Sealed In Strength

by Ryan Michele

  My arms tightened around her. “She will, Ry. Give it some time, and let it blow over. She’s pissed I threw her boyfriend out of her house. Once she gets over that and comes to terms with me not being in her life like she wants, she should be okay.”

  Her head popped up. “You did what?”

  “The man she’s with. Found out he’s into some bad shit. Had all of his stuff packed up and out of her house. When she came home, no boyfriend.”

  “Why?”

  “Why’d I do it?”

  She nodded.

  “Because she’s my kid’s mom. My kid stays in that house most of the time. That asshole wasn’t gettin’ near my boy. She had a decision. Either leave the asshole out, or Greer comes to live with me. No way in fuck I’d put my boy in a situation that would get him hurt. This fucker, he’s a dick, and didn’t need him showing those two how big of one he can be.”

  Her head fell back down. “I’m not sure how to feel about that.”

  “No way you need to feel. I’m gonna protect my kids. That comes along with their mothers. It’s life. My life. You’ll figure out your place in all of it and we roll. Sophia gets her head out of her ass, it’ll work out better. But that’s somethin’ she needs to do.”

  “You really don’t remember kissing her at the clubhouse.”

  My body shifted at the change in topic, reminding me we had a ton of shit to go over. It was going to be step by step here. I lifted her up so our faces were close, each of us on our sides. “No. It’s a shit thing, but no.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “You gonna PI me?” I joked.

  Her face was dead serious. “Yep.”

  Shit. Damage control. “Pixie, I got the guys on it. There was a fluke in the feed, but Jimmy and Ethan think they’ve got it fixed. Once they watch it, I’ll know what happened.”

  “Can I see it?”

  “We’ll see.”

  “That’s what my mom always said when she didn’t want to answer something.”

  My mouth stayed closed.

  She chuckled, her hand coming up to my face. “We go day by day. That’s all we can do.”

  “Yeah.” On that, she kissed me, and round two ended up being in my bed.

  “What are you workin’ on?” I asked Rylynn who was sitting in the center of the bed, legs crossed and laptop on them as she typed away. She had on my shirt and nothing else. Waking up this morning with my mouth latched on her pussy, she didn’t have the energy afterward to put anything else on.

  Just the way it should be. Sated.

  “Naddy emailed me some cases.”

  I sat next to her. “Who exactly is Naddy?”

  She smiled. “I met her by chance actually.” She chuckled. “Gorden Bryer’s wife was having an affair with a woman from his work. They took a trip up to Nashville, and there I met Naddy. She was being paid to watch Monica, the chick Gorden was banging, and bring back pictures for her husband. We started talking, and it worked.”

  This intrigued me. “So how does this work now? She takes cases, you take cases?”

  Her head shook. “No. She got sick about a year ago. She had some virus that turned into sepsis and almost died. Since then, she couldn’t do cases and started working for me. It just worked out.”

  I laid on my back. “You trust her?”

  Her head turned to me. “Yes. With everything. And if you look into her, she’s clean. Already did that.”

  Reaching over I grabbed her hand giving it a squeeze. “Figured you would. So what do ya have to work on?”

  She squeezed me back and only moved once I released her. “One I can’t take because I’m not in Sumner anymore, but two are computer searches mostly.”

  “Computer searches?” I asked, rolling to my side and resting my head on my hand, elbow in the mattress.

  “Yeah. Money trails. It always comes down to the money.” She chuckled, then continued, “I’m still working on the missing person case.” She clicked a few keys. “That one is troublesome. It’s like this girl just vanished into thin air. Talked to her classmates, and their stories are the same. I just can’t find her best friend, Penny. She has the key, but fuck if I can find her.”

  “You’ll get it.”

  She smiled at me, and I felt it in my chest. “Yeah. Just takes time.” She looked back to the computer and said, “Right now, I’m trying to find out where Mr. Clauson stashed the money his wife is supposed to get in the divorce. The judge ruled it hers, but he says he doesn’t have it. Therefore, there is nothing to give. It’s not in his bank accounts, so he either withdrew it or transferred it. Getting through the bank’s firewalls is proving difficult. They have some high-tech shit that I need to get updated on.”

  “You know computers well?”

  She looked up and smiled. “Yeah. To be a PI you need to be able to find the information to unlock clues to the case. I have a few personal databases that I can tap into, and others I can break into if needed.”

  “But banks, you need to know…” I treaded carefully, not wanting to push quite yet. But she did talk about their firewalls.

  “How to hack them? Yep. It’s really not as hard as people think. This one is just advanced. Usually, a few clicks of the mouse and you’re in. Especially with those stupid security questions. If you’ve already looked into a person and know them, answering those is simple.”

  I fell down to the bed. “Look at you.”

  She smiled. Damn, I loved that smile. Brightened up the world around me. She was so damn beautiful. And mine.

  “It’s not hard, Crow.”

  She wasn’t correct in that assumption. Lemon couldn’t pull his head out of his ass to find out the shit we needed. Not everyone who thought they were good, were.

  “May not be to you, but it is to these people hiring you. I take it this means you’ll be good settin’ up business here?” Nothing like having a PI for an ol’ lady.

  Her head shook. “Should be. Only time will tell.”

  “Get dressed. We’re on the bike in fifteen. Want to show you Rebellion.”

  She didn’t hesitate to close her computer and hustle off the bed.

  This was the beginning. The beginning of us.

  4

  Rylynn

  Rebellion was a bustling place. As we rode through the streets, my arms were tight around Crow. There was a calm in the air around us. As if everything in our world was right. Crow and I together. I hoped that was true. Rebuilding the trust between us was going to take time, but I knew that by coming here we were off to a good start.

  Hearing that Crow had a hard time with the way Sophia was handled cut, but it wasn’t deep. There was a past there and a future once dreamed that would never be erased. They were connected to each other by their child and would be for the rest of their lives. I understood his feelings. He wanted what was right for her. It was admirable. But I still hated her, and it would take an act of God to change that opinion.

  It was something we’d need to work on.

  Crow drove us through a park where the trees were full, letting only a small bit of the sunlight through. The air felt easier to breathe here. The beauty that was Alabama came to life during the ride. The trees, water, and hills were gorgeous. Vibrant and definitely appealing.

  Seeing it all on the back of my man’s bike made it priceless.

  We didn’t need to talk during this, not that we could. Crow allowed the world around us to do the talking for us. It did make me intrigued to what this place had in store for us. What parts of this beautiful place would we explore.

  Crow pulled into a clearing shaded by trees, but had an opening for part of the sun to shine through and hit the small lake. This made the water sparkle. It was so still I could swear we could walk across it because it looked like a sheet of glass.

  He killed the engine and I swung my leg off, unlatching my helmet and sticking it on the bike. Inhaling deep, the coolness of the area surrounded me, engulfing me, and cleansing me.
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br />   “This is gorgeous,” I said as Crow got off the bike and wrapped his arms around me while standing at my back. His heat felt good. While I’d had my arms around him the entire time, it was spectacular to have his around me, holding me tight and not letting go. It made me feel safe and secure as if nothing and no one could touch us.

  “Yeah. It’s peaceful. You can’t hear the noise from the city, and it makes everything stop.”

  Still looking out at the water and tall trees, I squeezed his hand. “You need that? Everything to stop?”

  “Sometimes. Love my club, Pixie. There’s no doubt about it. But sometimes it becomes too much, and I need to recharge.”

  My head fell back to his shoulder. Damn, I loved that he was taller than me. “It’s good you have this then.”

  “Yeah. Come on.” He released me, grabbed my hand, and led me into the grass. Off to the left was a rickety old bench that appeared to be in this spot since the dawn of time. It was where we sat down. Crow pulled me close to him and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, cocooning me.

  The gesture was nice and made me feel like this was the exact spot on this planet where I should be.

  “Do you come here a lot?” I asked.

  His body shook as he turned his neck, then said, “No. Normally ride my bike around the outskirts. Do some of my best thinkin’ out there on the open road.”

  “Is that where you went to decide to take on crazy me?” I teased.

  He kissed the top of my head. “Didn’t need anything to decide on that, Pixie. Knew it down to the marrow in my bones that you were my end game.”

  This made my heart flutter, and a small bit of the ice that formed around it after seeing him kiss Sophia broke off and disintegrated. If only the rest would do the same, but that would take time.

  “Your end game, huh?” I chuckled. “Didn’t know we were playin’ football here.”

  “Life is a game, Pixie. You win some and you lose some. I don’t lose.”

  My hand went to his chest as I looked up at him. “What’s your favorite pie?”

  This question threw him, because he looked down at me questioningly. “Apple.”

  “Simple man.”

  “What’s this now?” he asked me.

  “Learning about you,” I responded, laying my head in the crook of his shoulder and neck.

  “Ask me anything. To you, I’m an open book.” Another damn heart flutter a-damn-gain.

  “Do you think it’s strange we don’t know the little shit about each other?”

  He shifted, lifted me up, and set me astride him, our faces inches apart. He was so damn hot. One man shouldn’t be this hot. It was almost too much to take. Almost.

  “We know the important shit, Pixie. You know my club, kids, exes, brothers, dad, Cruz and Sumner. Are there still things, of course, but that’s with any relationship, Ry. All of that takes time.”

  Leaning down, I locked my lips to his, hands cupping his cheeks, while his went to my ass and squeezed. He felt so damn real, exactly what I’d been missing since he left me in Sumner.

  Our tongues danced, and that connection between us latched together stronger. Damn, I loved this man.

  We pulled away, and my breaths didn’t come at first, but our eyes stayed locked to each other’s, neither of us pulling away one bit. He loved this too. His eyes told me without words. Yes, this was where we needed to be.

  At home while packing, I’d thought over and over if I was making a huge mistake stuffing all my shit into my Jeep and heading here. If old dogs were dead and we could move to a place that was exactly what Crow was giving me.

  Peace. Comfort. Security. Bonded.

  This, right here, I would fight to the death to keep. Nothing and no one would stand in my way of keeping ahold of this.

  “Love you, Crow.” The words were whispered and surprised the shit out of me. I may have felt this was my lot in life, but saying those words to him, this soon. Fuck me.

  My mouth opened to try to refute it, but his lips came down to mine shutting them up. Moaning in his mouth, my body turned to liquid under his and he lifted, our eyes burning bright into each other’s.

  “Don’t you dare try to backtrack. Fuckin’ thrilled you gave that shit to me because, Pixie, I fuckin’ love you too.”

  The smile across my face actually hurt my cheeks, but I didn’t pull away. Instead, I attacked his lips once more. His length under me grew causing my pussy to wet, needing him inside.

  Ripping my lips from his, I stood, undid my left boot as quick as I could, unlatched my jeans and pulled them along with my underwear down the one leg. Crow was ready for me, his cock hard and standing tall, his strong hand fisting it.

  Moving quick, I climbed on him and drove him so deep inside of me, pressure came to my womb. Instead of moving, we paused, our foreheads touching, eyes connected. The fire between us was fueled with so much passion that I wanted this moment to be burned into our brains forever.

  Never to leave.

  Never to be forgotten.

  Never to be taken lightly.

  Never to be thrown away.

  His sexy smile came across his lips as mine followed. His hands squeezed my ass, and I moved. This wasn’t making love. This was ‘carnal I need you so damn much’ fucking. Lifting and lowering, his hands and hips started working in time with mine making each thrust hit me in so many places it was difficult to keep up the rhythm.

  It felt so damn good that my mind began to blank, focusing only on the feeling between Crow and me. My body gave as he gave to me. Over and over we collided.

  When my orgasm hit, I wasn’t prepared for the intensity of it. Crow and I had many times where we were combustible in bed, and that intensity was always there.

  This time though, it was magnified by a million.

  He thrust deep twice more as his hit him, and he stilled inside of me. My head fell to his shoulder, my heart hammering in my chest so hard it was in fear of running away. Sweat pebbled on our skin as we sat there giving our breaths time to come back to us.

  After long moments, it was Crow whose hand came under my chin so I’d look up at him. Inside those blues, I saw it. Every second of why packing and coming here was the right thing to do. This man was mine. I was his. That was the end.

  “You’re everything to me, Rylynn. Whatever happens, it’s surface. You gotta know that you’re the one I want next to me. Always.”

  “Same.” I leaned in and kissed him softly.

  Birds chirped off in the distance, and a laugh bubbled out of me.

  “Didn’t think that was funny, Pixie.” His tone was rough and impatient.

  I sobered, lifting my hand to his cheek. “No. Not that. I’d never had sex outside before. Hearing the birds.” I shrugged. “It was funny.”

  “We’ll do this again and soon.” He squeezed my ass. “Fuck, I love your ass.”

  “It is pretty nice. Squats.”

  “Can tell by how you rode me.”

  This made me burst out laughing.

  Climbing off him, we gathered ourselves then got back on his bike. He wanted to show me the stretch of road he used to think, and I thought it was a great idea considering there was nowhere else I’d rather be than with him.

  The road was winding, and each curve was more exhilarating than the next. He gunned the bike at times, then released the throttle on others. He knew this like the back of his hand. It was a challenging ride, and only experienced riders should do it. That was for certain.

  Crow looked in his mirror, and I felt his body tense. Slowly, I turned my head as if looking at the landscape, but in my peripheral vision, an old blue pickup truck was coming up on us quickly. Much too fast for this stretch of road.

  Crow kicked up the throttle as we began pulling away from it. The truck didn’t hesitate to speed up and catch us. Fuck. This wasn’t good.

  My man grabbed my hand and pulled it up his chest, coming in contact with a gun he kept in his holster at his sides. Yeah, this shit wasn
’t good.

  I gave him a squeeze to let him know he was understood. Releasing the gun, I pulled it out, but kept it under his leather cut out of sight and between us. Releasing Crow, I readied the gun, then wrapped my left arm around him, keeping my right with the gun.

  Him riding and shooting would be difficult with the terrain we were on, but I had no doubt that he would be doing that exact thing. Luckily, I was here to help.

  Crow didn’t let up, and neither did the guy behind us as I stole glances.

  We were hitting a tight curve and had to slow down a bit. That’s when I heard the ping of shots coming off the bike. Fuck. The asshole was shooting at us.

  Crow heard it too because he began to move the bike in a way that would make it difficult for the shots to hit us. It was always more difficult to hit a moving target than a still one.

  Two more hit the cement below, and I was done. Unlocking the gun and holding on to my man with one hand, I turned, gun up and fired off three. One hit the glass of his windshield and two hit the hood.

  The gun came back out the window. I aimed at it and shot, but didn’t know if I hit it for sure. The hand went in, and he stopped shooting. That I took as a good sign, but the guy needed to be immobile. After two more shots and missing the damn tire, I took a breath in and out.

  Guns were always in our home. My father taught me as soon as I could hold one, how to shoot, clean it, and take care of it. He taught me how to respect it. He also made me practice with it. A lot.

  Tuning around, I aimed and fired off four. The truck swerved as the rubber exploded, disintegrating as the rim ate it up quickly. The hunk of metal hit a guardrail, then flipped hard and landed on the roof of the truck.

  Fuck.

  Crow slowed down and turned us around. He, no doubt, wanted to know who the fuck was shooting at us. Hell, I did too.

  He parked the bike and didn’t bother with his helmet, keeping it on as we raced off the bike. His gun in hand, he handed me a cell. “Call Brewer. Tell him we’re on the curve at mile marker seventy-three. Bring the van and wrecker.”