Hood River Zero (Hood River Hoodlums Book 4)

by K. Webster

  “She did,” Penny agrees. “I wish Cal would have finished him off, though.”

  I didn’t go to the trial, but Cal was a bear those few weeks, worried over his woman. Poor Charlotte was a mess by the time she had to give her testimony. But after, it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She had more pep in her step and smiled more often. When they both were found guilty of multiple counts that carried heavy sentences, Charlotte came back to us. I always thought she was cute and sassy, long before she ever dated Ryan. Finally, she’s not so shadowed by the horrors that Ryan and his father did to her.

  “Have those guys bothered you any?” I ask, changing the subject.

  Her expression turns to stone. I watch with a mix of fascination and annoyance as Penny erects her famous wall. “What guys?”

  I nearly roll my eyes, because she knows exactly what guys I’m referring to. “Eli. Grayson. Paxton. The other dipshit who was at that party.”

  “Aaron.”

  “Yeah, him.”

  “Eli transferred schools,” she says, unable to meet my stare.

  “Why?”

  “I…heard…he was suicidal.”

  I heard the same thing. Everyone was whispering about it at basketball practice. How his parents were trying to keep it hush-hush, but they were trying to get him help.

  “Hmm.” I study her for a moment. “Did Cal help?”

  She gapes at me. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Jace?”

  Her eyes flash, giving me my answer. Leaning forward, I grip her jaw in my hand, pulling her closer to me. My lips press to hers for a soft kiss.

  “Your eyes don’t lie, Penny.” I implore her with my eyes to tell me what happened. If we’re going to move forward and be something, I need the truth from her.

  She surprises me by climbing into my lap and straddling me. Her touch is delicate as she skates her fingers over my scars. “Just practicing for when I’m a cop one day. All we did was give him a taste of his own medicine.” She kisses my lips before pulling away. “Jace punched him in the face. While he was knocked out, I wrote terrible things about him. Then, I took pictures, sending them to everyone in his contact list. I made it seem like he felt guilty for what he did and considered taking his life.” She frowns. “Please don’t be mad.”

  I grip her ass, squeezing it hard, to draw her close to me. “All I ever ask is for the truth, Penny. That wall you put up can be for everyone else, but not me. You want us to be together? Then I need this from you. Your truths don’t hurt. It’s the lies that do. That fucker deserved what he got and bringing Jace as backup was smart.” I grin at her. “I told you that you were a Hoodlum. Charlotte’s gonna have to make you your very own shirt and—”

  “Stop talking,” she says before her lips cover mine.

  The kiss starts out sweet and a bit playful, but the more I taste her sweetness that I’ve craved for the past couple of months, the more ravenous I am for her. My tongue dominates hers, tasting every part of her and devouring each of her soft moans. I’m seconds from ripping off her shirt when she pulls away.

  “Terrence, listen to me,” she says, her words firm and unyielding. “I told you I’m not good at relationships. Or people for that matter. I’ll mess up sometimes. It’s my personality. But don’t think for one second it’s ever because I want to hurt you. That will never be a reason.”

  “Baby—”

  “I’m not done,” she whispers. “We had a fight. It happens. I messed up and I’m sorry, but please don’t do that to me ever again. I can’t take it.”

  I hate that the few times I’ve seen her cry have been related to me. Gently, I swipe away the tear from her cheek.

  “We make the choice to be together, Penny, and I’m all in. I’m not the man I was before that car accident. Every second in this life matters.” I kiss her wet cheek. “There’s no time for grudges or anger. My life has had a big chunk missing since we broke up. I’m sorry it took me so long to wrap my head around what you did, but I did. And now you’re here. We’re together. I’ll do better next time.”

  “I will too,” she assures me. “Promise me you won’t give up on me, because I sure as hell will never give up on you.”

  “I promise,” I say and mean it. Now that she’s in my arms again, everything feels right. Better than right. It feels perfect. “Goddam, I missed you, woman.”

  Our mouths fuse together once more. This kiss is frantic, mixed with emotion, apologies, and heat. Tonight I’ll make her mine. It’s been a long time coming.

  “Spend the night in my bed with me.” It’s less of a question and more of a plea.

  Her lips curl into a sweet smile that’s so rare, all I can do is admire it with awe. “I plan to. And any other nights you’ll have me.”

  “What if I want all of them?”

  “They’re yours.”

  “Penny…” My voice is hoarse as I run my palms up the outside of her arms to her neck and then to cradle her head. “The reason I was so pissed and hurt…” I draw her to me, resting her forehead to mine. “It’s because I love you. I fell for you the second you drew me into that bathroom and forced me to face what the accident had done to me. You made me laugh, baby. You dragged me out of my own personal hell. I felt attached to you then in ways I couldn’t understand, but now I do. It’s because I knew you were mine. I loved you and didn’t even understand what that meant.”

  “You’re the most beautiful man I know, Smash. I needed you to see that.”

  I kiss her soft lips. “You’re the sweetest girl I know, mean-ass.”

  She lets out a surprised breath when I stand with her in my arms. Affection for this girl blossoms in my chest when she wraps her arms around my neck and holds on, nuzzling her face against mine. I quickly make sure the cabin is locked and set the alarm I recently had installed before hitting all the lights. Once inside my bedroom, I shut the door and set Penny to her feet in front of my bed.

  I pull off my shirt, flinging it to the floor. Her blue eyes run an appreciative trail over my chest and abdominal muscles. I’ve been putting more time at the gym lately, thankful the place has a kid play center that Zella loves and has made friends at. Between my physical therapy and my workouts, I’m almost at my peak physical condition. I still have my headaches on occasion, though less in frequency, and I now require glasses, but my limp is nearly nonexistent.

  “Like what you see?” I tease, flexing for her.

  She huffs and dramatically rolls her eyes. “I’ve seen better.”

  “Liar.”

  A smirk teases her features. “Question is, have you seen better?” She pulls off her own shirt, showing off a simple black bra. There’s nothing simple about the way her tits are pushed up, begging to be tasted and adored.

  “Fuck no. You’re undeniably the best thing I have ever seen. I think I’m just partial, though, because you’re mine.”

  “Yours?” Her eyebrow quirks up, but I can tell by the softening of her features she likes the idea.

  “Mine. Now take your bra off, Hoodlum, and show me my nipples that missed me.”

  “Gross.”

  I laugh. “Your nipples are not gross.”

  “Your alpha maleness is.”

  Stepping forward, I reach behind her to unfasten her bra. Her breath hitches. I tug it away and then rub my thumb over her nipple that’s hard as a small pebble. “Try telling your pretty titties that. Your nipples say otherwise.”

  She gasps when I drop to a knee, making myself level with her breast. I suck one into my mouth, loving the way she moans when my tongue teases over the sensitive bud. After a quick nip that makes her whimper, I kiss my way over to her other tit, lavishing it with ravenous attention as well.

  I kiss my way down her stomach and then begin unfastening her jeans. Once I have them undone, I drag them and her panties down her thighs, revealing her perfect cunt to me. Her blond hairs have been trimmed back, showing off her sexy pussy lips. I can’t wait to
watch them change in color as I kiss and suck them raw.

  She holds on to my shoulders as I help her out of her shoes, socks, and the rest of her clothes. As soon as she’s naked, I give her ass a smack.

  “On the bed, baby,” I order. “I want your ass hanging off the edge so I can eat you alive.”

  My feisty girl trembles with nerves. All it takes is a sweet kiss to her stomach to have her relaxing and obeying my command. As soon as she’s on her back, I grab her knees, spreading her thighs apart. Her cunt is slick with arousal. I cannot wait to dip my tongue inside her, tasting her sweet essence.

  I rise to my feet to unfasten my jeans. Her stare is hot and eager as I remove my clothes. With my eyes locked on hers, I stroke my dick.

  “I’m going to fuck you hard tonight,” I warn. “Your pussy will be sore for days.”

  She shudders with desire, her blue eyes igniting with heat. “If I can’t walk, you have to wait on me hand and foot.”

  I laugh at her words. “You want me to wreck your pussy so I can treat you like a queen?”

  “I’m not a queen,” she says, her voice fierce.

  Gripping her thighs, I dip down and drag my tongue along her slit. “Nah, baby, you’re a Hoodlum like me.”

  Penny

  He sucks my clit into his mouth and I see stars. So many stars. I can hardly believe this is real. Just today I was pining over him, missing him like hell. When he called, I was shocked. But when he brought me home and kissed me, I was relieved.

  I missed him so much.

  And though he was mad, he missed me too.

  I hadn’t planned on telling him about what Jace and I did, but I knew when he asked about it, I couldn’t lie. Not again. Not ever again. I told him I wasn’t good at relationships and that I would mess up sometimes, but that wasn’t all true. With Terrence, I’m the best. He draws the real me out of my head and into his arms. I’m good at relationships when it comes to him. I can learn from my mistakes and do better. That means no more lies. I’d hurt him before and I won’t do that again.

  Terrence pulls me from my thoughts as he devours me like a starved man and I’m the last meal on the planet. Not one part of my pelvic region goes untouched. His tongue is everywhere. On me. In me. Tasting places where no tongue belongs, but somehow feels good. I’m a whimpering mess, desperate to orgasm when he pushes a finger inside of me. I groan at the intrusion, trying to get used to the sensation. Just as it begins to glide more easily in and out of me, he slips another finger inside. This time, I gasp at the way his fingers seem to stretch me. They’re not in very deep. Just a shallow fingerfucking.

  He sucks on my clit again, making me cry out. His fingers thrust in deeper and harder. It would be painful except he’s distracting me by teasing my clit, edging me closer to climax with each swipe of his urgent tongue. Another finger eases into me, stretching me to my limits. It burns and I want to beg for mercy, but the way he nips at my clit has me losing all sense of reality, confusing pain for pleasure. I spread my legs as far as they’ll go, wanting more of him. His fingers press deeper inside of me, making the burn so intense tears leak from my eyes. I don’t think I can take any more, but it now feels like my body has finally accepted him. He goes as deep as his hand will allow and it no longer feels like an intrusion.

  Sounds echo into the room.

  Wet slurping as he fingerfucks me.

  Small mewls from me.

  Heavy breathing from him.

  These are sounds I love. I want to hear more of them. I’m lost to the feeling of it all, hovering on the edge of pleasure, when he curls his fingers up. Something inside of me explodes. I whimper, arching my back up off the bed, desperate for him to do it again. Because he’s so in tune with me, he finds that magical place again. His fingers massage me there as his tongue teases my clit. I come with a garbled cry, exploding with intense pleasure that pulsates through every nerve ending in me. His thrusting of his fingers slows to a stop and then he eases them out of me.

  “Look how much you love me inside of you,” he rumbles, smearing his wet fingers along my thigh. “So much evidence. I should lick it all away until you beg me to do it again.”

  Our eyes meet. His are burning with lust and love. I want him on me. Inside me. I need his kisses.

  “I bet you’d be happy just riding my fingers from now until the end of time,” he taunts. “Is that what you want, beautiful? To fuck my fingers forever?”

  “Stop talking,” I growl. “Make love to me.”

  He grins at me. “So bossy.”

  “You like it.”

  Sliding an arm under me, he picks me up as he prowls up his bed. Once he deposits me in the middle, he covers my body with his. His lips seek mine, giving me a taste of myself. I kiss him back with vigor, wrapping my legs around his thighs. I want him inside me more than my next breath.

  “It shouldn’t hurt as much as my fingers,” he murmurs against my lips. “You’re a virgin. I had to get you ready.”

  “Sounds like you’re apologizing for giving me the best orgasm of my life.” I dig my heels into his ass. “Don’t. Just put your dick inside me and claim me.”

  He grins against my lips and reaches between us to grab his dick. “That’s a command I will gladly heed.”

  I whimper and writhe as he slides the crown of his cock along my slit, getting it nice and juicy from my arousal. The head barely presses into me when he freezes.

  “Condom,” he grunts.

  I arch my hips up, groaning when my body sucks more of his length into me. “I’m on the pill.”

  “I’m clean,” he assures me. “I wouldn’t do this if I weren’t.”

  “I know. You wouldn’t ever hurt me. That’s one of the reasons I love you, Terrence. You take care of me.”

  My words are like a match dropped into a puddle of gasoline. He sinks deep inside me with a quick, powerful thrust of his hips. My nails dig into his shoulders as I bite back a loud moan. His lips fuse to mine, trapping me in a claiming kiss as he fucks me. Terrence’s cock is big, but I love the way he stretches me to my limit, filling me completely with him.

  It’s insane to have him inside me.

  I love it.

  I want him there.

  His palm caresses my cheek and then slides down to cup my breast. I love the reverent way he seems to adore me as he bucks into me. Terrence is a one in a million kind of guy. Fierce and caring and sexy. He loves with his whole heart and isn’t afraid to show it. For some crazy reason, he wanted me. Despite my frigid, standoffish ways, he wanted me and fought to have me.

  “I want you coming all over my cock,” he murmurs against my mouth. “I’m not going to last because you’re so fucking perfect.”

  I whimper as he strokes his fingertips over my still-sensitive clit. All it takes are a few expert rubs and I’m crying out again in pleasure. His hips move in an erratic way as my pussy clenches around him. A groan leaves his lips, tickling my own, as he floods me with his release.

  Hot.

  Explosive.

  Claiming.

  I’m filled with his heat and it melts a little ice off my soul. It makes me wonder if Terrence has the ability to heal me. To draw me out of my head completely so I can exist normally within the world. Something tells me he can. He’s come this far. I doubt he’ll stop anytime soon.

  He slides out of me and rests his body beside mine. I wince when cum rushes out of my body, burning the sore parts of me. His fingers find the mess and he lazily runs them through it. I gasp when he pushes the tip of his finger back inside me.

  “It needs to stay inside you,” he rumbles, pinning me with a hot, male stare that melts my insides.

  “You’re so gross,” I say, unable to fight my grin.

  “Lucky for me, you’re gross too.” He leans forward to kiss me. “Do you ever want to have kids, Penny?”

  I think about sweet Zella, rowdy Sebban, precious Emilia, and our new little Hope.

  “One day,” I murmur. “With you.” />
  “Good, because you’re mine now. You’re mine forever.”

  “We’re going to be late,” Terrence calls out.

  I roll my eyes at Zella. “Boys. They don’t understand.”

  She giggles and we take our time deciding on which Barbie she’ll take over to Cal and Charlotte’s to play with. Once she finally decides on one, we stuff it in her backpack and zip it up. Terrence is waiting on the porch for us.

  “About damn time,” he playfully grumbles before scooping Zella up and putting her on his shoulders. He leans in and gives me a kiss.

  I glance up at Zella to see if she’s bothered by the kiss, but she’s smiling, eager to get to Cal’s. This morning when she came into the bedroom asking for pancakes, I was worried she’d freak out that I spent the night with her dad. Instead, she giggled with excitement, happy I was still there.

  Terrence sent her off to start pulling out the ingredients for pancakes while we scrambled to get dressed. We’ll definitely have to remember to get dressed before morning next time.

  Next time.

  There will always be a next time.

  Memories of last night play back in my head. I’m sore because he made love to me twice more in the middle of the night. Neither of us could sleep, both of us too eager to be back in each other’s arms.

  The walk to Cal’s is short. Roux and Jordy are there already, Emilia sleeping in her daddy’s arms. My heart melts at seeing them. Charlotte is flitting around in the kitchen, batting off a handsy Cal, as she works to make lunch for everyone. Zella finds the box of art supplies with her name on it and takes them to Terrence’s old room to color. Terrence sits in the recliner, pulling me into his lap.

  “I guess you two made up,” Jordy says, pressing a kiss to the dark head of his daughter.

  “He finally stopped being a brat,” I clarify.