by M. S. Parker
I didn’t realize I’d passed out until I started waking up. My skin felt too tight, my muscles twitchy. But I could hear again, and what I heard was Jax.
“You’re fucking gorgeous when you come, my sweet Syll.”
He was really going to call me that. The thought made me smile.
“Welcome back, sunshine.”
I could live with that nickname too.
I opened my eyes and found Jax looking down at me. He brushed hair back from my face, and that was when I realized that my hands and feet were free. I frowned at him.
“What’s wrong?” Concern chased away happiness. “Was it too much?”
I shook my head. “Why’d you untie me? You didn’t come yet.”
I could feel his erection against the small of my back.
“You’re not used to being restrained for long periods of time.” He smiled again and kissed my forehead. “Believe me, as soon as you’re feeling up to it, I plan on seeing if I can make you pass out again.”
I sat up despite my quivering muscles and maneuvered myself until I was straddling his lap. “I’m feeling as…up as you are.” I reached down and caressed the thick shaft jutting up between us. Such soft skin over such a hard piece of flesh.
“Have you forgotten who’s in charge here?” His words were tough, but the heat in his eyes said this was part of who he was and what we were doing.
I shook my head and smiled. “Just tell me what to do.”
“Hands behind your back.”
I obeyed, and the position put my breasts on display. I refused to feel any sort of shame though. There was nothing wrong with what we were doing.
He buried a hand in my hair, yanking my head back until I was staring at the ceiling. “Don’t even think about disobeying this time.”
“Then you shouldn’t make punishments that are so much fun.”
He wrapped his free arm around my waist and lifted me. He bit my throat, making me curse, and then pulled me down on his cock, hard enough to make me cry his name.
“That’s right, my sweet Syll,” he practically growled in my ear. “Scream my name.”
And I did.
Until my throat was hoarse, and words no longer made sense.
But all of that was okay because he was there with me. The man I loved. I was pretty sure, at one point, I told him that, but if I hadn’t, I knew I’d tell him again soon. And more than once.
I was getting spoiled, waking up in Jax’s bed. It was Monday morning, and I’d been here since he brought me home on Saturday.
Home.
I didn’t have a home anymore.
Tears pricked at my eyelids, and I rolled over, unable to appreciate the luxury of the high-thread-count sheets as I thought about everything I’d lost.
I hadn’t gone back yet. The fire marshal hadn’t deemed it safe. I doubted there’d be anything left though. I’d seen it on the news Saturday evening, and it’d burned to the ground.
I let out a shaky breath. I wasn’t going to lay in bed and cry. I’d cried Saturday night, and Jax had held me. He hadn’t tried to tell me that it was okay, or anything like that. He’d been there, and that had been more than enough.
Yesterday had been a nice day, and it’d felt like we’d been a normal couple, spending the weekend together. But today was Monday. A work day. And I didn’t have a work to go to. And this wasn’t my home.
I knew he’d never kick me out, but he and I needed to have a serious talk about where things would go from here. I’d called Gilly to tell her what happened and that I was okay. She’d told me I could stay with her, but she had a one-bedroom apartment that would fit in Jax’s living room. Still, I at least had somewhere I could go if the situation started making things weird between Jax and me.
My phone rang, startling me. I’d shoved it into my pocket after I’d talked to Jax, so it’d survived the fire. Better than those clothes had, in fact.
I reached over and picked it up off the end-table. “Hello?”
“Miss Reeve, this is Detective Lambert.”
I sat up. “Yes?”
“We’ve gotten some new information on your case. It’s a bit much to go over on the phone, and we may have questions for you about it. Do you think you can come by this morning?”
I did a quick count of how long it would take me to shower, dress, and get to the station. “I can be there in thirty to forty-five minutes. Will that work?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.”
When I ended the call, I looked up to see Jax in the doorway.
“I thought you were going to the office.”
He shook his head. “I wanted to see what you were doing today and if you needed me. I hired good people for a reason.”
We’d done some clothes shopping for me yesterday, which meant I at least had some clothes to wear to the station that weren’t Jax’s, but there were things I needed to do. I just hadn’t expected Jax to be there. I wasn’t used to anyone being there anymore. Not like this, anyway.
“Detective Lambert wants me to come down to the station for an update, and maybe answer some questions.”
“I’ll come with you in case they want to talk to me too.” He paused, then sighed. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have invited myself along like that.” He crossed over to me and kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to be an overprotective ass sometimes. I’m working on it.”
I smiled and tilted my head back, so he could reach my mouth. The kiss was brief but thorough.
“I’ll be coming back here afterward,” I said. “I have to make a bunch of calls to schedule appointments and get information. The insurance company, all of the utilities, that sort of thing.”
He crouched down, so we were at the same level. “Would you like me to come with you?”
I hesitated, and he reached out to put his hand on my knee.
“Be honest with me. I want to be there for you, but if you don’t want me there, I won’t go.”
I took his hand and laced my fingers between his. “I’d like for you to come.”
He smiled and nodded. “Then it’s settled.”
Forty minutes later, we walked into the police station, hand in hand. We asked the woman at the desk where Detective Lambert was and we were sent back to an interview room for some privacy.
We went through all the usual small talk as we got settled in our seats, and then we waited for the detective to tell us why we were here.
“We picked up Billy Outhwaite early this morning,” he began. “He started blubbering before we could tell him that he was a person of interest, but not under arrest. He told us that he’s been passing along information to a ‘big scary guy’ who wanted to convince you to sell the bar. He said he’d been told to come to the bar where he found this ‘scary guy’ pouring gasoline on everything. He says he was trying to talk the man out of burning the bar down when you, Miss Reeve, came out of your office.”
Jax’s fingers tightened around mine, and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if he was comforting me, or if I was comforting him.
“He says the other man knocked you out. When he realized that the intention was to leave you in the bar after the fire was set, he tried to convince the other man to let him take you out, but his life was threatened. The man set the fire and headed toward the back of the bar, where Billy says there was an emergency back door. Afraid for his life, Billy ran, which is when you saw him, Mr. Hunter.”
That was a lot of information to take in.
Billy had left me to burn.
“Obviously, he’s lying.”
I looked up. “What?”
Detective Lambert gave me a strange look, as if I should already know this. “He’s clearly lying to cover his butt, and because he feels guilty. Now, he’s a coward, but if he set the fire, he’d be guilty not only of arson but of attempted murder. The alley that the emergency door led to was closed in. Anyone who went out that way would’ve been trapped.”
I shook my head. “Not necessarily.
The guy who assaulted me was big enough, he could’ve gotten over the fence, no problem. As for Billy, him running and leaving me to die, sadly isn’t that far-fetched. I’ve known him a long time, and as much as it hurts, I can believe that of him. I can’t believe he’d knock me out and set a fire where he’d intentionally kill me. Honestly, I don’t think he’s brave enough.”
“We’re not blowing it off completely,” the detective admitted. “We’re on the look-out for someone who matches the description Billy gave us, but for right now, I want you to know you can breathe easier because Billy’s in jail, and he won’t be getting out anytime soon. You’re safe.”
Thirty-Three
Jax
If Billy was released from jail any time soon, he would be wise not to come anywhere near Syll or me, because after hearing confirmation of what he’d done, I’d probably put him in the hospital. I knew the cops weren’t sure if he was lying about the involvement of another guy, but I tended to believe him. Not because I thought he was truthful, but because the man who’d hurt Syll before hadn’t been Billy. Then, there was the fact that I didn’t think Billy had the guts to do something like set the bar on fire, let alone with Syll in it. In my opinion, running away was just as bad, but it fit what I knew of his personality better than him being an active participant in murder.
I didn’t share any of this with Syll though. She hadn’t said much after we left the station, and I could tell she was still trying to work through what we learned. No words, no matter how carefully chosen, would be able to ease the pain of learning about Billy’s betrayal. Cheating, she could chalk up to immaturity, to sex, to not wanting to commit. Being involved in a plan to take her bar by any means necessary was something else entirely, especially since Billy had always known how important it was to her.
I squeezed her tighter and kissed the top of her head. Whatever she needed to do to process, I would help, even if it meant letting her do it alone. I wasn’t going to fuck this up again.
It was well past noon by the time we made it back to my house. I thanked our driver, and then followed Syll up the stairs to my door. I had to unlock it, so I didn’t notice that we weren’t alone until someone spoke.
“Don’t try anything stupid.”
The man had at least three or four inches on me, and a good fifty pounds or more. His face was the kind that screamed thug even without the scar running down the left side of his face. None of that was the reason I froze though. It was because he had a gun pointed right at Syll, and far too close for me to hope he’d miss if he pulled the trigger.
“I don’t keep much cash on hand, but I’ll give you what I have, as well as whatever else you want.” Even as I said it, I knew he wasn’t here to rob me.
“Let’s get a little further inside,” he said, gesturing with his gun. “I don’t want either of you getting any ideas about trying to run out the door.”
I gave Syll a gentle push, and she walked in front of me, allowing me to keep between her and the gun. My mind raced, trying to find an escape that didn’t end with us getting shot in the back.
We sat on the couch next to each other, and Syll reached over to take my hand. Her fingers were cold, and I gave her what I hoped was a comforting squeeze.
“All right. I need you to give me honest answers, or I’m going to have to get creative with my asking.”
He stood far enough away that he’d be able to react if I rushed him, but close enough that any shot was guaranteed to cause some damage.
“Where’s Outhwaite?” He looked at Syll. “Is the coward hiding?”
“He’s in jail,” I said quickly, drawing his attention back to me. “The cops picked him up earlier today. He’s told them about you. If you leave now, you can probably get a good head-start.”
The thug shook his head, his disgust written on his face. “I knew getting him involved was a bad idea. First, he starts saying how he’ll only give information, that he won’t get hands-on. Then, after the last time I visited you, he gets all pissy with me, trying to tell me how to do my job.” He rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead. “Fucking pussy started crying when I knocked you out, going on about how he hadn’t signed up for this.”
“Why?” Syll asked. “What’s so important about my bar? Or, I’m guessing it’s the land not the bar, because if you wanted the building, you wouldn’t have torched the place.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” the thug said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some folded papers. “Cuz you’re going to sign this.”
“The property’s worth is going to be going up soon because of some new developments in the area,” I explained quietly. “That’s how I found out about your bar. It was one of several businesses my grandfather wanted me to check out.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the thug cut in. “She’s going to sign over the property now.”
“Do you really think anything you make her sign under duress is going to hold up in court?” I asked, trying to get his eyes back on me. “Or are you hoping your boss will be satisfied enough that you’ll be able to cut and run before things get too complicated?”
“I told you to stay away from him.” The other man ignored me. “My boss sent a man with a nice offer, and you got plenty of warning. You didn’t listen. You don’t have anyone but yourself to blame.”
“Mr. Jones works for your boss too,” Syll said, glaring up at the thug. “I’m not signing shit.”
“You’ll sign, or I’ll shoot you both. I’ll start with him, and I’ll make it real painful.” The gun swung over toward me. “Two kneecaps and gut shot. That’s three chances for you to change your mind.”
“Fuck you,” Syll said with a smile.
He shrugged. “If that’s how you want to play it. I’m sure your sugar daddy here is going to be real pissed at you when his knee explodes.”
“Jax Hunter!” A woman’s voice came from the front door. “If you’re keeping my friend from answering her phone, I’m going to kick your…”
Whatever threat Gilly intended to make trailed off as she appeared in the doorway. Her wide eyes darted to me, to Syll, and then back to the gun.
I registered all of this as background information because as soon as the man turned away from Syll and me, I was on my feet. I grabbed the lamp from the table next to me and slammed it down on the thug’s head. For a moment, I thought it hadn’t done any good, but then he swayed, stumbled, and fell to the floor face-first. I kicked the gun to the other side of the room and put a knee in his back, just in case.
“What the fuck?” Gilly ran over to Syll.
“It’s okay,” Syll said. “It’s okay now. Thank you for distracting him.”
The blonde glared up at me. “Okay, I want to know what the fuck is going on here, and I want to know now. Syll gets beat up, and the bar burns down, and then I hear Billy’s been arrested, then this? I’ll say it again. What. The. Fuck.”
“It’s a long story,” Syll said as she let Gilly help her up. “But first we need to call the cops.”
Gilly looked down at the thug, drew back her foot, and kicked him in the head with the sort of kick I would’ve expected from a soccer player. If he hadn’t been out already, that would’ve done it.
I was tempted to ask her to do it again.
“Let’s wait outside,” Syll said, taking her friend’s arm.
“Good idea.” I met Syll’s eyes. “And after we call the cops, I’ll call a hotel for a suite.”
“A hotel?” Syll asked.
“Your place isn’t exactly livable, and mine’s about to be a crime scene,” I said wryly.
She blew out a breath. “Right.”
As I dialed 911, she bent down and kissed my cheek before snuggling against my side. I hated that she’d been hurt, but I couldn’t deny that I was finding the idea of my future a hell of a lot brighter than it had been before I’d met her.
Thirty-Four
Jax
It was good to be home, I thought as I left my
bedroom and headed downstairs to pick up my mail.
Technically, the police had cleared my place after just two days, but Syll and I had stayed at the hotel for the remainder of the week while my new security team installed new cameras, new locks, and a whole host of other security measures. I’d been promised that it all came with a money-back guarantee that no one would be able to bypass the security system. Their background checks were thorough, and their other customers satisfied.
We’d come back a week ago, and it still surprised me at how well the two of us had settled into living together. I’d never thought I’d want to live with anyone, but with Syll, it felt natural. We teased and bickered, but I didn’t feel like she was intruding on my space. In fact, I loved that she’d already found little ways to make her presence known.
Her shampoo and soap in the master bathroom. Her toothbrush next to mine. The new clothes I’d talked her into letting me buy – she insisted that she’d pay me back, but I wasn’t going to let her – and her shoes by the front door. A copy of an Ursula K Le Guin book on the end table on her side of the bed.
Now I just had to convince her that I wanted her to stay…and hope that’s what she wanted too. I had a plan for today, and it was making me jumpy, even after I’d worked out some of the tension in my personal gym, first with some weight lifting, and then by bending Syll over the weight bench and fucking her senseless.
She was currently in the master bathroom, showering after the unplanned sex marathon in the gym. I’d used the shower there because now that things were getting down to the wire for me to put my plan into place, I was worried that I’d spoil the surprise if I’d climbed into the shower with her.
At least things were going well with the investigation. Billy had cut a deal and positively identified the thug as the man who’d hired him. In turn, the thug had flipped on Mr. Jones, who’d named a less-than-scrupulous rival of mine as his employer. More than likely, none of them would end up in court, which was more than fine by me as long as they served time. I didn’t want Syll to have to deal with those guys any longer than necessary.
