Edge Of Retaliation : Books 1-3

by Bella Jewel

  There are some people in this world that are so heavily ruled by money.

  Patrick is one of them.

  Back to why I’m here.

  I glance at the door, my head a little light from the few drinks I had before I came here. I know I shouldn’t be here, it’s too soon and I’m too fragile, but I need Tatum so badly my whole body aches at the very thought of his name. Just knowing he’s behind that door makes me want to fall to my knees.

  I raise my hand to knock again when the door opens.

  Only, I’m not presented with Tatum, I’m presented with an incredibly gorgeous woman who, in comparison, makes me look like I’ve just rolled in off the streets. She’s tall, with all the right curves in all the right places. Dark luscious hair flows down her back and finishes in little perfect curls that bounce when she moves her head. Her eyes are that of gorgeous emeralds, framed by dark, thick lashes.

  My chest tightens.

  I know Tanner isn’t here.

  Unless the other guys are here, then this woman is here with Tatum.

  I’m an idiot. An absolute idiot.

  I shouldn’t have come here. What was I expecting? That he’d be here waiting for me, too?

  Doubtful.

  “Oh, hi,” she says, her voice so damned beautiful it’s nearly nicer than she is. It’s like a fucking song.

  Why can’t I have a song voice?

  I probably sound like a man.

  “Hi,” I say back, because clearly right now it’s too late to run the hell away.

  I’ll look like an idiot then.

  My mind starts racing as I think about fifty different reasons why I’m here, why I’m standing at Tatum’s door looking like I’m some desperate teenager in love.

  “Are you here for someone?” she asks, tipping her head to the side and studying me.

  “Oh, ah, yeah I was looking for Tanner. Is he home?”

  Liar.

  Big fat liar.

  What was I to say?

  Certainly not the truth.

  “Oh, Tanner isn’t home at the moment. Tatum is, though. Did you want me to let him know you’re here?”

  Oh, god.

  So she is with Tatum.

  My heart sinks, a pitiful dip into my chest that hurts me far more than I’m willing to admit. Images of the two of them making love, his big body moving over hers, his full lips caressing her skin attack my mind and the deep emptiness in my stomach just sinks in harder.

  A tear rolls down my cheek.

  I didn’t feel it. I didn’t even know it was there. It sneaks up on me, betraying everything I’m trying so hard not feel right now.

  Another one follows in its path, rolling down my cheeks.

  My bottom lip trembles.

  A wave of emotion I can’t control washes over my body.

  There is no stopping it, I’m not even going to try.

  I know my attempts with be futile.

  “Gosh, are you okay?” she asks, her eyes widening. “Do you want me to get Tatum? Do you want to come in? I was just leaving, but I’m happy to stay if you need someone to talk to?”

  God dammit, she’s nice, too.

  That doesn’t help.

  Not at all.

  “I’m okay,” I lie, my voice thick and filled with pain and confusion.

  I don’t know who to turn to right now.

  I don’t have a good husband, my friend is dealing with her own war, and the man I want to talk to has a woman over so is clearly on a whole different level to me.

  That means I’m alone.

  I have no one.

  For the first time in my life, I have nothing.

  “Jo?”

  A familiar voice has my head lifting, I didn’t even realize I’d started looking at the ground, or that my tears were dripping onto the floor. Tatum is standing at the door, shirtless. Of course he’s shirtless, he just made love to the most beautiful woman in the world.

  Here I was thinking I had a chance.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come,” I say, my voice croaky and thick.

  I turn and walk down the front path, my tears flowing harder until my shoulders start shaking with sobs.

  I can’t stop it.

  I’m not even sure I want to.

  “Jo!”

  Tatum’s voice echoes through the night.

  I keep walking.

  A moment later, a big hand curls around my shoulder, stopping me, and he spins me around to face him. I don’t look at him, I keep my head low. I don’t want to argue or seem pathetic. I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing here to start with. I just know that I’m scared, and I’m broken, and I need someone.

  Something.

  “Look at me,” Tatum orders, placing his hand on my chin and forcing my head backward. In a gentle way, of course.

  I look up at him, through my blurred vision, and a big sob tears through my body, making me feel even more pathetic than I look.

  “Hey,” he says in a voice so damned warm and kind it only makes it that much worse. “Hey, what’s going on?”

  “I’m sorry,” I manage. “I shouldn’t have come.”

  “Jo.”

  “I’ll go. I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening.”

  “Jo.”

  “I didn’t know you were seeing someone. I don’t even know why I came here.”

  “Jo.”

  “If you’ll forget I was ever here.”

  “Dammit, Jo, fuckin’ listen to me.”

  I stop talking and with the most gentle approach I’ve ever had in my life, he reaches over, swipes my hair away from my wet cheeks, and wipes my tears off with his thumb. Making me feel a warmth that I’ve never felt from a man before. Making me feel a love I didn’t honestly think existed.

  “You didn’t walk in on anything. I’m not seeing anyone. She’s a friend, and that’s the fuckin’ honest truth. Never fucked her in my life, known her since we were kids. She was comin’ to see how we went with the trip. You can come here anytime you want, do you hear me? Any fuckin’ time you want. You don’t have to ask. You don’t have to call. Nothin’ and I mean fuckin’ nothin', is more important than you.”

  I hiccup.

  Then sob.

  “Come on, let’s go inside.”

  He turns me, his arm guiding me back up the front path. The girl, who is probably so freakin’ nice, gives me a sympathetic smile. Here I was judging her, when she isn’t here to be judged. She’s a friend. My mind attacked me at a moment it found me the weakest.

  “I’ll leave you both to it. I’ll call you later, Tatum. I hope you feel better,” she says, smiling at me and then squeezing his shoulder before disappearing down the front path.

  We step inside the house and Tatum closes the door before turning to me and saying, “Go wash your face, I’ll get us a drink, and you can tell me why you’re here, lookin’ like this, yeah?”

  I nod. “Yeah.”

  I walk down the hall and into his bathroom, turning on the tap and washing my face, trying to avoid looking too hard at myself because I know I’m a mess. My eyes are red, my cheeks are blotchy, and my lips are swollen. Let’s not get started on the snot I have to subtly blow out.

  I look horrible, and yet he still invited me in and offered to listen, like I wasn’t just ugly crying on his damned doorstep.

  I walk back out once I’ve cleaned up a little, and he’s sitting on the sofa holding two beers. Smart man.

  I walk over and go to sit across from him, but he shakes his head, his face stern, and pats the seat beside him. Hesitantly, I go and sit there, taking the beer when he offers it to me. He’s so close here, his gorgeous face only inches from mine, his big body on full display, the warmth of his skin penetrating mine. I want to just throw myself into his arms, breathe him in, feel his lips against mine.

  I want him possibly more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life.

  “What happened tonight, darlin’?” he asks me, taking a sip of his beer. />
  Do I make up a story, or do I just tell him the damn truth? Just rip it all open and tell him exactly what was going on? I’m tired of drowning in lies and betrayal, in pain and anguish. I just want to feel free, to feel better, to breathe again and to do that in full honesty.

  So, I tell him the truth.

  “Patrick and I broke up, but that’s not why I’m crying. In fact, the need to cry over that hasn’t even arisen which makes me feel like I’m a damned monster because I’ve spent most of my adult life with him. Still, I don’t seem to care that we’re over. If anything, I’m relieved. I’m so damned relieved. He didn’t even care when I got back, looking like I look, he didn’t react or freak out. He was just accusing me of having an affair ...”

  Tatum’s hand tightens around his beer, in frustration, no doubt, but he doesn’t say anything. He just continues to listen.

  “Anyway, he seems to think he can prove I was having an affair because he saw you leaving my apartment, but I honestly don’t care because I haven’t done a single thing with you, and ...”

  “And what?” his voice comes out husky, and thick, and it makes me ache in places I haven’t ached in for a good long time.

  “And I want to,” I say, my voice soft and hesitant.

  I look into his eyes and continue, “I want to, Tatum. I have so many emotions when it comes to you. Frustrated, disappointment, a little anger and hurt, but mostly I have this feeling when I’m around you that I can’t shake. A feeling that hits me deeper than any emotion I’ve ever had, and I can’t get it to stop.”

  He closes his eyes for a moment, exhaling deeply before opening them and saying, “There is not a single thing in this world I want more than you, Joanne.”

  Holy shit.

  I make a gasping sound, and then without thought, my beer lands on the coffee table and his follows quickly behind it. Then he’s reaching for me, and everything in my body is thrumming with anticipation of the feeling I’ve craved for so long with him.

  His big hands curl around my waist and he lifts me as if I weigh absolutely nothing and pulls me onto his lap. I adjust myself so my knees are either side of his hips, and I look down at him. His hands move up to tuck my hair behind my ears as he holds my eyes, the intense feeling between us something I didn’t even know was possible.

  “You’re so fuckin’ beautiful, do you know that?” he murmurs, running his finger down my cheek.

  “I was scared, Tatum,” I whisper, the truth spilling out of me. “When we were in that basement, I was so fucking scared. I didn’t know what to think or feel. But, I was glad you were with me. I didn’t want anyone else there but you.”

  “I would have died before I let that fucker hurt you, and that still stands, do you understand me? I won’t let them get their hands on you.”

  I swallow, and reach up, cupping his cheek. He’s got a few days growth on his chin, and he is still battered and bruised in the face, but he’s without a doubt the most incredible looking man I’ve ever seen. I lean down and brush my lips across his, an electric jolt running through my body upon contact.

  It feels better than I ever imagined it would.

  I want to remain here for the rest of my days, feeling this exact feeling.

  He deepens the kiss, sliding his hand around to the back of my head and pulling me closer with a fistful of my hair. My heart leaps and my stomach feels like it’s filled with a thousand little butterflies. Our tongues dance and our mouths move in perfect sync, the best damned kiss I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing in my life.

  I whimper against his mouth and our movements go from deep, to frantic, like suddenly we can’t get to each other quick enough. His hands move to my hips and slide up my top, running along my skin with such careful precision, it feels amazing, and my skin prickles in response.

  I’m not wholeheartedly sure we should be doing this, but I do know I can’t stop myself. Everything inside me wants this man. Even past the guilt over the fact that I only just left my husband and I’m already seeking another. I can’t seem to make myself feel like that’s a good enough reason to stop.

  Patrick doesn’t want me; he wants the status.

  I’m convenience for him. I’m what makes him picture perfect on the outside.

  If only they knew what he was really like, beneath it all. Cold and insensitive, caring only about himself and his money.

  Tatum’s hands bring me back to now when they left my shirt up and over my head. He tosses the shirt, his lips finding mine again, and I melt into him, coming back to the moment we’re in and relishing in every damn second of it. His lips move away from mine and slide down my neck while his fingers undo my bra.

  His cock is hard beneath me, and with one slow twist of my hips I can feel the impressive length of it against my pussy. It’s big, it’s thick, and it’s ready. My heart does a little flip flop when my bra goes flying and I’m sitting on him in only a pair of shorts. He stops trailing kisses down my neck and leans back, taking me in.

  My cheeks redden.

  “You’re so fuckin’ gorgeous,” he murmurs, his voice husky. “I’ve been thinkin’ about this moment for so fuckin’ long.”

  Oh.

  Lord.

  “Me, too,” I whisper.

  Tatum lowers his head, capturing my nipple in his mouth. He sucks slowly, swirling his tongue around the hard nub. Everything inside me feels like it’s going to explode upon contact, and I have to force myself to refrain from crying out in pure joy. Joy because I haven’t felt pleasure in ... God, such a long damned time.

  I start a slow rotation of my hips against his cock, rubbing my pussy up and down the hard length as he devours my nipple. His pleasured growl lets me know he’s enjoying every second of it. A warm feeling starts to build in my core as I rock my body against his, and with every slide I get closer and closer to orgasm.

  His sucking becomes frantic on my nipple, and he changes between nipping and sucking, until I can’t hold it back any longer. I cry out his name as an orgasm rocks my core, my body trembling in his arms. It feels so fucking good. I bury my face in his neck when he pulls away from my nipple, inhaling his masculine scent and loving every second of how he smells and how warm his skin is.

  “Fuck,” he rasps into my ear, “that was fuckin’ hot.”

  “I want more,” I murmur into his neck, pressing my lips against the skin and kissing the soft spot there.

  “That wasn’t even the warm-up, honey.”

  He moves me quickly, flipping me so I’m on my back on the sofa. Without warning, he takes my shorts and has them and my panties down my legs before I can even gasp. He tosses them aside, leaving me completely naked beneath him. I look up at him and watch as his eyes slowly travel down my body, taking in every inch of me.

  “Your pussy is wet,” he growls. “Fuck, I can’t wait a second more to taste you.”

  He moves down, positioning himself between my legs and bringing them up over his shoulders, then his mouth is on me, hot and soft all at the same time. His tongue glides up the length of my pussy, taking in all my arousal. He lets out a pleased groan and his tongue gets to work, making my entire body come alive in a way I didn’t know it could.

  My moans turn into desperate whimpers as the incredible pleasure begins to build, making my legs tremble and my back arch. I can’t take a single second longer with his tongue doing what it’s doing, swirling and flicking. His lips sucking. His hands holding me down.

  I can’t.

  I can’t take it.

  I scream out his name as an orgasm rips through my body, the second one so much more powerful than the first. I rasp his name and relish in the feeling of his arms flexing and tightening around me as he licks out every single shudder from my body. Only when he’s making me squirm and plead for him to stop licking because I can’t take the intense pleasure a second longer does he come back up for air.

  He pushes up to his hands, looking down at me. “I need to fuck you so damned bad I can’t think
straight.”

  “Then do it,” I say, my voice soft and satisfied.

  He stands, his jeans straining against the thick, hard cock that is more than ready to come out. He goes to unbutton them when a knock sounds out at the door. His eyes, which were relaxed and happy, turn wild and angry. He looks at the door like he could set it alight with his very glare.

  “Who. The. Fuck,” he growls.

  I sit up quickly, hurrying around for my clothes as the knocking becomes more frantic. Whoever it is wants to talk to him and they want to do it now. As soon as I’m dressed and he’s turned away, breathing deeply and calming his cock down, he walks over to the door with clenched fists, swinging it open to find Chase, bloodied and battered, standing there.

  I gasp and rush over just as Tatum asks, “What the fuck happened?”

  “Celia’s dad happened.”

  Oh, shit.

  I guess they found out the truth.

  “SIT STILL,” I MURMUR, dabbing at Chase’s eye with a warm cloth filled with salty water.

  He wasn’t in shape to get into another fight after the beating he got when we were locked away. I insisted we go to the hospital, but he refused, and Tatum said to just let him be. He doesn’t want to push him right now, considering everything he’s going through. Chase got himself into this mess, but I do feel for him because it wouldn’t be easy, facing your darkest hour.

  “I don’t need you to clean me up, Jo,” Chase mutters, trying to pull his face away from my hand.

  “No, you don’t, but if you don’t want to go to the hospital, you’re going to stop complaining about it.”

  He huffs but doesn’t move.

  “Goin’ to tell us what happened?” Tatum asks, walking into the room with a beer and handing him one.

  I glance at Tatum and he gives me a look that makes my whole body come alive. It’s a look that says he’s thinking about what we got so close to doing as much as I am. I haven’t stopped thinking about it, or the way he got so broody and angry when Chase came, which shows me just how much he wanted it.

  “What’s there to tell?” Chase growls, his voice low. “I got what you all wanted me to get. I’m sure there’s more to come.”

  “Nobody wanted to get you hurt, bro, they want you to face up to what you did.”