KILLER: An Unfit Hero Novel

by Faiman, Hayley

  “Yeah, Tullie,” he grunts before he pulls out a chair for me.

  I’ve only ever met Joey’s parents, so I don’t know if any of this is normal. Considering Joey’s parents are really not normal at all, not like I thought that they were. It seems like I don’t really know what normal is.

  “Irving, did you introduce yourself to Louis’ girl?” his mother asks.

  I press my lips together, unsure of his mother’s first or last name, but now I know his stepfather’s name. Irving lifts his head, just long enough to grunt in my direction before shoving a huge piece of bread in his mouth.

  Louis reaches for me beneath the table, he grabs my hand and his fingers lace with mine. I squeeze them, trying to show my support for him. This situation just feels so odd, so uncomfortable, though. I can tell that this isn’t right. It’s not normal and my heart aches for Louis.

  “Here, baby,” Louis murmurs, handing me a menu with his free hand.

  I take it and slowly flip through the pages. My eyes widen when I see the prices next to everything. Then I realize, even under the entrées, they don’t come with sides or anything, every single item is a la carte.

  I add up how much just one entrée, one side, and a cup of soup would be for one person and I gasp.

  Louis looks down at me, his eyes bright and shimmering. “Order whatever you want, if you try and skimp, I’m going to order you extra.”

  “It’s too expensive,” I whisper.

  He shakes his head once. “It’s not. Order what you want, baby.”

  Pressing my lips together, I nod, but I don’t agree or disagree. Instead, I shift my gaze back to my menu and try to come up with a combination that he won’t get upset with, and also will be the least expensive.

  The dinner goes from bad to worse as the evening progresses. Irving gets completely smashed before the first course even arrives. He slurs as he tells Louis that he could have done better last night.

  He tells him that he lost money on him because he bet that he would knock Meetze out by the third round. There’s spittle flying everywhere as he talks, but shockingly enough Louis doesn’t respond to his words, at all.

  My breath hitches when Bette, Louis’ mother, nods her head in agreement, then shifts the conversation from Louis’ fight to me. I expect her to ask me about my future, about how we met. Instead, she opens up with something that I was hoping to avoid, for the rest of my life, discussing.

  “Heard you met my son while workin’ a pole? You know you’re not the first stripper he’s brought back to his bed, though you are the first that he’s introduced to me.”

  “Mama,” Louis warns.

  I blink, letting out a small cough. I open my mouth, then close it, unsure of what to say in response. Thankfully, I don’t have to respond at all, because Louis wasn’t finished with his sentence when he said Mama, he was just taking a moment to compose himself.

  “We’re done here,” he snaps, standing up.

  I watch as he digs in his pocket and throws out several one-hundred-dollar bills. He turns to me, holding his palm up. Slipping my hand in his, I rise to my own feet.

  “Where do you think you’re goin’?” Bette practically barks.

  Louis shakes his head. “You been with Irving so long that you can’t tell when you’re being rude and disrespectful? You’ve been rude since we walked in here. I expect it from Irving, but not from you, Mama. I’m disappointed. We’re leaving first thing in the morning and I don’t know when we’ll be back. But whenever that is, I expect better.”

  Without another word, he takes a couple of steps, tucks me into his side before he slides his arm around my waist and together, we walk out of the fancy restaurant. My first time anywhere like that and I hated every second.

  As soon as we step outside, Louis touches his lips to the top of my head and inhales a deep breath as we wait for the valet to come and bring his black car around.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper into the cool night breeze.

  “Got nothin’ to be sorry for, Tullie. You were, as always, sweet and kind.”

  Tipping my head back, I look into his green eyes and I sigh. “Your dad must have been really special,” I breathe.

  He dips his chin. “He was, extremely. My mother was not like this when he was alive. I keep hoping that things will change, but she’s disintegrating.”

  “I’m sorry, Louie,” I whisper.

  He hums, his arms squeezing me again. “Me too. I’ll hold hope for my entire life, but I need space.”

  “Whatever you need, I support you and I’m here for you.”

  He turns me to face him and without saying another word, he tilts his head and his lips press against mine in a hard, but no less meaningful kiss.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  LOUIS

  “I have to talk to you about something,” Tulip whispers.

  I blink, gathering her naked body in my arms and tugging her against me. After the fucking shit evening with my mom, we came home and I made love to her. I knew she was sore, but I also knew that spending that dinner with my mother and Irving was stressful as shit. So, I needed it soft and easy just as much as she did.

  But talking.

  Needing to talk.

  That doesn’t sound good.

  Flexing my arms around her, I give her a silent nudge to continue.

  She inhales a deep breath, then begins to tell me about Mark, her friend Charlie, and everything that happened almost a goddamn week ago. My body locks around hers, bringing her closer to me and I’m sure squeezing her too roughly.

  “You did all of this, went to her house, alone?” I ask, my voice deep as I attempt to control my anger.

  Tulip pushes up, her palms on my chest, her blue eyes finding mine and she frowns. “I didn’t know that Mark would have her all drugged up and had abused her. I didn’t know that he and Silas were related. I didn’t know any of it.” she snaps.

  Pressing my lips together, I nod once. Makes sense now what Gary said about meeting Mark and Silas at the club. I didn’t understand it, and I’ve been thinking about it for a few hours now that my temper has calmed down. But fuck. Tulip could have been Charlie, easily, had I not found her in time.

  “Why didn’t you tell me when it happened? Why didn’t Beau or Ford fuckin’ tell me?” I demand, pushing all that other shit out of my head.

  Tulip climbs over my body, her thighs straddling my hips and if I wasn’t so fucking pissed off, I would be focusing on the way her warm pussy feels against my cock rather than the anger that’s beginning to cause my blood to boil.

  “You needed to concentrate on your fight. You had more than enough shit going through your head and I made the executive decision not to tell you. I made Beaumont and Ford promise me. You needed to focus on that fight, on walking into that arena, on stepping into that ring. What you didn’t need to worry about was crazy fucking Mark, three states away, when you couldn’t be there to do anything about him.”

  Gripping her hips, I squeeze and smirk up at her. Fucking shit. Her eyes are wide and they’re heated with anger, it’s gorgeous as all hell. Shifting her hips so that her pussy slides along my cock, I bite my bottom lip.

  “Louis,” she hisses.

  “You’re pretty when you’re telling me off, baby,” I mutter. “But when you’re doing it while you’re protecting me, fucking hell.”

  She shakes her head once, her hair flying around her shoulders. Sliding one of my hands up her back, I apply a little pressure and guide her chest down against mine. Tangling my fingers in the back of her hair, I search her eyes with my own.

  “Thank you for thinking of me, Tullie, but do me a favor?”

  She nods once, her breathing changing to sweet little pants. I lift my hips at the same time, I continue to guide her heat along my dick. Gripping her hair, I press her head down a bit more so that her lips are touching mine.

  “Yeah,” she breathes, her hips taking over the action as she rubs against me.

  “D
on’t hide shit from me, not ever. I’m not saying you were wrong to do what you did this time, but never again, yeah?”

  She licks her lips, her tongue touching mine. “Okay, Louie,” she sighs.

  Lifting her hips slightly, I grin against her mouth. “Guide me in, baby.”

  A shiver rolls throughout her entire body from my words. Sliding my tongue inside of her mouth, her hands fumble between us and finally she aligns my cock with her center. With my grip on her hip, I slam her down, lifting my hips and filling her completely.

  “Yes,” she cries as her head flies back.

  My hand is still tangled in her hair, while gripping her hip and the strands of her hair I watch as she moves her hips. She fucks me, her body rolling slowly as she rides. Tugging her head back, I watch as she arches for me, pushing her tits out.

  The sight before me is so fucking beautiful, and a feeling rushes through me, it overwhelms me instantly. I don’t just want Tulip to be my woman, to live with me, I want her to be my wife. I want to keep her for fucking ever, I want to watch her belly grow with my baby. I love her, wholly.

  She’s not ready yet. I’m not ready yet. I want to propose right this instant, but I also know that we’ve been through a fuck’ve a lot, and I decide to take a breath. She’ll be my wife. But we need a little time without complete fucking chaos surrounding us.

  Shifting my hand from her hip, I press my thumb against her clit. I’m so fucking close to blowing my load inside of her, I need her to get there, I need to watch her come.

  “Louis,” she hums as her entire body begins to shake. Her hips jerk harder and faster and I know that she’s close, so fucking close.

  Clenching my jaw, I can’t take my eyes off of her, I watch every goddamn second. She gasps, opening her mouth, but no sound escapes.

  Then as if right on cue, she freezes and her pussy clenches around me, hard. Lifting my hips, I surge up inside of her until my own orgasm takes over, filling her sweet body with my release.

  “Louie,” she sighs as her body leans forward and her lips touch mine in a whisper of a kiss.

  Releasing my grip on her hair, I wrap my arms around her back and hold her close to my chest. She buries her face in my neck, her lips touching my skin in the most beautiful way.

  “I’m sorry that tonight didn’t turn out all that great,” she murmurs.

  I flex around her, holding her tighter for a moment before I slide my hand up her back and into her hair again. Tugging her head back, I look into her sad blue eyes. Shaking my head, I try to give her a smile, but I can feel that it’s strained.

  “I know what to expect when it comes to them. My mother was unforgivably rude to you though, and I can’t accept that. Irving is always rude, I can put up with him, but nobody is going to treat you that way and I’ll be damned if I allow it in front of my face. I had hoped a few weeks ago when she said that they were done, that they were truly done, but I don’t think my mother will ever leave him.”

  Tulip lifts her hand, cupping my cheek with her palm. “I wish things were different, Louie,” she whispers.

  “Me too, baby. But I have you, so believe it or not, nothing can bring me down. Not a single goddamn thing, not while you’re mine.”

  Tulip touches her mouth to mine before she whispers against my lips. “I love you, Louis Kingston.”

  Rolling her onto her back, I lose our connection but keep my hips fitted between hers. “Love you more than I thought possible, baby.”

  Slanting my head to the side, I smash my lips to hers and I take from her. Slipping my tongue inside of her mouth, I taste her, taste my future—taste my everything.

  TULIP

  I’m curled against Louis’ side, completely sated. The phone rings and I sit straight up in a panic as my heart races. Louis grunts and I watch him reach toward his nightstand. He fumbles around then puts the phone next to his ear.

  Before he can even say hello, my phone starts to buzz with incoming text messages. Reaching for my cell, I slide my thumb across the screen and tap the text message icon. When my eyes adjust and are clear enough to read the words that Channing has sent me, I gasp.

  Turning to look at Louis, his eyes shift to mine and they’re wide. “We’re on the way. We’ll be there as soon as fucking possible,” he snaps.

  “Exeter is in labor,” I shout.

  He grunts, shifting from the bed and standing to his feet. “I know. Get up, get dressed. Let’s get the fuck outta here,” he barks.

  “What about all of our stuff?” I ask, looking around at our clothes from last night that litter the floor, and the closet and dresser that hold both of our clothes.

  Louis looks back at me from over his shoulder, standing at the entrance to the bathroom. “I have a moving company coming to pack up the house next week. They’ll pack your stuff too,” he murmurs.

  “What about my undies?” I gasp.

  Louis’ eyes widen, then he smirks. “You want to travel with just a bag of your panties?” he asks. Biting my bottom lip, I look up at him through my lashes and shrug a shoulder. “Put all your underthings in a small bag, baby. Now, come on let’s take a quick shower.”

  Our shower is quick. I wash Louis and he washes me, although I wish that we could spend a little more time washing one another, Exeter is in labor. I don’t want to miss her baby being born. I know we won’t be in the room, but I feel like we should all be there, supporting her.

  I throw on a pair of jeans, a tank top and slip into a pair of tennis shoes before throwing my hair up in a messy bun at the top of my head. I’m sure it’s silly, but I can’t stand it, thinking about strangers touching my undies, so I do exactly what Louis joked about and I throw all my bras and panties in a bag.

  “You’re cute as fuck,” Louis mutters as I hitch my bag over my shoulder.

  Shrugging, I hurry out of the door and together we make our way toward the front of the building where a car is waiting to take us to the airport. Louis called ahead to charter a plan to get us home.

  “Don’t get used to this.” He chuckles. “I usually fly commercial, but we need to get home, fast.”

  Looking over at him, I smile. “Coming here was the first time I’ve ever flown. I’m not used to any of this,” I admit.

  Louis reaches over, his fingers finding the top of my thigh and he squeezes. “Get used to traveling, Tullie. I’m taking you wherever you want to go,” he murmurs.

  We don’t say anything else. Shifting my gaze down to my lap, I smile to myself. If I could pinch myself, I would. We’ve had some crazy things happen, but all in all, being with Louis is a dream come true.

  After we board the plane, I stay awake long enough for takeoff, then my exhaustion finally takes over and I pass out, my head on Louis’ shoulder, his hand holding mine.

  I’m finally content, happy, and I know it’s because of Louis, because of the way that he treats me, the way that he loves me.

  It seems as though I’ve only been sleeping a minute or two when Louis wakes me up. Together, we rush out of the plane. I’m surprised to see that Beaumont is waiting for us off to the side of the tarmac.

  “Hurry, Wyatt said the baby will be here any minute,” he calls out.

  My feet pump as I run toward the pickup. Beaumont has the door open and I swear I fly into the back seat. Louis and Beaumont both laugh as they quickly climb in. All talking and laughter cease as Beaumont shifts the truck into drive and we lurch forward.

  We race toward the hospital. Once Beaumont slides his truck into a parking spot, we all climb out, and our feet move as swiftly as possible through the parking lot.

  Following behind Beaumont, Louis slides his arm around my waist, his hand shifting down to grip my hip as we hurry toward the maternity ward.

  Walking into the waiting room, we pause at the sight in front of us. Everyone is here. Channing has her hand cradling her belly, Rylan is holding a sleeping Reese to his chest.

  Hutton is sitting down on a chair, her feet elevated and resting on
a plastic coffee table. Wyatt’s parents are also here, along with an older lady who must be the infamous MawMaw.

  “Is she here yet?” I ask, trying to catch my breath.

  Hutton’s lips curve up into a smile, at the same time Channing does the same. “Not yet. She’s pushing.” Channing grins.

  “We made it,” I whisper, looking back over my shoulder at Louis. His fingers flex against my hip as he nods once.

  Together we make our way toward our friends. The girls call me over to their side, and Louis releases me with a kiss to my temple. Channing pulls me to her side for a hug and I sit down between her and Hutton.

  While we wait for news on Exeter, they ask me a million questions about the fight, both of them commenting on the dress that I wore.

  “Louis told me to burn it, never wear it again,” I mutter.

  “He would,” Hutton snorts. “It was super sexy though.”

  “It was, but it really wasn’t me,” I say, shrugging a shoulder.

  “It fit the occasion,” Channing points out.

  I nod my head in agreement, then it happens. The door opens and Wyatt walks through. His head is tipped down. Slowly he lifts his gaze and even from across the room, I can see it. Tears swim in his eyes.

  “Elizabeth Johnson is here. Six pounds, eight ounces and twenty inches long. She’s healthy, happy and Exeter was a warrior,” he announces, his lips curving up into a huge smile.

  Exeter’s grandmother gasps. “She gave her my name?” she whispers.

  Wyatt turns to her. “I suggested it. Our baby deserves the name of the woman who loved and cared for her mama her whole life.”

  We all watch as Exeter’s grandmother walks over to Wyatt, wraps her arms around him and pulls him down for a huge hug. It’s absolutely beautiful and the entire room watches, speechless. It’s so silent that you could hear a pin drop.

  “Come on and meet your great-great-granddaughter, MawMaw.”

  Tears fall from my eyes. I glance over to Hutton and then to Channing to see that they’re crying too. It’s so beautiful, so unbelievably breathtaking that we’re all in awe of the relationship that this family has.