by T K Barber
“Go slow,” she whispered as she trailed her fingers down his sides.
His nostrils flared, and he ducked to kiss her again. Her lips parted, and he slid his tongue across hers, sparks shooting through his body like fireworks. He pulled back and smiled.
“I won’t hurt ya, gorgeous.”
“It’s not that. I mean, not only that. Cuz that will. I just,” she let out a small, shaky laugh and shrugged. “I don’t want this to end.”
Neither did he. But it wouldn’t, not really. Not as long as they stayed together. Which they always would.
He chuckled and nipped her chin. “I don’t either. But, hate to break it to you, it’s gonna end.” He pulled back and winked. “Sooner if you don’t quit lookin’ at me like that.” She giggled and he clenched his back teeth again. Cool it.
He dropped soft kisses down her throat, then looked back up. “But we can do it exactly as many times as you want. As, you know, you’re comfortable with. And also, that I can manage. Not sure what my limit is, but I’m up to find out whenever you are.” He waggled his brows and she laughed.
A rush hit him, so fierce it knocked the air out of his lungs. Love. Anna was actually love. She was joy.
Her broken matched his broken, that’s what it was. They fit. Together they were whole. A lump lodged in his throat, and he swallowed as he dropped down to his elbows. He kissed her cheek and caught her gaze.
“You’re my home, Anna.”
She stilled, her smile quickly replaced by pitched eyebrows and a drawn-in cheek. She nodded, and a tear slipped down her temple, disappearing in her hair.
“You’re my home too, Thomas. What home,” she swallowed as another tear fell away. “Should have been.”
He blinked away a tear and smiled. She got it. No way she wouldn’t, though. It was Anna. His Anna.
“You ready?”
She let out that post cry laugh that was just a little strangled and nodded. “If we don’t soon, I might actually die, so yes.”
He chuckled. Eyes locked on hers, one breath in, they joined together, little by little. She winced and scrunched her nose.
“You wanna sto—”
“No!” She was as emphatic as she could be with a whisper, and even more heat burst through him.
He found the spot below her ear and tongued it as he eased the rest of the way in. She all but purred, her hot breath scalding his neck.
God, even just hearing her breathe was amazing.
Tight, wet heat was all he could focus on, though. And the way she sounded.
The way she sucked in these tiny, short breaths, or let out these fucking hot squeaks or moans when he moved.
The way her soft hands grabbed at his sides, not even paying attention to his scars.
The way her body arched when he smoothed his hand across her chest.
The way she was Anna.
Static formed in the air around them as they made love, pricking his skin everywhere they touched. Even the act of taking a breath was bottled lightning and made him dizzy.
“Anna.”
He murmured it like the prayer it was as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Love and desire swirled in his stomach. Every muscle was a stretched rubber band, ready to snap.
When she hooked her leg over his hip with a whimper, a helpless groan left his throat.
Their motions grew more desperate. Their gaze broken by fluttering or squinted lids. The thick air pierced with sweet, loud, throaty, or broken sounds until there was nothing left but panting. Kissing. Whispering. Laughing. Hugging.
A long breath slowed his heart as she curled into his side. She. His entire world. A world he didn’t deserve. But holy God, he was going to do whatever he needed to hold onto it as tight as he could.
“My God, Anna . . .”
She chuckled and adjusted her head to put her ear over his heart.
“You need to get rid of that.” She gestured with her thumb to the condom.
He sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I know but I don’t wanna move!”
She laughed and pushed up to her elbow. “Go, go.”
She made a little whooshing motion with her hand, and he grumbled with a grin.
“A’ight, jeez.” He rolled into her and kissed her, then rolled off the other side of the bed.
He pointed to one of the two closed doors and twisted to catch her gaze. She nodded, then flattened on her back again with a satisfied sigh.
He shouldn’t have been surprised at that point, but the sight of even more pink made him laugh.
“Anna, I love you so much. You’re so damn adorable.”
Her musical laugh floated through the door followed by “I love you, too.”
He grinned. That would never, ever get old to hear.
He trashed the condom and was about to head back out when he caught sight of the bottles peeking out of her medicine cabinet.
His stomach dropped. Every one of those pills was probably his fault. They might as well have his name etched on each one.
Her arms wound around him from behind, her chest pressed into his back and his eyes widened as his body twitched. How could he possibly be ready to go again?
“Are you hungry?” Her voice was muffled against his skin. “We can go get some Chinese food or something and watch TV before we go to sleep.”
His throat closed. Shit. He couldn’t really stay. Not tonight anyway. It probably wouldn’t be safe for either of them. But how the hell was he going to handle that? She was a box made of sugar glass. One tap in the wrong spot and she’d shatter.
He cleared his throat and smiled. “I’m always hungry, gorgeous.” He rotated in her arms and ducked to kiss her.
He needed to think. Time. He needed time. Oh!
He pulled back. “We havta go tell Booker though. He’s still waiting, remember?”
Her face fell. “Oh, yeah. I forgot about him.”
Truth be told, he had too. Far more important things on his mind today.
“Let’s get dressed. Maybe he could drive us? I ain’t got my car anymore. Since. Uh, you got one?”
She shook her head. “I’ve been avoiding driving. Since.” She shrugged and he nodded.
“Book it is then! Come on.”
Thomas made exactly as little effort at hiding his blatant ogling as she did. And before either of them had shirts on they were back in each other’s arms. After several long, heated kisses, he pushed her back by her shoulders.
“We gotta go, doll. I’m gonna waste away standing in this shrine to pink.”
Annalise snorted and spun out of his grip. “Fine, fine. We might skip TV though. There are still two condoms left.” She winked and bent over to grab her shirt.
God. Maybe he could come back after? Maybe?
He watched her wriggle her fine ass into those tight jeans while he fussed over his shirt. Wrinkles in his clothes irritated him to no end. Did Anna have an iron? Before he could ask, she came over and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek to his chest.
“Thomas, I love you. I’m so glad you’re staying.”
Damn it.
He rubbed her back, and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Love you too. Let’s go.”
He took her hand, threaded their fingers together, and kissed each of hers while they walked through the living room. Just a simple stroll, holding her hand. He felt like he’d won the lottery.
She grabbed her phone and shoved it in her pocket with a grin. “Ready.”
He smiled back, ducked to kiss her, and tugged open the door.
He was about to gesture for her to go first when his nostrils flared. Something was off.
“Wait.” He pulled back on her hand, and she shot a sharp look up to his face.
He reached for his piece and sucked in a breath. Where the hell—oh right.
“Wait here.”
He moved her back away from the door frame and trotted
to the couch to grab his gun.
He stopped in front of her wide-eyed face. Boy, if this wasn’t familiar in the single worst possible way. He needed her to stay calm though.
He gave her a grin and a wink. “Just didn’t wanna forget it, that’s all gorgeous.”
She blinked at the gun and blew out a shaky breath, nodding as she took his hand again. “Okay.”
He pulled her through the door and was met with stark silence. It was a bit late in the evening, but there should be some noises. Voices at the very least. But there was nothing. Just the echo of their matched steps as they descended the first flight.
They came to Mr. Dean’s door and Thomas swallowed. Cracked open. Still no sounds. Shit. Maybe he was overreacting. He didn’t know really anything about this building. Maybe everybody turned in early?
Second flight of stairs down and Annalise gripped his hand tighter. His stomach twisted.
How could they ever have a life like this? Would they always have to skulk around corners with guns drawn? That wasn’t how he wanted to grow old with her. They needed to go. Run. Something.
They reached the main floor and Thomas exhaled. Everything looked—he glanced at Eliza’s door when they reached the middle of the foyer.
Open. He knew for a fact he’d shut it. Might not mean anything, maybe some painter came to do work, but his hackles raised all the same. Another quick glance through the tall, glass doors made his heart hammer. Booker’s car was now parked at the curb. Right in front. Shit. She needed to go back upstairs.
He pulled Annalise up short, right before she reached the door.
“Anna, G—”
It was too late. A wide sucker punch landed a bullseye on Thomas’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. His gun tumbled from his grip as he groaned.
“Thomas!”
Annalise made a grab for him as he doubled over, but a second man shoved her across the foyer. She shouted as her back hit the far wall.
Thomas coughed and sputtered, clutching at his wounded side.
Darkness filled his vision as a bag was yanked down over his head. Annalise called out to him in a scratchy voice, but she sounded miles away as he was dragged over the threshold.
Annalise
“No!” Her voice echoed in the now silent foyer.
It happened too fast! Annalise walked herself up the wall by her hands. She would save him. Her jaw clenched as her back twinged. There wasn’t a single second to waste on panic. Or being a victim.
Just thinking that word gave her a burst of rage. She shoved off and grabbed the discarded gun before she scrambled through the door, nearly falling. A glance to the right, just in time to see a big black car and its red taillights round the corner.
Without another thought, she took off down the sidewalk in the same direction, the gun heavy in her hand. Full of power.
They didn’t just take Thomas. They took her future. And she was going to get it back.
Her heart thundered, her body using every ounce of adrenaline she had to keep up.
The car took another right, down 8th, and she grabbed her phone.
She quick-dialed Marianna and pushed through the sucking breaths.
One ring. Two.
Annalise rounded the same corner, phone jammed against her ear.
Three. Four.
She caught the glow of red turning left on Barton and pushed further.
Voicemail.
“Fuck!” She jerked the phone down, gripping it tight.
Her lungs ached. Her thighs burned. Each slam of her foot on the uneven cement jarred her teeth as she crossed the street and took the same path.
Oxygen stopped being enough when she reached the edge of Barton.
Gone.
She gasped out a sobbing breath and skidded to a stumbling stop.
“No.” she sucked in mouthfuls of nothing, as everything caught up to her.
Her hard rock ringtone startled her with its hauntingly loud chorus. She struggled to answer through blurry eyes and shaking hands. She didn’t bother with formalities. Marianna wouldn’t need them.
“Took,” she gasped in another breath and braced on the wall. “Thomas!”
One beat of silence. “Where are you?”
“Barton. Black car. I ran after them. I tried.” She broke and crumbled against the wall as tears streamed down her cheek. “I tried.”
Marianna’s voice was muffled as she spoke to someone else, then cleared. “Stay put.”
Relief washed over her and she closed her eyes.
“Nick will be there in a couple of minutes. Rico’s calling him now.”
Annalise’s eyes flew open. Nick would completely flip his lid. That was the last thing she wanted to deal with.
“No! He doesn’t know. Send someone else. Send Rico!”
“No time. He’s closest, and I need you here, safe. We’ll explain it to him.”
She needs? Wait a minute.
“There? Why? We need to get Thomas! They can’t be far from—”
“We have no clue how much further they went. They could have been running you in a circle.”
Annalise’s stomach dropped, leaving a hollow, twisting pit in her abdomen. They could have. Her wet eyes widened. She had no idea where he was. She’d never find him on her own.
Squealing tires snapped her focus, and she flattened against the brick. Had they come back for her? Her hand tightened on the gun.
“He’s there.”
Oh shit. She jammed it in her waistband and covered it with her sweatshirt as Nick’s truck came into focus.
“Ms. Marianna. Why did they take him?”
Two heartbeats of dead air clawed at her mind as Nick’s truck pulled up to the curb. Annalise’s veins buzzed. Would she answer?
“We’ll talk.” The call disconnected.
Yeah.
Annalise tightened her grip on the phone as Nick leapt out of the truck and ran to her.
They’d talk. And she’d get the whole story.
He stepped up to her and grabbed her shoulders, eyes wild. “What the hell are you doing out here? Why didn’t you call me?”
She snarled and shoved him back, running to the passenger side. “Get in, Nick. We need to go!”
He stared after her a moment, then followed.
Annalise dropped like a lead weight into the seat and focused on breathing. Nick climbed in and threw the truck into gear.
She pulled her knees up to her chest. She’d make them pay. Feet planted firmly on the seat, she glared through the windshield. She was going to save him.
“You gonna explain why the hell you’re on a street corner? And why Marianna called, not you?”
Annalise shook her head. “Nope. Just drive.”
Nick slapped the steering wheel, causing her to jump.
“I’m so sick of that woman and her secrets. Now she’s dragged you into—” he twisted his grip, the leather cover creaking under the strain. “Whatever the hell this is. Which is exactly what I told her not to do.”
Annalise pinned him with a stare. “Okay, one: she didn’t drag me into anything. Two: you don’t have to protect me, Nick. I’m almost nineteen. Yeah. I went through hell, and I know you’ve had to put up with me coming through that or whatever. But now that he’s—”
She bit down on her tongue. Damn it.
The air in the cab shrank.
“Now that who?” It barely sounded like a question. More like, an accusation wrapped up in a monotone statement.
Her heart hammered, but she threw her stare back to the windshield.
“Nothing and no one. Can you go faster, please? Or move and let me do it?”
His brows reached for the roof, and he passed several glances between her and the road.
Good thing for Nick, he picked up on the fact this needed to be one of those ‘no talking’ moments. Because she was done.
The engine revved, and the next
eight minutes were both quiet, and so loud she had to wince.
Could she have been faster? Even though the guys came out of flipping nowhere, there had to have been something she could have done. What were they doing to him?
Her stomach wrenched and she wrapped her arms around it. Were they going to—no. He’d be fine. And Nick. God. She knew for a fact he’d demand she leave the country before he let her go after a mobster. But that was a battle she’d win hands down. Simply because she had to.
They pulled up in the half-circle driveway in front of the New England style house she had recently become familiar with. The truck had barely stopped, and Annalise was already out, sprinting to the door.
She skidded to a stop and pounded on it with her fist. “MS. MARIANNA! OPEN UP!”
“Hang on!”
The rattle of locks sounded only briefly before the door swung open. Ms. Price stepped aside and ushered her through.
The hem of her black flowy skirt caught the breeze as she held out her hand to beckon a scowling Nick in as well.
“Come on! Inside.”
Annalise stepped over the threshold and into a lion’s den. Rico, arms crossed, gaze pinned on Marianna like he thought she’d get shot just answering the door. Actually, she might, so that made sense. Did he ever go home?
Scarlet paced in the kitchen with her hands locked behind her head. Did Marianna already tell her?
Two other guys Annalise had never seen before also milled about. One bulky guy with an honest-to-God eye patch stood off by the fireplace, flipping a switchblade open and closed in some comical stereotype of a ‘mobster.’
The other guy was tall but lanky. He fussed with a toothpick in his mouth, a periodic sucking smack noise filling the room from his perch in the corner. She shuddered.
“Who are they?”
Eyepatch gave her a small wave. “Eric. I run the day to day for the Valentines. The guys come to me first. Second in command I guess. In as much as Lyle never came out and said it.” He gestured to Marianna. “But I report to her, now. Since that shit with you, and Tommy getting shot.” His heartbroken frown dug at her. “That was just too far.”
Annalise’s brows lifted. That’s a pretty high up position to have a plant, and at least he had some morals. Points to Marianna for general awesomeness.
