Footsteps come closer and I spot Dex comin’ in. He smiles like the handsome little shit he is, lookin’ right over to Natalie and waves. “Hey, I’m Dex.”
“Natalie,” She says, faking a soft smile.
“You alright, ma’am?”
She chuckles, “God, never been called ma’am in my life. Isn’t that for women up in their fifties and whatnot?”
“Naw, a respectful thing, I think. At least, it’s what my dad always taught me.”
“Who’s your father? Sounds like a lovely man.”
“He is when he’s not being a pain in our asses.” I chuckle, hopin’ Dex waltzing right in here caused her to relax a bit. “Blackjack is Dex’s dad, and the VP of our club.”
“Oh alright.” Natalie says, and I know she doesn’t understand what it means.
“Oh wait, you’re the lady helpin’ Grim at the chiropractor with his back and shit, yeah?”
“Language,” I warn Dex.
He rolls his eyes. “I grew up in a biker club, and y’all expect me to be some good private school boy. I don’t go to Stonewall yet, so I’m not gonna act like one of them yuppies.”
I blink a couple of times, not really processing what he’s saying until he says somethin’ to Natalie and starts to walk away. “Wait, Dex. You just said Stonewall, right?”
He nods, “Yeah, what’s it to you?”
“How do you know anything about Stonewall? It’s in New York.”
Dex chuckles, “Maybe ‘cause I got a full scholarship to go there next year. My uncle’s the dean of the college. My biological mother’s half-brother.”
“No shit,” I mutter, completely baffled at this news.
“Yeah, somethin’ the matter?” He questions.
“Nah, nah. Ruby’s graduating this year, though. Maybe she can give you some pointers. Just wanted to let ya know.” I say, lyin’ through my teeth. I’m gonna have a conversation with Axel later about Ruby and what she confessed to me . . . especially with what I just learned.
“Sweet. I’m sure it could help. I don’t wanna keep goin’ to my uncle with my questions. It’s a little awkward ‘cause I’ve never been close with her side of the family.” I can’t even blame the kid; his mom was a piece of trash. He deserved someone far better from what I heard, but I came around when Dex was three or four. His mom was long gone by then. “It was nice meeting you and all, and thanks for helpin’ Grim out after the accident. I have some much-needed gamin’ time to get in.”
“What’s it this time?” I ask, curious.
“The Last of Us. Grim, it’s so good.” Dex starts to walk off.
“I’ll take your word for it.” I murmur, turning around to face Natalie. “You alright?”
She nods and thankfully the color has returned to her face. “Yeah, I just. I have to tell you something, something maybe I should’ve said to you a bit earlier. Sorry I didn’t, there’s just no easy way to say what I’m about to.”
“I’m a big boy, I’m sure I can handle it.” After I’ve spoken, I realize how horrible that sounded.
“You know I moved here from Scotland about a year ago, but I’m afraid I haven’t told you why. It’s not something I really hope to dive into, nor want to. My husband. He beat the shit out of me in front of the kids last year, on Christmas Day. It’s why I have the scars here,” She points below her eye on the right side of her face, and above her eyebrow. “The metal from his boot caught my skin. Didn’t even know I was bleeding until well after the ordeal. Luckily, my neighbors came to aid me and we got out.”
I ball my fist up at my sides. There are few things I can’t stomach in life, but beatin’ on women is one of those things I will shred a man apart for. “I’m glad you got out, and I’m so sorry for what I did. If I’d known I wouldn’t have acted like that.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry I froze up on you. I just . . . I have girls and often forget how brothers can act toward one another.”
“Don’t you dare apologize for anything. You have no reason to be sorry, Java. Shit.” I take a step closer to her, enveloping my right hand against her face. I snake my left around her waist and pull her close to me. This woman has been through it, that’s for damn sure.
Fuck, I don’t even know if she’s okay with me pullin’ her toward me like this, but I can’t help it. I just wanna shield my arms around her, protect her from anythin’ bad in this world. Fucking hell. This is what her husband should’ve been doin’, but he’s the one who hurt her. Lord help him if we ever cross paths.
Natalie relaxes a bit and wraps her arms around my torso, leaning her head further into my chest. “Bloody hell, this feels so nice.” I’m sure she doesn’t realize she said it aloud, but I’m glad she did.
“Please tell me you’re not still married,” I mutter, not really thinkin’ about this until now.
Natalie breaks our embrace and looks at me with disgust in her eyes. “I’m not going to lie to you. The day after Christmas I will have been officially separated for a year. At that time if he consents to it, our divorce can get finalized . . . but if not, it gets a bit trickier. We have three girls on top of it, which complicates things, but he can just not respond and that’ll prove even more issues.”
“Thanks for not lyin’ to me.” I tell her, honestly grateful. I should add liars to the list of things I can’t stand.
“I wouldn’t lie about it, though I suppose the mere fact I’m married means you don’t want to reschedule our coffee date.”
I laugh, “It’s adorable you think you’re gonna get outta a coffee date with me,”
She draws her brows together, then smiles. “Wait . . . you mean it doesn’t matter?”
“Java, you’re not in his bed. You’re sure as fuck not fuckin’ him, and there’s sure as fuck no way you two are gonna reconcile. I’m not breakin’ up a family, not when he already broke it himself. I couldn’t care less.”
“Why do you have to be so . . .”
“Perfect?” I interject.
She gives me a whimsical look. “If you were perfect you wouldn’t have gotten in that accident.”
“If I never got into that accident, I don’t think we would’ve ever crossed paths. So, if a little pain means I met you, I’ll say it’s been worth it.”
Chapter Fifteen
She’s not for everyone and she knows it. People find her different and strange. She dances in the rain, she laughs when she cries, and loves through her pain. People fear the unknown and they never knew a girl like her.
~ M.S. Pastore
Natalie
I’m completely blown away by what he’s just said. Tears threaten to slip out past my eyes. In all my life, I’ve never heard something such as this. It only happens in the movies. You know, those cheesy things with Gerard Butler and Rachel McAdams. This never happens in reality.
I stand here in awe, not sure what to say or how to react. This man seems made from clay, like he was shaped into the almost perfect man, minus the accident bit of course. “You okay? Didn’t mean to render you speechless or nothin’.” He chuckles in that nervous manner.
I look into his eyes and place my hand on his neck while I stand up on my tiptoes and press my lips to his. He tenses up for a second from the shock, though he’s quick to put his hands back on me and meet my kiss.
I’m never so abrupt. I’m always the type of woman who lets the man take the lead, though it didn’t feel right in this moment. What feels right is to show him that I not only appreciate how he’s treated me, but what he’s said.
His lips are rough and rugged, just as his hands are calloused and strong. The first moment I glanced in his direction I could tell he was a man’s man, someone who isn’t afraid to get the job done. Though, what I didn’t know was how he has a beautiful heart and yearns to understand. It might sound crazy, but in the few days we’ve known one another I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about his heart.
I’m not in love. Lord, someone should send me off to the insane asylum
if I was, but what I am is intrigued and open to wherever this may lead. My mum is right. I’ve put my kids’ wellbeing above my own self-care for so long. Now I’m ready to take the leap, with a man who actually deserves me.
Grim’s gliding his hand up my back, darting his tongue into my mouth. Mine crashes into his like two waves colliding. There’s a rush I’ve never felt with any man before, even while butterflies float around in my stomach. He lightly touches my forearm, almost singe like with need.
I pull my mouth away for air, and to cool down. If I’m not too careful, things are going to go very fast with him. “You know I’m not in a rush, Java, right?”
“Huh?”
“I’m not in a rush for any of this, darlin’. It’ll happen in its own time.”
“You’re awfully confident,” I laugh lightly.
“Nah, not confident, just can tell you like what you see. On a serious note, I don’t wanna push you. It’s obvious to me you’ve been through a lot, and we can wait.”
My eyes drift to the floor while I think about how to react, but when I’m ready I look directly back at him. “Grim, I want to live my life.” I take his hand and give him a look that I hope he understands.
I’ve never been the type to have one-night stands. I tried in my early twenties but it just wasn’t my thing. I need some sort of emotional connection to the man I’m having sex with. At this point, I have a strong inclination Grim and I are going to be much more than a one-night thing. And if we weren’t, I wouldn’t be looking at him with nothing but sinful desire.
“Fair enough,” Grim comments, leading me out of the kitchen, he takes me up a stairwell and leads me into his bedroom. Once he shuts the door, he locks the deadbolt and flips on the light switch.
His walls are a muted deep blue, almost a matte finish. His comforter is a mixture of the same blue as the wall, with suedes and tans. Though, his bed is elevated off the floor with one of those modern frames. As of right now, his bedroom is more valuable than my entire trailer.
I suck in a sharp breath the moment I see his shirt and leather vest go flying on the black chair to the left of his back. Good god. He’s shirtless. He’s shirtless and he’s standing behind me. I see a barbed wire tattoo on his right arm, and there’s another tattoo along his rib cage. It’s a little girl’s name, with a date.
Grim glances down to his side. “My daughter died when she was six weeks old.”
Immediately, my heart is shattered. “I’m so, terribly sorry.”
“It’s alright. Been a long time. Can we dive into that conversation another day?”
I nod, respecting his boundaries. Grim breaks the distance between us until he’s chest to chest with me. He looks over my features, touching my scars with his hand. “I will never do anything like this to you. I make this vow to you now. I promise to protect you, and your girls.”
I feel a hit to the gut, not sure how to take what he’s said. He’s never even met my girls and yet he’s making a vow like this.
“Shut up and kiss me, Grim.” I beg, needing the feel of his lips on mine yet again.
He smirks before colliding his lips with mine. Our tongues our clashing into one another like they’re at war. I take my hands to his belt and unloop it, needing this sort of physical connection. Grim slides his hands under my jacket and tosses it on the floor, then goes for my cream-colored shirt, revealing me in a plain white bra.
He pulls his lips from mine and kneels down, then comes to a complete halt when he lands on my mid-section. He’s going to see the scars. The scars I’ve tried for ages to get rid of but have accepted they won’t ever be gone.
He presses his lips to my stomach where David had bound ropes around me every night. He did it because he didn’t want me getting fat. Saying if he bound me as tight as he could for hours on end, my body would stay in its pristine condition.
After Sorcha was born, I started to get the mum gut and David wasn’t a fan, resulting in his own form of a makeshift corset . . . but it was worse. By the morning my stomach would feel as if it was on fire.
Grim continues moving his lips over my stomach, showing his soft nature. He leaves chaste kisses as he trails down to my stomach, unbuttoning my jeans and pulls them, as well as my panties completely off.
Pressing a hand to my mid-section, he pushes me back on the bed. Meanwhile, his breath is hot on my thighs. “Jesus, look at this fuckin’ pink peach, Java.” Without warning he darts his tongue out against my lips. The sensation rocks through me. His tongue is coated with saliva and he laps from top to bottom like a kitten on milk.
Satisfied moans start slipping past my lips as his tongue flicks my clit, causing an electric volt of pleasure to shoot through me. He chuckles in satisfaction, clearly pleased with the way my body’s reacting to him. I dig my nails into his fluffy comforter, spreading my legs wider for him, wanting to feel more of what he’s offering.
Grim rises up, hovering over me and pulls the cups of my bra down. I don’t have massive tits, but they’re average, well rounded in a teardrop shape. He dives straight for my nipples, twirling his tongue around my nipple before going for the next. While he’s doing this, I feel the heat of his cock pressing against my leg, precum dribbling on my skin.
I snake my hand around the back of his neck and hold his head close to me. “Grim, I want you inside me.” I grit, scraping my nails against his back, I try to push my hips down, needing the feeling of fullness inside me.
Grim picks up my right leg and in one quick movement, I’m feeling full in a way I never have before. It takes me a moment to adjust to his size, and I moan while he rocks himself in and out of me. Glancing up I spot his eyes glued on mine while his tongue toys with my nipple.
With his alternate hand, he slides it between my legs and rubs my clit while he shoves himself inside me. “Oh, God, fuck.” I moan, digging my nails further into the duvet.
“The only name you moan in this bed is mine, Java.” He whispers, pulling his mouth from my breast.
I shift my hips up a bit higher so every time he moves, I feel his cock glide against my G-spot, shooting the most pleasurable of feelings through my core. I’m slowly heating up, needing more of him, more of this, more of anything he fucking has to offer.
I don’t even realize when I’ve wrapped my legs around his waist. “Fuck me harder, Grim, please. I want to cum. Fuck, please make me cum.”
He delves his cock deeper into me, pushing and penetrating with all his might. With his alternate hand, he tugs at the back of my hair and holds it tight. “I’ll never scare you, Java, but I’ll make you scream for me until you beg me to stop fuckin’ this tight cunt of yours. I’ll take every drop you can give me.”
As his words come out, it’s like he’s the match that lights my fire. Heat spreads through my core until I feel my orgasm shattering through my body. He snickers in a sinful manner, sinking himself further inside before pulling himself out. He makes the same movements repeatedly until my essence is flooding between us.
“Fuck, yes. Java, keep cumming for me, baby. Keep it up.” He groans, seeming a bit stressed about the face before he growls, hissing out as he releases himself inside me.
Grim is quick to move down to my pussy again, licks up my essence and sucks my clit into his mouth before stopping. “I hope you realize the beast you’ve awoken. We’re just getting started, Java. Better go hydrate.”
Chapter Sixteen
I will not apologize for choosing myself this time — self-love is the chapter that I’ve always wanted to write.
~ S. R. W.
Natalie
I wake to my face laying against Grim’s chest, under his heavy comforter, feeling the coziest I have in a very long time. Arching my back, I try to stretch without waking him, slowly scooting backward until I’m almost at the edge of the bed. I lift the sheets up and slide out, turn and look for my clothes. I don’t even remember what we did with them. The sun isn’t up yet, which means it’s early as can be. I find my bra and shir
t, so I slide those on and see my panties and jeans are in the corner of the room. I bend down to pick them up when a sudden state of heat comes behind me.
“You tryin’ to sneak out on me?” Grim’s groggy voice almost causes me to jump.
Turning around, I face him. “No, just didn’t want to wake you.”
“Surprised you can walk,” He mutters, his eyes darting down my body.
“Barely walk is more like it.” I confess, watching as his smug expression shifts into a shit-eating grin.
“Good, you goin’ off to work?” He questions, pressing a chaste kiss to my lips before he goes over to his bedside table.
“No, we’re off today. Herold decided we’re observing Veteran’s day.”
“Wasn’t that on Tuesday?” Grim asks.
“Yep, it sure was.” I giggle. I’ve worked for Herold for a while, but I will never understand why he does things like this.
“Nice to know the old bat will use whatever poor excuse to get a three-day weekend.” Grim mutters.
“I can’t blame him, they are nice.”
“Yeah? What do you do on the weekends?”
“Besides spending time with the kids? Not much. I’m trying to find another job for the weekends. Maybe a bar or something to get some extra cash in. I don’t know. I need to look around town.”
The way Grim looks at me reminds me when a lightbulb goes off in our head. “We’re hirin’ a cook for the club. Zane just mentioned it the other day. Wants someone to come over on Saturdays to cook dinners for the club. Put ‘em in the fridge and freeze ‘em. You know? You said your momma taught you how to cook so . . . I’m bettin’ everyone would love it if you were the one prepping our meals.”
“Uh, I don’t know, Grim. If we’re gonna be doing this . . . I don’t think I should work here.”
Mayhem: A Reapers MC Boxset Page 49