Outlaws: A Romance Anthology

by Yolanda Olson

  “He’s here.”

  “Who’s here?” My heart pounded in my chest, my pulse going haywire.

  “Rush and Sofi. They just walked in.”

  I held my breath, sure that if I didn’t let oxygen into my lungs that no one would notice me.

  “They’re looking this way,” Hank whispered, his lips not moving.

  I couldn’t help myself, I turned around, and pulled in a breath. My head was woozy and I was almost sure she could read my mind as she stared at me.

  I’d never really been given the chance with Sofi. By the time her dad let me see her, he’d already become her hero, and although I never wanted to change that, it meant there was no room for me. Not that I gave up. I was there anytime he’d let me be there, which wasn’t often.

  Sofi’s head snapped to the side, her narrowed eyes not leaving mine as she said something to Rush. And then his head turned, his eyes lighting with the same fire they’d had when he’d kissed me.

  My hand moved to my lips on instinct, sure I could still feel him there. His nostrils flared at the action, and then he was gone, Sofi dragging him out of there without saying a single word to me.

  “Holy. Shit.” I slowly turned back to Hank, feeling the burning on my cheeks. “That was so hot even I’m excited!”

  “Damn it, Hank.” I laughed, the sound shaky.

  “What? It was.” He picked up his knife and fork, grinning at me like a mad man. “He wants you.” He pointed his fork at me. “And you want him.”

  He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean I’d do anything about it. He was off limits. I just had to keep reminding myself of that.

  Chapter Nine

  Rush

  I didn’t say a word the entire drive to Sofi’s apartment. And if I was honest, I wasn’t listening to anything she was saying either. I was in a world of my own, one where all I could feel, smell, and hear was Remi.

  Even in the packed restaurant and my girlfriend beside me, I wanted to go to her. I wanted to slam my lips down onto hers and demand she let me kiss every inch of her. It was a need. A need so deeply ingrained that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to stop myself if I was near her again.

  I pulled into one of the open spaces outside Sofi’s apartment building, but I didn’t make a move to turn the ignition off. Every fibre in me wanted to leave her here and go back to that restaurant. Maybe I should? Maybe I should give in and—

  Fuck. No. I couldn’t. She was Sofi’s mom. It was a line I never should have crossed.

  So why did it feel so goddamn right?

  “Dad said he’d meet us here,” Sofi said, her words finally penetrating. She pushed open the passenger door then clicked her fingers. “Earth to Rush!”

  I jerked forward. “Sorry.” Turning off the ignition, I then got out and followed her inside and to the elevators.

  She crossed her arms, her face a mask of anger and frustration. Any other time I would have consoled her, but I just couldn’t find it in me today.

  When the doors whooshed open on her floor, I followed her to her apartment and worked on automatic. I wasn’t sure how long it was until her dad came with food, but it felt like seconds between entering her apartment and sitting at the dining table. It was past lunch now, the afternoon sun glowing through the floor-to-ceiling windows in Sofi’s pristine apartment.

  “She was there, huh?” Bradley said, his face a mask, covering any emotion he felt. He was good at that—too good.

  “Yeah. Sitting in the window like she didn’t have a care in the world,” Sofi gritted out. She shook her head, her lips pinched. “Why can’t she just disappear? And what the hell is she doing in this part of town? She needs to get her ass back to the ghetto—”

  “It’s not the ghetto,” I ground out, leaning back in my seat. I wasn’t hungry, not for food anyway.

  Sofi brow rose. “Excuse me?”

  “She doesn’t live in the ghetto. Sure, it’s a rough area, but it’s not the ghetto.”

  The silence stretched between the three of us, until finally Sofi waved her hand in the air. “Whatever. She doesn’t live in this part of town so shouldn’t be here.”

  “It’s because she knows you do,” Bradley said, wiping the side of his mouth with a napkin. His movements were slow and measured. “She’s trying to get a rise out of you.”

  “Well I won’t give her the satisfaction,” Sofi whipped out. “As far as I’m concerned, she’s dead.”

  I blinked. Then blinked again. “What?” I must have misheard her.

  “I said she’s dead to me, Rush.” Sofi rolled her eyes. “What’s with you today?”

  “What’s with me?” I pointed to my chest. “What the hell is with you?”

  Bradley cleared his throat. “Now Rush, there’s no need—”

  “No need?” I pushed my hand through my hair and stood. “I’m living in another dimension. That’s the only explanation.”

  “Explanation for what?” Sofi stood, her hands clenched at her sides. “What is your goddamn problem, Rush?”

  “My problem?” I stumbled back a step. “Are you serious? You’re sitting there saying your mom is dead to you. What the fuck?”

  “Because she is! She was never there for me!”

  “And why is that?” I asked, pointing my finger at Bradley. “She was fifteen when she had you Sofi. Fifteen.”

  She shrugged. “And.”

  “And your dad came into the hospital after she gave birth alone and tricked her into signing her rights over to him.”

  Sofi snorted, the sound so unlike her. This wasn’t the Sofi I knew. This wasn’t the careful woman who overthought everything. “Lies. She’s a liar.”

  “Is she?” I raised a brow. “Because from where I’m sitting, she was a fuckin' child and your dad was a grown ass man who took advantage. Then he ripped away the only family she had.”

  “Believe what you want.” She stared at me, her eyes glazed over with not a single emotion. It was like I was staring at her dad. “She’s worthless. She’s nothing.”

  “No she’s not.” I took three steps back, knowing I needed to put some space between me and them. “You have no idea what she is because you never gave her a chance.”

  “And you do?” She slowly sat down, her anger waning to nothing, fizzling off into the atmosphere. She really didn’t care.

  “Yeah. I do.” I pushed my shoulders back, took one last look at Bradley and then her. I’d been a fool. I’d tried to fit myself into their perfect looking life, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

  I turned, not saying another word as I walked toward her apartment door.

  “Call me later when you’ve calmed down,” Sofi said as I opened the door. I didn’t grace her with a response. I didn’t need to. Because in that second, I knew she wasn’t the person I couldn’t live without. Everything happened for a reason, I was a firm believer in that. So maybe I had to be with Sofi for this very reason.

  A reason I couldn’t deny.

  A reason with ice-blue eyes that saw down into my soul.

  A reason with the name: Remi.

  Chapter Ten

  Remi

  Sometimes I liked to have the TV on and watch it without sound. It was a game I always liked to play to see if I could make out whatever was happening in the latest drama series. It also made me an expert at reading subtitles, which came in handy when I was streaming a Korean teen drama. They were my guilty pleasure, one I would never admit.

  The one playing now I’d watched about ten times. But I never got bored of it. I’d settled down with a bowl of popcorn and changed into my pajamas as soon as I’d gotten home this afternoon. And now the sky was darkening outside, I debated whether I should just go to bed or watch the last three episodes.

  “Fuck it,” I murmured, pulling my blanket up to my chin. Today wasn’t the first day I’d seen Sofi out and about, neither was it the first time she’d ignored me. But it was the first time I’d seen Rush since—

  Ba
nging on my door made me squeal, my popcorn going everywhere as it banged again. My eyes widened as I stared at it. No one ever came without telling me first.

  “Remi!” Bang. Bang. Bang. “I know you’re in there. Let me in.”

  I scrambled off the sofa, pushing the blanket aside and darting toward the door. “Rush?” I clicked the two locks and opened it a couple of inches. “What are you—”

  “Let me in,” he gritted out.

  I nodded, opening the door wider for him. He slammed the door closed, pressing his palms to it and not looking at me.

  “Rush? What are you doing here?”

  “I had to come,” he breathed out. “I couldn’t…” He stood upright, turning to face me. “I couldn’t stay away.”

  I held my hands up in front of him, backing away. “No.” My breaths sawed in and out as he followed me, not stopping until my back was against the wall. Only then did I realize I was only wearing a long T-shirt and my panties. It was what I always wore to bed. Had I known he was coming I would have...put more clothes on?

  “No?” He grinned, placing his hands on the wall on either side of my head. Not one part of our bodies were touching, but I felt him everywhere.

  “We can’t do this, Rush.” My voice was shaky. I didn’t believe me, and from the way his eyes flashed, he didn’t either.

  “Why?” He trailed his tongue over his bottom lip. “Why can’t we? I want you.” He pressed closer, but still didn’t touch me. “So fuckin' bad.”

  “But…” My thoughts drifted off. Logically I knew why we couldn’t do this, but when he was this close, his musky scent rolling around me and pulling me in, I couldn’t make sense of anything.

  His hand slid down the wall, halting at my neck, and finally—finally—he touched me. I groaned as his fingers attached to me, branding me.

  “Tell me to stop, baby,” he gritted out, pushing his entire body against mine. “Tell me to leave and I will.”

  I opened my mouth, but snapped it shut almost immediately. “Don’t,” I croaked out. “Don’t leave.”

  The tether holding him back snapped, and he dove for my lips. Bruising. Punishing. Demanding. I greedily lapped up all of him—all of us.

  His hands were everywhere, pulling at my T-shirt and throwing it behind him. His followed, along with his boots and jeans. We were a mess of hands, lips, and touches; neither of us wanted to give in.

  He dipped his head, pulling my nipple into his mouth and sucking it. My hand gripped his hair, needing him to stay there but also wanting his mouth on mine.

  “Rush,” I murmured, not sure what I wanted, but it didn’t matter because he had a mind of his own. He knew what he wanted, and knew what my body needed.

  He spread kisses over my stomach, slowly lowering until he was on his knees and face-to-face with my pussy. He dipped his head back, staring up at me as he hooked his fingers into the sides of my panties and drew them down to my ankles.

  “Fuck. You smell so good.”

  I gulped. It was too much to look at him, but I couldn’t stop staring if my life depended on it.

  He pushed his face between my legs, pulled in a deep breath, and groaned right into my pussy.

  My hands drifted upward and I tweaked a nipple as his tongue swiped along my pussy lips, teasing me. His hands gripped my ass, his fingers grasping me in a bruising grip as he lifted me easily.

  I automatically placed my legs on his shoulders, and as soon as I was opened up for him, he plunged his tongue between my lips, swiping through my clit, effortlessly finding the bundle of nerves waiting for him.

  “Yes. Right there,” I moaned out, slapping my hands on the wall.

  He sucked my clit into his mouth, lapping me up like I was the best thing he’d ever tasted.

  My back bowed as he let my clit go and swiped his tongue over it at the same time as he plunged two fingers inside me. His long digits made it all the way to my g-spot, and I wasn’t sure I could take much more. It was too much but not enough. I needed more but needed less.

  “I...I’m close,” I gasped out, feeling the burn low in my stomach. I was right there, on the edge of a cliff, about to plunge into the unknown.

  A scrape of his teeth then a lick with his flattened tongue was all I needed for the spark to turn into a roaring flame.

  I screamed, something I’d never done before, and gripped onto his hair, pushing my pussy farther into his face and riding the orgasm out.

  My body was sated, but as soon as he looked up at me, my juices covering his entire mouth, I was ready for more. I wasn’t sure it would ever be enough with him.

  “You’re fuckin' beautiful when you come,” he said, his voice so low and deep I felt it deep in my core.

  His hands slid up my body as he stood, not letting my legs down as he held me to him. His erection poked at my entrance, and with a quick tug of his boxers, he was entering me, filling me to the brim.

  He pumped inside me, creating his own bruising rhythm. I met him thrust for thrust, groaning every time the head of his cock hit my g-spot. My pussy tensed around him, greedily demanding more.

  “Fuck, baby. You feel like goddamn heaven.”

  “More.” I urged. Digging my nails into his shoulders. “Give me all of you, Rush.”

  He halted, his gaze finding mine. I knew he was looking for something, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I always kept myself closed off to people around me, but with him, I let the walls drop. I allowed him to see it all: the pain, the pleasure, the sadness, the happiness. I didn’t lock away a single emotion, and neither did he. He let me see how much he wanted me. He let me witness the insatiable need he had. And I drank it in like it was the last drop of water on Earth.

  “The moment I met you.” He paused, his cock jerking at his words. “I knew my soul had met its other half.” His chest heaved as he pulled in a breath, his hand gripping mine over his thumping heart. “There are no ifs or maybes when it comes to us, baby.” He pressed his entire body against mine, refusing to let me move, and I didn’t want to. This wasn’t just about the sex, I saw that now. He was baring himself to me in a way that no one else ever had. “It just is. You and me. Us. We are an us. We were always meant to be an us.” He placed his forehead to mine, his eyes shining with the truth of his words. “You can fight it as much as you want, but it won’t make a difference. Because this…” He tapped his hand over mine on his chest then placed his other hand over my heart. “This isn’t something I would ever walk away from.”

  I swallowed, not sure what to say, but I knew I couldn’t deny it. From the moment our eyes had met I knew that there had been something. I’d denied it then, and everything in me wanted to deny it now. But when he stared at me like that, refusing to take no for an answer, I gave in.

  I gave in to the truth surrounding us.

  I gave in on the fight I’d had since I was fifteen years old.

  I gave in on the notion that Sofi would ever let me in. Because she wouldn’t. She’d always see me as the bad guy. But doing this—being with Rush—would cement that to her.

  I opened my mouth, about to tell him all of this. Explain why this could never happen again, but I couldn’t speak the words. The syllables were lost on my tongue, refusing to come between us.

  “Tell me,” Rush begged. “Tell me I’m not the only one feeling this.”

  “You…” I pulled in a stuttering breath. “No.” I closed my eyes, afraid to look at him while I finally admitted the truth out loud. “You’re not the only one.”

  “Look at me, baby.” He pressed his finger under my chin, patiently waiting until I opened my eyes. “I’m ending it with her.” I blinked, my stomach dropping. “I should have ended it the first day I came here. That’s my mistake.” He pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. “I’ll never make that mistake again. You’re it for me, Remi. You’ll always be it for me.”

  My muscles loosened, tears pricking my eyes, but they weren’t sad. For the first time in my life, I finally felt like I was home.
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  It was him.

  Rush was my home, I just hadn’t known it until this moment.

  And I’d do anything to keep that home, even if it meant betraying the one person I never wanted to.

  “I…” I bit down on my bottom lip, knowing that no words would ever be good enough to explain it to him, so I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck and placed my lips against his. Sealing it with a kiss. Promising silently that it was me and him against the world.

  Rush and Remi.

  Us.

  About A. A. Davies

  A. A. Davies is the darker, alter ego of Abigail Davies.

  Abigail Davies grew up with a passion for words, storytelling, maths, and anything pink. Dreaming up characters—quite literally—and talking to them out loud is a daily occurrence for her. She finds it fascinating how a whole world can be built with words alone, and how everyone reads and interprets a story differently.

  Now following her dreams of writing, Abigail has found the passion that she always knew was there.

  Sign up for Abigail’s newsletter here

  Other Books by A. A. Davies

  Lorenzo Beretta

  (Abigail Davies. Unseen Underground Mafia Series)

  Verboten

  (Inferno World Novella)

  Easton Family Saga

  (Abigail Davies)

  Her Little

  J. M. Walker

  Prologue

  Jude

  Pale blue eyes stared back at me.

  “I don’t want this to end,” my wife whispered, cupping my face.

  “It’s not going to end.” I covered her hands with mine. “I’ll do everything to make you happy and fulfill your fantasies.”

  Mia looked away.