Tess Property of Blaze: Book #5 in the Blood Brothers MC Series

by Collard, J. A.

  But… she’s dead. We buried a casket for her. We said goodbye.

  What the hell?

  “Blaze, man, it’s Tess, it’s fuckin’ Tess,” Hawke says, laughing in very apparent joy and disbelief. I feel you, bro. Jesus!

  I look over at Prez, who also has a stunned look on his face, then look back toward Tess, making sure I’m not seeing a ghost.

  “You can see her?” I ask Hawke, who yells out “Yes, I can fuckin’ see her. You gonna keep her waiting? Go to her, man.” He pushes me forward, a wide, goofy grin on his face.

  I look back at Tess, my heart beating so rapidly that I feel myself getting dizzy. She stares back at me and nods, as if she’s saying “Yes, it is me.” And just like those movies I make fun of, I jump down from the makeshift altar and run to her. I run as fast as I ever have in my life, and when I reach her, I grab her and hold her at arm’s length, running my gaze up and down her whole body.

  “It’s you. It’s really you,” I choke out, real tears now falling down my face. I don’t give a flying fuck that everyone is watching me break down, it’s Tess. She’s here. I can feel her flesh and bones in my hands gripping her tightly.

  Tess can’t hold back tears either and I gently wipe them away using my thumbs. “You came back to me,” I whisper, and she just nods, as choked up as I am. I pull her into my arms and kiss her. I kiss her until we both run out of breath and pull away panting. Then we just stand there and stare at each other in wonder.

  Eventually the cheers and catcalls from our friends and family break through, and I pull back just a little further. “You really are here? I can’t believe it.” And then I completely break down and fall to my knees on the ground, dropping my head into my hands, crying out, “This can’t be happening.”

  “It’s real, baby. I’m real,” she whispers, getting down on her knees in front of me. I feel the touch of her fingers running through my hair, and I straighten up and look at her, “I’m so sorry I was gone, I have so much to tell you. But I’m here now, and I promise you, I’m never going to leave you again. I love you, Blaze, now and forever. I won’t ever be away from you again.”

  “Tess?” I hear my mom’s voice beside me. “Tess? Oh my God, it’s really you!”

  Tess stands up and hugs my mom. I use the moment to look around, only to discover that everyone else has tears in their eyes as well, even my boys, who are looking over at us and smiling. My gaze lands on Jasmine, who’s smiling the widest, and I shake my head at her in disbelief.

  “Sorry,” she mouths, and I can only smile back before I look over to Tess, needing to remind myself that she’s really here.

  My mom beckons me closer. “Come here, son, God has brought her back to us.”

  I take her outstretched hand and stand up. I pull Tess in tight using my left arm, and my right drapes over my mom’s shoulders, giver her a squeeze.

  She’s home, Tess is really home.

  We hear the sound of a mic being tapped, and we all look up toward the altar. “Hey, Tess. We’re all happy you’re here and all, but can I fuckin’ get married now? My bride is over there, I need to make her mine.”

  I laugh then and look up to behind Tess. Standing there waiting patiently, but also with tears in her eyes, is Charity. She’s been standing there waiting to marry her guy the whole time. Sorry, but not sorry at all.

  I reluctantly let go of my girl and my mom, and briskly wipe away my tears. Then I grab hold of Tess’s hand and walk her down the aisle, only letting her go when we’re next to Jasmine and Luisa.

  I hesitate to leave her side until Jasmine rolls her eyes and punches my shoulder. “We’ve got her, Blaze. I promise you you’ll get her back soon.”

  I lean in and whisper in her ear, “We have a lot to talk about,” then kiss her one last time before I retake my place between Quill and Hawke.

  This has turned out to be the happiest day of my life as well.

  * * *

  Tess

  Three weeks later

  I light the candles one at a time, waiting for Blaze to get home from the clubhouse. It’s been three weeks now since I surprised Blaze at Charity and Trigger’s wedding. It killed me to allow Blaze and the club to think that I was dead, but it was the only way to ensure mine and the club’s safety.

  You see, that night when the car crashed over the cliff, I thought I was a goner. It seems Snake was able to free my leg and pull me to safety while I was unconscious, and he didn’t give up on me. I would be dead if it wasn’t for him.

  So when I came to, after he revived me, he said he had something to tell me—that he’d been working undercover for the NYPD the whole time he was with the Forseekers. The club had apparently been under investigation for a while, first for trafficking drugs, and then for the girls they were abducting. He admitted he was glad I left when I did, because shit got worse, and Viper was crazier than ever. He also apologized numerous times for not being able to help me more when I was taken to the warehouse, adding that if he knew what Viper was doing to me in his room, he would have shot him.

  That night, Snake convinced me to go MIA. He told me that my father had put a bounty on my head, and Snake knew then that if he didn’t step in, I would be killed. So I took his advice and let everyone think I was dead. Snake got me the protection I needed—I was living in Ohio under witness protection, with a different name and the ID to go along with it. I desperately wanted to contact Blaze the whole time and let him know I was okay, but I couldn't. In order for this whole operation to have been successful, no one could know I was still alive.

  That was until my father passed away, and most of the Forseekers are now doing long stints in jail.

  I’d missed Blaze, so much so that I nearly came close to calling him and letting him know where I was a few times, but Tom—Snake’s real name—kept in touch with me the whole time, and kept reminding me that it wouldn’t be long till I could be with him again, that things were happening and there was an end in sight.

  So imagine my surprise when I finally got the call to say I could leave Ohio. Of course I immediately began to make my way to New York, to Blaze.

  A few days later I pulled up to the clubhouse, desperate to see Blaze, only there was no one there, just some new prospect who told me they were all on their way to Trigger and Charity’s wedding, had left about fifteen minutes ago. I got the prospect to call me another cab and headed to the address he’d given me—just in time, it worked out.

  With the boys already outside waiting, I was able to catch Charity and the girls in their dressing room and explain how I was still alive while they all cried and hugged me. And then Jasmine said that in no uncertain terms could I just go outside and show Blaze I was alive and well, but that I needed to surprise him. Make it kind of a moment. Hazel, Trigger’s sister, immediately gave me her bridesmaid dress, saying I just had to wear it down the aisle, and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. So I did, quickly changing into the beautiful gown, and Lu giving my hair and makeup—dismal from all the travelling I’d done to get there—a quick makeover.

  When I stood at the end of the aisle, looking up at the altar, Blaze standing there all handsome in a suit but looking so, so lost, my heart literally ached for him. I had real regrets then about not contacting him any sooner. He looked exactly the way I had been feeling—sad, lonely, even in a space full of people, so weary, and like a shell of his former self. He was so much thinner I almost didn’t recognize him. But when our eyes connected over that short distance that felt like miles in that moment, I didn’t doubt it was him—and that he still loved me.

  So many wonderful things happened that day. It was one of the most amazing days of my life, and I got to share it all with my friends—my new family. And now with Viper and my dad dead, and the majority of the Forseekers locked away, I can now be free, and live my life with Blaze the way I’ve always wanted to.

  The sound of a motorcycle reaches my ears, and I smile to myself, knowing that when Blaze sees me in what I’m weari
ng, he won’t be able to take his hands off me, which is exactly what I’m hoping for. Since I’ve been home, he’s held back, scared to take things further than some pretty intense oral sex, and I’m not sure why. I mean it’s amazing, the things that man can do with his tongue, well… yeah. I shiver just at the thought. But I need to feel him inside me, filling me—owning me completely. The time for being gentle is over. Maybe he thinks I’ll leave him again, that I’m not ready, but that would never happen, and I won’t break. Tonight, I plan to show him that.

  “Hey, babe, I was riding back from the club, and you wouldn’t believe—” He cuts off when he closes the front door and turns to see me standing there with a drink in hand for him, wearing nothing but a lacy black thong and a matching bra. His expression shows disbelief, and his eyebrows are raised. I count to three under my breath before he drops his keys to the floor and storms toward me, grasping the back of my hair as he pulls my head back, revealing my neck to him. Warm, soft lips devour my flushed skin, kissing and licking up to my jaw where he nips my skin, before his mouth is on mine. He tastes incredible—tobacco and mint and his own distinct taste. I breathe him in, all of him. I can’t get enough, his musky aftershave mingled with leather and spice.

  I lay the beer I was holding on the table and wrap my arms around him, loving how his kiss turns desperate and hungry.

  Then suddenly he stops and looks deep into my eyes, and I let out a small moan. “What have I done to deserve this?” he asks, looking over my shoulder at the dinner I’d prepared for him. The lighting in the room is dim with only the candles on the table shining.

  I pull him down to me, giving him a soft kiss, then smirk. “I just wanted to celebrate us, that’s all. Do you not like what you see?”

  He pulls back and looks down at my body, his eyes hooded with desire. “Hmm,” he says, cupping his chin, his gaze heated as it travels over every inch of me. “I know something I’d like more.”

  I plant my hands on my hips. “Oh really? And what’s that?”

  Suddenly he gathers me in his arms and picks me up bridal style, carrying me to our bedroom with little effort.

  “Hey!” I say in protest. “What about the dinner I slaved over all day?”

  I’m quite proud of my cooking efforts, and it smells amazing, but when Blaze whispers in my ear, “I’m not hungry for food, I’m hungry for your pussy,” the food is immediately forgotten, and I groan into his ear.

  He throws me onto the bed, and I squeal in delight and run my hands through my hair provocatively, loving the touch of cold sheets beneath my hot skin burning for the touch of Blaze.

  His eyes don’t leave mine as he unbuckles his jeans and pulls them over his hips, standing there in nothing but his cut and T-shirt. His cock juts up, hitting his stomach, and my mouth waters at just the sight of it. He removes his cut and drops it to the floor, then slowly reaches down and lifts his T-shirt over his head, revealing his wide and incredibly cut chest. A dark happy trail begins at his navel and travels down to his groin, hiding behind his engorged shaft. He’s like a work of art.

  He leans over me, tucking his fingers into the sides of my panties, pulling them down and over my legs and letting them fall to the floor. He slides his hands over the inside of my thighs, opening me up to his greedy eyes.

  “I want you so fuckin’ much,” he murmurs as he leans down and places a small kiss just above my pubic bone. I quiver as his hot breath sends a shiver through my body, arching my back, needing his mouth on me. His kisses travel lower, and his tongue comes out and slides through my folds, causing me to gasp as lightning travels through my core. His hands tuck under my knees, and he lifts both my legs until they’re over his shoulders, then sucks my clit into his mouth.

  His moan of pleasure is almost as loud as mine, and the vibrations threaten to send me spiraling already. Without thinking, I say, “Marry me.”

  Blaze’s mouth stills against me, and I look down at him through the opening of my thighs. He hesitantly looks up at me, opening his mouth like he’s going to say something, then closing it. He licks his lips, and I carefully lower my legs from his shoulders and sit up.

  I cup his face, his eyes not showing any clue of his feelings right now. “Blaze, did you hear what I said?” I ask, nervous that he might possibly say no.

  He tilts his head. “You wanna run that past me one last time?”

  I run my tongue over my suddenly dry lips, my heart beating wildly. “I said… marry me.”

  He doesn’t move, his gaze just glued to mine. I reach up and run the back of my hand down his cheek, then rub my thumb over his bottom lip. “I know I’ve hurt you. I know I’ve given you reasons not to ever believe what I say—and maybe I don’t deserve your trust, but God, I do love you. That’s one thing I know for sure. And I want you forever, as my man—” I let a small smirk break loose, running my fingers over his jaw. “—and as my husband.” I say the last word on a whisper.

  There are a few heartbeats of silence, and my stomach clenches tighter with each one, then finally he pulls me forward, his hand at the back of my neck, our foreheads now touching. “You mean it? You really want to marry me?”

  I let out a laugh, then fat tears start rolling down my cheeks. “Yes, yes!” I cry. “I want to marry you, Blaze. You are my everything.”

  Just as the last words slips out, he has me on my back and is towering over me. “I’m going to make you so happy, baby.”

  I smile and run my hands through his thick dark hair. “Oh, don’t I know it, and I know exactly how you can start making me happy. Let’s start with something very, very hard.”

  He barks out a loud laugh, the vibrations in his body causing his cock to rub against my wet folds. I groan in frustration, wanting him, needing him to fill me, and then, as if he’s read my thoughts, he slowly pushes inside of me.

  I sigh in ecstasy, his girth stretching me deliciously, igniting nerves along my inner walls. “Yessss.”

  He begins to rock back and forth. “Is this what you want?” he groans into my ear, then moves down and sucks a nipple into his mouth. I feel a fire build in the pit of my stomach as he lavishes my breasts with open-mouthed kisses and gentle nips, the beginning of an orgasm not far away. Faster, harder,” I say, running my hands through his hair and tugging him closer.

  He anchors my thighs around him then pulls me up into a seated position, filling me even deeper and stretching me further. I rotate my hips, grinding down on him.

  “I’m going to come,” I cry out after only a minute.

  “Oh no you don’t. Not yet,” he warns.

  I bite down on his shoulder, trying to hold my orgasm at bay. He guides me up and down on his cock with rough hands on my hips, then takes my mouth with his, his tongue thrusting in time with the movements of his pelvis.

  “Now,” he demands, his voice hoarse and broken, and I feel his warm seed spurt inside of me, causing my own orgasm to finally break free. I roll my head back as I come hard, riding out my pleasure as I keep rocking on him, Blaze’s name on my lips like a prayer.

  “Fuck me,” he growls, bringing my lips roughly down to his and kissing me deeply, our bodies damp with our exertions.

  After a few moments, he pulls back, his gaze alert and determined, like he’s just remembered something. He lifts me off his body and places me gently on the bed, dropping a soft kiss on my swollen lips.

  “Wait right here,” he says, striding over to the closet and opening it up. He reaches into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulls out a small box, then turns to me with a wide smile on his face.

  I take a deep breath. Is that what I think it is…?”

  He walks back toward the bed, his naked body glistening with sweat, the outlines of his muscles even more evident in the muted light, and I shift my body to the edge of the bed, planting my feet on the floor.

  “This isn’t how I imagined doing this,” he says, his face showing a trace of vulnerability. My eyes blur with unshed tears as he gets down on one kn
ee, holding the tiny box out to me. He opens it up. “Tess, I love you, I’ve loved you since first the time I laid eyes on you at Ink Me.”

  My heart flutters at his words, and my mind goes back to that day at my store. I thought he was the most attractive man I had ever seen.

  He continues. “You are the only one I have ever loved, and the only one I want to grow old with. Tess Harper,” he says, deliberately using the only name I go by now. “Will you marry me?”

  I can’t hold my tears any longer, and they run freely down my face. “You know I asked you, right?” I tease.

  He ignores me for the moment and grabs the ring out of the box and places it on my finger. “Yeah, well, I’m the one asking now, and I’m not taking no for an answer this time.”

  I laugh out loud, then bring the ring up to look at it closer. “It’s beautiful,” I say, admiring the large solitaire diamond set into a white-gold band. I lean in and hug him close to me, unable to speak around the lump in my throat but hopefully getting across through my embrace how excited I am, how much I love him, and that he’s made me the happiest girl alive.

  I pull back eventually and press a kiss to his lips. “I love it so much,” I whisper, admiring it again on my finger.

  I can see that it’s not the same ring he proposed to me with the first time, and like he knows exactly what’s going through my mind, he says, “I wanted us to have a new beginning, a new life, so the week you came back to me, I went down to the jeweler and saw this in the window. I promised myself that I would not take no for an answer this time. And yet, you asked me.” He still looks a little stunned that I had done it.