Rescuing Mercy (Special Forces: Operation Alpha): A Dead Presidents MC Spinoff

by Stone, Harley

  I felt his smile against my neck as his fingers drifted down to stroke my arm. “My pleasure. Well, after the first time. You have one hell of a mean right hook. Maybe I should get you some boxing gloves, Champ.”

  “I barely even swung on you,” I defended.

  Grabbing me by the wrist he kissed my knuckles. “Doesn’t matter. It was worth it.”

  “Did you get any sleep?” I asked. He’d been wonderful and attentive in taking care of me, both in and out of bed.

  “Yes.” He stretched. “My shifts are usually twelve hours, and sometimes I have to stay late or come in early. In the Army, you learn how to power nap and sleep when you can, and I don’t remember the last time I woke up feeling so rested.” He kissed my forehead. “By the way, Merry Christmas, Mercy.”

  I’d forgotten all about it being Christmas. “What are you still doing here?” I asked, scrambling to sit up. “You should be home with Beth.”

  “Relax.” One of his big hands snaked around and started rubbing my back. I knew our relationship was mostly sexual and would be short-term, but I loved the way he kept touching me. It was both comforting and arousing. “I called Mom last night. She wanted me to stay here and keep an eye on you. Even if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have left you.”

  He was still being sweet, and I didn’t know how to take it. Part of me wanted to push him out of my apartment and lock the door so I could protect my heart from his words and touches. The other part of me wanted to lock him in my room and keep him to myself. Knowing he was here last night, had helped me sleep. For the first time ever, I’d felt like I could relax, knowing I had someone at my back who could take care of everything.

  It had been nice.

  I wanted to relax and enjoy the time I had with him, but my crazy mind kept racing forward, reminding me that he would be gone soon, and I’d be alone again. I couldn’t let myself get too attached.

  “What’s on the agenda for today?” Landon asked, still rubbing my back. Enjoying the contact, I leaned into his touch.

  “I need to get my butt out of bed and go make sweet potatoes and a peppermint cheesecake, so I have something to take over to your mom’s. Can’t have her doing all the cooking.”

  “You need help?” he asked, finally climbing out of bed.

  “No. You should go see your mom. I’m sure she has a stocking for you. And presents.”

  His hand that had been massaging my back slowly circled around to my front. Fingers whispered over my collarbone before dipping down between my breasts. “I’m twenty-five years old, Mercy. Christmas stockings don’t do shit for me. I can assure you that this is the only gift I’m interested in right now.”

  I grabbed his hand, stopping him from starting something I would want to finish despite the soreness between my legs. “It’s not for you, it’s for your mom. You’ve missed a lot of Christmases. And stop being so sweet before you ruin me for all other men.”

  “But that’s the goal.”

  I leveled a stare at him, willing him to do my bidding.

  “Fine. You’re right. I’ll tell you what, take a shower with me, and I’ll go open presents with Mom.” His heated gaze kept drifting down to my lips, my neck, then my breasts, managing to set my entire body on fire. He might be onto something. We did both need a shower, and taking one together would conserve water. And I was all for saving the earth.

  And I’d never had sex in the shower before.

  “Okay,” I said.

  He beamed me a smile and scrambled off my bed, holding out his hand to offer me help up. I put my hand in his, and he gingerly tugged me to my feet. I was naked, and my body was far from perfect. I knew I should be self-conscious about it, but Landon had a way of making me feel completely at ease. It was in the way his eyes darkened every time he looked me over.

  Despite my body’s imperfections, I had never felt more desirable in my life.

  He led me to the bathroom and we stepped inside the small space, getting cozy really quick-like since it wasn’t made for more than one person at a time. As I turned on the water and got it to temperature, he grabbed my loofah and soap and started lathering me up. I was both impressed and a little disappointed to see him getting right to the task of cleaning me up rather than making me dirty again, but it didn’t take long for him to get distracted by my boobs. After he scrubbed and rinsed them, he stuck one of my nipples in his mouth and started to play.

  “We’re supposed to be bathing,” I reminded him, half-heartedly.

  His hand dipped down between my legs and he massaged my clit. “Yet it feels like you don’t mind.” He dipped a finger inside of me and I let out a gasp. “Nope. You don’t mind at all.”

  He had me there.

  Enjoying the way his finger curved inside of me while he took turns sucking on my nipples, I leaned against the wall of the shower and let him work. Adding a finger, he stroked and squeezed until he took me over the edge. Then he stepped out of the shower to grab a condom from my medicine cabinet.

  Gasping in pretend shock, I asked, “Were you going through my personal stuff when you came in here to get me ibuprofen?”

  “Of course,” he replied. “I had to make sure you were well-stocked. But I should pick you up another box of these. We made quite a dent in them last night, so we’re gonna need more.”

  “You used my condoms?” I asked. “But I was saving those.”

  His head whipped around to eyeball me. “For whom?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. My mailman’s kind of cute.”

  Landon was back in the shower so quickly, I’d barely seen him move. He had me pressed against the wall with his body all but surrounding mine. “No mailmen, Mercy. I don’t share well. I need you to myself.”

  “So, what? You want to be exclusive?” I asked. “You’re only here for another thirty-seven days.”

  “Yes.” His hands drifted down my arms, caging me in. His gaze captured mine, and there was something desperate and heartbreaking in his eyes. “While I’m here, please. Do this for me.”

  I wanted to ask him what would happen when he left, but I didn’t have the heart. Not when he sounded so desperate. “It’s not like I’m sleeping with every guy I meet, Landon.”

  “I know. But I want… I need to know that it’s just you and me.”

  “All right,” I replied. “While you’re here, we’re exclusive.”

  Relief washed over his features as he rubbed the head of his cock against my entrance, teasing me. Landon’s lips captured mine and he hitched my legs up around his hips, taking me higher to line me up with his cock. I wrapped my legs around him, and he drove himself inside of me. Sweet pressure filled me, expanding me around him. Trusting him to keep me balanced against the wall was another unexpected turn on, obviously for us both. His eyes were wild and hungry as he pounded into me. The combination of friction, his intensity, and the warm water cascading down around us was so sexy it didn’t take long until I felt another orgasm building.

  Sex with Landon had been awesome every single time. I wasn’t lying when I’d told him I finally understood the appeal. I’d never known that a tongue was capable of bringing me so much pleasure, but Landon’s talented tongue had nothing on the expert skill level of his cock. He rested his hand gently over my pulse as he fucked me wildly until the water ran cold.

  By the time we finished, I knew something major had shifted between me and Landon. Yes, we’d only known each other for four days and he’d be leaving soon, but our lives would never be the same.

  * * *

  After Landon left for his mom’s, I started preparing my two dishes for Christmas dinner. I’d gotten everything ready and was reading a book as I waited to put the sweet potatoes in the oven when someone tapped on my door. Keys jiggled and the doorknob turned, and in walked Ben, my long lost brother.

  “Ben!” Relief and joy pulled me from the sofa and wrapped my arms around him. I tried not to notice the faint smell of cigarette smoke clinging to his jacket, reminding me tha
t I had no idea where he’d been and what he’d been up to. Holding him at an arm’s length, I looked him over. Ben had his mom’s light brown hair and green eyes, with Dad’s square jaw and athletic build. He’d lost a few pounds since I’d seen him last, but eyes still sparkled when he smiled at me.

  “Hey, sis.”

  “Merry Christmas. How’ve you been?”

  “Good. Just busy. Working a lot.”

  “Awesome.” I led him to the sofa. “Come in and sit down so you can tell me all about it. So, what is it you’re doing again?” I was trying to make it sound like he’d told me, but in reality, all he ever did was avoid the question.

  “Oh, it’s boring. I’ve been doing deliveries for a friend’s company, but I don’t think I’m gonna do that much longer. I’ve been looking for something else. What about you? How are things at the school?”

  He’d deflected my question and turned it back around on me. Ben used to tell me everything, and the way he bobbed and weaved whenever I asked him about his job worried me. I wanted to probe and find out what kind of deliveries he was making and to whom, but I’d learned long ago that wasn’t the right way to deal with Ben. If I hadn’t kept pumping him for information about a couple of shady friends he’d been hanging out with, my little brother would likely still be sleeping on my couch, where I could keep an eye on him.

  Ben didn’t like being cornered or questioned, and I knew if I pushed too hard, he’d bail.

  “Things at the school are going well. We have some new volunteers starting after the new year that I’m really excited about. They’re that motorcycle club that’s been in the papers. The ones that took Mayor Kinlan and his son down.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard something about that. Cool. Hey, what happened to your head?”

  My fingers once again sought out the tender flesh on the side of my head. It felt better, but the bump had grown, obviously visible despite my hair covering it. “Just an incident at school. Where are you staying now?”

  Yep, now I was deflecting, but I didn’t want Ben to worry about me being at the school.

  “What kind of incident?” Ben asked, pulling my hand away, so he could check out my injury.

  “I had to call CPS on a parent, and her boyfriend got a little upset about it.” I shrugged. “We handled it. No big deal.”

  “No big deal? Did he hit you or something?”

  “Yep.” I chose to leave off the part about the gun.

  “Mercy, I know you don’t want to hear this, but you need to get out of the neighborhood. You have your master’s degree for Christ’s sake. You could make a lot more money somewhere else, and not have to deal with parents roughing you up. You’re good at your job, and you don’t need to take this shit.”

  Ben and I had had this conversation before, and I knew he’d never understand why I insisted on staying at the school, and I didn’t want to argue with him. “I’ll think about it,” I lied.

  He stared at me for a moment before shaking his head. “I wish you really would, but I know you won’t.”

  Time to change the subject. “I miss you, Ben. Where’ve you been staying?”

  He looked away. “With a friend.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  His gaze shot back to me, and the irritation in his eyes made me regret the question. I was probing.

  “Is she cute, at least?” I asked, trying to play it off.

  “Not a girl, sis. Just a friend.” He tugged something out of his pocket. “Hey, before I forget, I got you something.”

  I eyed the little wrapped box with its smooshed bow. “Ben, you shouldn’t have.” I had no idea how much his delivery job paid, but doubted it was all that lucrative. Especially since he was looking for something else.

  “But I did, so you might as well open it.”

  “Well, here, I got you a couple of things, too.” I hurried into my bedroom and returned moments later with a giant stocking and a big wrapped box.

  “You shouldn’t have,” he said, reluctantly accepting it all from me. “I’m an adult now, sis. I know Santa isn’t real, stop trying to do his job.”

  “Never!” I declared, taking my gift from him. “Santa is real, and you’re my baby brother, Benny. I will always take care of you. Now, open your damn presents.”

  He grinned like the little kid I used to know and dumped his stocking all over the coffee table. Since I had no idea where he was living and what he needed, I stuffed it full of candy, a toothbrush, toothpaste, body wash, deodorant, and socks.

  “Thank you,” he said. “Now open yours.”

  “You first.” I nudged the big box in his lap.

  He cocked his head to the side and stared at me, but I wouldn’t budge. Finally, he said, “Together.”

  Matching his grin, I nodded. “One. Two. Three!”

  We both tore into our packages like we were children again. Wrapping paper went flying everywhere, adding to the fun. I loved that despite whatever Ben had been up to, and how hard he was trying to prove he was a man, he could still be this immature with me on Christmas. He bought me a beautiful silver necklace with a tree pendant.

  “I saw that, and it reminded me of that book you used to read me when I was little.”

  My chest squeezed, and I nodded. “The Giving Tree.”

  “Yeah. Do you like it?”

  “It’s beautiful. I love it. Will you help me put it on?” I unfastened the clasp, and Ben slid it around my neck, closing it.

  “You always reminded me of the Giving Tree,” Ben said, his voice low and somber.

  “Why?” I asked. “Because the boys always stay away?”

  It was an attempt to poke fun at myself and my lack of dating history, but Ben didn’t even crack a smile.

  “No. Because you give and give until you have nothing left. You did that with me, and you’re doing it with the preschool. I don’t want to see you become a stump, sis.”

  “Don’t you remember how the story ends? The boy and the tree are together and both are happy. Yes, I give a lot, but I also get a lot. From you and the school.”

  He didn’t look so convinced, so I fingered the pendant around my neck. “You just gave me this beautiful necklace.”

  “I’m kind of wishing I would have gotten you a helmet now,” he said, eyeballing my injury once more. “I still can’t believe some asshole hit you.”

  “I’m fine, Benny. And the children are always giving me stuff. You should stop by and see my office some time.”

  He pulled his gift from the box. It was a jacket. Last time he’d been here, I noticed how frayed and worn his looked, and I wanted him to be warm. But more than that, I wanted him to be safe, and this one was made for bikers with all sorts of pockets and armor and made of five percent Kevlar. It wouldn’t stop a bullet, but it would slow one down. Or a knife, or any of the other crap my brother could have been into.

  His gaze met mine and I didn’t miss the appreciation in his eyes. I wouldn’t interrogate him about what he was up to, but I would do everything I could to protect him.

  “You can always come home, Ben,” I said, patting my sofa. “This comfortable ol’ boy’s always here for you.”

  Ben’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his pocket and studied the display. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared before he slammed it back into his pocket. “I hate to do this to you, sis, but I gotta bounce.”

  “What?” I asked. “You’re leaving? But we have Christmas dinner at Beth’s.”

  “I know. I’m sorry, but I can’t make it.” He stood and went into the kitchen, returning with a plastic bag. He shoved all the goods from his stocking into it before taking off his old coat and adding it to the bag. Then he put on his new one.

  “Why? It’s Christmas, Ben.”

  “I just… I have some shit to take care of. I’ll be back in a few days. Maybe we can have dinner then. Just us.”

  “Beth’s son, Landon, is home on leave from the Army. I want you to meet him.”

  Ben was already
making his way to the door, and this was my last-ditch effort to get him to stay. He smirked at me over his shoulder and threw my previous question back at me. “Is he cute at least?”

  “Yes.” I sounded desperate, because I was. I hadn’t seen Ben in weeks, and his sudden departure was worrying the hell out of me. “And you should come pound on your chest and let him know that you’ll kick his ass unless he spoils me and gives me everything I want.”

  “I wish I could.” Ben paused at the door. “I love you, sis. Merry Christmas.”

  Then the door opened, and he was gone.

  Staring after him, I wondered if it was me or something in the message he’d received that had driven him away this time.

  Chapter 13

  Mercy

  I missed having Ben at Christmas dinner, but Landon and Beth did their best to lighten my spirit during the meal. Of course, the two bottles of wine we drank didn’t hurt. Afterwards, we cleaned up and then sat around and split another bottle as we played old board games. I’m pretty sure Beth cheated at Clue and Landon cheated at Life, but I couldn’t prove anything, as they both pointed out. Multiple times.

  “How do you cheat at Life?” Landon asked, throwing his hands in the air like he was exasperated with me.

  “Very easily when you’re the banker and you keep slipping yourself money,” I snapped back.

  “I’m not admitting I did what you’re suggesting I did, but doesn’t the banker deserve a salary? Maybe a little kickback for all of his hard work?”

  Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re unreal.”

  “Oh, trust me, I’m real,” he replied with a wink. “I’ll show you later.”

  My cheeks caught on fire. I glanced at Beth, but she was doing her best to ignore us.

  And she was smiling.

  Around ten o’clock, Beth started yawning. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open, so we put away the games and Landon walked me home. Expecting him to drop me off and leave, I unlocked my door, thanked him for escorting me, and gave him a quick peck goodbye.