by L. A. Fiore
“In everything that matters, you were.”
Cradling the side of my face, his mouth closed over mine, but I didn’t have the sense he claimed now as much as revered. Trailing his hands down my body, he fisted my shirt in his hands and pulled it over my head.
I watched him as his gaze moved over my body. His fingertips brushed over my clavicle and down between my breasts.
“So beautiful.” he whispered as his fingers worked the clasp on my bra, his touch like a brand. He traced the curve of my breast before lingering on the tattoo of his mark.
“You have no idea what this does to me.” I wasn't capable of forming a response, he didn't wait for one when he lowered his head and touched his tongue to his mark. My heart pounded, my fingers itched to touch him, to explore him as he did me, but I was spellbound; transfixed in a haze of lust and love. Cole pulled my nipple into his mouth. When he sucked at the same time he swirled his tongue over the tip, my knees went weak. I felt the change in him, his lazy exploration turning urgent as he gripped my sweats and pulled them down my legs before he hooked his arm around my waist and practically tossed me on the bed. Settling between my legs, he pulled me to the edge, dropped to his knees and buried his tongue deep inside of me. Moving my hips against his tongue, I fisted the sheets almost afraid of the orgasm he was working my body up to. Gripping my thighs, he kept me spread wide as his tongue drove deep, tasting me on the inside. His lips closed over my clit and he sucked hard. My stomach muscles tightened with the impending release; my toes curled, the breath in my lungs froze a second before waves and waves of intense pleasure crashed over me. Every nerve sizzled, and even my scalp tingled.
Still fully dressed, he settled between my legs, his arms holding him up but he wasn’t so much looking as he was beholding. Cole Campbell. Big, beautiful Cole was being cradled by my body. Pulling his mouth to mine, I tasted me on his tongue and I wanted more, I wanted all of him. Reaching for his shirt, I pulled it over his head; smooth, hard muscle met my touch from his shoulders, down his arms, around his back to his ass. Spreading my legs wider, I rubbed myself against him, his cock straining from the confines of the denim. With an efficiency of motion I very much appreciated, Cole rolled off the bed and stripped and as beautiful as I remembered him being, he was even more so now. Kneeling on the edge of the bed, I ran my hands over every inch of him; his chest and shoulders, his corded back, his firm ass and muscled thighs, even the heavy sac between his legs didn’t bring hesitation only want as my hands curled around it before ending at his cock. Wrapping my hand around the silky, hard base, I didn’t want to just touch but to taste. And he tasted incredible as I pulled him deep into my mouth. He growled, his hips jerked, pushing him even deeper. I was so wet, little tremors working through my body as I ran my tongue along the shaft, tasting the saltiness at the tip. He pulled from me, lifting me up from under my arms and tossed me farther up on the bed. Kneeling between my legs, he fingered my clit and pushed his thumb into me, which sent a jolt of sensation clear through my body.
“I’ve waited a long fucking time for this. I want to feel you, want to take you bare. I’m clean.”
Oh my God, yes I wanted to feel him skin to skin. “Me too.”
He shifted positions, pushing just the tip of his cock in to me as my legs spread wider, my hips lifting to take more of him. His face was rigid, his attention on the place where we were joined. He moved slowly, so excruciatingly slow as he filled me. His breathing turned shallow, his fingers tightened on my hips, as he pulled me toward him hard and thrust at the same time.
Tears sprang to my eyes having Cole inside me, filling me so completely. He stilled, his thumb brushed the tear from my cheek.
His gaze turned searching. “Did I hurt you?”
“Do you know how many times I've imagined this? My imagination doesn't fucking hold a candle.”
His expression turned possessive, hearing his own words spoken back to him. He pulled out, a strangled cry of protest got caught in my throat when he slammed back into me; our mingled scents perfuming the air around us. My body moved, meeting Cole thrust for thrust, and yet I was mesmerized watching Cole and the raw and unguarded expression on his face. Lifting my hips higher, his cock drove into me harder and faster, the muscles of his chest and arms flexing, as he took me over the edge again. If I thought the first orgasm was monumental, it was nothing compared to this. Even more beautiful was watching as Cole came, his body stilled, his muscles flexed, his eyes closed as pleasure moved over his face, his cock jerking in release inside of me.
He opened his eyes and still inside me, he captured my mouth, the kiss surprisingly tender.
“Worth the wait.” he whispered against my lips.
“Understatement.”
Sated and sleepy, I was ready to curl into Cole and go to sleep. He had other plans.
“On your knees, legs spread.”
Before I could ask, he supplied the answer. “Time to ride my face.”
And just like that, I wasn’t so tired anymore.
Three more orgasms later, I cried uncle. He wasn’t kidding when he said I’d only have energy to breathe and even that I was finding difficult.
“Tired?”
Smug was the only word to describe his tone. “Very, but happily tired. I’ve wanted that since I was sixteen.”
Shifting a bit, he grinned. “You and me both.”
His easy agreement had my heart beating erratically because even then he was mine. “I thought you were more Dad’s than mine back then.”
“No, you crept into my heart at seven and never left it.”
Touching his face, I knew I’d never get used to hearing such words from him even as I craved hearing them. He settled back against my side, his hold on me growing tighter. “I’m not on the pill and I don’t really want to be.”
He tensed though I wasn’t sure why until he asked, “You want me to use a condom?” I could tell by the way he practically snarled those words, he didn’t like that option at all. He was in luck, cause I didn’t either.
“No.”
Touching my chin to turn my focus on him, he searched my face for the answer and when he didn’t find it, he asked, “What are you saying, Mia?”
It was a risk but it was also how I felt, so I answered him. “We’ve lost enough time. And we both know how quickly life can change.” His expression was not one I could discern which had me adding, “Would it be so terrible?”
“To have a baby with you, fuck no, it’d be incredible.”
“Really? I thought maybe—” his mouth closed over mine, silencing me.
Humor danced in his eyes when he ended the kiss. “Don’t think.”
Teasing me, Cole Campbell was teasing me. My heart never felt so light. Tucking myself deeper into his side, my thoughts drifted. “When did you and Dad start the club?”
“A year before you went off to college. Your dad had asked me once, when I was younger, what I wanted to do with my life. Never really had a thought on it then but later I found I liked the release music offered, blues in particular, and thought managing a club where I could bring that atmosphere to life might be it. I mentioned the idea to your dad. I should have known he’d take the ball and run with it.”
“And is it what you want to do with your life?”
“Part of it.”
“Only part?”
He didn’t answer, I moved on. “The bands, your idea?”
“The place was a techno club before Mace bought it and had a pretty good-sized client base I didn’t want to lose. Fridays and Saturdays are big for clubbing, so I left it techno on the weekends but the weekdays I got my blues.”
Turning into him, I rested my chin on his chest. “I’ve always preferred the weekdays to the weekends.”
“I know.”
Of course he knew since the man spent a great deal of time watching me. And it was thinking on that which prompted my next words. “I think Dad would like that we’re together.”
“He
wanted us to be.”
The gentle stroking I had been doing on his chest stopped. “What do you mean?”
“He gave me his blessing.”
I was taken off guard by those words, but they didn’t surprise me. “When?”
“About three years before he died.”
That night at my dorm, he hadn’t gotten Dad’s blessing and still he came. My heart swelled. “He always knew what was best for me.”
Lying in bed the next morning, my thoughts were completely on last night. Cole and I had made love, had finally finished what we had started that night in my dorm. Just thinking about how my body responded to him, the way he brought pleasure in every touch, kiss, and stroke, had my body aching for more.
Dad had wanted us together. It made me happy to know he’d be happy seeing that we’d found our way.
Cole returned, wearing nothing but a grin. Goddamn his body was unbelievable, the kind of muscled beauty you see on the cover of Men’s Health. Every inch of him was hard, a welcoming throb started between my legs. My eyes moved to his tats. I wondered when he had them done and asked him that when he climbed onto the bed and settled between my legs.
“After juvie.”
“Do they have a meaning?”
“Maybe.” His mouth pressed to my neck, his tongue running up my throat. Suddenly the meaning of his tats really just wasn’t that important. Shifting his hips, he slid into me, my breath catching in my throat at the exquisite sensation of him filling me so completely. My hips moved, lifting into him, taking him deeper before I pulled back, the sweet friction causing tingles to shoot down my legs. His mouth settled over mine, kissing me so deeply, his tongue filling my mouth, tasting and exploring. Scoring his back with my nails, my head lifted offering him more just as my hips did the same. His hands moved down my body to curl at my thighs as he pulled my hips higher so he could move deeper. The orgasm rolled over me sending pleasure over every nerve ending. Even when he seated himself deep, his climax tightening his body, his mouth never left mine. Several minutes later, his head lifted and love looked back at me before he moved his mouth lower down my body to lick me clean.
It was while dressing that evening for dinner with Janie when a glaring question reared its head. Cole was shaving, his bare body covered with only a towel wrapped low on his hips. As distracting as the sight was, I couldn’t move past the apprehension unfurling in my gut.
“Cole?”
His eyes found mine in the mirror.
“You said Dad was looking to diversify, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Normally a company diversifies when they’re doing really well and want to expand their operating base, so Dad must have been doing pretty well at the garage.”
He turned to me and I knew he understood where I was going with this.
“I’ve only just started looking through his financials, so I don’t have a clear picture yet. Did he have to put a lot down to purchase the club? How much did he borrow?”
“He borrowed but the profits from the club more than covered the mortgage and operating expenses.”
“And the garage was operating in the black.”
“That was my understanding.”
“So why did Dylan have to sell?”
“Good question. We’ll have to ask him.”
As soon as I saw Janie, I practically tackled her. Her arms were tight when she wrapped me in a hug. “You’ve a lot of explaining to do.”
“I know. I’ve missed you.”
She pushed back, holding my arms and studying my face. “You okay? Did Kevin hurt you?”
“No.”
“Little prick, scaring us like that. Next time I see him…”
Cole caught my eye. I said, “We’ll be right back.”
“We’ll get the table.”
Pulling Janie to the ladies room, I checked the stalls before locking us in.
“How very cloak and dagger of you.”
“Janie, I’m not telling you everything because there’s no reason for you to know everything, but you need to know some of it for your own sake.” I took a deep breath because this wasn’t going to be easy. “Kevin’s dead.”
She had no reaction except for the paling of her face and the widening of her eyes.
“It all stems back to my dad, people are looking for things they think I have. Kevin was a pawn. The cops have eyes everywhere, they’re watching you and Aunt Dee.”
“Who killed Kevin?”
“A very bad man.”
“If Kevin’s dead then—” shock turned to anger in a flash, “he had you?”
“Yeah, but Cole got me out.”
Janie had always been able to read me very clearly, which was why her next words weren’t a question. “He hurt you.”
“I hurt him back.” And I had in a sense, taking out his man and escaping.
“You don’t want to talk about it.”
“No, but you need to be cautious. Like I said, the cops are watching you so he doesn’t try for you to get to me, but you need to be careful.”
“What the hell does he want?”
“I really have no idea and I could drive myself crazy trying to piece the puzzle together, but I don’t want to. I want to try to get on with my life, but being smart in the process until this shit is all over.”
“So there’s a light at the end of the tunnel?”
“I think so.”
There was more she wanted to say, but she didn’t and I was grateful because talking about it stirred up the feelings I wanted so hard not to feel. “I don’t like it, any of it, but okay. I won’t push and I’ll be careful. So what’s up with Cole?”
“I love him.”
“The feeling is mutual, the man can’t keep his eyes off you.”
“It’s been a long time coming.”
“Fucking understatement of the year.”
“What happened with Timothy?”
A blush covered her cheeks and seeing Janie blush, the woman who often engaged in activities that would fluster the most outgoing of people, was unexpected and frankly, disturbing.
“He had heard humors about my sexual appetites.”
“What?”
“Yeah, well I don’t talk about it, but I don’t hide it either. I’m a sexual being, I don’t apologize for that.”
“So what happened?”
“As it turns out, he’s a bit of a deviant himself. Was afraid my desires didn’t mesh with his.”
“Meaning?”
“He likes to tie me up.”
“What?”
“He doesn’t Fifty Shades me, but he likes to restrain me.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“At first I wasn’t sure, but I got to tell you Mia. The amount and intensity of the orgasms that man gives me, yeah I am really okay with it.”
“I think, like the piercing conversation, I need wine for this discussion.” Reaching for her hand I added, “You’re happy.” I wasn’t asking because it was written all over her face.
“I really am.”
“Then I like him already.”
“All right, let’s get back out there. You need to meet Timothy and I want to stare at your man. He’s fucking fine.”
Mia’s body was rigid as she sat across from Cynthia and as much as I hated the bitch, her concern for Mia seemed genuine. I knew she was a whore and apparently a high-priced one since she looked more like she’d just stepped from a photo shoot and not some john’s bed.
Cynthia had been pretty secretive about why she wanted to see Mia, stating only that it was important and that I needed to come with her. As if I’d sit back and let Mia deal with this bullshit on her own. We were at a bar, some place downtown, and after the drinks were delivered, Cynthia rested her elbows on the table and leaned a bit toward Mia.
“Thank you for seeing me.”
“Why are we here?” Clearly Mia wasn’t interested in small talk.
“I contacted you at Mace’s request.”
Mia’s entire body went still, her hand that rested on her lap started to shake. Fuck this, I thought before growling, “What kind of game are you playing?”
“Please hear me out.”
“If you’re fucking with us, if you’re putting Mia through this and it’s all bullshit, you and I are going to have a serious fucking problem.”
Her hand wasn’t steady when she reached for her martini. Good.
“Mace came to see me.”
“When?” Mia’s voice sounded so small, a little lost. Reaching for her hand, her fingers immediately curled around mine.
“About a month before he died. He shared nothing with me but he did ask that if something should happen to him, I needed to contact you. Needed to tell you that he left something for you in the place that was like a second home.”
“And you couldn’t have told her over the phone?”
“He was very specific, only face-to-face and only to Mia and you. He was freaked. I’d never seen him so disturbed. Whatever he’d discovered, it really unnerved him.”
“Why did you agree to help?” Mia sounded more like Mia.
“Because despite everything I’ve done, whenever I needed him, he was there.”
That sounded like Mace, a good fucking guy. “Did you see him after he made this request of you?”
“No.”
Mia stood; clearly she had no desire to be in this woman’s company any longer than necessary. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry, Mia. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be the mother you deserved and I’m sorry you lost your father.”
“Why didn’t you come to his funeral?”
“It seemed hypocritical when we didn’t get along at all, but I mourned his loss. He was a good man and a wonderful father.”
Mia turned to leave but stopped and looked back at Cynthia. “What ever happened to your friend Tammy?”
Mia knew about Tammy? Looking for her was what started Mace and me down the fucking twisted road we’d ended up on.
Cynthia was as surprised as me that Mia knew about Tammy, if her expression was any indication. She confirmed it when she asked, “You know about that?”
