by Jayne Blue
I guessed being in prison for as long as he had, Dex had no interest in being anything other than blunt. He’d spent thirteen years with nothing but time on his hands; he wasn’t willing to let any more pass for propriety’s sake and I could respect that too.
“She matters to me,” I said, not willing to open up any more than that right now.
“She was engaged to your brother though,” he said. “As far as you knew.”
I nodded. “When I met her, yes. That’s true. Except Seth was my stepbrother. I never considered him my brother and that’s even truer now.”
I turned toward Dex and looked him straight in the eye. I knew what he was really asking me. It was the same thing I would ask if we were talking about my own daughter, I suspected. And this was another odd dynamic between us. He was seventeen when Tora was born so Declan McLain was only three years older than me. Sometimes, I forgot how young Tora really was. But for her twenty-three years, Tora McLain had to grow up fast.
“I didn’t meet Tora until after she was already involved with Seth. If I had known her before ... somehow, I would have got between them. I wouldn’t have let her get involved with Seth.”
Dex let out a snort. “But you didn’t stop her after you did find out. That’s the part I’m having trouble with. She was on her own. I’m happy to have at least some level of freedom back. And I really hope it’s permanent, but I’d stay in that place for a hundred more years rather than live knowing what my daughter did for me. What she put herself through.”
“I know,” I said. And I did. It was the thing that ate at me and kept me up at night too. The price Tora had paid for her father’s freedom was too high by anyone’s estimation but her own. “If I could take her place right now, believe me I would.”
Dex ground his cigarette out in the street and looked at me with a stone cold stare. “So what I want to know is why you don’t?”
“Because Miranda was already dead by the time I came back to town. I can’t take the fall for her on that one.”
“Why’d you go after her?” Dex turned so he stared straight at me. “My daughter probably has some romantic notion of your intentions. But the way I see it, you blew into town with some kind of hard on about Miranda’s kid. You see her with him and you decide to move in for some kind of revenge fuck.”
It was a skewering observation but more or less accurate. I guessed telling Dex that Tora was actually the one who moved first wasn’t going to keep him from throwing another right hook at my head. But it was also so far away from what Tora was to me now. I took a breath.
“I love her,” I finally said. “The last thing your daughter has are romantic notions. She lives in the real world. It’s one of the things that I love about her. And if it comes to it, I’ll kill for her, if that’s what you’re asking me.”
Dex nodded. I turned and looked him square in the eye.
“And she’s not going to prison. No matter how any of this turns out. That, I can promise you too.”
Dex narrowed his eyes. A muscle tensed in his jaw and after another beat, he finally broke eye contact with me and looked out at the street. Two kids on bikes passed in front of us. They did a double take when they saw two men sitting on the curb, one of them looking a little like the guy your parents tell you to run the other way from. He rubbed his hand against his knee and heaved himself up off the curb. I followed.
“I’m not going to shake your hand, Jack Manning,” he said. “We’re not there yet.”
“I understand.”
“But I hope you’re true to your word. I have a hell of a lot more firsthand knowledge about the players in this little jackpot she’s made for herself. She’s in more trouble than she thinks she is. You understand that?”
Another sobering truth from Dex McLain. I nodded. “Yeah. I do.”
“Good,” he said. “Then for now we’re on the same page.”
With that, Dex and I came to our own little peace accord. We turned and headed back up to the house. I laughed to myself. The curtains in Margie’s front window swayed.
“Looks like we had an audience,” I said.
Dex snorted and it was the closest thing I got to a laugh out of him. For now, I’d take it.
Chapter Twelve
Tora
I’d been alone for so long it was strange to be surrounded by this many people. For months, I’d longed for it. For now though, I’d give anything for about an hour alone.
But Dad was home. I sat on the couch next to him as Charlie caught him up on some of the lives of our friends back home in northern California. He listened and laughed but his eyes were haunted. The lines in his face still seemed deep and I worried if he’d ever be able to shake the demons that would chase him from Marion Penitentiary. But he was here. He was whole. And the chances were more than good he’d never have to face a trial.
Grace Flynn said the government may not oppose her motion to dismiss the charges against him. She’d know more in a few days but for now, he would stay with Charlie and the Kurtzes just a few miles away.
“You okay?” I whispered to him. He put his arm out and folded me against him. He was big and strong and I playfully punched him in the shoulder. “You smell like a chimney. I’ll give you the weekend but you’re on a nicotine patch come Monday. And I don’t need you picking up your bad habits for old time’s sake.” I wagged a finger at Charlie.
My dad yawned and I smiled, knowing tonight he’d sleep in a regular bed and wake to a home-cooked meal. I’d made arrangements to meet him at Bill and Lilly Kurtz’s house by eight in the morning.
“You ready to turn in, Dex?” Charlie asked through his own yawn.
I became aware of the cold plastic of the tether around my ankle and hated it all over again. I wanted to go with them. I wanted to look in on my father while he slept to convince myself that he was here and safe and I hadn’t dreamt it all.
“I’ll drive you over first thing in the morning, Tora.” I looked up and smiled at Margie Burnett. Once again, she seemed able to read minds. We said our slow goodbyes and I finally let Charlie peel my father out of my arms and take him from me for a few hours.
The house had pretty much cleared out but there was still one more person I wanted to spend time with, badly. Jack hung out upstairs, cutting Dad a wide berth for the time being. Soon I’d have to figure out a way to smooth things out between them but for now, Jack’s course seemed the wisest.
But then, I finally found myself alone with him as the front door closed and the Burnetts decided to turn in for the night as well.
Jack came toward me. We stood in the kitchen and he put his hands around my waist. He lifted me in one strong motion, perching me on top of the counter so we were eye to eye. I folded my arms around his shoulders and he came in close, resting his forehead between my breasts. I ran my hands through his thick hair, loving the feel of it between my fingers. Tension seemed to drain away as Jack put his arms around me.
“God,” he said. “You smell good.”
I felt the first stir of heat roiling in my core as Jack pressed himself into me, spreading my legs so he could come in even closer. I tilted my head down and met him with a kiss.
“I want to be alone with you,” I said.
His body shook with low, wicked laughter and that made my blood simmer too. “I think I can figure out a way to work that out.”
He lifted me off the counter and hooked my legs around his hips. “Not here,” I whispered. “Half the time Reed comes down that hallway to take a piss and Margie will probably come out here to sneak some of that chocolate cake she made when she thinks no one is looking.”
“Well,” Jack said. “I mean to fuck you, Victoria, and at the moment I don’t care if the whole world sees us.”
“What time is it?” I asked. Jack had me turned so I couldn’t see the digital clock on Margie’s stove.
Jack looked back. “Hell. It’s only eight o’clock. It feels later.”
“Long day,” I said. “I
’ve got an hour before I turn into a pumpkin.” I gave him a light kick with my tethered ankle. “Take me out of here, Mr. Manning. Anywhere.”
Jack’s face split into a smile and that low, sinful laugh of his made my heart quicken. “Anywhere?”
“Yes,” I said. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him. On the lips, on the cheek, on the bridge of his nose. I couldn’t stand not touching him for a second longer.
“How about we take a little walk?” he said.
“I don’t want to walk, Jack,” I said between kisses.
“Trust me. It’ll be just the thing.”
Jack set me down and took me by the hand. He led me out the sliding glass doors off Margie’s kitchen. We stepped out on the Burnetts’ deck and I had to nearly sprint to keep up with Jack as he took off toward the tree line at the far edge of the Burnetts’ property. My hair flew behind me and I laughed, giddy from the small taste of freedom and the promise of whatever wicked plan Jack had.
I hadn’t noticed it from the house, but there was a small path cut just past a large oak tree that led deeper into the woods behind the house.
“Don’t worry,” Jack said. “Reed’s property line goes back about four acres. As long as we don’t cross the boundary, you’re not violating your bail, right?”
“Right.” I gave him a breathless answer and blood shot down to my toes when Jack winked back at me.
“Where are we going?” I laughed as he led us deeper into the woods. “Wait!” I stopped. I wasn’t wearing shoes and a small twig crunched painfully under the sole of my foot.
Jack turned and before I could even react, he swooped me into his arms and tore further down the path. He would not be stopped by my careless lack of footwear. Thank God.
He ran with me in his arms. I squealed with laughter as he ducked and pivoted to avoid low-hanging tree branches and leaped over a log. Finally, about two hundred yards into the woods, I saw where he meant to take me and my breath hitched in my throat.
About two-thirds of the way up a large, gnarled walnut tree, Jack’s plan became clear. Nestled in the strong branches, nearly concealed by the thick, mushrooming, green foliage, was a lopsided but sturdy tree house. Jack set me down and started to scramble up the two-by-fours nailed to the thick base of the tree. Agile as he was, his feet barely seemed to touch the wood.
“Come on!” he called down and I smiled up at my secret jungle man.
I heaved myself up, wrapping my fingers around the planks of wood. I had a harder time of it than Jack as his legs were longer but I popped my head through the square opening in the floor of the structure and my mouth cracked into a smile at what I saw.
“It’s perfect!” I said. The tree house seemed straight out of a Lost Boys adventure. It was old, dusty, but fabulous. It was a large, square room. One corner had four knotted tree stumps serving as a makeshift sitting room. Two ancient hammocks swung in another corner. Jack knelt in front an old army footlocker. He laughed when he got it open.
“These are fresh,” he said, pulling out two wool blankets. “Margie must keep this stuff out here for their grandkids. R.J.’s got a sister with a couple of little ones.”
“Handy,” I said. Jack had to stoop to stand upright but the roof of the tree house was a good inch above my own head.
“Will this do, my lady?” He tried to give me a courtly bow but couldn’t quite manage from his hunched-over position. I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Jack,” I said, peeling my t-shirt over my head as I walked toward him. “I was lying before. I would have let you bend me over the kitchen table.” I tossed my shirt aside and reached behind me to work the clasp of my bra. Jack’s eyes flashed fire and I felt the first slow trickle of wetness between my legs.
I let my bra fall to the floor and stepped into Jack’s arms. He bent his head down and took my nipple in his mouth while he ran his thumb over the other. I tilted my head back and his lips moved over the column of my throat. He slid his hands down until he caught the button of my cutoff denim shorts. With expert quickness, he popped the button and slid my shorts down, dragging my panties along with them.
I stepped out of my shorts and stood before him. Jack’s eyes sparked and the corner of his mouth raised in a lustful smirk. I went down to my knees, grateful for the cushion of the army blanket but in truth, I would have knelt on hot coals just to get to this moment. Jack took a step forward and I unbuttoned the clasp of his belt. I slid his dress pants down and smiled when his cock sprang free of his boxers.
I’d missed this. Jack’s erection bobbed before me. I loved how he could get hard without me even touching him. I wrapped my fingers around the solid length of him with one hand. With the other, I cupped the swell of his balls. It had been so long. Weeks since he’d been with me. My blood quickened at how full he was for me. I wasn’t sure I could go slow and savor him but I was game to try.
I stroked his length and massaged him while I looked up at him. Jack looked down at me with hooded eyes. He threaded his fingers through my hair. I knew the restraint it took for him not to bring my head down on his erection. I wanted to go there. But I wanted to feel him like this for as long as he could take it.
He whispered my name and I couldn’t wait anymore. I drew Jack into my mouth as far as he would go. He stretched my mouth wide and I savored the taste of him. He was soft and hard in all the right places and I couldn’t help myself. I loved to kneel before my man and service him the way he deserved.
I took my time with long, slow licks up and down his shaft. I slid my hands up the back of his thighs and gripped his rock hard ass. I trapped him there, deep in my mouth. After a few minutes of my languid pace, Jack couldn’t take it anymore.
“Tora,” he said, his voice ragged. “I can’t hold back.”
“Don’t,” I said around him.
It was all the invitation Jack needed. His fingers in my hair stiffened. He drew me down, setting a punishing pace and I struggled to keep up. I did though. Of course I did. When I started, I sucked him with finesse and skill. There was none of that now. I just worked to keep him in my mouth, lapping and sucking as I let him have his way with me. I loved it. Heat shot through me, warming me between my legs and I felt my own arousal growing. I wanted to reach down and touch myself but I had no choice but to hold on to Jack as he thrust into my mouth. I don’t know how long it went on. A minute maybe, but I felt Jack seize up. His thighs trembled beneath my hands as he spent his load down my throat. I tightened my lips around him, careful to take it all. I sucked him through his orgasm until his knees buckled and he finally withdrew. His hands came around my back and he guided me to the floor beneath him.
If I thought Jack had spent himself, I couldn’t have been more wrong. He was just getting warmed up, it seemed. With surprising agility for a man in the throes of what I knew was an explosive orgasm, he grabbed my ankles and drew them up, resting them on his shoulders. He spread me wide beneath him and my sex answered by throbbing around him as he slid into me, balls deep.
He fit me so well, filling every inch of me as he started his pounding rhythm. I raised my hips to meet his thrusts, my own growing need building. I arched my back, tried to open my legs even wider even though he had me spread so much already. Anything to get him inside me just that much more. I relished the feel of him as he pounded himself into me. I needed it this way. We both did. There might be time later for more but for now, our need was primal and too long denied. Jack slid his hands around my shoulders, drawing me up and angling me toward him. I let him claim me, pounding into me with my legs wrapped around his neck.
Jack felt me start to come and he pushed himself into me as far as he could go and held himself there. I bucked and writhed beneath him, looking for the perfect pace and friction to take me the rest of the way. When I finally found my release, it tore through me from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. My nerves felt electrified as I pulsed and throbbed around Jack. He whispered my name against my cheek as he held on and let me
ride it out.
When I finally started to come down, Jack let my legs fall to the side but he didn’t pull out. Instead, he planted his palms on either side of my head and began again. He had come so hard himself I wouldn’t have believed he had anything left. He did though. He started again, fucking me slow and deep, waiting for me to catch my breath and for my body to catch up to his.
And I did. Jack hovered over me as he took his time, driving himself in and out. When he felt the answering heat build between my legs again, he flipped me over without ever taking himself out of me. Somehow, I found the strength in my limbs to straddle him. Jack threaded his fingers through mine and pushed me up so I sat upright, giving him the full view he liked so much.
I locked eyes with Jack. There was just enough light from the moon that I could see every line in his face. His gaze was filled with such love and tenderness that I nearly collapsed against him. Jack would have none of that though. He tightened his grip on my hands and pushed back to keep me up. I started the slow, pulsing rhythm that I knew would drive us both to the edge again.
Sweat beaded both of our brows and covered our bodies in a thin, glistening sheen. Jack’s eyes went to my breasts and I knew how he loved to watch them bob up and down for him as I fucked him slowly.
“I love you,” he whispered again and again as my pace increased. “Tell me what you are.”
“Yours,” I said, my breath hitching in my throat, my own desire rising to a fevered pitch. “I’m yours. I’ve always been yours.”
“Never again,” he said. “I’ll never leave you again, Tora.”
“I know,” I gasped.
“And you’ll never, ever let anyone touch you again.” His words came out hard, through clenched teeth and I knew he was asking for a promise. We had a great battle ahead of us, even though we had won the first victory. Tonight, he meant to drive away the specter of Seth, Miranda, or anyone else who might threaten to come between us.
“Never,” I swore. “Never again. This is for you. Only for you.”
“You’re mine,” he said and I knew it was as much to the spirits of the woods as it was to me. And it felt like that. This place held some kind of magic. Time seemed suspended here. It was like we were held in some sort of web where nothing or no one could touch us. As if we could stay forever and the world would stop turning until we went back to it.