To Forgive & Hold Safe (The Broken Men Chronicles Book 4)

by Decevito, Carey

  She laughed. “You’re looking pretty damn sexy yourself.” Leaning against me, her lips met mine in a sensual dance.

  The doorbell interrupted our kiss and Mike helped himself in with an impressively dressed Nicole at his side.

  “Damn,” he said as he eyed Hannah from top to bottom. “Honey, we need to get you some boots like those.”

  “I think we need to impose a curfew,” was my rebuttal as I held Hannah’s back against my front.

  “And I think it’s time to get going,” Hannah turned to face me. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Yeah.” I kissed her chastely. “Have fun.”

  The party was well under way, the whole gang having shown up with a few sets of parents and family members added to the mix. My phone signaled an incoming text and when I looked at it, my heart leapt in my chest.

  We’re on our way. I read.

  Why so early? I texted back.

  Allie’s friend Mia got caught up with some creep, and we got kicked out since said creep is the owner’s brother.

  How far out are you ladies? I asked.

  Five minutes. We’re walking.

  “Guys,” I shouted to the room. “Get ready, they’re here in five!”

  To say Nicole was floored with her surprise would be an understatement. I never thought a woman could jump that high in heels.

  Hannah had gone off to the bar to get herself a drink with a few of the ladies, while I mixed and mingled.

  I turned to find a few men surrounding her and Alissa’s friend Mia.

  Maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t had my dose of Hannah for the day, but I headed toward them and wrapped my arms around her from behind, effectively erasing the sudden pang of neglect I felt.

  “Hey, baby,” Hannah said and squeezed her arms over mine.

  I looked up at the guys surrounding us and my eyes widened when they landed on a familiar face that made me growl. “You’ve got real nerve showing up here, asshole.” Hannah stiffened. “This is a private party.”

  “One I’ve been invited to,” he said.

  “Hannah, let’s go,” I said and pulled her away by her hand.

  “Save me a dance there, Hannah.”

  “Her card’s full up,” I snapped without giving him a backward glance.

  I pulled Hannah to my office, slammed the door and locked it.

  “What the hell was that all about?” she asked, hands fisted on her hips.

  I leaned on the ledge of my desk, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, trying to get my breathing under control. All I had to say was one word, and I watched as her face fell with what I’d implied.

  “Chris? As in…?” I nodded. “What the hell is he doing here?”

  “He said he was invited.”

  “I heard that, but why the hell would he show when he knows this is your place of business?”

  That was a really good question.

  My fists clenched and my body shook with anger. I had wanted to wipe that smug look off the man’s face, but it wasn’t worth ruining the evening.

  A soft hand on my cheek brought me back to reality, but it was already too late. The memories of what I’d read were all too fresh. All I could see in my mind’s eye were pictures of Candace and him together. Intimate ones. I shuddered before pulling Hannah into my arms.

  The door vibrated with a knock. “Buddy, it’s not the time to get it on with your woman.”

  “Shut up, Mike.” I nuzzled Hannah’s nose, seeking the comfort she offered.

  “All right, man, but you’re missing one hell of a show out here.”

  The sound of breaking glass – and not just a small amount – had my brows knitting together. What the hell?

  “Do your friends always get this rowdy?” Hannah asked before something else crashed, entirely different from glass. If it were my guess, it had to be wood.

  Images of my pub being torn to shreds invaded my mind. Holding her upper arms, I pushed her away from me. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I need to get out there, Chris or no Chris.”

  She grabbed my hand and I proceeded to pull her along.

  Two men were on the floor, tumbling. I saw a broken table and a few broken chairs and stools, along with lots of glass. I couldn’t make out who was on the floor as the fists that swung blurred my sight.

  “You fucking left!” one of them shouted, and I heard the sickening sound of skin against skin accompanied by a groan. “Do you have any idea what that did to Mom?” Another hit. “We thought you were dead!”

  “We can’t pull them apart,” Mike said at my side with Nicole at his other, wincing with every hit.

  I turned to find Danica holding on to a crying Alissa.

  My brows furrowed. “Where’s Pax, and why is Allie crying?”

  Jake’s gaze went straight to the two that were pummelling each other on the floor. My eyes widened. What the fuck?

  We waited it out until they seemed to have lost some energy, and that’s when Jake, Mike, and I jumped in to put a stop to it all.

  “Get the fuck out of here!” Paxton yelled to the other man.

  My eyes took in Paxton’s opponent as I held on to his arms and my breath caught. It can’t be!

  “I just got back and that’s all you have to say?” he asked. “The least I deserve is a chance to explain.”

  “For what? So you can leave again? We thought we buried you!” he yelled. “Theo, we thought…”

  Oh fuck! It is him!

  “I’m sorry,” Theo said and looked down, shaking my hands off of him before meeting my eyes with a double-take of recognition. “I’m cool.” I let the man go as he turned back to his brother. “I couldn’t do anything about it. It was work.”

  Hushed whispers could be heard all around about people wondering who Theo was, and what was going on.

  I’ve known Theo since my high school days. He was a trouble maker, but Paxton and he were the best at throwing parties back then, the closest of brothers I ever knew, too.

  When Theo got a drunk driving charge, his parents had put him in military school. They just never expected him to like it so much that the man would make a career out of the armed forces.

  I remembered the day we all found out that Theo had gone missing and was presumed dead.

  Seeing the man standing before us filled me with relief that he was safe but I couldn’t begin to wonder how Paxton felt about his brother’s sudden return from the dead.

  “What happened to you, man?” Those words were out of my mouth long before I could stop them.

  He gave me a quick glance and then aimed his eyes back to his brother. Then he set off to give us the Cliff’s notes version, leaving any sensitive information out of where he’d been, what had happened to him.

  “And you couldn’t be bothered to let us know you were okay?” Paxton asked, his breathing still ragged once his older brother was done explaining.

  “It would have been too risky for you, Mom, and Dad. You have no-”

  “Don’t tell me I have no idea. You have no idea of the shit we’ve been through.”

  “Pax?” Alissa approached her husband.

  “Don’t! His own nephew nearly died and he wasn’t here. He hasn’t even met his niece. He knows nothing of our lives and he expects us to welcome him back with open arms?” Paxton lifted his head, and his eyes bore into his brother’s, the look of betrayal hard to miss. “You deserted me!”

  Theo wore a tortured expression. “I knew.”

  Paxton froze. “What?”

  “I knew that you and Julie didn’t work out, and about the divorce. I know what happened with Jasper, and when that beautiful little princess of yours was born. Just because I didn’t stay in touch doesn’t mean I don’t care. I’ve kept tabs on my family the entire time I was away because that’s the only thing they allowed me to do. I don’t think I would have survived if they hadn’t given me that much.”

  “I believe you.” Paxton sighed, pinching the brid
ge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger as if trying to rid himself of a sudden headache. “I need a drink.” He headed toward the bar and paused mid-step. “Want one? It’s the least I can do for that busted lip. When did your face get so hard?”

  Theo laughed as he walked at his brother’s side. “Training. By the way, your left hook could use some practise.”

  “Are these two for real?” Hannah asked, her arms surrounding my waist.

  I slung an arm over her shoulders and hugged her to me on a chuckle.

  Jake was the one to answer. “They fought like that over girls back in the day. I sure as hell didn’t think I’d see Pax swinging like that again.”

  After watching the two men sit at the bar and have Derek pour them a few shots, I looked over at Hannah, who was busy making Alissa laugh the remainder of the stress of the latest Lowell squabble away. I smiled as I approached her.

  “Looks like someone’s looking for a good time,” Alissa said, which made Hannah turn to face me.

  “Dance with me,” I said to my girlfriend.

  “Ladies, I will see you later. My man is in need of my services.”

  “I’d like to know what services those entail.” Nicole giggled with Danica.

  “Believe me, Nikki,” Hannah said, “what you walked in on the other day was nothing.”

  “You dirty minx!” Danica harrumphed. “I’m sure Ben won’t complain about what you have planned.”

  I watched as Hannah put her index over her lips to hush the hens up before turning to me, setting a hand on my chest. She pushed me back toward the space I’d cleared for a dance floor. “I believe I owe you a dance.”

  “What was that about?”

  She bit her bottom lip, and shrugged her shoulders. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

  Chapter 47

  By the end of the night, everyone was having a good time. Much to some guests’ amazement, Paxton and Theo behaved like they hadn’t swung punches at each other only an hour before. Those two would have a lot to sit and discuss in the upcoming hours, days, weeks, well, you get it.

  Chris had disappeared prior to the fight. It seems that Mike had noticed him and had given the man the boot.

  The crowd had considerably thinned as the night grew late, but the sound of laughter and enjoyment gave me a sense of peace. It eased the remainder of the tension in my body from earlier, and I found myself enjoying myself a hell of a lot more than I had in years.

  The ladies were sitting in a corner talking amongst themselves and I couldn’t help but wonder what they were up to since every few minutes, one of them would lift their heads, their gazes aimed at our group of men.

  I excused myself from the guys and headed off to relieve myself. With a hand against the men’s room door, my movements halted as I heard a feminine giggle through the metal panel.

  “Allie.” Paxton groaned. “Baby, let’s just go home, then you can have your way with me.”

  “Oh, I’ll have my way, baby, but I want it now. Just shut up and let me…”

  “Fuck, Allie!” He moaned.

  I shook my head, turning to the ladies’ room to take my leak instead.

  Those two and their tendencies to lose their heads when the mood struck had me smiling this time instead of feeling envious. They’re little foray in the barn at Nicole’s and Mike’s wedding had become somewhat of a legend in our circle. After a year of marriage, the two still ran hot. It filled me with hope that maybe the flame didn’t extinguish itself through time, provided one was with the right person.

  Leaving the stall door open, I was relieving myself when I heard the door open and shut. It wasn’t until I had zipped my jeans up and turned to wash my hands that I saw Hannah leaning against the restroom’s door with a smirk.

  “Quite an interesting show next door. I think Allie has the right idea.”

  My brow arched. “Does she now?” I approached her after drying my hands. I was right thinking that the girls were up to no good. “Turn around,” I ordered her. When she didn’t move fast enough, I turned her myself so her back was against my front. “Do you want to hear about my idea?” I slid my hand down from the bottom of her ribcage to fan my fingers over her abdomen.

  “Please,” she said, a little breathless.

  I grabbed a fistful of her hair in my hand and pulled back so she looked at me. She gasped but it was out of enjoyment, the lust in her eyes having given her away.

  “I plan on hearing a lot of those noises when we get home.”

  “Ben-”

  “But I think I need to make it clear about who’s in charge tonight.” I nipped the tendon in her neck.

  She braced her hands on the bathroom’s door as my hands went down to hike her dress up to her hips. I was in the shock of my life when I saw that her underwear was missing.

  “Baby.” I groaned. “That’s got to be the best sight ever.” I unbuckled my pants and dropped trou. “Now spread ‘em.”

  Hannah shivered under my touch as she conformed. My hand ran down to her pussy, feeling her juices start to leak out of her with a fingertip. She arched her ass into my crotch.

  “Please, Ben.” She moaned. “I need you in me now.”

  I thrust into her hard, eliciting a loud cry from both of us, which also served as a reminder of where we were. And for the first time in my life, the idea of being heard made me keep my pace instead of slowing down.

  “Fuck, how I love the way you feel without the rubbers.” I pulled out and slammed back in.

  “Baby!” she cried out.

  “Be quiet, or I’ll fuck you harder and really give you a reason to be heard.” She moaned.

  I plowed into her and she kept our agreement. Somewhat. Well, at least until she came all over my aching cock, crying my name and a series of profanities, causing me to follow her over the edge.

  “Hey, man,” Jake said through the door. “I don’t know if this is a competition, but next time, leave one of the restrooms available. By the way, that was better than porn!”

  My head hit Hannah’s shoulder as I fought for breath. The woman’s body was racked with silent giggles. “Blame the women,” I called through our barrier.

  “Fucking right!” Paxton shouted out and I could hear Danica, Nicole and Mia cheering.

  I was never one for exhibitionism, but I can honestly say that my first bout of it with Hannah had been far more than enjoyable.

  Chapter 48

  To say we avoided embarrassment upon exiting the women’s washroom would have been a dream come true, but then again, Hannah and I weren’t alone in our humiliation.

  As I pulled my girlfriend behind me and exited, a beet red Paxton and smug-looking Alissa were already poised outside of the men’s room.

  The men held their silence, but their smirks said more than enough. When I looked down at Hannah, to gauge her level of embarrassment, I found her and Alissa grinning, Paxton’s wife nodding her approval.

  “I think we need to put a stop to this,” Jake said as Alissa and Hannah both went to join the circle of women who were now throwing appreciative glances at each of their men.

  “I agree,” I said.

  “I told you they’d be trouble together,” Mike added.

  “I’m not complaining after that,” Paxton said.

  “I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it either.” I patted the man on the back. But payback will be sweet later.

  If Hannah was in the mood for frisky she was bound to get a good dose of it when we got home.

  Satisfied with my plan, I smiled, my eyes glued to Hannah’s ass. The knowledge of her parading around without underwear had me aching for more already. My eyes rose to find Danica and Nicole eying me, their cheeks flushed.

  Huh!

  When Hannah turned to see what had the two women’s attention, she winked at me.

  Grinning, I called the boys up to the bar for another round. “Men,” I began, “do me a favor and whoop your woman’s ass a little extra tonight. I think
they’ve been feeding each other ideas.”

  Mike laughed. “What makes you think I wasn’t planning on it?” Jake nodded, Paxton smirked, and Theo groaned.

  Chapter 49

  Morning came, and despite last night’s exhaustion and our inebriated states, I barely managed to sleep a wink thanks to too much silence after Hannah had fallen asleep in my arms.

  The fact that Chris had been at the party bothered me, but I could overlook that fact, if it weren’t that he had come off a little too interested in Hannah for my liking.

  Being left alone with those thoughts for too long had insecurity warring within me. After all, the man had already succeeded in winning one of my women’s hearts. What if Hannah saw the same appeal in him that my wife had?

  Disgusted with my train of thoughts, I got up, letting Hannah sleep in. Pulling my boxer briefs and jeans on, I headed toward the kitchen to get a start on breakfast.

  Fifteen minutes later, a set of arms surrounded me and hands palmed my chest, while a set of lips pressed against the skin between my shoulder-blades.

  “I missed you up there,” she said with a sleep-roughened voice. “I thought we were cooking breakfast together this morning. Why are you out of bed?”

  “I figured…” I sighed. “I figured I’d handle it.”

  Her arms instantly fell away from me and I felt her body retract. “What’s going on? Is it because of what we did last night?”

  “No. It’s nothing.” I set the knife on the cutting board and wiped the fruit juices off of my hands. Instead of turning to face her, I walked further away and poured us each a cup of coffee. I opted to leave mine black and took a sip. I spat it out in the sink, my temper flaring. “Fucking shit tastes like tar!” I dumped my cup in the sink and went back to chopping the fruit, albeit a little violently.

  “If it’s not me and last night,” I could feel her eyes boring into my back, “then what’s going on, Ben?” Her warm hand landed on my bicep. I shocked myself when I pulled my arm away from her as if she’d burned me. “Right…” her voice cracked. “It’s not me at all.” Hannah set her cup in the sink and walked away, her bare feet marching up the stairs.