Love and Lead

by June, CoraLee

  I reluctantly smiled, feeling thankful that I was capable of calming him down but also worried that his head wasn’t in the game. I didn’t know what he needed.

  Ryker bent down to whisper something in Blaise’s ear, making them both smile, and I wondered what he said. “You got yourself a deal,” Blaise said in a louder voice before holding his hand out for Ryker to shake it. They shared conspiratory smiles, then everyone filtered out and stood on the other side of the curtain, giving us the illusion of privacy, even though they all could hear us.

  “What did Ryker tell you?” I asked before sauntering over to Blaise and sitting on his lap. I draped my legs over his thighs and leaned on his shoulder. My lips were just inches from his skin, and I ached to reach out and touch them. I almost had to laugh. I knew everything there was to know about Blaise Bennett, and here I was, not knowing what he needed or how to help him.

  “He said he’ll let me watch him fuck you if I win,” Blaise replied with a chuckle before lifting my chin and kissing me deeply, sweeping his tongue over my bottom lip before pulling at my ponytail. I then didn’t think about the fight or the troubles ahead. I thought of nothing but his tongue gracefully stroking mine.

  I cursed the skinny black jeans I was wearing, wishing that he could move his other hand between my thighs to touch me. “I guess you should win then,” I said before pulling away to stare at him. As much as I wanted to spend these next few minutes kissing him, I knew that it would just get him worked up.

  “You worried about me?” Blaise asked while staring at me. There was a vulnerability hidden within his question that made me pause. What did this fight actually mean to him? I knew he wanted to help our group, but there seemed to be something deeper in his motivations.

  “A little,” I admitted, wondering if I was ruining his ego right before a fight.

  “I’m going to try to channel Ryker’s bullshit wisdom and tell you something profound and meaningful, okay?” Blaise said while rocking his legs a bit, bouncing me up and down.

  He let out a shaky exhale, making his face go into that calm, introspective expression I’d come to expect from Ryker. “Just because I choose not to fight often, doesn’t mean I can’t. So many men used to knock my mom around that I decided never to be like that. Relying on your body to get what you want is weak. I’d rather observe a room. I’d rather charm the world and hit them in the gut with my honesty.”

  I looked down at the concrete floor with apprehension, feeling bad that he was being dragged into something he hated. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

  “I’m not telling you this so you’ll feel bad for me, Sunshine. I’m telling you this because when you watch me out there, I want you to remember that that's not who I am. It’s...important to me.”

  My heart sank, it plunged into my stomach and made my heart swell with love for this man. “Of course. You’re not like those men, Blaise. And I’m not like your mom.”

  For a moment, he went silent, looking me over in that thoughtful way I loved. “Well God, I hope not!” Blaise joked, all seriousness fleeing his tense body as he resumed rocking me.

  We were both quiet for a moment, each enjoying the company of one another while the crowd grew louder and louder outside. Music was playing, it was a classic rock song. “Well, I’m glad we had this talk. Now I know I don’t have to hold back,” Blaise said while gently lifting me off his lap and standing while cradling me in his arms.

  “Hold back?” I asked, seeking clarification. “Were you holding back when you practiced with Ryker?”

  Blaise’s eyes twinkled with a newfound confidence that made me blossom with want and appreciation. “I have the fight to win. I’m dying to see you fuck Ryker’s mouth with your pretty cunt.”

  * * *

  The room eerily reminded me of the Bullets’ fight club back in Chesterbrook. It was a small building, and everyone was crowded around us, the smell of pot, smoke, and sweaty BO filling my lungs as we thronged the small circle where Blaise and his opponent would bare-knuckle box. Ryker explained to me that this would be different than the MMA fighting he did. There were some rules, and both people were mainly supposed to use fists.

  “Blaise doesn’t have the lower body strength to do MMA,” he said before whistling at Callum, trying to get his attention. “It’ll be bloodier than what you’re used to, but I promise he’ll be okay,” Ryker added.

  Callum then grabbed my hand, pulling my attention over to Gavriel, who was standing stiff as people kept pushing into him. Callum positioned me on his other side, placing me behind Gavriel to help block him from the other drunk people shifting and touching him. I looked at Callum. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the fight or the anxiety over Blaise, but a surge of energy filled me, and I pushed up on my tiptoes to press my lips to his in a brash moment of passion.

  He immediately deepened the kiss, like I was his last breath and he was gasping for my air, filling his lungs with me and only me. I didn’t realize how starved he was for my affection, but the intensity with which he responded to me made me regret not kissing him sooner.

  “Thank you,” he said breathlessly while pulling away. He dipped lower and rested his forehead against mine as the crowd screamed around us.

  There wasn’t any microphone or mass production to the fight. No overzealous MC wanted to stand in the middle to introduce the fighters. The only reason I knew Blaise’s opponent’s name was because people kept chanting it. Killer Kelly. He was about Blaise’s height and had sweat dripping down the grooves in his stomach. Not a single tattoo kissed his skin, but he had track lines covering his arms.

  “He’s a user.” I was standing up on my tiptoes to whisper into Gavriel’s ears from behind.

  “Yeah. Hopefully, he’s not high right now,” he replied, but the lack of confidence in his voice made me shake with adrenaline and fear.

  I could have counted the dots lining his veins.

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five...

  I accidentally brushed against Gavriel’s back, and he turned to look at me, noticing the way I was shaking. “He’s going to be okay, Mrs. Moretti,” he said in a calm voice. “I’ve seen Blaise fight. He used to be shitty, but over the years, we’ve taught him a thing or two.”

  Gavriel stared at Callum for a moment and nodded before pulling me into his chest and wrapping his arms around me. Callum then positioned himself at Gavriel’s back, protecting him from the crowd.

  Gavriel was gritting his teeth but leaned forward to speak in my ear. “Two years ago, Blaise killed a man,” Gavriel explained while the fight started. I gasped in shock. Killed?

  Blaise dived towards Kelly, stealing the first punch. I watched his opponent’s skin ripple on impact. Blaise didn't even flinch or shake out his fist, despite the power behind it. I noticed his knuckles had turned a bright shade of red.

  “We had a lead that you were in Texas. My private investigator was sure that it was you, so Blaise raced there and busted this little hole in the wall happy endings parlor. Apparently, the owner was a shitty man, and even though Blaise didn’t find you—which I’m not too upset about, if I’m being honest—he was determined to get the rest of those women out of there. Most of them were underage, and all of them were there against their will, high off the drugs the owner was pumping through their system.”

  My mouth dropped open in complete shock as Blaise darted forward once again and landed two more punches, one to Kelly’s cheek and another to the stomach, making his big frame bend over and grab his middle. There was a man beside me sneaking closer to the circle, too enthralled by the fight and the blood now dripping from Blaise’s knuckles to realize how close he was.

  “He called me, and I offered to send him some men. You know I’m not about that shit. Sex trafficking disgusts me,” Gavriel said, going rigid behind me. “But Blaise didn’t want to wait. He stormed in and beat the shit out of the owner and his two guards without a second thought. One ran away, one got knocked out, but the owner? Blaise didn't stop until hi
s body was broken, completely broken. He didn’t stop until he was dead.”

  Blaise surged forward again after receiving a punch to the jaw. He was staggering a bit, sweaty hair sticking to his forehead as he blinked and tried to right himself. He was powerful, and I watched each muscle, each ounce of strength being poured out for us.

  “Blaise thinks that fists are for weak men that are overcompensating for something else, and I can’t blame him. He’s had a shitty childhood. I guess we all have,” Gav added.

  Blaise tried to punch again, but Kelly blocked him. “I think in many ways, he’s better than me. But when pushed, he’s lethal.” The man next to me shoved closer, jolting me out of Gavriel’s arms and knocking into Gav like he was nothing. I looked at my mob boss from the ground, crying out when I realized that I’d landed on a broken beer bottle and sliced my arm. It was a shallow cut but was bleeding a lot.

  “You okay?” Callum asked us both as Ryker surged forward and grabbed the offender’s arm, shoving him away before helping me up. The blood trailed down my arm, dripping onto the floor.

  Ryker, not really knowing what was happening, picked me up and cradled me to his chest. I protested, not really feeling like it was that big of a deal. It didn’t even hurt, not really.

  He maneuvered us through the crowd, bringing us forward and on the edge of the ring, right where Blaise was struggling to hold his own. His knuckles were covered with red. For a moment, he peered at me, eyes going wide with blinding hot anger when he saw the blood coating my arm.

  And that was how Blaise won the fight. He was done playing games. He was done dancing around punches. He lunged into each hit, avoiding the apparent sting in his knuckles as Ryker carried me away from the fight and back towards the area where Blaise prepped for the match.

  “I’m fine,” I said again, squirming so that I could go back to the fight. I needed to see that Blaise was okay.

  “Let's let Blaise think you aren’t for a minute or two,” Ryker said with a grin as the entire crowd went wild. I couldn’t see what was happening, but apparently, it was significant because everyone was jumping and screaming.

  Oh shit. “Is he okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah, Sunshine. I think he is. I also think you and I are going to have an audience tonight,” Ryker added with a laugh.

  I bit the inside of my cheek, excited by that prospect but still not wholly sure that Blaise was okay. Ryker sat me down in the ready room and pulled out a dirty first aid kit that looked like it was haphazardly thrown together for moments like this.

  “Uh, is that sanitary?” I asked, half joking and half praying it wasn’t going to give me hepatitis.

  Ryker coughed back a laugh while rolling his eyes, pulling out antiseptic and a bandaid. The cut was on my outer arm, where I landed. It wasn’t anything significant but still stung a bit when he applied the cream to it.

  The crowd screamed louder. “You better be right,” I said. The curtain slid open, and Callum walked inside, followed by Gavriel who was grinning ear to ear. The crowd screamed once more.

  “Shouldn’t one of you be watching to make sure he’s okay?” I asked while going to stand, but Ryker circled his arms around me, prohibiting me from moving.

  “He’s definitely okay,” Gavriel said with a laugh.

  More screams and shouts of approval, jumping bodies and footsteps could be heard outside the curtain. I scrunched my face in anger, pissed that they wouldn’t let me go see.

  Then, the crowd’s excitement hit a crescendo, and I had to clutch my ears to stop the ringing. It took two heartbeats, and the curtain was pushed to the side, being knocked so hard that it was nearly ripped from the loops holding it up.

  “Sunshine?” Blaise called. Blood was dripping down his nose, and I knew it would need to be reset. His knuckles were covered in sweat and bright blood. There was a deep cut on his side, and the skin was already swelling. His eyes searched the room, and he stalked towards me once his hazel irises landed on me, making me shiver.

  His strides were aggressive, but he paused right in front of me, as if realizing that could potentially be frightening me, but I didn’t flinch. “I’m okay,” I said in a steady voice as Ryker dropped his hands and let me stand. Gavriel was standing behind Blaise next to Callum with his arms crossed over his chest, smirking at the way my bounty hunter's entire body was shaking from the extra adrenaline.

  “I’m okay,” I said again before shifting closer to Blaise, allowing him to wrap his bloody arms around me and hold me close.

  “I couldn’t really see you. The crowd was too dense, and I had to keep my eyes locked on Kelly, the slippery fucker. I just saw blood, and everyone disappeared. You scared the shit out of me,” Blaise chided before resting his chin on my head.

  “You can blame the guys for that. I was fine, but I guess they wanted to capitalize on your Hulk-like tendencies.”

  Blaise shuddered as he held me for another moment, not saying a word and letting his racing heart and gasping lungs settle in my embrace. “You’re getting blood all over her,” Callum said while tapping Blaise on the shoulder.

  “Do I look like I give a fuck?” Blaise growled out, remnants of his brute force still echoing through his muscles.

  “Let us take care of you. We’ll be sure to keep your woman in plain sight, caveman,” Ryker said. “Good job, by the way. You seem to work best under pressure. You should fight more often.”

  “Absolutely not,” Blaise and I said at the same time. I might have been working on not putting my men into pretty little boxes and assigning them roles in my life, but I refused to let Blaise become something he hated.

  Ryker fought to get his demons out. Gavriel fought for power. Blaise would only fight for the people he loved, and I was someone he loved deeply.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Seven thousand dollars.

  That's how much we’d won, thanks to Blaise. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, his body looked spent. He was hunched over in the minivan, rolling his head and trying to keep his hands on a melted bag of ice.

  Once we got our money, we got out of there fast. Some wanted to sign Blaise up for another fight, and some looked at Ryker a little too closely, making me wonder if he should have come along at all.

  “You doing okay?” I asked Blaise while shifting closer in my seat to Callum. Since the kiss at the fight, Agent Mercer had been looking for any and every excuse to touch me. And I liked it.

  Once I tore down the initial barrier, Callum was all in. Gavriel watched the two of us with a pleased expression, or at least, as pleased as was possible for the grumpy asshole. He kept giving me lingering looks, and I wondered how my angry man could be so...considerate?

  “I’m fine. Don’t think I’m letting Ryker skip out on his deal,” Blaise said before leaning back in his seat and pushing his feet out. I laughed, and my cheeks turned pink. I’d been such a mess these last few weeks, I didn’t feel sexy at all and definitely didn’t feel prepared for something with the group.

  “What deal?” Callum asked.

  Ryker chuckled darkly. "I figured you'd be passed out or wouldn't remember," he replied to Blaise, ignoring Callum's question and shrugging while glancing at us through the rearview mirror.

  “Like hell I’d miss out on that!”

  I squirmed in my seat, feeling my face flush as Blaise placed a bloody hand on my upper thigh, rubbing my leg as he slowly turned to face Callum, who was eyeing where his hand was with barely contained envy.

  “And to answer your question, Agent Mercer, I’m going to watch Ryker get a mouth full of Sunshine. You’re welcome to join in. I know you only pretend to be vanilla.”

  Callum swallowed deeply as the minivan came to a stop at the motel, and a heady awareness fell over everyone in the van.

  For a few moments, no one moved. It was like we all knew what was on the other side of these sliding minivan doors. We needed someone to tell us it was okay to want the unspoken sexual tension between us all.

  And
when it came to being in charge, there was only one man fit for the job: Gavriel Motherfucking Moretti. I trusted him with my body—my soul.

  “Get out of the car,” he ordered before opening the passenger side door and shifting out of his seat. I was out in an instant, clutching Callum’s chest and peering up at him, praying that he’d go along with this. I needed them all. Together.

  Then right there, in the parking lot, while the moon was shrouded by clouds, and the chilly air kissed my blood-stained skin, Callum Mercer kissed me. His kiss felt like the sweetest surrender. It wasn’t giving up—no—it was giving in. Callum was drinking in all those delicious desires he had.

  His hands grabbed my ass, and I heard a groan from somewhere behind me as he lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me to our room, kissing me while Gavriel unlocked the motel door and we all filed inside.

  “Put her down, Callum,” Gavriel said, and I noticed that there was a fortifying sense of power behind his words that wasn’t there before. He was practically overflowing with that mouth-watering influence that made him seem to tower over everyone. Callum did as he was told—reluctantly. And when my feet hit the carpeted floor of the motel, my legs shook.

  I watched as Blaise sat down in his chair, obviously exhausted but keeping his eyes glued to me. I breathed in the smell of smoke that seemed to stick to every surface of the room, the permanent lingering of tobacco from years of smokers staying here. The smell, combined with my lust, taunted me with addiction.

  “You did well tonight, Blaise. We’ve been looking for an excuse to do this, haven’t we? Seems right your needs bring us all to our knees,” Gavriel said before pouring himself a glass of water and sitting down.

  I was nervous. This felt forced, but it didn’t change how much I wanted it. This was always where we were supposed to end up, wasn’t it?