by Naomi West
But before she could say a word, the growling of a motorcycle sounded in the distance, growing louder by the second. Moments later, Carey and Brady were in the middle of the glow of headlights; Carey raised her hand in front of her face to block the light.
“Let her go. Now.”
The voice was stern and uncompromising—Carey recognized it instantly. It was Owen.
“What the fuck?” exclaimed Brady, trying to gather his bearings and figure out just what was going on.
Carey watched as Owen stepped off of the bike and stepped in front of the headlight, his powerful silhouette outlined.
“You heard me, asshole. Let the girl go.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” asked Brady, his voice taking on his typical entitled tone.
“I’m the guy who’s gonna break your wrist if you don’t let go of her, right now.”
Carey did her best to break free from Brady’s grasp, but it was no good. Owen killed the lights to the bike, allowing Brady to get a good look at his face.
“Wait a minute,” said Brady, pointing to the pieces of the broken phone on the ground. “You’re the fucker from the pictures!”
He dropped Carey’s hand and formed two tight fists.
“You’re a dead man,” he said. “You put your hands on my fiancée, and I’m gonna make sure you know just how big of a goddamn mistake you made.”
With that, he rushed towards Owen, raising his fists as he did. With surprising speed, he swung a fist through the air, connecting with Owen’s jaw. A dull thud sounded out, and Owen staggered backward a few steps.
That was the only blow Brady would land, however.
Owen rushed towards Brady, clobbering him right in the side of the face with a mean fist, sending Brady staggering backward and falling onto his rear. Brady took a moment to gather himself before getting back onto his feet and going in for another attack. He tried for another punch, but Owen was ready this time. He deftly dodged Brady’s attack, letting him fly past him harmlessly. Brady tripped as he ran, falling onto the pavement and scrambling to his feet.
Owen moved towards him with lightning-quick speed, sending a sharp jab through the air that smashed into the side of Brady’s jaw. Brady spit up blood, clearly beaten. But Owen seemed to have been possessed by some sort of animal rage, as though nothing was going to stop him from punishing Brady for harming the women he loved.
Seeing the blood on the ground, however, brought the memory of the night of the brawl back into Carey’s mind with stark clarity. She remembered the way Owen had pounded the other biker into the dirt, beating him within an inch of his life. She wanted Brady punished, but not like this.
Bending over, Owen grabbed Brady by the collar with one hand and formed the other into a fist that he raised above his head. But before he could deliver the blow, Carey shouted out, “Wait!”
Owen turned his eyes to Carey, waiting for her to speak.
“You’ve done enough,” she said. “I don’t want this to go any further.”
Owen stared at her for a long moment, as if deciding just what to do. Finally, he let go of Brady, letting him drop onto the gravel like a sack of rice.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I saw that he was hurting you and I just lost control.”
Carey’s eyes flicked all over Owen’s body, as if carefully taking in the sight of each square inch of him and committing it to memory.
“It’s … okay,” she said. “I think he’s learned his lesson.”
Looking over Owen’s shoulder, she watched as Brady, groaning, struggled to his feet.
“I’ve … seen what you’re capable of,” she said. “And I don’t ever want to see it again.”
“Is that what this was all about?” he asked. “The life that I lead?”
“Let’s not talk about it here,” Carey said.
Owen nodded somberly. “Then let’s ride.”
Taking Carey by the hand, he led her to the bike. They both climbed on, and Owen gunned the engine. A crowd had gathered in front of the bar by this point, and Carey watched as a few of Brady’s friends ran to his side and helped him to his feet.
Carey wrapped her arms around Owen as he pulled out of the parking lot, the wind blowing through her hair as they rode. She realized that, at that moment, she was right where she wanted to be.
Chapter Fourteen
Carey
Carey and Owen were all over each other the instant they arrived back at his place. Their lips locked onto one another’s, and their hands eagerly ran over every inch of the other’s body.
“I missed you so much,” said Carey through their kisses, her hands slipping up Owen’s shirt and over his taut muscles.
“You have no idea,” said Owen, his voice gruff as he kissed her along her neck in the manner that never failed to drive her wild.
“But this … all of this is just … I don’t know.”
“We’re together now,” Owen said, his voice calm and reassuring. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out together.
“I know, but I just—”
Owen shut her up with another kiss.
“Not another word,” he said, looking deep into her eyes.
Carey kissed him hard again, her hand running over the bristly stubble of his shaved head.
“I love you,” she said breathlessly.
“I love you, too,” said Owen, holding her close.
They kissed like it was the first time and the last time all at once. Passion braced their every touch. Carey’s heart pounded at a steady pulse, and she knew that she wanted, needed, more.
Owen seemed to have read her mind. Scooping her off of her feet in the way that Carey loved, Owen carried her to his bedroom and laid her down gently on top of the bed. Her finger in her mouth, Carey gazed up at the man who towered over her. At that moment, she realized just what she’d been missing over the last few weeks. Carey had never known a man like Owen before, and as her eyes traced over his muscles, settling on his gorgeous face, she knew that no man would ever compare.
She watched as he pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. Carey felt herself grow wet as her eyes lingered on his sculpted torso. She knew that she needed that body on top of her right at that moment. Taking off her own shirt, Carey’s chest heaved as her blood raced through her veins.
Then, Owen descended upon her. He pulled her into his embrace, making her feel small and protected and aroused and thrilled all at the same time. They kissed more, Owen’s hands working on her bra strap and undoing it with his usual expert skill. Once her bra was off, Owen brought his lips down to her breasts, kissing and licking her nipples in the manner Carey loved. Owen knew just how to turn her on, to make her hot as hell, all without asking. He seemed to be able to read her mind, to know just what she needed before she needed it. As he sucked her breasts, the sensation sending chills of delight up her spine, she knew that she needed more.
Owen quickly pulled off her pants, leaving her in nothing but her skimpy blue thong. As he disrobed her, Carey went to work on the rest of Owen’s clothes. As she pulled down his boxer-briefs, his enormous cock springing out, she couldn’t believe herself when she heard that same surprised gasp sound from her mouth.
“You’d think that was the first time you saw it,” said Owen, a sly, sexy smirk on his face.
“It’s just … always kind of a surprise.”
He locked his lips onto hers before another word could be said. As they kissed, Carey took Owen’s cock into her hand and stroked it as Owen slipped two fingers inside of her. She moaned long and hard as he entered her, the wet slickness of her arousal making his movements and effortless glide. Carey jerked his cock harder and harder, her anticipation building by the moment as he coaxed waves of delight from her pussy with his skillful touch. They sighed and moaned together as they stimulated one another, their bodies writhing in perfect synchronicity.
Just as always, Owen anticipated her desires. Just when the pleasure in her began to build to an almo
st intolerable boil, he moved his body until he was on top of her, Carey’s legs spread open before him. She sensually dragged a finger across her wet mouth, her eyes narrowing in eager anticipation. Her gazed flicked down to his cock, which hung heavy and thick only inches away from her sex. Reaching down, she took hold of it and guided it slowly, so slowly, inside of her.
“Ohhh,” she moaned as he slipped into her inch by inch.
Owen’s cock was always a thrill, but the events of the last few weeks had had the effect of making her desire of him being inside of her a need that she could no longer deny. She watched Owen’s gorgeous face tighten into a grimace of pleasure as he entered her. Carey realized the feeling of desire was much more than mutual.
Once he was fully buried inside of her, Carey placed her hands on his ass, squeezing his flesh tightly as she savored the feeling of fullness that his cock always gave her. But once a moment or two had passed, Owen began to move inside of her, pumping his prick into her over and over again. It felt so good that Carey could hardly stand it. Her hands moved along the narrow lines of his hips, taking in the tight, hard texture of his muscles as he drove into her with slow, deliberate movements.
Carey continued to writhe and moan under his massive body, squirming from the ecstasy that rushed through her and obliterated her senses. She could focus on nothing, think about nothing other than the feeling of his cock inside of her, sliding in and out of her body. Owen gazed down at her with those piercing blue eyes, and she realized that there was no place that she would rather be than under him, his eyes on her, her pussy packed full of his cock.
Soon, the pace of his thrusting built and built until he was pounding her like she’d never been fucked before. Her moans turned to screams, and throaty grunts sounded out from deep within Owen’s chest.
Sweat began to glisten on his chest as he bucked into her. Carey moved her hands along his muscles as he fucked her, watching the sensual lines of his cut abs and toned arms flex, tense, then release over and over again. She felt an orgasm build inside of her, one that she’d been craving for the last several weeks, one that she needed more than her next breath.
And then it arrived. The explosion of pleasure started small and intense, like a pinprick of unbelievable erotic force deep inside of her that expanded by the second. Soon she was in the throes of sexual delight, screams and pants slipping from her lips as the orgasm took hold of her like a wild animal. She wrapped her legs tight around Owen’s hips, guiding him into her in just the way she wanted, each thrust of his prick pushing her more and more past the limits of erotic bliss.
Owen came as she did, shooting himself into her and grunting hard as he did. With a series of slow, controlled pumps, he drained his cock inside of her as his face tightened from the power of his orgasm.
Soon, his thrusts slowed and their orgasms faded. Once they’d finished, Owen rolled over onto his side, his hand coming to a rest on the flat, sweat-slicked flesh of Carey’s stomach, slightly rounded from the pregnancy. He dragged his fingertips over her body, a smile forming on Carey’s lips as he caressed her. They lay like that for a time, taking in the sweet joy of one another’s company.
“Carey, Carey,” he said. “My little Annie Oakley. What am I gonna do with you?”
His question brought her abruptly back into reality. She knew that as much as she wanted nothing more than to pass the rest of her life in this tiny bedroom, wrapped in Owen’s strong arms, it simply wasn’t an option. A life was outside of the walls of his apartment, and the more she ignored it, the harder it would come charging in.
As soon as Owen pulled her close, however, the concerns of the outside world slipped away. She felt peaceful and safe in his arms, and though her troubles were many, she began to feel as though if she had Owen at her side, no problem could stand in their way.
“What’s … what’s next for us?” she asked, looking up into his eyes. “We can’t hide out in here forever.”
“I’m afraid that’s your call, little lady,” he said. “I tried to live without you and it didn’t do me a damn bit of good, so you know where I stand on the issue. I don’t even mind that you ran for the hills when things got rough—we can work through things like that. But you’re the ones with the obligations. I can’t make this decision for you.”
Carey nodded, realizing that he was right. And the baby in her belly, the one that she still hadn’t told him about, made matters all the more complicated. She knew that she didn’t have a moment to waste figuring out just what to do.
Chapter Fifteen
Carey
The night passed for Carey without a moment of rest. Owen sleeping soundly by her side, she watched through the thin curtains of his bedroom window as the sun’s first rays entered the room. Taking Owen’s arm off of her body, she rolled out of bed. After a quick shower, she dressed and poured herself a cup of coffee.
Is this my future? she asked herself, looking around the cramped apartment. Squalor with a man I love or luxury with a man who I never could?
She sipped her coffee as she considered the matter. Looking down, she saw that she’d placed her hand on her belly—a move that had become instinct for her by this point.
I have to tell the truth, she said. I can’t lie to Owen about the baby, and I can’t let Brady think that it’s his. The chips have to fall where they may.
Anxiety flooded through her body as she considered the consequences of revealing her secret. She imagined her family disowning her, Brady calling off the engagement, and Owen casting her aside for keeping a secret from her of this magnitude for so long. She imagined being alone in the world, a girl with no one to turn to.
However, she knew that she had to start somewhere, and that telling Owen about the baby was the best first step. Draining her coffee, she poured herself another cup.
And, she knew, she had to ask him to take her back. As much as it pained her, she knew that there was no way that she could raise a baby in this environment, with a father who lived this kind of life. Owen saving her from Brady’s drunken anger might’ve been right in the moment, but it was just another glimpse of the violence that dwelled within Owen.
What if I hadn’t stopped him? she wondered. What if I had simply stood back while he beat Brady? How far would he have taken it?
She didn’t have time to give the matter too much more thought. Glancing up, she saw Owen standing in the doorframe of his bedroom. He wore nothing but a pair of jeans that hung in a devilishly sexy manner on his chiseled hips. On his face was a curious expression.
“You’re up,” he said, his tone one of mild surprise.
He approached her, looking Carey up and down. “You look like you haven’t slept a wink.”
“I haven’t,” she said. “Got a lot on my mind.”
Owen nodded as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“No kidding,” he said. “And what’d you decide?”
Carey took a deep breath as she tried to think of the best way to say what she needed to express. Finally, she decided that there was nothing she could say other than the blunt truth. She figured that a man like Owen would prefer things that way.
“I need to go back,” she said. “I … love you. I do. But I can’t leave everything behind. My family’s been building this golden cage for me ever since I was a little girl, and there’s nothing I can do.”
Holding his coffee mug in front of his chest and looking away, Owen took the words about as well as Carey could’ve hoped. He nodded slowly, his jaw working under the skin of his face.
“Then I suppose I’d better get you back.”
He took a sip of his coffee and tossed the rest into the sink.
“And … there’s one more thing,” Carey said.
Owen raised his eyebrows, curious what it could be.
“I’m p—”
Before she could say the word, however, a growling sounded from outside of the apartment. Then another, then another. It sounded like the largest swarm of the angriest bees that
Carey could imagine, and she recognized it right away as the sound of a pack of motorcycles.
“What the fuck?” said Owen, setting down his mug and walking towards the front window of the living room.
He flicked open the curtains and looked out.
“Owen fucking Flynn!” came a voice from outside. “Get your ass out here right now!”
“What is that?” asked Carey, her heart pounding in her chest.
“It’s …” started Owen. “It’s … just stay inside.”
With that, he rushed out of the front door and shut it tight behind him. Carey hurried to the window and looked outside, horror taking her over as she realized how was out there.
