Ignite

by L. Wilder

  “How’s Bobby doing?” Lily asked.

  “Dude’s having a rough go of it. Never seen him like this before,” Renegade answered.

  “He’s really crazy about her,” Taylor said. “There’s no doubt about that now.”

  Taylor motioned over to Lily and said, “Come sit. Tell me all about Maverick.”

  Lily sat down and said, “He looks so much like John Warren, and he really seems to want to do right by John Warren. I actually kind of liked him. He even said I could come visit any time I wanted.”

  “That’s so good, Lily. You’ll have to do that,” Taylor told her.

  “I will. My dad lives in the same town, and he said I could stay with him whenever I wanted. It’s just going to be hard not seeing him every day, you know? I feel like a piece of me is gone. I’ll miss him so much.”

  “I know, honey, but at least you still get to see him. It’ll all work out,” Taylor said trying to reassure her.

  “I hope so.”

  We stayed at the hospital for a few hours, and I told Renegade that we’d be back tomorrow. It was time to get Lily home.

  Chapter 25

  Lily

  As soon as we walked through the front door, I took Goliath’s hand and led him back to the bedroom. I needed him. I needed him to take this shitty day away. I stopped when I reached the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt.

  He looked at me with concern in his eyes and asked, “You sure about this?”

  “I want you to make love to me, Goliath. Long and slow. I want you to help me forget,” I pleaded removing his shirt from his shoulders. It dropped to the floor, and I began working on the buttons of his jeans. He watched as I slowly lowered them to the floor. I carefully eased his boxers down below his waist and gave him a gentle push letting him know that I wanted him on the bed. He sat down and watched as I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it to the side. I untied the drawstring of my sweatpants and let them fall to the ground pooling at my feet.

  I slowly lowered myself between his legs, and took his cock in my hand. I stroked it up and down before I gently brushed my tongue down the length of his long shaft. A deep hiss filled the room as I took him in my mouth. I continued to move my hand along his length as I fucked him with my mouth. I continued nipping and sucking every inch of him as his moans filled the room. His hands fisted in the back of my hair as he guided me, showing me the rhythm that he wanted. My knees trembled with excitement when I felt the muscles in his legs tighten, and I knew he was about to cum. I was ready to take all of him when in one swift motion, I was lifted up and thrown onto the bed. Goliath hovered over me and said, “As much as I like having your mouth, I’d rather be buried inside of you when I cum.”

  I felt his breath against my chest and I braced myself, waiting for him to take what he wanted - but he didn’t. He was taking his time. He slowly began kissing every inch of my body, licking and sucking, taking his time to torture me with his mouth. I was losing my sense of control when he finally settled himself between my legs. He deliberately brushed his cock back and forth over my clit, teasing me until I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Please, Goliath!” I shouted.

  That was all it took. With one quick, hard thrust, he was buried deep inside me. His moves were slow but forceful as he eased himself in and out of me. I liked that he was trying to give me what I asked for, but I needed more. I was wrong when I told him I needed it long and slow. I really needed him to fuck me - hard. Make me lose all control. I dug my nails into his ass, urging him to move faster. A deep moan vibrated through my chest as his hands reached up into my hair demanding my mouth. His rhythm increased, but it wasn’t enough. “Harder!” I cried.

  He put his hands under my ass lifting me up so he could drive deeper inside, giving me all he had to give. My body clenched around him as my climax finally took hold. He continued to pound against my flesh taking me completely over the edge. I cried out his name as he finally found his own release and collapsed on top of me. Our bodies were dripping with sweat, limp from exertion. I trembled under him, reeling from the intense orgasm he had just given me. He lifted himself up on his elbows and said, “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

  “But what a way to go, right?” I said laughing.

  “Abso-fucking-lutely,” he said rolling to his side. He pulled me over to him, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

  He lifted himself up on his elbow and stared at me for a moment. He brushed the back of his hand down my check before he leaned down to kiss me. His mouth pressed against mine with such intensity I thought I would burst into flames. I could kiss him for hours. I loved the feel of his lips against mine. His tongue brushed against my bottom lip one last time before he said, “I love you, Lily. More than I ever thought possible.”

  “I love you, too. So very much. You just keep getting better.”

  “I’d do anything for you, Lily. Anything.”

  Chapter 26

  Goliath

  The next few days, Lily did everything she could to keep herself busy. She started working overtime at the bar, and when she wasn’t working, she was at the hospital spending time with Courtney. All the distractions were helping, but I knew she was hurting. It was obvious from her swollen eyes that she’d spent her afternoons crying. She didn’t like to talk about it, and just the mention of JW’s name seemed to set her off. She was missing him. Hell, I was missing him. I could only hope that things would get easier soon.

  Bishop wanted us to meet again for church, so he could tell the guys about Courtney. We all decided it was time to figure this out. Sheppard and Bulldog were going to go scope out the Black Diamond’s warehouse and see what they could find out. We needed to figure that shit out before anyone else got hurt.

  Christmas was in a few days, and I wanted to plan something special for her. I called Lily’s father to make plans for us to go for a visit after the holidays. I figured it would help for Lily to have something to look forward to. He said that he’d been by to see Maverick. There was something in his voice that bothered me, but he did his best to convince me that JW was doing fine. He was pretty pleased to finally meet his grandson, but there was definitely something he wasn’t telling me. I didn’t waste any time picking up the phone to call Maverick.

  “Hey man, how’s it going?” Maverick asked.

  “I was just about to ask you the same thing,” I told him.

  “I’m not gonna lie. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re adjusting. It’s always something, you know?” Maverick said. He wasn’t giving me much to go on, and that concerned me. I decided not to push. I’d find out for myself soon enough.

  “I want to bring Lily up for a visit. Give her something to look forward to. Maybe after the holidays.”

  “Yeah, I could make that work. I know JW would love to see her,” Maverick said, his voice sounded strained.

  “We’ll see you in a few days, but Maverick… call me if something comes up. I’ll do anything for JW.”

  “I know that, man. See you soon,” Maverick said as he hung up the phone.

  I decided to go by to see Crack Nut on my way back home. I wanted to see how he was doing, but with everything that’s been going on, I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to him. He was sitting by the bed holding Courtney’s hand when I walked into the room.

  “How’s she doing?” I asked.

  “Better I guess. Hard to tell when she won’t wake up and tell me how she’s doing,” he said. He obviously wasn’t sleeping, he looked exhausted.

  “You making it okay?” I asked.

  “Nope.”

  “Bobby, she’s going be okay. She just needs time to heal. You just gotta be patient,” I told him. I really hoped that she’d pull out of this. I don’t think Bobby will ever get over it if she doesn’t.

  “Goliath… I’ve been such a goddamn idiot. I took her for granted. I should’ve told her. She should’ve known,” he whispered.

  “What are you talking about, man?” I asked.

  “I was going to make it official, make her mine. I had her jacket and everything, but I just kept fucking waiting. You know… wanting the perfect time… the perfect day… that perfect moment. I just didn’t want to fuck it up.”

  “Bobby, you’ll still have your chance. Don’t be so hard on yourself. She knew how you felt.”

  “I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t come out of this. I won’t be able to live with myself,” he said tears pooling in his eyes.

  “There’s no way to know what’s going to happen here, but my gut tells me, Courtney is going to be fine. I’m sure she’ll be talking your ear off in a few days, and everything will be back to normal.”

  “You really think so?” he asked.

  “I do.”

  “Thanks man. I really hope you’re right.”

  “Why don’t you go home and get a shower. I’ll sit with her for a while.”

  “I’m good. Not ready to leave just yet, but I appreciate the offer. You get back to Lily. I heard about JW. That’s gotta be a tough one.”

  “It is, but we’re dealing. You let me know if you need anything.”

  “You know I will. Tell Lily I’ll be thinking about her.”

  “Will do,” I told him as I headed out the door. It amazed me how one accident had changed all of our lives so much.

  I told Lily that I needed to go by and check on my mother. It was Christmas Eve, and I hated the thought of her being all alone. She could tell that I wasn’t looking forward to going over there. She wanted to go with me, but I told her it wasn’t a good idea. I had no idea what state she would be in, especially around the holidays.

  I was surprised to see that all the lights were on, and there was even a Christmas wreath on the front door. Not what I expected at all. I didn’t bother knocking. As I walked in, I was shocked at how clean the place looked. I glanced over and saw Mom sound asleep in the recliner. I was about to go check on her, when Bryce suddenly entered the room.

  “Hey, Bro! Where you been?” Bryce asked.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Gonna be staying here a while. Jennifer kicked me out a few days ago,” Bryce said nonchalantly.

  “What do you mean she kicked you out? Why?”

  “Beats the hell outta me. I finally made partner at the firm, and the bitch kicked me out. Nothing ever made her happy,” he said sarcastically.

  “Uh, yeah…I figure there’s more to it than that,” I scoffed, glaring at him.

  “She was always complaining I was never home enough, but she sure as hell liked the money that I was bringing home.”

  “Well, sometimes money isn’t everything.”

  “Yeah, this coming from someone who doesn’t have any,” he snorted mockingly.

  “Fuck you, Bryce! You don’t know shit about me. I’m not going to sit here and argue with you. Just came to check on Mom. Enjoy your visit, shithead.”

  “Okay, okay. Jesus, I was just fucking around. I’m doing the best I can. I’m finally trying to help out here. Ha… even got Mom to eat something today. I’m trying, man…I’m trying,” he finished remorsefully.

  I sighed loudly before I shook my head and said, “Alright, man, I got it. Being here with her isn’t gonna be easy. You’ve gotta really look after her. Give me a shout if you need me. I gotta get back.” I turned to leave before he could say anything else. I wasn’t in the mood to hear his sob story. I appreciated his effort, but he’d been too far up his own ass for too long. He hadn’t earned my trust or respect yet. He’d have to do a whole lot more than cooking dinner to get that.

  After I left Mom’s, I swung by and picked up Lily. We picked up a few last minute gifts and grabbed dinner. Bishop had mentioned that the guys were planning to have their annual Christmas get together tonight. They’d considered canceling it since Courtney was still in the hospital, but Bobby encouraged them to go ahead with the party. He wanted his brothers to celebrate the holiday, even if he couldn’t be there with them.

  “Are you sure you wanna go home?” I asked. “They’re having a Christmas party at the club, tonight. Doc’s running the bar, so you can just enjoy yourself for a change.”

  “That sounds like fun, but… I’d really rather just go home,” she said quietly. “I just want to lay down for a little while. I’ve been feeling a little sick to my stomach since lunch. I think I ate too much.”

  “You barely ate anything, Lily,” I told her.

  “I’ve been feeling a little… off for the past few days. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “I knew you were doing too much. You need to take it easy for the next few days.”

  “I will. I don’t have to work until Tuesday, so I have plenty of time to rest. Can we just go home and watch a movie or something?” she said smiling.

  “I think we can manage that.”

  I made her a spot on the sofa and let her pick out some chick flick for us to watch. She laid her head down on the pillow and rested her feet in my lap. She was focused on the movie, but I just couldn’t get into it. I kept thinking about her present under the tree. I thought opening it might cheer her up, so I reached under the tree grabbing the small envelope. I laid it on her lap and said, “Open it.”

  “What... I can’t! We have to wait until tomorrow!”

  “Open it, Lily.”

  “Are you sure? You know this is breaking all Christmas traditions,” she said. I nodded my head and she quickly started opening the gift. She slowly peeked in the envelope and a look of surprise crossed her face when she realized there were plane tickets inside.

  “What is this?” she asked.

  “Tickets to Washington. We’re going to see JW next week. I made arrangements with your dad, and Maverick is expecting us.”

  She jumped up and threw her arms around my neck and shouted, “This is perfect! I love it! Thank you so much!”

  “We’ll leave on Tuesday. I already told Bishop that you’d be gone for a few days, and he said he’d take care of it.”

  “You never stop amazing me, Goliath. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you so much.”

  “It’s for me too, you know. I want to see him just as much as you do.”

  She rested her head on my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “I love you, Goliath… for so many reasons.”

  I kissed her forehead and said, “I love you, too, baby. Now, lay back down and let’s finish this movie. I want you all rested up before I take you to bed.”

  Chapter 27

  Lily

  The overpowering smell of bacon filled the entire house, and it instantly made me feel sick to my stomach. I barely made it to the bathroom before I got sick. What the hell? I opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out the thermometer so I could check my temperature. I heard Goliath cooking in the kitchen as I waited for the beep. The thermometer said I didn’t have any fever, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. I stood there trying to think what could be wrong with me… when it finally hit me.

  Panic rushed through me as I tried to think back to when I had my last period. I just couldn’t remember. So much had happened over the past few weeks that the dates were swimming in my head and I couldn’t remember. I ran into the bedroom and searched for my birth control pills. I opened the package and was relieved to see that all of the little white pills were gone. I didn’t miss any of them, so I should start my cycle any day now. I was just about to toss the container in the trash, when I looked down and noticed the date. My heart started to race, and I felt weak in the knees when I realized the refill date was six days ago. I sat down on the bed and started berating myself for being so stupid. I must have forgotten to take them while I was traveling. I needed to get a pregnancy test as soon as possible.

  “Lily?” Goliath called.

  “Be right there!” I shouted as I jumped up from the bed and grabbed my bathrobe. I decided not to mention anything to Goliath until I took a pregnancy test. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about. Maybe it was just a stomach bug, and life would go on as usual.

  I walked into the kitchen, and he had a huge breakfast waiting for me. Damn. It was sweet of him to go to all the trouble, but it made my stomach twist in knots. There was no way I was going to be able to eat.

  “You hungry?” he asked with a bright smile. How was I supposed to tell him no?

  “Mmm… I could eat a little,” I told him.

  “You’re still not feeling well?” he asked.

  I didn’t want to worry him, so I said, “I’m fine. Just still trying to wake up.”

  “How ‘bout some coffee?”

  “That sounds perfect.” I walked over to him and took the coffee mug from his hand. I kissed him lightly on the lips and sat down at the table. I looked down at the table, and those damn yellow, slimy eggs made my throat feel tight. I felt the saliva building in my mouth as I watched Goliath load his plate with tons of bacon and eggs. I swallowed hard trying to muster up the strength to get through breakfast without getting sick. I’m sure I had turned three shades of green by the time Goliath reached for the sausage gravy. I lost it when he started to pour that white clumpy goo all over his biscuit. I shot up from my seat and ran back into the bathroom.

  I knew Goliath would start asking questions. There was no way he was going to just let this go. He was standing outside the door waiting for me, and I needed to think of something I could say to stall him. I slowly eased the door open, and just like I thought, Goliath was standing at the door waiting for me.

  “You feel up to going into town?” he asked.

  “Yes, I guess so, …but, why?” I asked.

  “Just go get ready.”

  “Goliath, it’s Chris….”

  “It won’t take long,” he replied before I had a chance to protest.

  I really just wanted to crawl back into bed, but I knew how he was when he had his mind set on something. I changed clothes, put on my coat, and headed to the car. I had no idea where he planned to take me this early on Christmas morning, but he was determined to go. He was already in the driveway waiting for me when I stepped outside.

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