head on his warm chest.

  “Why are you out of bed?” he asks. I roll my eyes. He all of a sudden thinks I am super fragile just because of everything that happened today. Yeah, today was freaking awful, but I feel relieved because all ties to my old life are now over and done with.

  I run my hands up and down his back then let them dip down inside the back of his pants a bit.

  Should I? I think to myself.

  I grab the ends of his underwear in the back gently so he won’t know what I am about to do. Biting my lip, I try to stop myself from laughing. I tend to do that when I am trying to be sneaky about doing something.

  With a tight grip I pull his underwear up, giving him a major wedgie.

  “Kayla!” he yells and lets me go. I hear a bar stool fall onto the ground and I lie down on the floor, laughing and just imagining the look on his face right now.

  “You’ll pay for that,” he warns, and I hear his thundering steps. Scrambling to my feet, I run out of the kitchen and hide behind one of the couches. If I didn’t know this house so well, I wouldn’t be able to do this.

  I put my hand over my mouth trying to stop my giggling. Just shut up, Kayla. You just started a war.

  “Kayla, where did you go? Come out, come out wherever you are,” he sings, and it’s fucking hilarious coming from a man like him.

  “Dude, what the fuck are you doing?” Techy asks, and I burst out laughing. When did he get here? Oh my god, I wish I could see Torch’s face right now. I lie down on the ground again, holding my stomach.

  Torch plucks me off the ground and sets me in his lap on the couch. I wipe my eyes and start laughing again.

  “What the fuck did she do?” Techy asks. Between laughs I tell him about giving Torch a wedgie. I don’t care if it makes me look childish or not.

  “Oh shit, man.” Techy starts laughing, and I feel Torch vibrating with his own laughter even though he is trying to hide it.

  “Why are you here, man?” Torch asks Techy. I smack his chest. Rude much?

  “Babe, I was just asking the man.” He knows why I hit him.

  “My TV broke and the game is on,” Techy explains. The TV comes on a moment later. I lean back against Torch until my eyes start to drop and I fall asleep.

  ***

  “On your knees.” I do as I am told and get down on my hands and knees, exposing my backside to Torch. His hand runs over my butt cheeks and my pussy. I move my hips back, wanting more.

  “Patience,” he scolds and smacks my backside. I jump in shock and moan at the heady pain, and then get turned on even more.

  “Do you want to come, baby?” Torch asks. I nod my head frantically. He has been touching me for the last hour, getting me riled up. I guess he is punishing me for the damn wedgie.

  “Please,” I beg, needing the ache to disappear, needing to be filled with the intense pleasure Torch gives me.

  “You never beg for me.”

  Befo
re I can say anything, his mouth is wrapped around my clit and I scream as my orgasm crashes through me like a tsunami. My legs are shaking uncontrollably; my arms give out and I fall onto my face, the rest of my body falling to the side.

  Once I catch my breath, Torch taps my butt to get my attention. “Back on your knees.” On shaking limbs, I do as I’m told. I feel his dick at my entrance and push back until he is completely inside me, filling me to the hilt.

  His fist tightens around my hair and pushes me down, so my face is on the mattress, my back arched. He pulls out and slams back in, pulling my hair with the movement. I scream at the pain and the pleasure.

  He slams in harder and harder, and I find myself pushing back against him. I moan loudly. The pleasure is beyond intense. I love every minute of it.

  He pounds into me harder and quicker until my breath almost stills. I’m straining, reaching for that orgasm that is thundering toward me. My legs are trembling again as I grab the sheets, bracing myself. My toes are curled under. His thumb rubs my clit and my body shoots up off the bed. I grab the headboard as I scream, my body moving all over, and I feel my pussy milking his cock and hear him roar when his load fills me.

  I let out a deep breath, exhausted, and fall to the side yet again. He wraps his arms around me, our limbs entwined.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Kayla

  “Girls’ day!” Jean screams as she runs into the house. I hear the door hit the wall. I smile and stand up. She wraps her arms around me. We are going to get a mani-pedis and a haircut. Since I can’t paint my own nails and toes, I need this every few weeks.

  “Be careful with my girl. It’s all on me. A prospect will be tailing you as usual,” Torch tells Jean and then his lips are on my forehead. “Have fun, baby.”

  “I will. See you later.” I kiss his cheek. Jean wraps her arm around mine and leads me out of the house.

  She opens her car door and helps me inside. It’s weird getting in a car since I’ve been used to Torch’s truck.

  She gets in the driver’s side, and then we’re gone. She turns on the radio and starts singing along at the top of her lungs. There is something infectious about this woman. She is so happy-go-lucky she could make the meanest and unhappiest person smile.