Redeeming Rue AP4

by R. E. Butler

  The two brands together spanned her upper back, from shoulder to shoulder, thickest toward her shoulder and thinnest over her spine, where the two brands met, halfway down her back. The pain must have been excruciating.

  She trembled and he glanced at her face, noticing that her eyes were squeezed shut and her hands were closed into tight fists.

  He placed his hands onto her waist and squeezed gently. Sliding his hands up her sides, he let his thumbs brush the very edges of her brand. She shivered and made a soft sound, but didn’t tell him to stop. He ran his hands up and down her sides a few times, calming her under his firm touch, until he felt her relax. He swept his fingers over the edges of the brand, feeling the texture of the raised marks that was oddly smooth, even though they looked rough.

  With as much care as he could muster, he traced the swirls of the design, following the swoops and curves, the sharp points and curls. His fingers were numb from the motions, but he didn’t care. Every time he traced the brands, he felt her relax further and settle deeper into the mattress. Her hands unclenched; her eyes weren’t squeezed shut like a child waiting for a vaccination.

  He leaned forward and kissed the center of her back, where the two brands met. She gasped. He let his tongue trace the bottom of the brand, and a shiver wracked her body, and the scent of her arousal spiked in the air again.

  He massaged her sides with his hands and kissed and licked his way around the brands that covered her upper back, willing her to let go of the old pain and fears that kept her so tightly from them.

  He kissed a sharp point, thinking it reminded him of a claw and leaned forward over her. Kissing her cheek, he nuzzled her hair and inhaled her sweet scent. He slid one hand underneath her body and cupped her pussy through her jeans. Her hips flexed, and she ground herself against his hand with a soft purr.

  “I love that sound, baby,” he said and pressed harder, grinding his heel against the top of her pussy.

  She purred again, lifting her hips and pressing herself to him. If she kept rubbing against him, he was going to come in his pants like a teenager, and he didn’t want that.

  “I want to taste you, Rue,” he whispered, his mouth watering at the thought of stroking her pussy with his tongue.

  She eased onto her back, her hands settling on his arms. “I want that, too.”

  He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, and she opened her mouth immediately, teasing his tongue with her own. Her hands moved up his arms, across his shoulders, and linked behind his neck. Their tongues touched and teased, and her groans of pleasure from something so simple as kissing made him want to howl in pride.

  He left her mouth and kissed down her neck, licking the mark that he’d made. He followed her collarbone to the hollow of her throat and kissed down the center of her chest. He plumped her breasts with his hands, lifting up enough to kiss the tight nipples and caress them with his tongue. Her hands speared into his hair, and she groaned loudly, writhing under him as he sucked one of the hard buds into his mouth.

  She fisted his hair tighter and groaned, but the sound wasn’t as happy as he thought it would be, and he released her nipple and gazed up to find her looking torn and unhappy.

  “What’s wrong? Am I moving too fast?”

  “No, it’s just that I don’t feel right.”

  “How so?”

  “I want…” she whispered, and he blew a stream of cold air over her wet nipple and she moaned softly.

  “What do you want? It’s yours, whatever it is.”

  “I want John, too. I want both of you.” Her head thrashed back and forth. “I don’t know why, but I want him here with us.”

  “Because he’s your mate, too,” James answered.

  “I should be happy with just you,” she said, stroking her fingers through his hair. “You’re amazing. I can’t explain it, but the way you touched my brand made it feel different, like it doesn’t hold the same meaning as it did before. I want to make love to you, James, but I also want John with us. Are you angry?” She bit her lip.

  “Of course not. He’s your mate, too.”

  “It’s a good thing I’m here, then,” John said as the door shut quietly and the lock clicked.

  Rue gasped and looked at John. James eased to Rue’s side, stretching out next to her so John could see her.

  Rue didn’t say anything, she simply held out one hand to John and silently asked him to join them. James kissed her cheek and then lowered his mouth to her breast, capturing the nipple between his lips.

  He was aware on some level when John and Rue touched, as if a connection had finally snapped together between the three of them. This was how it was supposed to be, James decided, as he licked and sucked her nipple. Two males caring for one female in every way she wanted and needed. James might like to take control of situations, but John’s softer side would temper that, and together they’d be perfect for Rue.

  * * * * *

  John hadn’t expected to come home from his shift and find his brother on the bed with a half-naked Rue. At first, he’d been jealous, thinking that James had taken advantage of John’s absence to connect with Rue, but then he’d heard the conversation between them and knew that James wasn’t trying to rush her. Knowing that Rue also wanted John to touch her, not just James, made him so happy he couldn’t stop from purring enthusiastically as he walked to the bed and took her offered hand.

  He almost climbed onto the bed, but realized he was still wearing his uniform. She watched him take off his shirt, hanging it over a chair in the corner. He hooked his belt over the arm of the chair and paused with his fingers on the fastener of his pants. James and Rue both still wore pants.

  “Come here, John,” she said, her voice husky with arousal, her fingers crooking and beckoning him.

  He strode to her, trying to calm his wild pulse. She reached out, letting go of her hold on James’ hair and opening the button of John’s pants before lowering the zipper. The air froze in John’s lungs as she tugged the pants down his hips. His cock throbbed against the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. His pants slipped to the floor and pooled at his feet.

  James went to his knees, as he and John reached for her jeans, undoing them and tugging them and her panties down her legs. James tossed the jeans behind him and slipped from the bed. As James stripped completely, John stepped from his pants, shoving his shorts off with hands that were suddenly trembling. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d had sex, but he’d never made love.

  It may have only been a short while since he’d found Rue in the woods, hidden behind a wig and overpowering perfume, but his feelings for her were growing steadily and he was falling hard for her.

  He climbed onto the bed and stretched out on his side next to her. He lifted one hand and pressed his mouth to her palm. He kissed her wrist, the inside of her elbow, and her shoulder, before stopping just short of her mouth. She sighed happily, and John cast his gaze down her body to see James push her legs open and settle between them.

  John tipped her chin until her eyes met his and he licked the plump swell of her lower lip. He wanted to say something amazing and heartfelt, but he couldn’t find the words to articulate how he was feeling so he tried to show her with a kiss. She melted under him, her hands slipping into his hair and pulling him closer as their tongues tangled in a slow dance. By the time he pulled away from the drugging kiss, he felt lightheaded from the sweet taste of her.

  He gazed down at her, watching her eyes dilate with pleasure as James feasted on her pussy with throaty growls and purrs. John caressed her breast with his hand, keeping his eyes on her face as he lowered his mouth and teased the peak with his tongue.

  “Oh, John,” she moaned his name, her hands fisting in his hair. He felt her nails abrade his skull and a tingle wove down his spine, making his cock turn to stone and his balls draw up tight.

  He sucked on her nipple, licking the sweet bud to firm tightness before lavishing the other with the same attention. Her
heart pounded, her breath hitching in her throat as she drew closer to climax. John skimmed his hand down her stomach slowly and stopped, just above her pussy where James was licking and sucking her hard. John pulled her flesh upward gently, exposing more of her clit to James’ earnest tongue and Rue moaned loudly.

  “Fuck, you’re gorgeous, Rue,” John said, roughly.

  Her eyes flashed from green to blue, the colors swirling as her body heated and the sweet scent of her deepened. John bent and took her nipple between his lips, teasing her with his teeth and tongue. She arched up with a sharp cry, rolling back and forth as much as James’ hold on her allowed.

  John released his hold on her breast and watched a blush color her chest a dusky color. The sight of her pleasure was almost his undoing, but with some effort he managed to not hump her leg until he came.

  She panted for breath, her chest heaving and her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

  “Baby?” James asked, lifting himself off her lower body.

  Her eyes opened slowly, and the blue color was so vivid that it took John’s breath away. Her fangs flashed as she smiled, a purr escaping her throat. The only warning he had that she was going to move was the subtle tensing of her body. A second later he found himself flat on his back with Rue hovering over him.

  Her eyes sparkled with amusement and passion, and John felt warmed to the core. She brushed her lips across his, and smiled once more, showing him that her fangs had receded. Then she kissed her way down his chest, moving down his body slowly, hungrily, as if she couldn’t get enough of the taste of his skin. Maybe she couldn’t, because he didn’t think he could get enough of the taste of her, either.

  His vision narrowed to her as she hovered over his cock and James rose up behind her, his fangs visible as he grasped her hips and pressed into her. Rue moaned and closed her eyes, her head lolling to the side as she made a whimpering sound in her throat. Then, keeping one arm straight to hold herself up, she grasped the base of John’s cock and kissed the throbbing head.

  She swirled her tongue around him, deviling her tongue in the notch under the head and rubbing her thumb against the thick vein. He thought he might die from the pleasure of her tongue, but then she took him into her mouth and he was very, very certain he was going to die. It felt amazing. Her hot mouth taking him deep, her head bobbing as she worked him up to the point of no return.

  He fisted the blanket, afraid he would grab her and possibly hurt her when the orgasm that was hovering in the background finally broke free. Using her hand, she worked him with her mouth, driving him wild. Her eyes locked with his, the motion of James making love to her pushing her against John’s body, eliciting little grunts and groans as she pushed John to the edge.

  The moan in her throat rippled down John’s cock and he came hard, trying to hold her gaze as she swallowed all of his come and then flicked her tongue over the slit as if she were searching for more of his climax. James grunted as he came, and John completely ignored the sight of his brother coming as he rubbed his thumb on her swollen lips.

  James rolled to the bed with a smile plastered to his face, and John grasped Rue and pulled her up his body, twisting until she was under him. “You’re amazing,” John said, nuzzling her throat.

  “More,” she flattened her hands on his back, her fingers digging into his flesh.

  “More?” he repeated, chuckling against her throat.

  “As much as I can have.”

  He lifted his head and stared into her beautiful, blue eyes. “You can have everything I have to give, Rue. Everything.”

  Instead of saying anything more, Rue pulled him down to her mouth and they kissed and touched until his cock was hard again and they made love. James joined in, and she used her hands on him, while John pushed her body to the edge of pleasure and then fell with her.

  As the night wore on, they made love together two more times, until John couldn’t keep his eyes open and was fairly certain that his bones had melted at some point during their time together. When he felt himself slipping into a deep, restful sleep, he cuddled a little closer to Rue, certain that she would be there when he woke.

  Chapter 16

  Rue relaxed her body and evened her breathing to make James and John believe she slept. She waited patiently as they both drifted off, lying perfectly still and watching the clock on the nightstand until an hour had passed. It was three a.m. when she slipped from between James and John, dressed silently, and grabbed her suitcase. She headed to the bedroom door, taking one last look at the two males asleep on the bed. Her heart was heavy and indecision tore at her. She could stay. Crawl back into bed and tell them that she was willing to live in the boarding house, be their mate, and stay there for the rest of her life.

  She opened the door, stepped out into the hall, and closed it silently. She could stay, but she wasn’t going to. She was desperate to get her and Dom to a safe place, and Ashland was the place where Dom had almost died. How was that safe? To stay in Ashland meant that the clan of her birth knew exactly where they were and could change their minds, decide to come back and take their pound of flesh from her. Dom’s safety was paramount. In order to keep him safe, she had to get him out of the states and away from panthers, no matter how much her heart hurt and her cat protested.

  She tiptoed up to the third floor and opened the door of the bedroom that Dom chose. He was sprawled across the full-size bed, his hair mussed from sleep. She put one knee on the mattress and leaned over, rubbing his shoulder.

  “Dom,” she whispered. “Dom, wake up.”

  After saying his name a few more times, his eyes began to flutter and then opened.

  “Mom?” he said and she pressed her hand over his mouth.

  “Shh,” she cautioned, “get dressed. We have to go.”

  Still dazed from sleep, he got up and dressed while she stuffed his belongings into the suitcase. She hurried him from the room, shutting the door quietly and urging him down the stairs. When they reached the first floor, she unlocked the front door and let Dom out, flipped the little lock on the handle so the door would lock when she shut it, and pulled it closed.

  Gripping his arm, she hurried down the steps and walked to the rental car. She pulled the keys from her pocket and opened the door for him.

  “Mom, why are we leaving?” His voice still sounded a little sleepy, but he was definitely aware that they were going.

  “Get in and we’ll talk on the way.”

  He opened his mouth to protest and she put her hand up. “Get in, Dom.”

  He sat down heavily with an angry snort, and she shut the car door. After hurrying around to the driver’s side, she tossed the suitcase into the backseat, sat down, and turned on the car. The engine seemed as loud as a jet and she cringed. As she put the car in reverse and backed out from the spot, she half expected the front door to open and James and John to race out and try to stop her from leaving. But they didn’t.

  Her heart clenched painfully as she drove toward the street and turned onto the main road, leaving the boarding house behind.

  “How did you even get the car here?” Dom asked. His posture was rod iron straight, his arms folded across his chest.

  “Jax brought it earlier tonight, and he left the keys on the kitchen counter. I snagged them before anyone noticed them.” Which had been good fortune for her. If Jax had handed the keys directly to James when he got home earlier that night, then her whole plan would have unraveled fast. It had worked out perfectly, though. Jax came into the kitchen where she had been helping Chase and Dylan with the dishes while James, Henry, and Dom were in the yard playing football with the younger kids. Jax had tossed the keys on the counter, grabbed his dinner, and walked upstairs. It had taken no effort to tuck the keys into her pocket unnoticed.

  She didn’t like deception, and lying to James and John about her intentions had hurt. She’d felt so close to them when they were together in bed. She hadn’t really intended for the night to go as far as it did, but she wasn’t
sorry. They would probably assume she was using them, or using sex to make them exhausted, but in truth once James had started to touch her, she’d just wanted to lose herself in their arms for as long as she could. It hadn’t been long enough, though. A million nights like that wouldn’t be enough. Guilt pricked at her, but she forced the emotion away and glanced in the rear view, wanting to make sure that no one was following them. She didn’t think she’d have the strength to walk away from them again, because she could barely stop herself from turning around right now and going back and taking them at their word that they would keep her and Dom safe. She’d never relied on anyone to keep her and Dom safe except herself, and that was what was safest.

  It was the way it had to be.

  * * * * *

  Dom glared at his mother, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy looking in the rearview mirror every few seconds, with her heart pounding so loudly he could hear it. He was angry and disappointed. He’d finally found a family, a place where he felt they both belonged, and she’d never let her guard down enough to give them a chance.

  “Why is it so fucking important for us to leave?” Dom groused.

  “Don’t curse.”

  He grunted, glared at her, and folded his arms. “Well?”

  “It’s for the best.”

  “Best for who? Me? Because I was really fucking happy in the boarding house. I think you’re just afraid to care about James and John. I don’t think you care about me at all.”

  “Are you serious? I’ve spent your entire life caring for and protecting you, Dom! How dare you suggest I’m not doing this for both of us. It’s safer for us to be far away from the states.”

  “You’re free. We’re both free! Why can’t you accept that?”

  Her fist pounded the steering wheel. “The clan almost killed you two days ago. Your body was nothing but blood and gore when we found you. I don’t care what Race said. There are other clans that would kill us on sight for our white hair.”