Beyond the Edge (the Knight Series Book 3)

by Mari Brown

  “Do you think Martin has anything to do with this?”

  “No clue but I know that the FBI is involved.” I watch Bruce run a hand over his forehead. “Pierce Lambert special agent FBI Organized Crime has been assigned to investigate the explosion and the family”

  “Fuck!” This is not good. It can’t be.

  “We will figure it out.” Bruce says to me.

  The door pings as it slides open we step out into a pristine white hallway. The chemical smell of a hospital and cleaning supplies wafts in the hall. I follow Bruce as he passes a nurses station and lightly knocks on a door.

  Bruce pushes the door open and we enter the room quietly. I’m not at all surprised to find Gracie in here already fussing over my brother. It makes me happy Drew has her. She has been good for him.

  “You’re okay?” Gracie asks looking up as we come into the room further. “I was so worried.” She rushes around and grabs me into a hug. I’m a little uncomfortable about this hug. I’m still not use to Gracie’s warm fuzzy.

  “Sis, you really okay?” Drew’s voice is filled with concern.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Just a touch of anemia combined with a panic attack. I was fucking scared I lost you and Cole both!”

  Drew’s face softens into a small smile. “Freaked out again over losing lover boy?”

  “Stop…” a snort escapes me, “I can’t stand the thought of losing anyone I love.”

  Drew and I talk for a few minutes. I assure myself that he is going to be fine and that Gracie can handle him. He only has to stay overnight for observation and then let his wounds heal. I say goodbye to my brother and his girlfriend.

  Bruce leads me back into the stark hall. The strong antiseptic smell overwhelms me. We walk down a few more doors before he knocks softly once before pushing open the door. Cole lies in bed his eyes closed. He has several large, angry red marks across his face. My hand clutches my chest. Internally I feel as if I have been suckered punched. The gut wrenching emotion of seeing my Cole injured was more than I expected.

  I edge closer to the bed. Bruce hangs back in the hall I know he’s giving me space and I appreciate him for it. As I move closer Cole’s arms and face become my focus. Examining his face and arms there is nothing but flaming red burns. It doesn’t help I know they are minor and will heal in no time. All I see is him hurt. It hurts me to have my Cole lying in this hospital bed.

  Cole’s eyes flutter open. A soft smile forms on his lips.

  “Kitten…” His weakened voice whispers.

  My knees buckle. I grab the edge of his bed to keep myself steady. Cole tries to sit up but I notice he moves slowly. He has to be in pain.

  “Sit!” He orders me. Only Cole can be injured laying in a hospital bed and still order me around.

  I resist the laugh that wants to come out. Yet at the same time I’m thankful he is bossing me around.

  “Hey.” My soft whisper echoes back in my own ears.

  The thoughts ringing in my head won’t come out of my mouth right now. It may be a good thing. I want to yell at him. I want to smother him with love. I want to climb in bed and curl up next to him and let him just hold me forever.

  “Dad said you were in the ER. You okay?”

  “I’m fine;anemia and a panic attack. Doctor gave me some meds to help.”

  He sighs. “Good, I was worried when Dad told me.”

  “I was scared to death today when I found out you were in that explosion!”

  “Kitten…”

  I move closer to him, trying to be mindful of his injuries.

  “I can’t lose you Cole, not for any reason.” It’s scary how much this is true. Emotionally I’m a fucked up mess. Growing up with a mother who cared more about herself then her kids is the root of my issues. It wasn’t until Bruce entered my life I had any clue what a real positive adult role model was. It’s sad that technically I was already an adult myself.

  I often come off as a bitch. I had to be for so long to protect myself that I didn’t know how to stop. Maybe a part of me would always be a little short tempered and fiercely loyal, I didn’t mean to disrespect Bruce but I realize I have many times over the years. One day I would have to ask him why he let me get away with it.

  “I’m not planning to go anywhere any time soon. The doctor said within a week my burns will be fading into nothing.”

  His hand reaches out and wraps around my wrist he pulls me gently down toward the bed. I flop on the bed from being off balance. His sharp intake of air reaches my ears. I straighten myself to not be leaning on him. He doesn’t allow me to move away. I’m tugged back to him. This time I don’t fight him. Instead I take comfort in being in his arms. I snuggle in. Cole’s chin rests on the top of my head and we lay there in silence.

  “I love you, Cole.” I whisper. I’m not even sure he heard me.

  “I love you, too, Kitten.” Guess he heard me. I snuggle in a bit more. His grip tightens around my waist. This is how it should be with us. Comforting silence.

  “Ah, that’s what I like to see with you two.” Bruce renters the room a smile from ear to ear.

  “Shut it, old man.” Cole says to his dad in a playful manner. “What’s going on?”

  It doesn’t take long for me to realize what Cole is really asking his dad.

  “Your brother, Pete and Luke are on the scene with the FBI agent.” Bruce walks around and sits down in the chair beside the bed. Even in the midst of a crisis Bruce looks as classy as always. He wears a dark business suit; a white shirt is under the jacket with a dark red tie hanging in front. “Hopefully Luke can keep Justin from doing anything rash”

  Bruce’s hand runs through his hair ruffling the normal clean cut look. His eyes are drawn and tight little wrinkles play at the corners. Bruce is stressed, not that I blame him. The last few months have been crazy for the whole family.

  “As soon as I’m released I’m hunting down whoever did this.” My boyfriend’s harsh words float over my ears. He is speaking to his father but I stiffen a bit in his arms. Danger is all around. The thought of losing someone I love fills me with fear yet at the same time. I turn toward my boyfriend. I have to reign myself in. Instinct is to trace my hand along his muscular arm. Or run a finger on his chiseled jaw; neither something I should do now. I can cause him more pain by touching him.

  “Right now, you need rest.” I say softly. I am rewarded with a grin.

  “I’m resting, Kitten.” his hand rubs up and down in my arm in what’s meant to be a soothing gesture. “But Dad and I can strategize once I get home.”

  “I think your recovery should be priority right now.” I hate to insert myself so much right now but I really feel it’s best for my man.

  “If I find out the Martins had anything to do with this it’s going to be war.” Cole states his eyes cold and serious. Bruce and Cole lock eyes sharing a look between them only they can understand. There is no sense fighting Cole. It’s gone too far and it’s too personal now.

  I am not sure what the future holds for us, but side by side Cole and I can take on anything.

  Chapter 4

  Cole

  Two days after being in the blast I’m back home with my Kitten where I belong. My back is propped against the arm of the couch in our bedroom, legs stretched out as I try to keep myself from going stir crazy. A stack of papers are before me. Gracie went into the office today until lunchtime trying to keep things running as smooth as she can. She brought Kat and I both documents that needed our attention. I look through the contracts in front of me and find myself going line by line through them. This shit with the Martins has me paranoid. I won’t even sign a simple construction contract without checking it thoroughly. I should call Luke to come go through them again.

  I toss the papers on the table. They scatter a bit but I don’t give a fuck right now. I’m frustrated as hell that I can’t do anything but lay on this damn couch. I want to be out tracking down Martin. I want to be plotting with my dad and the guys on how t
o take him out.

  “You okay, Cole?” Kat’s voice is coming from somewhere behind me.

  I run a hand through my hair, “I’m fucking pissed!” Kat walks around the coffee table and sits down at my feet. “I hate being laid up!”

  “It’s only for a couple days.” she tries to appease me.

  “Couple days, couple years; same thing…”

  She give a short laugh, “Not quite but I’m sure I can take your mind off things…” she bats her eyes. There is a heat in her eyes. Suddenly my dick twitches in my shorts.

  “Oh yeah, how’s that?” I ask innocently.

  Her body leans over. Her arm extends and a hand lands on the front of my shorts. She begins lightly rubbing. She is driving me crazy with the feather light touch. My cock continues to throb.

  “Is this helping?” she speaks softly almost a whisper.

  “Um, yeah…” I shift a little so that she takes the hint I want more “I like your method of distraction.”

  Another small laugh escapes her but she climbs onto her knees. Both her hands reach for the waistband of my shorts. She gently tugs them down until my cock springs free. While I’m not fully hard I’m working on it. Her hand grasps my cock. Holding my cock in her fist she begins gliding her hand up and down slowly. It’s a sweet torture. There is a part of me who wants to begin thrusting into her hand. However I want this to last. Her grip loosens and her flat palm runs down to my sac. Cupping and massaging gently. She licks her bottom lip. I’m not even sure she is aware she’s doing it. Her breathing is coming in little short pants. I love how turned on she gets from touching me. It’s hot as fuck that I don’t even have to touch her. I can guarantee right now her panties are soaked.

  Her head leans down. Her breath is warm as it flows over my cock. Warm moist heat hits me as her tongue glides across my balls. She starts at the bottom center of my sac ad licks her way slowly to the tip of my cock. She leans back on her feet. Facing me she grins. My eyes are stuck on her. I can’t tear them away. I want to take her head and push it back down, it’s my natural instinct but instead I let her have her way with me.

  Her head goes back down, her tongue comes back out. I feel the wetness across my sac as she licks me all over. She is not leaving an inch of me unexplored right now. Once she starts open-mouth kissing my sac, my cock goes ramrod straight in the air. The light kisses and sucking is making me want to come so bad. I’m not sure how much longer I can handle this delicious torture. When her tongue swirls around the base of my cock I let out a low groan. This woman is a master with my cock. Everything about her is perfect to me, and perfect for me. She is my other half and I denied it for too many years. I would spend the rest of our lives making it up to her.

  Her tongue continues swirling up my rigid cock. I want to scream at her to put it in her fucking mouth already. She is teasing me mercilessly. Her mouth opens over the mushroom head giving it a small open kiss with tongue; caressing and probing. I moan again. This is heaven. Her lips open wider and she begins to swallow more of my cock into her mouth. Her tongue flattens along the base; my cock tightens at her movement. It feels as if I will burst open at any moment.

  Her head begins bobbing up and down as she sucks me; her tongue in constant motion as well. The mixture of both sucking and licking is sending me into a tailspin. I resist the urge to fuck her face a little longer especially when her mouth begins opening wider. She swallows all of my cock. The head slipping into her throat almost makes me lose it right then and there but lucky for both of us I’m able to control myself. Once I’m deep in her throat I can’t resist anymore. I begin matching her bobbing with my thrusting. My hand tangles in her black locks. This is heaven. As the momentum picks up, I stop thinking. I am only feeling. I lose my head. All I can concentrate on is the power her mouth has over my cock. It’s not long before my release builds from the base of my balls and it begins erupting out of my cock, shooting rope after rope deep into her throat. My Kitten never misses a beat as she keeps working her mouth and swallowing my warm seed. As I begin to come back down I feel her mouth and tongue cleaning me up. When she is done, she sits back with a shit eating grin on her face.

  She reaches over to the table grabbing her tea and swirling it around in her mouth before swallowing some down her throat. I love watching as the she swallows the cool liquid. The smile never leaves her face. I can feel my own lazy one on my face.

  “Kitten, you literally blow my mind.” I can’t even begin to describe to her the power she holds over me. I probably shouldn’t because that brat would use it against me if she knew.

  “You liked that?” she asks me innocently. She has to know by now how much I love her sucking my cock. I’m not exactly shy about it.

  “Come here!” I command. She crawls up the couch until our lips are mere inches apart. I lean forward just enough for our lips to connect. I don’t settle for a chaste kiss. I stick my tongue out probing between her lips, thankful they open for me right away. I begin exploring every nook and cranny in her mouth with my tongue. It’s amazing how it always feels like the first time with her. It’s never old and boring. I don’t have to go hardcore dominate on her to get off. She alone is enough for me. I may never have to use Knight’s Castle again; not that I would use it without her.

  She pulls back, panting as our kiss ends. Her eyes are filled with lust. I want so badly to return the favor. I actually wish I could do nothing more than lose myself balls deep in her but I know my body isn’t ready for that just yet. If I do it now I will only hurt myself in the long run.

  “I want to be buried deep in you right now.” I growl out. Her face lights up.

  “It’s okay.” she shifts to make herself more comfortable at my feet, “I know you would be all over me if it wasn’t for those stupid burns. Just another reason for me to hate Sal!” Her wink and smile tell me she is joking mostly. I don’t miss the little glimmer of darkness though. It’s been there since she shot and killed Gary.

  There is little doubt in my mind Kat killed Gary in cold blood. Drew made sure Kat knew how to use a gun. She could have taken a different shot that day in my dad’s office. She chose the kill shot. There’s a part of me who is proud my woman can kill for the family, but there is also a part of me who wants to protect her from ever needing to do it again. I know my Kitten won’t stand meekly in the corner again though. This is personal to her and something snapped in her the night in my dad’s office. It’s weird but when the explosion rang out in the basement of that building, it was the topic of conversation between Drew and me.

  Drew was as worried about his sister. Not that I blame him; I am worried as well. I wanted to protect her from the seedy side of being a Knight. It didn’t work out the way I planned. It doesn’t help the woman is single handedly the most stubborn person I know. I thought the men in my family were bad but we look like child’s play next to her sometimes.

  “What are you over there thinking about?” Kat’s voice interrupts my thoughts.

  “How do you know I’m thinking about something?” I ask

  “You have a scowl on your face …like you aren’t happy with whatever it is…” She says, her eyes locked with mine daring me to lie to her. I sigh.

  “I was thinking about Drew and I the day of the blast.” I sit up straighter on the couch. “We were talking about you right before the explosion.”

  “Talking about me?” she turns her body toward me putting all her attention on me. “Why?”

  “We’re worried about you. We’ve all been worried since you killed Gary.” I tell her the truth deciding it’s better to fight over the truth then because I lied to her.

  “That motherfucker betrayed this family he deserved what he got!” her voice grows cold, her eyes harden.

  I lean forward, taking her hand in mine. “That’s why we are worried; listen to yourself. What happened to the happy go lucky sorority girl?”

  She lets out a grunting sound before speaking, “That girl was always a fake. The real me i
s the girl who grew up with a fucked up mom, used sex with men to avoid her home life and fell in love with the son of a crime boss!”

  My thumb makes small circles around the top of her hand. I hate she is this way. I know that in some ways she is right; she will always be the girl who grew up in Belmont but a part of me had hoped she could be so much more. Really, she was so much more. I just wish she could see herself the way I see her., the way my dad views her, hell for the matter the way anyone in this family sees her.

  We all see a fiercely independent, loyal and loving young woman; a woman who is smarter then she lets on and a woman who would do anything to protect those she loves. She is also a badass bitch who beat my step mother’s ass on more than one occasion and killed a man because he betrayed the family.

  She was my other half, my perfect half. She completed me. Fuck she has me thinking stupid hearts and flowers shit again. She is my only weakness. She has no clue how much power she truly holds over me.

  “Kat, I love you.” I’m sure those weren’t the words she expected. Surprise crosses her face before she relaxes. A grin curving on her lips.

  “I love you too!” she leans over and kisses my cheek, as she pulls back she says “But I’m in this with you all the way. No standing back in the shadows. “

  I slump back on the couch, sighing as I take in her words. “I know that’s what scares the shit out of me. I can’t lose you.”

  Her hand grasps mine tighter, “And I can’t lose you. Hell after that damn bomb I’m ready to say fuck a wedding and let’s fly to Vegas!”

  I sit up excitement coursing through me “Really?”

  She laughs at my eagerness “Slow down there. I may be willing to skip the romantic proposal but I think your dad and sister would kill us if they didn’t get the BIG wedding.”

  Laughter erupts from deep within me. My Kitten is right. My family would likely kill both of us if we eloped.

  “Guess that means you’re planning a wedding!” I smile at my woman.

  “No, it means we are planning a wedding asshole!”