Mona raised an eyebrow, “It doesn’t feel good, does it?”
“No,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes. “Please, Mona.”
“If I give you the baby back, am I going to be swarmed with cops? Are you sending me back to jail? What’s the plan? I saw Ryder around the corner.”
Shit. Of course that was the plan.
“No, of course not,” I lied.
“I tried to go away,” she said. “I tried to go to Mexico, but I felt like I needed to really try to talk to Libby one more time before I could go on with my life.”
“She’s not ready, Mona,” I said. “She’s still so young.”
“Right. So, what’s the plan? Woman to woman. Just tell me the truth. What happens after I give you the baby back?”
I stared across the table at her, my heart breaking for her. Sure, she’d kidnapped my baby and given me a concussion and days worth of torturous worry, but in this moment, she just looked vulnerable and sad.
Her life had gone so wrong.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel responsible for the beginning of that.
“Mona, I’m sorry,” I said, the words falling out of my mouth in a rush. “I do feel responsible for what happened to you, you need to know that. If I could go back and change everything, I would. But I can’t. And neither can you when it comes to Libby. We both made our decisions and we’re living with them.”
“Thank you for saying that,” she said.
“Because of that, I’m going to be real with you and do something that is going to make me seem a little crazy. I’ll protect you. I’m good at it. I can give you an entirely new identity, set you up somewhere else, you can start over, you can have a new life. It’s what I do. It’s how I help people. Well, not just me, but my organization, Solid Ground.”
Mona stared at me for a minute, her head cocked to the side as she listened, before bursting out in laughter, which woke up Sadie. Her cry made my skin crawl, I needed to hold her so badly.
“You fool,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t you know who I am? I can do all that for myself. I don’t need you, Grace. I certainly don’t need your help. Don’t you think you’ve done enough in my life?”
“I’m sorry,” I said. Of course she didn’t need me. Look at her. “Okay, well what I can do is call off the hounds. Just give me Sadie, and walk out the door and I’ll make sure the cops don’t come looking for you. I’ll make sure the Gods don’t either.”
“That’s all I need from you,” she said. “The rest I can handle on my own. Really, it’s the least you can do, don’t you think?”
“Sure,” I nodded. It was true. And honestly, I never wanted to see this woman’s face again. If I had her arrested, there would be a trial and more jail time and this whole nightmare would never end. “I just want to take my baby home. Just give her to me, and leave. We’ll never have to see each other again.”
She stared at me over the table, before finally nodding.
“Drive south out of town, Ryder will never see you. I’ll tell the cops you weren’t involved. I’ll tell them someone left the baby somewhere for me to just pick up. Just go, Mona.”
She stood up and placed Sadie in my arms. My heart flooded with relief and tears began streaming down my face.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“She’s a good kid,” she said. “Take care of her.”
And just like that, she was gone.
And Sadie was back where she belonged. She immediately stopped crying as soon as she looked up at me and I smothered her in kisses and tears, ignoring the looks I was getting from the other customers.
I didn’t care.
I had my baby back.
I practically skipped back to Ryder.
He embraced the two of us like we’d been gone forever.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion.
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “Let’s go home.”
“What about Mona?”
“She wasn’t there. She left the baby at the coffee shop.”
“We should call the cops now.”
“No, later. Let’s just go home. I just want to go home.”
I pulled Sadie close and we walked to our car, our little family finally complete.
CHAPTER THIRTY
MONA
Silence.
I’d always been bothered by silence.
Even when I’m working, I need music playing.
Sitting on the bed of my hotel, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle the silence. I needed something to keep me busy and now that the baby was gone, I had nothing.
Nothing but me, and my own thoughts.
Zane was dead. He was my only true companion.
And Libby didn’t want to have anything to do with me.
I didn’t want to have anything to do with my mother, so calling her up wasn’t appealing in the least.
All I wanted was Libby.
I turned on the television to distract myself, but it didn’t work.
I had no idea what to do now. The last few days I’d concentrated on what I’d say to Libby and now that I didn’t have the chance to express myself, I was still left thinking about her. So much was left undone.
How could I possibly move on?
Grace got to move on, though. She got her baby. She got her life.
And I got what I always had —nothing.
I had my art, that was something, I guess. I contemplated just heading back to my apartment in Portland and picking up where I’d left off. I could easily obtain a few commissions to give myself something to work on. My email was full of offers that I’d yet to reply to.
My heart just wasn’t in it.
I pulled out my phone and flipped through all the pictures of Libby that I’d downloaded from her social media sites. She was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen.
“I made her,” I mumbled, with a faint smile, my finger running over the screen. “She’s mine. All mine.”
Grace said she needed time. Maybe that was true.
I could be patient.
I could wait, at least a little longer.
I was still convinced she was just being stubborn. Once she heard what I had to say, she’d understand. She’d forgive me.
And if she forgave me, then we could begin again.
It was all so easy.
I could fix this.
I just needed a chance.
Now that I’d convinced Grace to let me go without pressing charges against me, I had the chance, and time, that I needed to get my girl back.
I’d win her love eventually, even if it killed me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
LIBBY
I’d never seen so much collective happiness in one place in my life.
When Grace and Ryder arrived with Sadie nestled snuggly in Grace’s arms, there was a ripple of simultaneous relief and happiness that quickly spread through the compound and immediately turned into a huge celebration.
After a long session of the Gods and their partners cooing over Sadie and many hugs and manly pats on the back, the party really swung into gear.
Slade and Riot started a huge bonfire while someone turned the volume up on the stereo. Soon, the booze was flowing and the mood was festive.
Julia and I got swept up in it all immediately. It was contagious.
Bullet and I lingered near each other, exchanging secret looks, the promise of more to come hanging heavy between us. The bonfire grew throughout the night, until it was as big as a small house, sparks flying through the air around us like fireflies.
Slade and Diana held hands as they sat on the porch, their little boy asleep next to them. Riot and Lacey were pretty drunk, with Lacey laughing while watching Riot throw more wood on the fire. Frankie and Wreck snuck off into the woods at least an hour earlier and still hadn’t returned. Julia and Colt found a dark corner to snuggle into and I didn’t want to know what was going on i
n that corner.
Bullet and I found ourselves in a quiet moment alone, staring at the fire together.
“Julia seems to be having a great time,” Bullet said.
“I know,” she said. “Everyone’s so happy.”
“Are you?” he asked, turning to me, his eyes growing serious. “It’s all over for you now, Libby. You don’t have to worry about Mona anymore. Are you happy now?”
“It’s hard not to be happy here. At least tonight,” I replied. “And yes, I guess you’re right. I don’t have to worry anymore. I can be happy. Maybe I will be. When I go home, I mean.”
The thought of home was quickly pushed away. Tonight was almost perfect and I didn’t want it to end.
Bullet reached over and wrapped his hand around mine, pulling me closer to his side.
“I’m happy,” he said, smiling down at me. “In case you were wondering.”
I smiled up at him and nodded. “I’m glad.”
“Aren’t you going to ask why?”
I laughed, nodding. “Okay. Why?”
He grew serious again.
“It’s because you’re here.”
I smiled up at him, squeezing his hand. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t really know what to do. All I knew was that I wanted to be with him.
Right now. Right here. Tonight.
“Is there somewhere we can go to be alone?”
The words fell out of my mouth before I fully thought them out, and good thing, too, or they never would have made it past my lips if I had thought about it for another two seconds.
But once they were, hanging in the air like a bomb about to explode, there was no bringing them back.
Bullet’s eyes smoldered, dilating with lust, the heat rolling off him.
He nodded once, his mouth set into a determined line. He turned, pulling me with him by my hand that he was now firmly clutching. I allowed him to guide me through the darkness along the trail that led to the small cabins behind the main clubhouse. Dimly lit by the pale moonlight alone, the trail was quiet and secluded. We walked for a while, until I was beginning to think Bullet was just going to take me against a tree, before he finally stopped in front of a tiny cabin at the end of a big group of cabins.
“We all live back here,” he said. I knew this, of course. I’d been here before. But in my clouded lust-filled, drunken brain, I’d forgotten momentarily. But as soon as he opened the door, all those memories came rushing back.
I remembered when he’d first come home from the hospital, helping him get settled and comfortable in bed. We’d made love then, but we were both so careful back then. Gingerly touching each other, worried about his wounds.
But now he was all healed up.
And he wasn’t worried about a damned thing.
As soon as the door closed, we were engulfed by the darkness of the cabin, the moonlight no longer lighting our way. He didn’t stop to turn on the light.
He pushed me against the closed front door, his lips crashing into mine. My hands danced over his body, the ripples and contours of his muscles sliding under my fingers. His kiss was white-hot — hard and passionate, months of unleashed lust finally finding release.
His tongue dove deeply into my mouth, searching for the connection we were both so hungry for. I kissed him back just as intensely, languishing in the feel of his embrace. Our hands pushed at our clothing, pulling and tugging until both of our clothes lay in a disheveled pile at our feet.
He sank to his knees in front of me, diving between my legs, his mouth hot and hungry. I melted under his assault on my center, gasping and moaning loudly, the sound of my cries breaking through the darkness. I reached down, my fingers sinking into his hair, pressing him harder into me, wanting more, wanting everything…
“Bullet, please,” I begged, “don’t stop.”
He didn’t.
He licked and sucked and deftly brought me to the edge of ecstasy, until I was screaming and writhing under his touch. He stood quickly, slipping between my thighs, his cock sliding into me quickly, thrusting into me with strong, sure strokes that left me quivering.
With trembling fingers, I held onto his broad shoulders, his mouth finding mine as he slammed into me harder and faster.
Panting and sweaty, we exploded together as we held onto each other with the pure intention of never letting go.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
BULLET
I woke up with Libby snuggled against my chest, my arms wrapped tightly around her. Her breathing was steady and sure, and if I wasn’t holding her I would have pinched myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming again.
Last night was the best night of my life. We made love till dawn, until the sweet chorus of bird song announced the rising of the sun. And then, we fell asleep — blissfully content.
Now that I was awake, my body was begging for more.
I groaned at my painful erection, throbbing hotly beneath the sheets. Ignoring the yearning, I stayed quiet and still, determined not to wake her up before she was ready, merely for my own needs.
Instead, my head spun with questions.
What would today bring?
Where would the love flowing between us take us?
Would Libby wake up, sober and clear-headed, regretting our night together? I wanted to convince her we weren’t so different. In bed, it was obvious. But in the light of day, I knew she might still be conflicted.
So, I made a plan.
I’d do my best to show her that I could fit into her world. I’d take her out, get dressed up, try not to be such a bumbling behemoth and show her that we were meant to be together, despite our differences.
But what if I failed?
I pushed that thought away as much as I could, determined to stay optimistic. Part of me didn’t want her to wake up, not for a long time, so I could keep holding her, before the harshness of reality came rushing back into our lives.
After last night, I needed her.
To be honest, I’ve needed her all this time, since the moment I met her, since the moment I first kissed her in that dirty basement with a pile of rotting apples in the corner. But now that she was here? In my arms? In my bed?
How could I ever let her go?
She stirred with a tiny little moan, looking up at me, her raven hair tumbling over her face, her lips still swollen from our kisses. She smiled the sweetest smile, my heart breaking wide open as I stared down at her, the morning light streaming through the window and dancing across her face.
“Morning,” she whispered, her voice husky and ragged from sleep.
I kissed her, my lips gently brushing against hers in answer. Under the covers, her thighs wrapped around mine, pressing herself into me.
I moaned, kissing her again, deeper, searching for the answer I needed. She wrapped her arms around me as I pulled myself over her, sliding into her as she wrapped her entire body around me.
Her moans drifted over us I sank into her over and over, her body opening to me, welcoming, warm, inviting.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
LIBBY
Bullet made me feel beautiful.
He looked at me with this gentle awe, his touch alternating between tender and firm. His kisses hard, then soft. He oozed sensuality, and we melted into each other, our bodies writhing together in one long, passionate embrace.
We stayed in bed an hour before hunger forced us to untangle ourselves.
By the time we feasted on eggs and bacon, toast and OJ, it was almost noon and we ventured outside out of pure embarrassment. I’d not checked in on Julia since late last night and the guilt was starting to get to me, despite Bullet’s insistence that she would be treated with the utmost respect and her needs completely met.
That’s what I was afraid of.
But I should have known better. She’d acclimated to the clubhouse like she’d been born there, flittering around from God to God, batting her eyes and shaking her ass, drinking in the attention with a big smile.
She
walked up to me, that grin turning my way.
“Look at you!” she said. “You’re glowing!”
“So are you,” I said.
She giggled, and nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, Libby, you won’t believe the fun I had. Don’t worry, you’ll hear all about it.”
“I can’t wait,” I laughed.
“So, are we going to quit our jobs and live here forever or what?”
“Julia!” I said. “Of course not!”
“Just checking,” she winked. “It’s really fun here.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s time to go now, actually. I have a shift at the gallery.”
“Now?” she cried, her voice going up an octave. Her eyes raked over the Gods gathered in groups on the porch. “But I’m not finished.”
“You’re insatiable,” I laughed. “Go say goodbye. We leave in five minutes.”
She turned on her heel like a spoiled child. I turned back to Bullet and saw he was staring down at me with a grin.
“What?”
“When can I see you again?”
“In five minutes, when you drive me back to Portland.”
“I know. But this is our last few minutes alone. I imagine Julia will talk the whole way back. So, let’s make a plan. When can I see you?”
I took a deep breath, smiling up at him.
“Soon. Let me get back and catch my breath. I’m in the middle of a project in my studio and I have several shifts coming up at the gallery.”
“Okay,” he nodded. “I can be patient.”
He leaned down, whispering in my ear.
“But if you ghost me again, I can’t say my patience will last as long as it did last time.”
I smiled up at him and shook my head, laughing.
“I don’t think you have much to worry about,” I said.
“I hope not,” he said, growing serious. “I really care about you, Libby.”
My heart swelled, and I nodded slowly. “Me, too.”
“Let’s get you home,” he said, throwing an arm around my shoulder. We walked to the car together and I couldn’t have pried the smile off my face if I tried.
Gods of Chaos MC Box Set 4 Page 23