TORCH

by Ashers, LeAnn

  Kayla

  Later that night

  We just laid Trenton down, and I am now soaking in the bathtub. Torch is sitting behind me with his legs on either side of my body.

  “How’s Momma feeling?” He presses a kiss to the base of my neck. I smile.

  “I am perfect; only tired. It’s been a long day.” I yawn and lean back against Torch. He wraps his arms around me and places his hand on my now way smaller stomach.

  “Come on, baby, let’s get you to bed.”

  Torch stands up in the tub and then helps me out. He dries me then himself off quickly before I slip on his t-shirt and stumble into the bedroom. I fall down onto the bed still sore and just feeling exhausted all around. Having a baby takes a lot out of you.

  I close my eyes and pull the blanket up over my body then feel Torch climb in behind me. His arm bands around my waist. I place mine on top of his and cuddle back into him.

  “Good night, Torch,” I whisper.

  His lips touch the base of my neck. “Good night, sweetheart.”

  ***

  I crack open my tired eyes. Trenton is crying. We should probably bring the basinet in the bedroom with us. I yawn and sit up in bed then feel Torch do the same.

  “I will go get him. Want to get the basinet?”

  “Sure.” I feel him get out of bed and follow after him down to Trent’s bedroom, yawning. I walk straight to the basinet he is sleeping in, pick him up, and cuddle him to my chest.

  I grab a couple of diapers, wipes, and diaper cream then place it all in a bin. I am sorry, but I don’t feel like trekking across the house every time my son cries. I can do it all from bed.

  “Here, baby, I got that. Good idea just keeping everything in our room so we won’t have to walk across the hall.” Torch takes the basket of items away from me while I gently rock Trent from side to side. He is still crying. Oh, we need a paci! I grab one off the shelf by the changing table then walk out of the room and into my bedroom. “I set everything on your nightstand.” I sit down on the bed and free my breast, grab my boppy pillow, and lay Trent on it, holding him up with my arm.

  Trent latches on, while I run my hand down his little back. Torch puts his hand on my back. I raise my head up so he can kiss me softly before I rest my head on his chest.

  Once Trent is done eating, I lay him down on the bed to change his diaper, then Torch takes him from me to get him to sleep. “Go on to sleep, baby. I will handle getting him to sleep.” I nod and lay back down, my body weeping with joy.

  Torch

  I lay Trent into his bed and cover his legs then step out of the room. Every moment we’ve spent with him, I wish she could see. She constantly touches his face trying to visualize his features. For the first time in my life, I prayed to God for a miracle to happen, for Kayla to get her sight, because I know it’s killing her not being able to see our son.

  Ryan is outside waiting for me. It’s time to make the doctor pay for his actions. He got off easy last time, but the moment I found the date rape drugs in his pocket sealed his fate.

  I get in the truck then Ryan backs out of the driveway. We ride in silence to the club, which is only a ten-minute drive from our house.

  We are let into the gate before it’s locked again behind us. I walk inside and into one of the soundproof back rooms that are basically equipped for things like this. Just ask the prospect, Travis.

  Pushing the door open, I see the doctor standing up with his arms in the air. Butch has the guy shirtless, raking his knife across his belly. He’s not cutting him, just torturing the man with the unknown. It stinks in here. Apparently, the man has no control of his bowels.

  Kyle steps into the room behind me, followed by the rest of the club. The guy had a chance, but he threw it all away, and now he must be dealt with.

  It’s also about my revenge. The guy fucking tapped Kayla on the mouth with his phone.

  “We gave you a chance,” Kyle starts and the doctor starts yelling. I walk over and punch him on the mouth. “How does it feel getting hit in the mouth? Isn’t that what you did to Kayla? My woman?”

  “My ha-ha-hands slipped,” he stutters as he tries to move away from me, even though his feet are barely touching the ground.

  “You are going to die,” Kyle says and the guy starts screaming.

  “Be a fucking man and man up. You had a chance and threw it away. You should have died before because you touched a woman of the club. But she begged us to spare your life. Bell,” I mention her name and watch as his eyes widen.

  “She thought nobody deserved to die at her hands. Her man didn’t want to honor her wishes, but she never asks for nothing. But not anymore. He gets his revenge along with me.” I look him straight in the eye. “Why did you bring the date rape drug?”

  His eyes widen and he starts shaking his head no. “Answer.” I grip his jaw between my fingers, squeezing with all my might like he did Kayla.

  “I just wanted to have some fun. What’s wrong with that?” he says through his screams of pain.

  “You were planning on raping her?” I ask in a deadly, calm voice before I let the rage take over.

  The doctor nods. “Just wanted what was taken from me.”

  I clench my fists and take a step back, seething.

  Ryan steps forward in my place “You molested an ole lady of the club, then you attempted to molest another and rape her. Your sentence is death.”

  “Please!” the doctor screams. I stick a rag in his mouth before I flip him around and tear open his shirt then step toward the bare wall and click the hidden button. The wall flips over, giving us our toys. I grab my blowtorch. “Butch, cut off his pants and underwear.”

  Butch does as he is told.

  I fire up the blowtorch with one place in mind: his dick. He was going to rape my wife. His screams fill the room for a long time before Allen finishes the job by cutting off his balls and shoving them down his throat.

  It’s our job to protect and serve justice. That man deserved it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Kayla

  Three months later

  “How’s the new momma?” Techy smooches me on the cheek. It’s baby city now at the club. Chrystal had her son a couple of months before I had Trent. Jean had her baby boy as well. And Bell had her baby. Myra is pregnant now with twins. Bless her heart.

  Trent is squirming in my arms. I know he is hungry, so I grab the baby blanket and place it over my shoulder and down to cover Trenton before I free my breast and he latches on. Trenton stays hungry no matter what. My tits are taking the beating. My nipples are so sore!

  “I am wincing over here, girl!” Jean says.

  “Your nipples hurt, too?” I ask her and shift Trenton in my arms.

  “Yeah, man, whenever Jack attempts to get close to them, I feel like chopping his dick off! My kid has one itty bitty tooth, but let me tell you, he chomps down.”

  I laugh at her and nod my head in agreement, because Trenton’s gums hurt. “Yeah, man, I feel like cutting these suckers off once he’s done breastfeeding.” Chrystal winces as well, so I know she is feeding her son, too.

  “But isn’t it the best feeling in the world? Knowing you are caring for you baby? Providing for it? Its most basic need?”

  “I never thought I could love something so much. My baby is my world,” Jean voices. There isn’t a purer love than the love you have for your child.

  “The day Mia was born was the best day of my life. I did everything completely alone; until Ryan. Ryan, god, that man.” She stops. “He became everything to me, showed me what true love is and what family means. I have a family in you guys.”

  “Aww, Myra.” I sniff and wave her over. A second later she is hugging me. “You are my family, never doubt that.” I squeeze her tighter before letting go.

  “Come on in, Alisha!” Jean yells and I smile. Alisha is Techy’s woman. Well, he met her online and then in person right after I met Torch. He didn’t bring her around for a couple of
months; she had things to work through.

  Her home life was fucked up. She was a skittish mess for a long time. But not with Techy. She is twenty years old; Techy is twenty-four. He is beyond obsessed with that girl, beyond protective like Torch, but it’s worse. According to Jean, he won’t let her out of his sight

  I guess that’s because of her anxiety and panic attacks. That girl was trapped in her fucking house from the age of fourteen up until she was twenty years old. Her parents never allowed her out, and she had no way to get a job, because she lived an hour outside of anywhere. But they had Wi-Fi, and she took advantage of that. But being trapped in that house, locked in her room, the fighting, the abuse; it has messed with her nerves really bad.

  But not anymore. She is a lot better now, is almost a different person, to be honest. But Techy is still very protective. I was talking to her the other day when I heard a body hit the floor. Alisha asked Techy why he did that for. He answered, and I quote, “He was looking at your ass.”

  We as women all secretly love that our men are like this. It’s their way of marking their territory and it’s fucking hot. I know I want to bang the shit out of Torch when he goes all caveman.

  ***

  “You know I love you, right?” I say to Torch as I lay on his chest after a bout of hot sex.

  “Yes, my love, I do.” He kisses me on the lips. I sigh then sit up on the bed. I need to tell him something and am not sure how he is going to take it.

  “I need to tell you something.” I sit with my legs crossed Indian style. I feel him move around on the bed and know he is sitting up, too.

  “I got a call from my new optometrist.”

  I bite my bottom lip nervously because this can either go well or horribly bad.

  “What did he say?” he asks cautiously.

  “He said surgery might reverse the damage that was done to my eyes.”

  He sits in silence before he touches my face, tilting it. “What do you want to do?”

  “I want to be able to see, and I think it’s worth a chance. But I am scared of something going wrong,” I admit and bring my legs up against my front to wrap my arms around them and rest my head at the top of my knees.

  “Baby, I will support you no matter what you want to do.” I feel Torch move closer to me, his arms wrapping around me legs.

  I want to see more than anything. To see my husband, to see my baby, to see my Paisley. To see my girls and the guys. I want to watch my baby grow up, grow into a man. I want to see Torch as he makes love to me and look deep into his eyes.

  “I am going to do it,” I tell him and sigh. I am scared, but my desire to see is overpowering my fear. Though I can’t imagine something happening to me and Torch having to raise our son alone. I know he would have help, but I want my baby boy. My heart is breaking at the thought.

  “Stop thinking so hard,” Torch says, and I feel him rising up to look at me.

  “I can’t help it.” I let out a deep breath and rub my face.

  “Do something for you for the first time in your life. I will be there every step of the way.” He kisses my forehead, lingering there for a few moments.

  ***

  A month later

  I am lying in a hospital bed waiting to be taken down for surgery, shaking so badly from nerves. Torch is sitting beside me holding my hand. I am so fucking scared.

  Myra just left with my baby boy after I kissed him good-bye. That was the hardest thing I have ever done, the thought of being away from him for a couple days.

  Then the long process of letting my eyes heal and then the reveal if the surgery worked.

  I bite my lip to stop the tears and turn my head away from Torch so he won’t see them. I can’t stand the thought of him being upset by my tears.

  “We are ready to take her down,” a nurse says. I let out a sob, unable to hold it in any longer. I feel Torch kissing my forehead and then my lips. He doesn’t move for several seconds.

  “I will be waiting for you, Kay.” He kisses me one last time. I nod. “I love you.”

  He brushes my hair away from my face. “I love you, too, baby.”

  I feel the bed moving as the nurses unlock it so they can roll me down the hall. I squeeze Torch’s hand before I let go. It feels so wrong to do that.

  As they roll me down the hallway, I can hear doors opening and shutting. Then I am brought into the world’s coldest room.

  Something is placed over my mouth.

  “Count to ten,” a nurse says, and I open mouth counting to ten. “1,2,3,4,5,6…”

  ***

  “Kayla.” I hear someone saying my name and turn my face in the direction of the voice. “Hmm,” I mumble.

  “Sleep, baby.” I recognize that voice now and reach out my hand. His hand entwines with mine and I smile sleepily. That hand means home.

  “Wuv you,” I mumble then snuggle back into the pillow.

  Torch

  I watch as Kayla falls back asleep. I just needed to know she is okay. Now that I do, it feels like the weight of world has been lifted off of my shoulders. I leave her side and walk out into the hallway where the doctor is.

  “How likely is it, Doctor?” I cross my arms and brace myself for the news.

  “Very likely, actually. The reason she was blind in the first place was from a head trauma she suffered as a baby, which more than likely was from being dropped. She could have been able to see years ago.” His face softens when he says the part of her being dropped.

  Fuck.

  The thought of my woman as a baby, unable to defend herself, being hurt like that, someone so fucking innocent, makes me think of Trenton and Paisley.

  “Thank you, Doctor.” He nods and I walk back into the room to stay with Kay. I said I wouldn’t leave her, and I don’t plan on doing that any time soon. I put down the bar on the bed then go to the other side of the room, grabbing the spare bed. I push it beside hers. I want my woman in my arms.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Kayla

  Today is the day I can take off the wrap on my eyes. The doctor gave me permission to do it at home. Well, he didn’t advise it, but I am doing it anyway.

  I am in the living room with Torch sitting beside me holding Trenton. I let out a shaky breath and raise my hand toward my eyes. Then I start to peel off one bandage and then the other. My eyes are still closed.

  “Let me see your eyes, baby. I miss them,” Torch says and I smile.

  I let out a deep breath as a way to brace myself before I slowly start to open my eyes. I can see. It’s still blurry, but I can make out shapes and colors. Putting my hand over my face, I start to cry. I can see. I can see! “Baby, what’s wrong?” Torch pulls me into him and I sob against his chest.

  “I can see.” I cry harder and clutch his shirt into my fist. His body stiffens. “You can see?”

  I nod and pull back to look at him. My mouth hits the ground as my vision adjusts and clears more and more. Oh my god. He’s so hot! He has tattoos running down his arms, dark eyelashes so dark it looks like he is wearing mascara. Ice-blue eyes and a nose that’s straight with a slight bump in the middle. Stubble covering his jaw. I look down at his hands and put ours side by side.

  My husband.

  The man who made me feel.

  The man who showed me what love is.

  The man who gave me everything I never knew I wanted and needed.

  The man who I never saw but loved with everything in me.

  This man who is my everything, my heart, and the other part of my soul.

  Trenton lets out a sharp cry and I look down at him then start to cry more happy tears. I take my baby from my husband’s arms and kiss his chubby cheeks before I lay him in my lap and look down at his face. He looks like his daddy. I look up at Torch then down again at Trenton.

  “He looks like you.” I grin. He smiles back at me, flashing perfectly straight teeth.

  “He does, but he has your eyes.”

  “I don’t know what I look l
ike.”

  “Let’s fix that.” He takes my hand and helps me off the couch then takes Trenton upstairs into his bed and is back down soon after. I hear toe nails hitting the hardwood flooring. Mika! I look in the direction of the kitchen and see Mika turning the corner. I stare at my dog in awe and then back toward Torch.

  While he leads me up to our bedroom, I look at our house. It’s way bigger than I thought. We reach our bedroom, where Torch stops me right at the door. Our eyes connect, his face softening as he looks at me. My heart is pounding out of my chest when he brings his hand up to my face.

  His free hand goes to my shirt, and I raise my arms above my head. He pulls the shirt over my head. I look at him, wanting to see and memorize everything. Then I bring my hand behind my back and let my bra hit the floor.

  His eyes darken as he takes me in. He brings his hand down from my face, sliding it down my neck and to my breast. He looks at me with a dark expression of lust, but softens again with what I now know is affection.

  He pinches my nipple and I jolt. His eyes close slightly as he moves closer to me and picks me up off the ground, and I put my arms on his shoulders. I can’t take my eyes away from his face.

  The bed touches my back. He sits up and pulls my pants down my legs along with my underwear. I move up the bed until my head touches the pillows at the top, watching while Torch strips out of his clothes.

  I watch hungrily. His arms flex with his every movement, and his abs ripple down his body. He’s got strong, muscular legs. He pulls off his boxers and I stare at his dick. Holy shit, it’s bigger than I imagined.

  Torch climbs onto the bed and in between my legs. He leans down onto his elbows on either side of my head. I raise my hands and touch his face, unable look away from his eyes. They’re telling me so much more than his words.

  I raise my face so I can kiss him and close my eyes as I sink into the kiss. I feel his dick at my entrance and lift my leg up on top of his hip. When he sinks inside slowly, I feel him graze my sweet spot and break my mouth from his, moaning, throwing my head back once his lips go to the hollow of my throat.