by Falon Stone
I hate to think about what would’ve happened to her if I hadn’t stepped in last night. How long would she have stayed with him before finally leaving?
I’m thankful that I was there and that I had the balls and manners to step in and stop it from happening to her again. Bella didn’t seem like the type who could even hurt a fly, and it made my heart ache to think of someone being mean to her, let alone physically abusing her.
I wake to the smell of bacon in the air, and it takes me a minute to realize where I am. Then memories of last night slam into me when I roll onto my side and smell her perfume on my pillow.
I hop out of bed, filled with excitement to spend a little time with her before work, and grab a pair of shorts off the dresser before yanking them on and heading toward the kitchen. Bella’s standing in front of the stove with only my T-shirt on, turning the bacon in the pan.
I rub my stomach and stretch my sore muscles as my gaze lingers on her bare legs. My muscles haven’t been that well-used in so long that I’m definitely paying for it today. I lost count of how many times I fucked her. It may be a new record, and it’s definitely a night that I’ll never forget. “Good morning.”
She jumps, holding the spatula in her hand and turns toward me. “Christ! You scared me. I didn’t hear you get out of bed. I thought I’d make you breakfast. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all. I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.” I grab two glasses from the cabinet and the orange juice from the fridge, watching her out of the corner of my eye.
She fills two plates before sliding them across the island, almost to the very spot where I had her laid out last night. I pour us each a glass of juice and sit down, patting the seat next to me.
“About last night…” She pulls at the hem of the T-shirt and stares down at her lap. “I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me.”
I place my fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at me. “It’s okay, Bella. It was no trouble. I couldn’t just stand by and let him hit you. It’s unacceptable for any man to behave like that.”
“I don’t know what I am going to do now. He knows where my sister lives, and I can’t go back to him.”
Bella’s beautiful, she cooks—which is a huge plus—and then there’s the sex. The mind-blowing, best fuck of my life kind of sex. I have two unused bedrooms, and it was nice to wake up to someone for once instead of an empty house. “Why don’t you stay here until you sort things out?”
She touches my arm, staring up at me with wide eyes. “You’d do that for me? I don’t want to intrude or be any trouble.”
“Yes. I’m positive.” I brush my thumb against her cheek and smile down at her. “I can’t just drop you off somewhere to fend for yourself. It’s not in my nature. Not happening. I can’t take you home, not with that douchebag of a boyfriend. Take whatever time you need to get on your feet, Bella, and stay with me.”
Am I losing my mind? I hardly know this woman, and I’m offering her my home. But there’s something about her that makes me want to protect and help her.
“I don’t have any money,” she says, pressing her cheek into my hand.
“Just cook for me. That’s all I need to keep me happy.”
She smiles widely and breathes a sigh of relief. “I can do that. I’m a whiz in the kitchen.”
“I have to work a few hours today, and then I can help you get your things.”
Her smile vanishes. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Let me worry about that, Bella. Just spend the day relaxing and leave everything to me.”
“I really appreciate this,” she says, leaning over and giving me a peck on the cheek.
The kiss is so innocent and sweet that my heart aches to think that anyone would hurt her. I’ll make him pay if he lays a hand on her again.
“Thanks for the breakfast, Bella,” I say, shoveling some of the eggs into my mouth because I’m going to be late. “I have to go. I should be home by three.” I grab a piece of paper and write my phone number down, pushing it across the counter toward her. “Call or text me if you need anything or have any questions. Make yourself at home.”
I pull up to Chaz’s house and honk the horn, letting him know I’m here. Even though he knows what time I’m going to be waiting, he’s never outside in time.
“What’s up, bro?” he asks, jumping in the truck. “How did last night go with that fine little thing you walked out with?”
“Not sure yet. We made love last night, and she made breakfast. She needs a place to stay, so I told her she can crash at my place for a while until she gets her shit sorted out.”
“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa…” He’s gaping at me. “You made love? She made you breakfast? If I didn’t know better, I would say you just got an insta-wife.”
An insta-what? “Eh. Whatever. We fucked and she made breakfast. It was nice having a woman in my bed again. She’s smoking hot, supersweet, cooks, and has a phenomenal pussy.”
“Lucky bastard,” he mutters. “I should’ve stepped in.”
“Whatever. Your ass would never get involved in anything like that.” I roll my eyes. He knows as well as I do that he’d never step in unless it was a life-and-death situation. “How did you make out last night?”
“Well, I ended up dropping about $700 and going home alone.” He shakes his head and blows out a breath. “You’re the one that got fuckin’ lucky.”
“Maybe,” I mumble, turning up the radio, already annoyed with Chaz and over the conversation. Whatever Bella and I are, I’m not clued in. There’s no label other than roommate, and hopefully, fuck buddy.
As we pull into the office to grab my truck that I’d left yesterday, my phone buzzes and I glance down.
Unknown: Is it okay if I take a shower?
Me: Bella?
Unknown: Yeah. Sorry. I should have given you my number.
Me: Sure. No problem. Like I said, make yourself at home. Towels are in the linen closet across from the bathroom.
Bella: Maybe I’ll take a bath. I’m sore from last night. Maybe we can pretend again tonight?
Me: I’d like that…a lot!
My cock twitches at the thought of sucking on her sweet pussy again and the fact that she’s probably naked, standing in my bathroom.
Bella: ;)
Me: I’ll see you in a few hours.
“You got it bad, dude,” Chaz teases, making kissy faces at me.
I punch him in the shoulder and flick him off as I climb out of the truck. “Fuck off, Chaz.”
Smug bastard thinks he knows everything, but he’s never been able to keep a girl.
5
When I walk in the door, Bella’s crying on the couch. I rush to her side, sitting down next to her and pulling her tightly against my side. “Bella, what happened?”
“It’s Tom.” She buries her face in her hands and cries louder. “He said if I didn’t come home now, he’d throw all my stuff outside on the curb. Everything I own is there.”
That motherfucker. It’s not bad enough that he hit her, but now he wants to throw all her shit on the street as punishment. “You think he’s serious?” I know the words are stupid before I even say them. If the bastard will hit her, I’m sure he wouldn’t have an issue tossing her stuff to the curb either.
“I don’t know. He scares me.”
Rightfully so. The man beat on her. Naturally, someone’s going to be afraid of him and he knows it. The bastard is trying to lure her back so he can probably hit her again or worse. I’m so angry that I want to track his ass down and beat him black and blue, but right now, I’m more concerned with her well-being and making her feel safe.
I kiss the top of her head and stare out the window across the room, plotting his death. “Do you know where he is right now?”
“He said he’s at work and I better be home by the time he got there.”
“Come on, let’s go grab your stuff.” I stand up and hold out my hand to her. �
�He’s not home, so let’s do it before it’s too late.”
She stares up at me with her hands folded in her lap. “I don’t know, Cole. What if he comes home while we’re there?”
“Don’t worry. I have a plan.” I motion for her to take my hand. “Let’s go. We can’t wait any longer.”
She slides her hand into mine, but I can tell she’s not entirely sold on my idea as we walk out the front door. I help her into the truck before I pull my phone out and send a text to a buddy for some backup.
Me: Hey, Morgan. I need a favor, brother.
I climb in next to her, giving her shaking thigh a light squeeze. “Relax, Bel. I promise everything will be okay.”
She smiles, but her eyes drop to my phone when it buzzes.
Morgan: Sure. What’s up?
Me: I have a situation. Can you grab the guys and meet me? Got a girl that needs to get her things from her abusive boyfriend’s place.
Morgan: Beating on a woman? Yeah. We got ya. Not a problem, man. Let’s hope the motherfucker comes home while we’re there. Lemme grab Bear and Frisco, and we’ll be right over. Text me the address.
Me: I knew I could count on you. I owe you one.
“What’s your address, Bella?”
I type it into my phone as she speaks and send it to Morgan. I punch it into my GPS and lay the phone on the seat between us before pulling out of the driveway.
“Who’d you text?”
“Morgan. He’s been a friend of mine for years. He owns a private investigative firm called ALFA PI. His crew has some pretty badass dudes. With them there, nothing will happen if the asshole shows up while we are moving your stuff out.”
“How did my life spiral so out of control?” she says, resting her head against the window, tears starting to run down her cheeks.
“I don’t know, Bella, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him hurt you again. Let me and the guys handle this.”
“Thank you, Cole. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”
“You don’t worry about that right now. Let’s just get your stuff and make sure you’re safe.”
Morgan and his crew are waiting outside of the asshole’s place when we pull up. “Wow,” Bella mutters, straightening her back as she catches sight of the guys.
“Told you they were badass.” I laugh, climbing out of the truck as she does the same.
“Hey, fellas. Thanks for coming so quickly.”
Bella stands at my side, gripping tightly to a belt loop at the back of my jeans. I reach behind me, pulling her hand in front and holding it. “This is Bella.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Morgan says, tipping his hat to her.
“Bella, this is Morgan, Bear, and Frisco.”.
“Hiya,” she whispers, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and letting her eyes dip to the ground.
“Does it look like he’s home, ma’am?” Morgan asks, glancing toward the house. “Does he park in the garage?”
She looks toward the house and back to me. “He’s not here. He can only park outside because the garage is filled with stuff, but I don’t have a key.”
“Not a problem,” Bear huffs. The guy is enormous, and I can’t imagine a simple front door could stop him from entering if that’s what he wanted to do. He lifts his booted foot. “I have a key right here. It’s a size fourteen, it fits every lock.”
We follow behind Bear across the yard. Bella’s practically glued to my side and peering around like the asshole will pop out of the bushes.
Bear stands in front of the door and announces, “Everyone stand back in case pieces fly.”
“Just kick it in already,” Frisco groans.
Bear rears back, giving the door a hard kick near the handle. The doorframe cracks on impact and the door swings open, smacking into the wall behind.
He turns around and grins down at Bella. “See. Size fourteen works every time.”
Bella laughs, squeezing my hand as we follow the guys of ALFA inside.
Forty-five minutes later, we’re out the door with everything Bella owns. It’s a quiet ride back to my place as Bella stares out the window. I want to talk to her, but I give her some space to let her work out whatever she’s thinking about.
Morgan helps me unload everything, storing it in my garage until Bella’s ready to go through it all.
I turn to Bella after Morgan pulls away. “I’m starving. How about we head out for a bite to eat and go to the grocery store on the way back to stock up since I don’t have anything in the fridge?”
She’s staring at everything she owns sitting on the floor of my garage in dozens of boxes. “That’s fine.”
I place my hands on her shoulders, giving them a light squeeze. “Come on. Things will get better.” I smile down at her, hoping I can lift her spirits. “Look on the bright side. You don’t ever have to go back there. Give it a few days, and you’ll feel better.”
She smiles finally and stands on her tiptoes to kiss me. “Yeah. You’re right. Thank you so much, Cole. I owe you a little something after dinner.”
“Oh? I love dessert. Whatcha got in mind?”
“A little something I think you’ll love.” She reaches down, squeezing my cock, and whispers, “I want to suck your cock.”
“Fuck, Bella,” I hiss, closing my eyes and groaning. “There’s nothing I want more right now than to feel your lips wrapped around my cock.”
“We better hurry, then. The sooner we eat, the sooner I suck.” She smiles playfully before licking her lips, taunting me.
I tug her down the driveway, eager to feed her my cock for dessert.
6
“Cole.” The voice is whispering, but I figure I’m dreaming and don’t open my eyes. “Cole,” she whispers again, but this time, her hand drifts down my chest. “Wake up, baby.” Her fingers slide over my abdomen before coming to rest against my cock.
“Bella,” I whisper, pulling her on top of me before she can crawl down the bed and stick my dick in her mouth. “Ride me, baby.”
It’s been a week since Bella moved in with me, and every morning she wakes me up the same way—sucking me off before I even have a chance to get out of bed. I never thought I’d love having someone living with me so much, but Bella literally makes every morning a pleasure.
Her tiny fingers press into my chest, and she leans forward, causing her hair to cascade around me, blocking my view of everything but her. “Good morning.” She smiles, just like every morning since I brought her home.
When I offered for her to stay with me, I hoped we wouldn’t become sexless roommates. It’s too hard to go back once you’ve crossed the line, especially when she’d only be sleeping a room away. But she likes sleeping next to me, curled against my body because I made her feel safe.
I place my hands on her hips, rocking her body to grind against me. “Morning, Bel.”
She lifts up with her knees, reaching between us and grabbing my cock. “You want to fuck me?”
I shake my head, tightening my grip on her hips. “I want you to fuck me.”
She moves the head of my cock through her wetness before pushing the tip inside. Her body lowers, taking all of me before she starts to grind against me. “Mmm,” she moans before closing her eyes, tipping her body backward.
I brush the hair away from her tits and stare up at her, taking in the beauty of her entire body. Her long red hair against her milky white skin almost sparkles in the sunlight that’s streaming through the bedroom window. She pushes herself up before crashing down against me, driving my cock deep inside of her.
I roll her nipples between my fingertips, causing her pussy to contract around my cock. The way her body reacts to my touch, I know she wants me, wants what we’re doing right this very second.
I let her control the pace, taking me slowly at first. But every time my fingers pull at her nipples, she quickens the speed at which her body rocks against mine. I lick my finger, pressing it against her clit and rubbing softl
y in tiny circles just like she likes it.
She tips her body back farther, grabbing my ankles roughly and exposing her center even more to my touch. I fondle her breast and stroke her clit as she fucks me. Her eyes are squeezed shut, and her body’s covered in a thin sheen of perspiration as she starts to shake beneath my touch.
“Come for me, Bella,” I tell her, even though I’m not ready for this to be over. My thumb presses a little harder against her clit as the circle my thumb is drawing against her flesh becomes smaller.
“Cole,” she moans, riding faster, pounding my cock deeper. She screams through the orgasm, her body shuddering as she holds her breath.
I don’t even care if I come. Watching her fall apart because of my touch and filled with my cock is the best damn thing in the world. It’s like she crawled straight out of my wet dreams.
When she finally catches her breath and opens her eyes, she stares down at me with the biggest smile. “But what about you?”
“The day isn’t over, Bel. I’m not done with you yet,” I tell her, pulling her down against my chest and tangling my fingers in her hair. “We have all day.”
She nuzzles her cheek against my pec, drawing tiny hearts around my nipple with her fingertip. “But we have the cookout today.”
Fuck. I almost forgot about the company party Hunter and Garrett are throwing today. Everyone at Eye Candy Handyman is invited, along with their significant others. I’ve driven all the guys and Darby crazy with my nonstop chatter about Bella. Today is the first day I actually get to introduce her to everyone.
“I forgot about it,” I whisper into her hair and close my eyes for a second, wishing we could stay in bed all day.
She glances up at me and frowns. “I’m nervous to meet everyone.”
“They’re going to love you, just as much as…” My voice drifts off, and I catch myself before I mutter the words. “They’re good guys. They’re excited to meet you.”
“I’m not exciting.”
“Stop. I’m sure the girls will whisk you away and have a million questions for you.”