Laying here with hernaked body pressed against me stirs something deep inside. An emotion I pushed away out of fear of letting someone get too close. For the first time in a long time, I’m not afraid to let her see who I am. She’s as broken as I am. She’s haunted by her past, but I see her, the real her. If we can trust each other with our sinful deeds, we could be something amazing.
My erection strains against her soft skin. I’ve taken her several times, but I still want more. Her arms curl around my neck, there’s a serene smile on her swollen lips. She’s fully sated, but I can’t resist the urge to take her again. I press my lips to hers. She parts them, letting me ease my tongue into her warm, soft mouth. Our tongues swirl in slow, gentle circles. There’s no need to rush. What she needs from me tonight is tenderness and intimacy that I’m willing to give her. There’s nothing I would deny her. I cup the back of her head to deepen our connection. Her body doesn’t need coaxing, she’s ready for me again. She drapes her leg over my hip, allowing me to slide inside her. I gently ease in and out of her warm pussy while she slowly rocks her hips up. Each painstakingly slow stroke drives us both closer to the edge. The sensation is overwhelming, my cock is overly sensitive from hours of making love to her, the way she needs me to. I reach between our molded bodies, applying pressure to her swollen clit, and she cries out with desire. Instantly succumbing to the pleasure, she weakens in my arms, her body shuddering with the intensity. I empty into her again, dropping my face into the curve of her neck. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, the scar tissue tight under her nails. “How did you get the scar?” she asks.
I hate feeling vulnerable but being this close to her makes it easy. “I told you about Amera already, but what I left out was how her betrayal gutted me. Not only did she leave me looking like a fool, she cost a lot of good men their lives. I was drinking myself stupid in the aftermath. Hellbent on revenge but not willing to risk anymore of my brothers because of my mistake. I took off after her and the gang she was running with to settle the score. I ended up in Boston. I was tight with the Carracci family even back then. The Don of the family, Vincent Carracci, had a soft spot for me. He helped me track her down. Long story short, by the time I found her, Nitty Ninez and his thugs had killed her. I went after them but only took out a few of his crew before getting stabbed. Vinny’s nephew Cal saved my life and convinced me to put my revenge on hold until I recovered. I returned home to my club where I belonged. With Cal’s help, we got our revenge and my brothers and I took those fuckers out.”
She listens intently, taking in every word. Not one thing I say makes her flinch or coil away. She understands me and this club. She accepts us for who we are, even if our hands are bloody.
Her body shivers from my touch. As we lay there, I trace my fingers across the tattoo on her rib cage. “I want to know every inch of your body. Tell me what these mean to you.” My fingers follow the tapestry of broken branches, each holding a small black bird.
Her body tenses, but I pull her closer with the arm wrapped under her. She lets out a heavy sigh, stammering a few times before she finds her voice, although it’s weak and cracking, “Each one is a death I’m responsible for.”
My fingers graze her skin, circling the first bird at the highest point of the branch, “Who’s this one?”
“That’s me. It’s a symbol of who I was before I let Adam into my life.”
Tracing further down the branch, I pause on the next one, “And this one?”
Tears well up in her eyes, “Garrett. I went to him for help after Adam almost killed me that night, but he couldn’t help me. While I slept, Adam must have shot him on his front lawn and left him for dead. By the time I found him, it was too late. Adam set me up to take the fall. The cops were there so fast, I didn’t have time to think. They found me over his body, with his blood on me and a gun in my hand. Adam wanted them to think I did it, so I ran. I’ve been on the run ever since. I’m wanted for murder.”
I make a silent vow to rectify that situation for her before I put Adam six feet under. “And the smallest floating above them both?”
Her tears fall freely, now. “My baby, Paige,” she sobs in my arms and my heart breaks. “It was the first time Adam ever hit me. Afterwards, I waited for him to leave and strapped her into the car seat in the back of my car. I couldn’t let him hurt her too. We didn’t make it far before my car careened off the road. I could hear her crying. I tried my hardest to get to her, but I was pinned under glass and there was blood everywhere. My head, my arms, my wrists. I must have passed out because next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. Adam told me Paige was dead.”
Her sobs are uncontrollable now, the heartache unbearable. All I can do is hold her tight and listen. “I never even got to hold her or see her again. Adam had her tiny body cremated before I even woke up. Who does that?” She draws the word Paige along the scars on her wrist with the tip of her finger, reminding me of the engraving on her bracelet. It all comes together now. That’s why the bracelet means so much to her. Not because it hides the scars, but because it reminds her of what she’s lost. “Things got so much worse after that. I tried to make a clean break from him, but he wouldn’t let me. He didn’t want me anymore, but he had to keep me close to punish me. He never missed the opportunity to tell me it was all my fault while his fist pounded into my face. But it wasn’t. I know it wasn’t. I remember seeing the headlights coming straight for me. Someone ran us off the road.”
I gently kiss the side of her face, tasting the salty tears on my lips. I can’t give her back what she lost, but I can help with her pain. “It’s no wonder you find it hard to trust anyone, but you’re safe with me. I will never judge you or bring you pain. I want to protect you. Not because you’re weak but because you’re worth protecting.”
I kiss her again, holding her close to my chest. My cock pulses with the same need that has been tugging at me all night when a knock on the door forces me to pull away. Growling at the interruption, I swing my legs off the bed. Standing up, I yank on my jeans and walk toward the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch her tugging the sheet up to cover her tits with the soft fabric. Her hair is a mess and there’s a rosy blush on her cheeks, she’s fucking beautiful. I wish I never had to leave this bed, but duty calls.
Yanking open the door, I growl at Cobra, “What?”
“Diablo’s here with the package.”
Chapter 27
Chainz
