by Tabatha Kiss
I cover my face, gasping for air. “Stop!” I shout, but they don’t listen. I watch their blurred forms trade blows over and over again as tears stream down my face.
The bang of a bullet brings the room to a standstill.
I spin around to see Charlie standing in the doorway with his rifle in his hands. He cocks it again and aims it at Rick. “I think you better be getting home, Rick,” he says, his voice calm as it ever was.
Rick folds his blade closed and drops it back into his pocket. “Sure,” he says, forcing a smile and raising his hands. He wipes the blood off his nose as he brings himself to his feet. “Come on, Claire…” He gestures to me as he passes and reaches down to grab my arm.
“Nephew or not, son…” Charlie barks. “You lay one more finger on her and I’ll put a bullet between your goddamn eyes.”
Rick pauses and a chuckle escapes his lips. “All right…” he says, his eyes locked on me. “We’ll finish this later then…”
I shake my head. “We’re already finished,” I say.
He flashes a knowing smile and a chill runs down my spine as he steps out of the barn.
I turn back to Tobias and breathe a quick sigh of relief to see him climbing to his feet. Blood stains his shirt and my eyes fall to the wound on his arm, a small cut just above his left elbow. “You’re hurt…” I whimper, guilt striking me down.
He walks over and pulls me off the ground. “Don’t worry about it,” he mutters. He looks at me from head to toe, searching for any wounds of my own.
“I suppose I don’t need to ask what that was all about,” Charlie says to the two of us.
I wipe the tears from my eyes. “I’m sorry, Charlie…” I whisper. “I didn’t know he was coming—”
“It ain’t your fault, Claire,” he says. “A man’s gonna do what a man’s gonna do. The blame is always on him.” His eyes bounce between us. “Get on inside. Get that cut cleaned out.”
I take Tobias towards the house. Before going inside, I hear the growl of Rick’s car near the highway. Rick is gone, hopefully for good, but the fear of him knowing where I sleep still plagues me.
Tobias and I climb the stairs to the second floor in silence.
“Sit down,” I tell him as we enter the bathroom together. He plops down on the toilet seat and rolls his shirt sleeve up while I open the cabinet to find a first aid kit.
“It’s not deep,” he notes, checking the cut himself.
“Does it hurt?” I ask. I quickly roll my eyes. “Shit, of course it hurts…”
“It’s not bad,” he chuckles. “I’ve…”
“Had worse?” I finish his sentence.
“Yeah.”
I dab a bit of cotton with rubbing alcohol. “I’m really sorry about all this, Tobias…” I mutter as I wipe the blood away from the gash. “I wish I could believe it wasn’t my fault, but…” I find a few butterfly bandages in the bottom of the kit.
He reaches out and grabs my hand. “Claire… nothing he said makes me feel differently about you.”
I pause and a smile touches my lips. “Thank you.” I start bandaging his wound, taking my time to line them up just right.
“But…” he sighs.
“What?” I ask.
“What is it with girls and bad boys?”
“What, like you don’t qualify?” I tease.
He tilts his head. “I have good reasons for doing what I do.”
“I’m not going to argue with that,” I say, “but still.” I tape an extra bandage over the wound, covering the entire area. “I guess… they have ways of making us feel special. They know exactly what to say to mess us up so we don’t even realize that they’re… hurting us—”
“Claire,” he whispers.
I shake my head and lay a bit more tape down to attach the bandage to his arm. “That’s the best I can do…” I say, staring at the covered wound.
“It’s pretty good,” he says as he checks it.
“Think it’ll affect the fight tomorrow night?” I ask.
“No way.”
“Good.” I smile. “If anyone deserves to be Alpha, Tobias, it’s you.”
“I’m not doing this to be an Alpha,” he says.
“I know. You’re doing this for her.” I brush my fingers through his thick, black hair. “But you can do it for you, too.”
He stands up. “How about I do it for you instead?”
I bite my inner cheek. As much as I hate to admit it, watching Tobias fight Rick left me buzzing for more inside. “Sure,” I say. I hear Charlie’s feet on the stairs and I take a quick step back. “You should get some sleep.”
“I’d rather stay up and make sure he doesn’t come back.”
“Tobias…” I whisper. “Get some sleep.”
He flexes his jaw and exhales slowly. “All right.” His hand brushes my cheek and I quiver as his thumb traces a line along my bottom lip.
***
I wake up the next morning with a smile on my face.
There’s the slightest hint of fear in the back of my mind when I think of Rick wandering around out there, but the memory of Tobias’ lips overwhelms every other sensation.
I step out into the hallway just as Tobias’ door opens across from mine.
“Hey,” I chuckle at him.
“Good morning—” Tobias yawns.
“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?”
“I slept enough,” he assures me. “I’ll get more rest later.”
“Where are you going now?” I ask.
“I need to get in some training.”
“Oh, I see,” I tease, stepping closer. “You’re going to distract me while I try get my chores done. Is that it?”
He grins. “That’s the plan.”
I roll my eyes. “You’d think Charlie would let me have a few days off for my birthday or something.”
“Good luck with that,” he jokes. The phone rings downstairs. “I broke my arm when I was thirteen, I still had to get up and milk the cows.”
I chuckle. “I’m not the least bit surprised.”
Charlie’s bedroom door opens and Tobias and I both jump away from each other. I look at Charlie and he rolls his eyes. “Just keep it out of the bubble of my senses, you two,” he says as he steps downstairs to answer the phone.
I stand frozen against my door. “What does that mean?” I whisper to Tobias.
“I don’t know…” He raises an eyebrow and closes the gap between us. “But I’m not going to ask questions.”
I look up at him and smile as his lips brush against mine.
“Tobias—” Charlie calls from the bottom of the stairs.
We head into the stairwell together. “I know, I know,” I say to Charlie. “I have chores to start—”
“No chores today, Claire,” he says, his voice low. “Tobias…”
I look at Charlie and a feeling of dread washes over me.
“What is it?” Tobias asks.
Charlie scratches the back of his head as hesitation touches his breath. “Tobias, your sister passed this morning,” he finally says.
I turn to Tobias and my heart breaks. He stands at the top of the stairs with an emotionless expression. “When?” he asks.
“Just now,” Charlie answers.
Tobias’ mouth opens, then closes again just as quickly, leaving his face a blank, white canvas. I reach out, but he moves away before I can touch him. He marches down the stairs, ignoring me and Charlie, and shoves the front door open.
“Tobias—” I call out his name, but he doesn’t look back.
Charlie exhales slowly. He’s not nearly as good at hiding his emotions as his son is. His grief shows through his eyes; a father that’s lost his baby girl.
I hold back my own tears and lower myself down to sit on the stairs. “Charlie, I am so sorry for your loss,” I tell him. It makes me feel awful to say something so scripted, but I suppose phrases like these are cliche for a reason.
He nods and glances at the f
ront door again before looking back at me. “Look, I have to go to St. Louis and take care of…” His voice trails off.
“Go,” I say. “We’ll be okay.”
“Keep an eye on him,” he says. “He won’t take this well.”
“Of course.”
He flexes his jaw and steps back into the kitchen. A few moments later, he comes back to the stairs with his cell phone in hand. “Let me know if he thinks about doing something stupid, would ya?”
“Yes.”
“My number is on the fridge.” Charlie grabs his keys off the table by the door. “I’ll be back late tonight, I think.”
I nod and sit still until I hear his truck on the driveway.
Chapter 13
I’ll Take Care Of You
The sound of fists striking leather fills my ears before I even make it to the barn. I step inside to see Tobias slamming hits into the punching bag over and over again. He keeps his back to me, seemingly unaware of my presence. Either that, or he doesn’t care that I’m here.
I move behind him and lean against the ladder that leads up to the loft. A tear falls down my cheek. I wipe it away and Tobias continues pounding away at the bag.
Finally, I can’t take the sound anymore. “Tobias, what are you doing?” I ask him.
He pauses, briefly lowering his hands, but he doesn’t look at me. “I’m training.” He raises his hands again, his fingers rolling down into tight fists. They connect with the bag so hard, it knocks against the wall behind it.
“Tobias, stop,” I say. Blood has started to seep from the wound on his arm, leaving dark red spots against the bandage. “You’re going to hurt yourself—”
“I don’t care.”
“I do.”
He ignores me and thrusts his fists even harder against the bag. I stand up and walk over to him, ignoring the fear growing in my gut.
“Tobias!” I shout.
He drops his hands and spins around to look at me. “What else would you have me do, Claire?” he asks, breathing hard.
“I know you’re angry,” I say, “and you have every right to be, but… Tobias, you don’t have to fight anymore.”
He shakes his head. “Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t.” I swallow the rock forming in my throat. “Mary’s—”
“Don’t say her name.”
I flinch, but I can’t stop the words. “She’s gone, Tobias.”
He takes a deep breath, staring down at me as if I were his enemy. “I know,” he mutters.
“So…” I keep my voice as steady as I can. “You don’t have to fight anymore.”
“No, Claire,” he says. “I have an even better reason to take him down now. For good.”
My jaw drops slowly as he turns back around to face the bag. “Don’t say that, Tobias—”
“He put her in that bed, Claire—” He slams into the bag. “He deserves worse.”
“You can’t…” I hesitate. “You can’t kill him, Tobias.”
“Why not?”
“It’s not right…” I beg. “If he fights back—”
“He won’t get the chance,” he growls.
“And if he does, I don’t think your father wants to bury two children in one week!”
He spins back around, towering above me in anger. “Since when do you fucking care, huh?” he bites. “You were supposed to be gone by now—”
I raise my hand and slap it across his face.
Pain shoots through my fingers, climbing all the way up to my elbow. Tears plummet down my cheeks. I jump back, stunned by what I’ve done. “Oh, god—” I cry to myself, covering my face in my hands. I can’t bring myself to look up at him. “I didn’t mean to—”
“Claire—” I feel his hands on me, but I push away from him.
“Don’t touch me…”
He cups my face, refusing to let me stray from him. “Claire… look at me.”
I open my eyes and his face fills my vision. “I’m sorry, Tobias—”
“No,” he whispers, shaking his head. “You have no reason to be.”
I step back and his hands fall from my cheeks. “So much for being untouchable,” I whisper.
“Not to you.” He pulls me back in, holding me so close that our lips touch. “Never to you, Claire.”
I quiver in his arms. My heart thumps loudly in my ears, overwhelming all the other sounds around me. “Tobias… I—”
He silences me with a kiss. It’s long and slow, full of passion and love. His tongue massages mine, allowing me to experience his intoxicating flavor. It makes me dizzy and I fall deeper into his embrace.
“Tobias,” I whisper, “take comfort in me.”
Tobias looks into my eyes and I see his desire staring back at me. “Claire, if we do that, then there’s no going back,” he says.
“I don’t want to go back,” I say. “I want you.” I kiss him again and he returns my kisses with even more desire than before.
***
Tobias travels down my body, leaving a trail of warm kisses against my flesh as he goes. His breath skirts across my skin as his breathing intensifies. I can’t move. I can’t think. I lie here on his bed, taken completely by his passions.
He moves between my legs and I feel his hardness press against my engorged bud. It sends a shock wave up my spine and he silences my sudden moan with a long, hard kiss. He cups his hand behind my head, forcing even more of his kiss upon me. I relish in it and taste his flavorful tongue against mine.
His thick shaft pushes against my opening and my body clenches with tension. Tobias pauses, retreating his hips. “Claire…” He searches my face, which is no doubt filled with fear. “Relax,” he smiles.
I let out a soft chuckle to hide my hesitation. “I’m fine,” I whisper.
He shifts to his side and kisses me again. “Don’t worry, Claire,” he whispers. “I’ll take care of you.”
His fingers tickle my skin as he reaches his hand south. I kiss him again, blinded by the unknown, as he spreads my folds with his fingertips. Desire aches within me, begging for him to go further. I moan as he traces small, smooth circles around my swollen bud, teasing my pleasures to come out and play. I breathe deep, holding still to allow the throbbing to intensify.
My hips buck against his hand with a mind of their own. My wetness surges, begging to feel him inside. I twitch and squirm beneath his touch, but that only makes him press a little harder. “Tobias…” I moan his name through clenched teeth as the climax takes hold of me. He takes me with a firm kiss and holds me tight against him until the storm subsides.
I breathe slowly, barely able to feel the kisses he leaves on my neck. He keeps his hands on me, touching me, caressing me, until I feel his finger slide inside of me. I cry out from the sweet sensation as my body gets what it wants. His thick digit moves in me. He plays me like a concert pianist. I’ll sing any note he wants me to, as long as he doesn’t stop.
He pushes a second finger into me and I bite my lips to keep from screaming. I feel the stretch and quiver as it creates a powerful elixir of pain and pleasure inside. There’s a smile on his lips when he kisses me again. The pressure builds inside of me, doubling back for another climax, but he slides his fingers out of me and I whimper with disappointment.
Tobias balances himself above me and positions himself between my legs. That fear and hesitation I felt before has completely disappeared, leaving an undeniable passion behind. A passion for him. He said he’d take care of me and I fully intend on taking care of him, too. His thickness splits my folds. I lie back and close my eyes to focus all of my energy on feeling him as he pushes inside.
His lips graze my neck, tasting my skin as he slowly moves in and out of me. I wrap my arms around him and pull him in for another kiss. I moan softly against his lips. Sweat drips off his brow onto mine. My entire body quivers beneath him. Jolts of electric passion course through me as he holds me against his bed. He grunts with each slow and steady thrust he gives me. He’s in complet
e control of me, of himself, of us, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. His strength takes me over, making me feel warm and untouched inside, full of new sensations I never knew I deserved.
“Are you okay?” he whispers.
I smile back at him as a tremble of pleasure rocks my inner walls. “Yes,” I moan. He plants a firm kiss on my lips. I can feel the desire building inside of him. He’s holding back, hesitant to use his experience on me. “Keep going,” I urge, begging to feel more of him.
Tobias reaches down my body and grips my knees to adjust his angle. I feel him slide deeper inside of me, filling me in the most perfect way. I hold him tighter, biting my lips to contain my moans as he grinds me harder against the bed. I catch the smirk on his face before he groans and thrusts me a little deeper.
He gazes into my open eyes and his love for me shines back. With a quick, sudden motion, he scoops me off the bed and wraps my legs around his waist. I yelp in surprise and he laughs with me as he sits back and holds me against him. His lips find mine again and I lower myself back down onto his thick root. I sigh with every inch of him, lost in the grips of pleasure. He moves me on him with great ease, forcing me towards the point of no return faster than I can process the intoxicating joy. I cry out, but he silences me with another hard kiss and wraps his strong arms around me to hold me in place.
“Tobias—” I whisper his name as another climax tears me apart. He pauses and lets the experience trigger his own body’s demise. His ravenous groan fills my ears as his tense muscles twitch with pleasure in my arms.
I lie back against his pillows and he falls forward to lay his head on my breast. We breathe deep and slow, soothing our wrecked bodies together.
“Tobias,” I say his name again.
“Claire,” he sighs.
“Promise me that no one will die tonight.”
I feel his firm fingers touch my skin, traveling up my arms to embrace my trembling hands. There’s a hesitation on his breath as he raises his head and kisses my skin. “I promise, Claire,” he says, his eyes down.
“Promise me again,” I say.