by J. M. Walker
I returned the handshake. “I hate to pry but the boy…what’s become of him?”
Axel let out a hard sigh. “Fuck if I know. Last I heard he was with Child Protective Services.”
My heart stuttered, beating rapidly. Rubbing out the tight spot in my chest, I cleared my throat. What the ever-loving fuck was going on with me?
“Well, thank you for your time,” I said, grabbing the newspaper. “Do you mind if I take this?”
Axel narrowed his eyebrows at me. “Not at all, but can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Why are you interested in the boy?”
I glanced down at the paper in my hand before making eye contact with Axel. “I have no fucking idea.”
“Well, see you around, Coby.” He headed to the door leading into the back of the security center. “One thing, before you leave, I can give you some names of reputable security companies in the city.”
“Thank you.”
After I left Corps Security, I drove home with the newspaper still in hand. Something about the boy’s story ate at me. I needed to find out that he was safe. I wasn’t sure why or how, but I knew that Brogan and I would end up back in Hope Town.
“ARE YOU DOUBTING your relationship?”
My hands rung together in my lap. I shifted my body, rubbed the back of my neck, scrubbed a hand down my face. I couldn’t fucking sit still.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled, my throat tightening over the words leaving my mouth.
“Brogan.”
My eyes snapped up to Dr. Santos’. His gaze warmed.
“It’s okay to feel this way,” he said gently. “Both of you have been through a lot.”
“He’s supposed to be here,” I checked the time on my phone. “But he’s late. He mentioned something about heading out of the city. I…”
“Do you think he’s lying?”
“I don’t know,” I cried, dropping my head in my hands. “I have no idea what the hell is going on with him anymore.” It had been a week since our last session. Coby had made several trips out to Hope Town since then, but never told me why, or invited me along.
“He loves you, Brogan.”
“If he loves me, then tell me why the fuck isn’t he here.” We were supposed to meet up at Dr. Santos’ and go home together after. Creena dropped me off for our appointment, since he had an errand to run outside of town. I thought it was a step in the right direction but clearly, I was wrong since he was a half hour late for our session. “I don’t know what to do to reassure him that I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”
“Have you given any thought on taking a little trip just the two of you?”
I shrugged. “Not really. Coby has been busy trying to get a new security company to come check out the condo. He’s distracted.”
“How’s your sexual relationship?”
My cheeks heated. “Intense.” Our physical attraction to each other never diminished, but I still felt disconnected from him.
Coby took that moment to finally arrive. “Sorry I’m late.” He bent forward and kissed my temple, then sat down beside me. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
I didn’t say anything. How could I? These sessions were meant for both of us. We couldn’t move forward if he didn’t take them seriously.
“Everything okay?” Matteo asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes.” Coby cupped my inner thigh but I pushed his hand away. He didn’t deserve to be comforted right now.
His eyes burned into the side of my head.
“Brogan?” Matteo cleared his throat. “Continue what you were saying.”
I crossed my arms under my chest. “It doesn’t matter now.”
“What were you saying?” Coby asked, cupping my thigh again.
I shoved him away and stood from the couch, putting distance between us. “I was saying that I feel disconnected from you. That you’ve been gone every day this past week for hours on end. I don’t know what you’re doing or where you’re going or who you’re talking to. Sometimes I don’t even see you until late into the night.” I hadn’t told Matteo that part. “I miss you.”
“You know what I’ve been doing.” Coby crossed his ankle over his opposite knee. “I’m trying to get my condo safe again and take care of what my grandfather worked hard at building. You know that.”
“I…” I huffed. “I get that but why haven’t you brought me with you?”
“Is that the problem, Brogan?” The muscle in Coby’s jaw ticked, his dark eyes boring into mine.
“You’re really pissing me off right now,” I muttered but I was really mad at the fact that no matter how much of an asshole he could be, my body still reacted to him. The flush of my skin didn’t prove me wrong and I was ashamed to say that I didn’t overly care.
“How about we sit down and spend the last little bit of the session discussing how we can move this forward,” Matteo suggested, indicating for me to sit beside the man I disliked at the moment.
I sighed, slumping down on the seat beside Coby.
He cupped my inner thigh again, but this time I didn’t push him away. I was tired. I just didn’t care anymore.
“I’m taking you out for lunch,” Coby said after our session with Dr. Santos.
“Seriously?” I didn’t think I was hungry but the moment Coby mentioned food, my stomach grumbled.
“Brogan,” Coby said gently.
“Don’t,” I held my hand up, stopping him. “You don’t want to talk about shit. Fine. You don’t want to show up on time for our sessions. Fine. See if I give a fuck anymore.”
“Do you want to go out for lunch or not?” he bit out, his hands white knuckling the steering wheel.
“No. I’ll grab something at home.”
“Fine.”
We drove the rest of the way like that. No words. No touching. Nothing. My chest tightened, my throat burning at the unshed tears pricking my eyes. I was sick of this shit. I didn’t know how to make Coby talk to me. He had become more quiet and withdrawn over the past week, I didn’t know what the hell was going on with him.
Once we arrived at our apartment building, memories of moving in with him came rushing back. The motorcycle club I was a part of, had an explosion at the clubhouse. Some fucker set off a bomb and put us out of a home for several weeks. When Coby took me in, I never thought I would end up falling in love with him. I had assumed that our fun would be just that; pure, hard, toxic sex. But it was more. So much more. Or it used to be anyway.
“I have some work to do this afternoon, so I’ll be in my office for a couple of hours.” Coby put the SUV in park before turning to me. “I love you, Brogan. I hope you know that.”
All I could do was nod while the ball of fury grew inside of me. I was wound tighter than an elastic band. It was only a matter of time before I snapped.
(Coby)
It was pushing midnight when I finally crawled into bed beside Brogan. I pulled her small body against mine, brushing my nose into the hair at her nape. She stirred, pushing her ass into my crotch.
My cock twitched. This was the only time I could touch her without seeing the look of doubt in her eyes.
I shouldn’t have let it go on this long, but I needed to have everything in order before I did the big reveal. There was a reason I kept going back to Hope Town. I knew once I stepped foot into the smaller town, that I was meant to be there. I had a purpose. I had to make Brogan mine. It was the only way I could move on from this shit.
Brogan was going to kick my ass once she found out what I had been doing for the past week. But it would be worth it. I just prayed she wouldn’t leave me over it.
THE NEXT MORNING, I rolled over onto my side and found the spot beside me empty. I always got up before Coby. No matter the situation. But this time, he got up before me. My chest tightened. Why the hell did this bother me so much? It was something so damn small, but the change in our routine threw me off. I didn’t like it.
Putting
on a brave face, I pulled my stiff body out of bed and threw on one of his shirts. The scent of him wafting into my nose made me sway. Coby had always smelled so damn good. It was a mixture of leather and spice. Almost woodsy. It contradicted his businessman persona, but fit the Navy SEAL in him. It was perfect, since he led two very different lives.
Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was not even eight in the morning yet. Why was he up so early?
I let out a huff, desperately needing a cup of coffee. Pulling my curly hair up into a messy bun, I headed out into the hallway.
I could hear Coby moving around in the kitchen, the scent of bacon in the air, making my mouth water.
Once I reached the end of the hallway, I faltered in my step when my gaze landed on a pair of suitcases sitting by the door. What the hell?
Coby stepped out from the kitchen. He wore black sweat pants that hung low on his waist, revealing those sexy as hell hip bones I loved to nibble on. My body flushed. I gave myself a shake. This was not the time for that shit. He had some explaining to do.
“You’re up.” He gave me a small smile. “How did you sleep?”
“How did I sleep?” I repeated, shaking my head. “How the hell do you think I slept? And what’s this?” I thrust my arm out, pointing towards the suitcases. “Are you leaving me? Are you giving up on us already?” I took a step towards him.
“Brogan,” his brows narrowed to sharp peaks in the center. “Let me explain.”
“Explain what?” I cried, punching him in the arm. “After all this time, you’re just going to pack up and leave like a fucking pussy. Or are these my bags? Are you kicking me out? Is that it, Coby?”
“It’s not what it looks like, little one.” He cupped my cheek. “I promise.”
I slapped his hand away and shoved him back. “I won’t let you leave me. If anyone is leaving, it will be me for putting up with your shit.”
His eyes darkened. “Listen to me, Brogan. I can explain.”
“No,” I turned around. “I don’t need to hear it. I don’t want to hear it.”
Coby grabbed my arm, pulling me back against him. “You will listen to me good, little girl.” His teeth sunk into the side of my neck forcing a moan from my lips. “If I wasn’t trying to be all damn romantic, I’d have you tied up on my table with my cock shoved in your mouth just so you would listen to what I have to say.”
I shivered, the image he put into my head making my heart skip a beat. “Are you cheating on me?”
His body stiffened. “How could you ask me that?”
“What do you expect from me, Coby?” I turned around, placing my hand on his pec just above his heart. The thump thump of the strong muscle beat beneath my palm. “You’ve been gone every night for the past week. You come to bed late at night. We haven’t made love in that time either.”
Coby wrapped his hand around mine and brought it up to his mouth. “I love you, Brogan.” Much to my surprise, he got down on one knee. “I’m not cheating on you.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was trying to be romantic and plan a surprise trip but I guess the packed bags by the door could be a little alarming.”
“Just a little,” I whispered, not exactly sure what he was trying to say.
“I’ve been away a lot this week because I’ve been trying to set up this weekend. I made a hair appointment for you at one of the best salons in the country. I made reservations at a nightclub because I know you’ve never been to one. I’ve also been meeting with a security company over someone local to our city that could help me.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. “I’ve also been working on getting this moment perfect, but clearly that’s backfired.”
A sob escaped me. I fell to my knees in front of him. “Coby.”
He cupped my cheek, brushing his thumb under my eye. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how I’ve been. I’m sorry for being late to our sessions. I’ve been distracted. That’s no excuse. I understand that, but I hope that this will make up for a little bit of how I’ve been acting. I love you, Brogan. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You are the better part of me. The only part that matters. I’m strong because of you. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to heal and when Dr. Santos asked me what I was going to do. I realized that this,” he opened the box, “this is what I need. I need you. I need to marry you. I need you to be mine in body, mind and soul. I need your submission like I always have, but I need your love even more.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks, Coby blurring in front of me. I nodded after everything he said.
“Will you marry me?” he asked on a whisper.
“Yes,” I cried, punching him in the chest. “You scared the shit out of me.” Sobs wracked through my body at the relief I felt, knowing Coby wasn’t, in fact, leaving me.
He chuckled, pulling me against him and wrapping his arms around my shaking shoulders. “I’m sorry, baby. I’m not good at this shit.”
“You didn’t have to make it all special, Coby,” I leaned back and punched him again before covering my face. “You had me thinking…God, I hate you.”
His laugh hardened. “I love you, Brogan.”
I sniffed, wiping under my eyes. “Give me that damn ring, Porter.”
Coby grinned, sliding the ring onto my finger. The solitaire diamond shone in the early morning sun cascading in through the windows.
“I can’t believe you did that,” I grumbled. “You’re such an asshole.”
“You love me.” He kissed my finger and then my nose. “I am sorry for being disconnected from you.”
I cupped his face, covering his mouth with mine.
Before we could say anything more, his hands were in my hair and his lips crushed against mine.
I moaned, snaking my arms around his neck. His tongue pushed between my lips, controlling the kiss much like he did my damn soul.
Fisting my hair, he tugged my head back, breaking apart the kiss.
Our chests rose and fell with ragged breath. “I’m going to make love to you.” He lifted me in his arms, carrying me to the bedroom. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life, showing you just how much I love you, and even then, it won’t be enough,” he said, placing me gently on the bed.
“Just love me hard, baby,” I lifted the shirt over my head and bared my naked body to his hungry eyes. “That’s all I need.”
Coby flipped me onto my stomach, brushing his mouth along the hair at my nape. “I’m spending the rest of the day making love to this sweet body.”
“And then you’re taking me out of here?” I asked, looking at him over my shoulder.
“Yes, little one,” he brushed my hair off my neck. “I still can’t believe you thought I was leaving you.”
“What did you expect me to think, Coby?” I rolled over onto my back and ran my hands down his chiseled torso. “You’ve been distant. Quiet.” I kissed his chin, my lips trailing down the length of his jaw. “I know you so fucking well that one little change, throws me off my game.”
He chuckled, kissing the top of my head. “I never meant for that to happen, little one.”
“I know,” I whispered, my lips brushing along his collarbone. Running my hand over his shoulder and down his arm, I reveled in the feel of his muscles jumping beneath my touch. He was so strong. Powerful. But he was also soft and gentle when needed. Right now was one of those times.
Coby kissed my nose before pinching my chin and tilting my head back to meet the impact of his mouth.
My hands ran down the length of his hard torso, pushing his sweatpants lower.
A breath escaped me at the heat coming from his body. My fingers brushed over his straining cock, the heavy muscle jumping beneath my touch.
“Brogan,” he whispered, his lips moving, ever so softly, down the line of my jaw.
“Yes?” My fingers wrapped around his cock, sliding up and down the hard shaft.
He shivered, trembling above me. His muscles were tight, his neck strain
ed. He was fighting for the control I took from him. My body heated at what he was giving me. Even if it was just for a moment, I would take it and make him feel better.
“I love you, Coby,” I told him, my fingers tightening their hold on the part of him that had given me so much pleasure.
“I love you,” he grunted. “Fuck I love you so damn much.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “Make me come for you.”
My hand pumped, moving faster up and down his cock.
Coby reached for my knees, spreading my legs apart and dug his fingers into my inner thighs. “Fuck, baby.”
“Come all over my pussy, Coby,” I demanded. “Come hard.”
His dick swelled, my name leaving his mouth on a hard growl when his release shot all over my lower abdomen.
Lowering his mouth to mine, Coby slid his tongue between my lips at the same time he sank inside me. I let out a small gasp, arching beneath him.
For the rest of the morning, we stayed connected like that. Moving as one. Loving as one. It took a while, but we were finally taking a step in the right direction.
“When do we head out?” I asked Coby later that same day while moving my hand back and forth in the afternoon sun. The light twinkled off the huge ass diamond, forcing a smile on my lips.
“I like that smile, Brogan,” Coby kissed the side of my neck and gave my ass a light tap. “We leave now, if you can ever stop looking at that thing.”
I laughed, stood on tiptoes and kissed his chin. “You didn’t have to get me something so big. I would be happy with a piece of string.”
“I know, baby,” he smiled down at me. “That’s one of the many things I love about you but I’m a possessive man, Brogan. I want everyone to know that you’re taken.”
I shivered at the delicious undertone of his words. “Okay. Can I ask where you’re taking me exactly or is that a surprise too?”
“I’m taking you to a Bed and Breakfast just outside of Hope Town, but first, we’re going to head into town so you can get your hair done while I will make a stop at Corps Security.”