“I’m going to have to round up the Cupids.”
“We don’t have time for that. They’re too far away.”
“Actually, they’re not. They’re all waiting at a rest stop off the highway.”
“What the fuck, Grace?”
“I didn’t tell them to come,” I said. “But now we can use them to our advantage. They know Sean.” I played out the scenarios in my head; how I could use both sides to my benefit. There was still a slight hole, though. What if they didn’t leave us enough time to save Ryan? The Shadows were angry. There was no telling how they’d handle this specific hostage. “But just in case something goes wrong, I don’t want to leave Ryan defenseless.”
I pulled out my trusty bowie knife from my sports bra. Now I just needed to find a way to get this to Ryan.
“Where is she, Sean?” I heard Ryan’s voice booming from the living room. I took a deep breath, readying myself for what was about to happen.
“One track mind.”
“Don’t fuck with me.”
“Gracie dear, could you come in here?”
I looked at Mr. Muscles. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
“Great.” I stood, about to move toward their voices. “Wait, push me in. It’ll look more believable.”
“Grace, no.”
“Trust me.”
I hid the knife up my sleeve, and accentuated the slight push Leo gave me by tripping into the living room.
“You bastard!” Ryan immediately took a step forward, reacting as I figured he would.
“Ryan, no,” I stopped him, putting my palm up to his chest. “Not now. Not here.”
In that moment, I really wished he could read my mind. How would I hand him the knife? The way we had positioned ourselves, only Leo would be able to see the pass off. That was both lucky and convenient, but Ryan wasn’t holding out his hand; I would need to find another way.
I squinted my eyes, hoping he would sense some change in me, and allowed my hand to drop. I tugged at his belt loop, pulling his pants slightly away from his body, and slid the knife in path I had made.
I waited for a reaction, but saw nothing. Did he not feel the knife against his skin?
I cleared my throat.
“So where are we heading?”
Sean held Ryan back. “You’re not heading anywhere, sweetheart. We’re taking Ryan, and you’re staying here.” Exactly as we had planned, perfect.
“No,” I argued.
“Yes,” Ryan jumped in. “Leave the two women here, and I’ll come peacefully.”
“Ryan, please.” I tried to make it seem believable.
Sean rolled his eyes. “Fuck you and your arguing.” He reached behind him and pulled out his pistol.
I saw it all happen in slow motion. “NO!” I screamed, but it was too late. The bullet had left the barrel. I watched his hand flick from the kick back and then I watched the bullet hit its target.
Aunt Kathryn was dead. Sean’s bullet had landed right between her open eyes.
Ryan
I didn’t know what had happened until Grace rushed to the couch. She was trying desperately to wake her aunt, but it was obvious there was no waking her.
“You fucker!” She rushed at Sean.
“Grace, no!” I needed to stop her: he had a gun, she didn’t.
The muscular meathead beat me to Grace, dodging her flying fists and pulling her off of Sean.
Sean buckled over in laughter. “I warned you, Grace. You were the one who never took me seriously. You pushed me to this.”
Her face was beat red. I could see the hatred spilling from her pores. Sean grabbed me by the arm and pulled me toward the front door. “Follow us, and I’m sure you can guess what will happen.”
I looked at Grace. “I love you,” I mouthed.
“I love you too.” She was about to explode; I was sure of it.
“Very sweet, you two. Leopard, make sure she stays here.”
“Will do.”
After Sean, that meathead was next. Did he really think he could play Grace and live to tell the tale? No. He had just been added to my list.
Sean shoved me into the back seat of a beat up car and made his way to the front. I felt a twinge in my side. What could that be? Being careful not to make any sudden movements that he might notice, I slipped my hand to my belt and pulled my pants from my hips.
Grace’s knife. She really was something.
Now, I just needed to find the perfect time to use it. As if I had said it out loud to the heavens, that perfect time came only moments later, while we were still seated in the driveway. That perfect time was when I heard the bikes. I turned my head to the window; we were surrounded by the Cupids.
I whipped out the knife, holding it to Sean’s throat.
“Didn’t see this one coming, did you?”
He didn’t answer. Still keeping the knife at his throat, I booted open the car door, and was welcomed by Rocky and the rest of my club. Grace ran out of the front door, wrapping me in her arms.
I released my hold on him. “I wouldn’t move if I were you.”
Predictably, he ignored my threat. He slammed on the gas, kicking the stones of the driveway behind him as he sped away.
“Everyone on your bikes. Stop him. Grace and I will follow in the truck.”
The guys all jerked their bikes forward at my command; all except Rocky. He threw his arm over my shoulder. “Ryan, remember the night your Pops died and you said you would spend the rest of your life trying to make him proud? I have to assume this isn’t it. And you know that.” In the mess of the last few days, I had forgotten that promise. But Rocky was right. Had my Pops been given the opportunity to run away with the love of his life, he would’ve done anything in his power to take it. And he tried; he was just too late. I couldn’t allow my own fate to follow his. “You and Grace can get out of here. For good. We have this.” Rocky opened up his jacket, revealing three grenades. I knew them like the back of my hand; they were from our stock.
It would be hard to walk away from the final fight, but it might be our only chance. I had wanted to be the one who took down Sean, but if this was the opportunity I had been waiting for to start a new life with Grace, I’d be silly to turn it down.
“Grace?”
She looked at me in shock. “What he did to my parents, my aunt, you, me… we can’t just let him walk away.”
“We’re not. He’ll get what’s coming to him. Rocky will see to that.”
“This is our fight, Ryan.”
“It is. And if you want to see it through, however long that may take, I will be more than happy to do that with you. But…” I brought her in close to my body and whispered into her ear. “We could run away. Right now. We could never look back. Grace, this fight has changed us, and I can’t say for certain that it was for the better. If we leave now, we can still walk away with a piece of our humanity.”
She held onto me, letting my words sink in. After the anticipation had reached its height, she looked up at me. “Let’s get out of here.”
I wasn’t sure what her answer would be or even how I’d feel about either option, but hearing her say that made my heart soar. Ignoring my pain, I lifted her up and kissed her. Nothing could have made me happier.
“Just… just give me one second.” She ran up to the house, opening the front door. That meathead stepped to the doorway.
“Grace, what are you doing?” I asked.
“No, Ryan, Leo’s okay,” she assured me.
I watched her hug him as she asked him to take care of her aunt’s body. He nodded and hugged her back. They separated quickly and with a small smile, Grace turned back to me.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
We hopped in the car and pulled out of the driveway. The chase had gone to the left, so we decided to turn right. We had really done it. We had walked away from our last fight.
As we hit the first stop sign, we heard a small explosion in the distance behind us. T
hen another, followed by another. The grenades had gone off. Sean was dead.
Grace
I had to sit down; the fumes from the paint were making me nauseous.
“You okay, babe?”
“I am. Just a little dizzy.”
“Here, let me grab you some water.”
Ryan put the finishing touches on our new red door, wiped his hands on his pants, and gave me quick peck before heading inside.
“Grace?” he called to me.
“What’s up?” I yelled through the open door.
“Did you grab those little chocolate raisin things I love when you were at the store?”
“Cabinet all the way to the left, top shelf.”
“You’re the best!”
I leaned over in the porch chair, wanting to steal a peek at Ryan. He was filling up a glass of water while popping chocolate raisins into his mouth. The most important part of this entire picture was that he was smiling. We seemed to be settling into our new, normal life pretty well. I don’t know why I was afraid of normal. For the first time, maybe in forever, I was happy.
“Here you go.” He handed me a glass of ice water before bending down to gather up the paint supplies.
I took a big sip, waiting for the dizzying nausea to cease, but it only got worse.
“Grace, you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I smiled. But was I fine? Was I about to screw up everything?
Ryan knelt down beside me, placing his hands on my knees. “You don’t have a speck of paint on you.”
“I really didn’t do much. The smell was too strong.”
“Well, I’m covered, so I’m going to go wash up.” He stood, took my face in his hands, and lightly kissed my lips.
I heard the door to our bedroom close, and the shower squeak to life. I carefully stood, grabbed my bag, and snuck into the other bathroom.
****
I was back out on the porch, allowing the California ocean breeze to cool my face.
“Grace, can you come in here?”
Ryan must have been out of the shower. It was time. “Coming!”
I stepped into our new house, past the open living room, and into our bedroom. I couldn’t help but laugh. There, sprawled out on the bed, was a waiting Ryan. He had tied his wrists and ankles to the bedposts with scarves, and his head was propped up.
“Did you think I’d forget your promise?” He pursed his lips, waiting for my reaction.
“Believe me, I didn’t think you’d forget that. Let me just inspect your work.” I made my way around the bed slowly, ensuring he was securely tied up. I tightened the scarves where I deemed necessary, and then sat down beside him.
“How’d I do?”
“Not too bad. Are you ready for this?”
“Believe me, I’m more than ready.” His smile showed his yearning for me, for my body. I loved the rush I felt every time he looked at me that way. There was no doubt in my mind that this man loved me.
“Okay, but first…” I knew I was stalling, but I didn’t know how to say the words.
“Grace? What’s wrong?” There was a sudden change in him. He knew I was struggling.
“Please, just stay calm.”
“You’re starting to worry me. What happened?”
“Nothing happened… well… something happened.”
“For God’s sake, Grace, spit it out.”
“I’m pregnant.”
The silence was deafening. I just wanted him to say something, to give me some clue as to how he felt about it.
“You’re… you’re pregnant?” He seemed stunned. Everything was happening in slow motion. “Are you sure?”
“I took four tests.”
“Four?”
“I bought two boxes. I used them all.” I shrugged.
After another lengthy beat of silence, he began to laugh.
“Ryan, it’s not funny.”
“No,” he was still laughing, “it’s not funny. It’s amazing.”
“What?”
“Untie me so I can hug you.” He was pulling on the scarves.
“Really?”
“What do you mean, really? Grace, we’re going to be parents. Is there anything better than that?”
“But, isn’t it too soon?” I was searching.
“Why would it be too soon? Grace, my love, don’t we want normal? Don’t we want something that will ground us in our new reality? This is it. We’re going to have a baby!”
I threw my arms around him. I was so worried about how he’d react that I never let the idea sink in. He was right: what more could we ask for?
“Grace, please, untie me.”
I reached my hand up to the scarf, but stopped myself short. “No.”
“What?”
“A promise is a promise.”
“Grace, no, untie me.”
“Nope.” I took my time with the word, popping my lips at its conclusion.
As promised, I started with my fingers. I placed my hands on his chest and then tickled his sides. I walked them to his navel, circling it with my pinky. I then spiraled lower, teasing the creases of his hips. I pressed my palm against the inside of his thigh, yearning to feel the blood pump through his body. My fingers stroked his growing passion as I watched his eyelids slowly close.
Then came my tongue. I swirled around his aching tip, and then repeated my trail with my cool breath. I took a detour up to his mouth, reminding him that I still wanted him to be a part of this. I nibbled my way back down, feeling every rib on my way. I lowered my mouth to his hip, sucking at the curve of his muscle. I followed my previous path back to my target. I laid my hands at either side of his hips and took him in. His hips aided my movements as I prepared him for the full taking. I wrapped my hand around his base and pulled myself up above him.
“Look at me,” I commanded.
Ryan’s eyes opened, and his cheek lifted with his half-cocked smile.
“Do you want me?” I asked playfully.
“More than anything.” His breath was hot and hungry.
I wrapped my arms around my waist and lifted, bringing my shirt over my head. “I don’t need this.”
“You don’t need the rest of what you’re wearing, either,” Ryan whispered.
“Not so fast, mister.” I leaned over him, wrapping my shirt around his eyes as a blindfold.
Now he was completely mine for the taking. I stripped off the rest of my clothes and positioned myself above him. Wrapping my hand around him again, I guided him inside of me.
“Fuck,” Ryan moaned.
I kept him inside while rolling my hips. “How’s that feel?”
“I’m not going to last very long this way, Grace.”
“How about like this?” I slowly lifted my weight off of him.
“Come back.”
“Like this?” I brought my body down again, surrounding him.
“Yes, oh my fucking God, yes.”
“What now?” I baited him while I rolled my hips.
“Can I have my hands?”
“Nope. No touching. Just tell me what to do.”
“You’re something else, you know that, right?”
I giggled at his torment.
“Fine. Slowly. Up.” I followed along with his words. “Down… Up… Down… Up. Fuck, Grace, untie me.”
“No. You asked for this, sir.” I was having a blast.
“Come here.”
I lowered my chest to his chest and my mouth to his mouth. “Like this?”
“No. Straddle my face. I want to taste you.”
Again, I did as I was told, moving my knees to either side of his ears. I felt his tongue on me as if lightning had shot through my body. I held onto the headboard as I arched my back and pushed into him. He slid and curled his tongue, inside, out and around, until I felt like I would explode. My moans became louder and only increased as he hummed his moans into me.
“Oh my God, Ryan.” I could feel my body tensing in preparation for release.
“Now ride me, Grace. Fucking ride me.” His voice became deep and commanding, which only increased the pleasure within me.
I regained my stability and followed his instructions. I sat straight up on top of him, allowing him to find out how deep he could really go.
“Faster, Grace. Faster.” I had one hand on his chest, pushing off of him. “Yes. Yes.”
I joined his cries.
“Faster.”
“Yes.”
“Yes. Faster.”
“Yes!”
My body tightened and I felt him release inside of me. I collapsed on top of him, allowing our breaths to find each other’s rhythm.
“Hey Grace?”
I looked up at him with a satisfied smile on my face and lifted off his blindfold. “Yes, Ryan?”
“I would like to hug you now. Can you please untie me?”
Ryan
I watched her intently as she carefully untied me, and I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Grace was carrying my child. I was going to be a father. Sure, I should’ve been freaking out, but for some reason, I wasn’t. Everything was under control. We had gotten out of the MC life, we were thousands of miles away from anyone who might try to pull us back in, and Sean was dead. We had begun a new life, just the two of us, and we were about to share it with a third. We were going to be a family.
Grace giggled as she pulled her clothes back on and tossed my pants onto the bed. I couldn’t stop staring at her. I had never loved or felt so loved by another person in my entire life. She was my everything. We had finally gotten what we had been praying for.
She was too far from me. I grabbed her hand and tugged her back to the bed. I pushed her down and climbed on top of her.
“You are so beautiful, Grace.”
She smiled at my compliment. “You know, you’re going to have to start being more careful with me, now.”
I lowered my lips to her belly and kissed. “Eh, if she’s anything like her mom, she’s a lot stronger than she looks.”
“She? So the baby is a girl?”
“I just have a feeling.” I winked.
Grace rose to her elbows. “Thank you, Ryan.”
“For what?”
She took a deep breath. “For saving me.”
Betrayal of Cupids Page 15