Redemption

by Jaimie Roberts

  My god, it turned me on when he spoke to me like that. The fires raged, but instead of welcoming it, the feeling just frustrated me more.

  Grabbing his neck, I held his stare. “Dean.”

  “Yes?”

  “Just shut up and fuck me.”

  Dean smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Feeling like I needed to be taken roughly, I turned, letting Dean know what I wanted. Without hesitation, he pulled my dress up above my waist and pushed his fingers inside me. I knew he was checking to see if I was wet enough, but he needn’t worry. I was constantly wet around him. Pulling out, he gently circled around my clit, making me buck up against him.

  “Fuck, Tyler. You’re so fucking sexy, it’s unreal.”

  I knew Dean wanted to work me up a little, but I was already there. “Dean, please,” I barely whispered as my breathing became more erratic.

  I felt him tug at his shorts and with one quick thrust, Dean was inside me. “Fuck!” he hissed as he held us there for a second.

  He felt so big and so good inside me. I was desperate for him to move, so I pushed at him a little. Dean laughed, but the laughter was soon gone when he started pounding himself into me. Lord knows where he got the stamina to move this lightning fast, but he did. He certainly wasn’t joking when he said it had to be fast and rough. And, boy, I was loving every minute of it.

  “Grab my hair, Dean. I need you to own me.” I didn’t know where the fuck that came from, but I was lost in the moment.

  Dean growled, but complied with my wishes as he tugged at my hair. I moaned as a wave of pleasure tingled throughout my whole body. I was close already. I had been close the minute Dean started with the verbal foreplay downstairs.

  “Fuck, Tyler. You feel so fucking good. I just can’t get enough of your sweet, tight pussy.”

  He rammed into me hard, hitting the sweet spot that always gave me the best orgasms ever. I wanted to scream, so I grabbed Dean’s hand from my hair and bit into his hand with all my might. Dean groaned, but let me ride out my orgasm.

  “Fuck, Tyler. I’m going to—”

  I felt his hot semen explode inside me and the feeling was like no other. Every time he came inside me, it never failed to keep my orgasm going a little bit longer. It was pure bliss.

  I felt Dean breathing heavily behind me as I leaned my head against the wall of the bathroom. I always cherished these moments together. I knew it was never for long, but I cherished them nonetheless.

  I was about to turn and kiss Dean when an alarm started wailing through the house.

  Dean pulled out of me quickly and dragged up his shorts. He was out the door before I even had time to register he was gone.

  I pushed my dress down and ran for the stairs. When I got to the bottom, there was smoke everywhere as Dean pulled the chicken from the grill. Jimmy and Jeremy were standing there, looking perplexed.

  “Mommy burned the chicken again,” Jeremy giggled.

  I gasped. “What do you mean again?” I looked over at Jimmy and he winked at me with a knowing look. I couldn’t help but blush.

  Dean soon wafted the smoke out and the smoke alarm eventually calmed down.

  “Don’t you remember when Mrs. Carlson came around looking for milk and you were talking so long, you forgot about the chicken?”

  Jeremy smiled at me and I bit my lip. Damn, I had forgotten about that. I looked at both Dean and Jimmy, who had the same level of amusement on their faces.

  “Well, she does like to talk a lot.” I threw my head up in the air and walked towards the burned chicken. When I looked back up, everyone was on the verge of laughter. In the end, I thought I’d start first.

  When we calmed down, Jimmy walked over to his phone. “I’ll order Chinese.”

  Jeremy cheered and shouted, “Crispy duck. Crispy duck!”

  I turned to Dean and whispered, “You do realize this is all you fault, right?” I raised my eyebrow at him and Dean smiled.

  “And you do realize that it was all your fault to begin with. If you didn’t look so fucking sexy all the time, I wouldn’t have felt the need to have you right then. In fact, looking at you now with your hair all tousled makes me want to take you again.”

  My eyes widened and I leaned back to look into the mirrored oven door. I gasped. My hair was more than just tousled. I looked like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards. No wonder Jimmy was smiling at me the way he was.

  Quickly running my fingers through my hair, I got it a bit more under control. Dean just stood there, laughing. “Oh, shut up!” I growled as I passed him. I couldn’t help the smile that crept up on my face, though.

  *****

  Once the Chinese arrived, we all ate right out of the boxes, which was something we weren’t used to doing in England. It was marvelous how eating Chinese food in a small box could make it taste better. I couldn’t get enough of it. I had certainly worked up an appetite.

  It was after nine now. Jeremy was safely tucked in bed and I still hadn’t heard from Tara. I kept noticing Jimmy fidgeting and checking his phone every five minutes with a frown on his face. He looked really worried and if I wasn’t worried myself, I would think it adorable.

  In the end, I thought I’d text her.

  Where are you, babes? Your significant other is looking paler by the minute. Please put him out of his misery. xx

  Twenty minutes went by and I still hadn’t heard from her. By now, Jimmy was practically chewing his nails. In the end, I got up and placed my hand on his shoulder. “I’m going to call her.” He exhaled and gave me an appreciative smile.

  Walking towards the phone, I was about to pick it up when it rang. “Oh, maybe this is her!” I practically danced the rest of the way, making both Dean and Jimmy laugh.

  “Hello, this is the Mad residence. Mrs. Mad speaking.” I looked over at the men and winked.

  I heard a whispered sob, “Jessica…”

  My heart rammed up to my mouth as my smile vanished. “Tara? Tara, is that you?” The urgency in my voice had both Dean and Jimmy scrambling to get up. She said something, but I couldn’t make out what it was. All I could hear was her rapid breathing.

  “Tara, I can’t hear you. What’s the matter? Tell me.” She said something again, but I couldn’t make it out. She sounded so scared. “Tara, please…”

  “He’s here,” she hissed into the phone. “Jessica, he’s here. He’s in my house. Mark’s found me.”

  The color drained from my face as I heard a thud, then a strangled scream. “Who are you talking to, bitch?!” Tara screamed again and the phone went dead.

  I gripped the phone tightly and I could feel myself shaking violently. I looked towards Jimmy and his face was a mixture of terror and rage.

  “I need to ring the police. Tara’s ex-husband’s found her.” I shook as I tried to dial the number.

  Jimmy stopped me. “Don’t involve the police. I’ll take care of it.” I nodded. His face looked like thunder as he headed for the door.

  Dean looked at me. “I have to go with him, Tyler.”

  I didn’t want him to, but I knew Dean wouldn’t feel right about it if he didn’t. I simply nodded. “Please, be careful.”

  Dean smiled and kissed my head. “I promise. I’ll be back in no time.” With a kiss to my lips, he turned and walked out the door.

  Chapter 14

  Jimmy

  Tara never told me much about her ex-husband, but what I did know of him made my fucking blood boil. The mere mention of his name and she would clam up. No woman should ever go through an abusive relationship. Ever. Hearing about any woman being violated had my fucking radar up, but when it was someone I loved? You’d better fucking run and hide because I would do more than kill your arse.

  And that was exactly what I was going to do to Mark.

  The moment I knew it was Tara on the line, I also knew she was in trouble. When I heard her scream, that was it. I was off. Dean came running after me as I scrambled out of the house as quickly as possibl
e.

  The minute I got in the car and fired it up, I turned to him as he was opening the passenger door. “You don’t need to come with me, Dean. I got this. I don’t need your help.”

  Dean got in the car and grabbed my shoulder. “Tara’s part of our family now. If somebody hurts are family, they pay, Jimmy. It’s a simple as that. You’ve been there for me. Now it’s time I be there for you.”

  Under normal circumstances, I would have smiled and thanked him, but all I could do was nod as I sped away from the parking lot, the tyres screeching as we went.

  “Have you got a plan?”

  I gripped the steering wheel tightly. The more I thought about Tara being there alone with that monster, the more I wanted to fucking explode.

  “No,” I said through clenched teeth. “I just want him dead. But I want him to suffer first.”

  Dean gave me a smirk and nodded. “Good because I’ve got just the thing for him, Jimmy. I think you’re going to like it.”

  He didn’t say anymore and I didn’t ask. I could tell Dean was as anxious to get to him as I was. The more I drove, the more I thought it was probably better that I had him with me. Dean was a lot more calculated than I was. He could plan things down to the last detail. If I was on my own, I’d probably kill him and be done with it. At least Dean could rein me in a little, make a plan for the scumbag. One I’d no doubt fucking enjoy.

  The drive took about fifteen minutes and it was the worst fifteen minutes of my life. The last time I had ever felt this way was when I heard Grace had been in a car accident. I vowed never to care enough to get in this position again, but Tara changed all that. The first time I saw her in that bar, my world came crashing down— in a good way. I never believed in love at first sight, but I knew something between us sparked that night. I just had this sense that there was more to her than just a good fuck. Don’t get me wrong. I did want to fuck her, but I wanted more than that. I just wanted to be with her. That night at the bar was one of the best nights I had ever had. I will never forget the secrets we shared as she poured her heart out about her fucking numpty of a husband. The whole time she was talking about him, I was clenching my fists, ready to jump the fucker. How dare he think he can come back and take her away from me. How dare he even fucking try.

  Screeching to halt in front of her house, I didn’t even bother closing the door behind me as I rushed up the front walk. The door was ajar, so I pushed through and screamed Tara’s name. I didn’t hear anything at first, but something out of the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned and saw Tara on the floor, her clothes ripped, her face swollen, blood dripping from her mouth. I was about to rush to her when a figure appeared at the other end of the house and darted out the back door.

  Dean grabbed my shoulder. “I got this, Jimmy. You go see to Tara.”

  I nodded and Dean sprinted off. I had no doubt he’d catch the fucker. I had seen Dean in action before and, on occasion, he had outrun me.

  Running to Tara, I bent down and cupped her face in my hands. “It’s okay now, Tara. I got you. I’m not going to let him hurt you again. You got that?” She nodded and let out a little heart-wrenching sob. “Do you need to go to the hospital?” She shook her head. “Where did he hurt you?” Tara pointed to her face, then her heart. Fuck, I wanted to kill the son of a bitch.

  Running to the fridge, I got out some ice, a cloth to wrap it in, and some tissue for her split lip. I ran back and gently pressed the ice to her eye. Tara winced, but smiled at me. My heart ached and my body thrummed. I wanted to kill her ex-husband right now, but Tara had seen enough violence for one night.

  I looked at her ripped clothes, then back at Tara. “He didn’t…”

  Tara shook her head. “No. I told him someone was coming and he beat me instead.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief, but it didn’t stop the rage I felt. Once Dean found him, I was going to teach him a lesson.

  I stroked Tara’s hair and cradled her in my arms. She seemed to grip me as though I would suddenly vanish, but I wasn’t going anywhere.

  As I was thinking about what to do, Tara’s mobile phone rang with the familiar sound of “Bump and Grind” by R. Kelly. She looked up and was starting to move when I put my hand out to her. “Stay still. I’ll go see who it is.”

  Tara nodded as I walked up to her phone. The name “Jessica” was flashing up on screen, so I answered. “Tyler.”

  “Jimmy, thank fuck. I’m going out of my mind. Is Tara okay?”

  I sighed, thinking about the what ifs. It made me fucking angrier with every minute that passed. “She’s fine. The fucker beat her, but she’s fine.”

  Tyler gasped. “Does she need to go to the hospital?”

  I looked at Tara as she leaned her head back to the arm of the sofa. “She says she doesn’t want to go.”

  “Drive her over here. I’ll look after her. Tell her I won’t take no for a fucking answer. You got that?”

  If this situation wasn’t so serious, I would have laughed. Tyler was good for Dean. One was just as feisty as the other.

  “I got it. I’ll bring her over in a bit.”

  Tyler sighed. “Good. See you soon.”

  I hung up and walked back over to Tara. “Listen, Tyler said she wants you to stay with her. I’ll have to take you because I’m afraid for my balls if I don’t.”

  Tara chuckled, then winced in pain. Where the fuck was Dean?

  Just as I thought this, he emerged…alone. I looked at him, a questioning look on my face. He motioned next door and put his thumbs up.

  “Tyler rang. She wants me to bring Tara over to her house.”

  Dean smiled. “Go. I can look after things here. Don’t you worry. I’ll keep him warm for you.” Dean winked.

  I smiled and shook my head. Dean was quoting the same line I did all those years ago when he got his revenge on that scumbag Pinzano.

  Looking at Tara, I winced and the anger quickly resurfaced. I was itching to teach that fucking arsehole a lesson, but I had to make sure Tara was okay and that she would be looked after first.

  Scooping her up in my arms, I made my way outside. “You don’t have to carry me, you know. I can still use my legs.”

  Tara smiled, but I could tell she was in pain. She had a cut lip and the swelling seemed to be getting worse. “Keep the ice on your eye, Tara. It will help with the swelling.” I propped open the car door with my foot and placed her down. She winced again. “What is it?”

  Tara tried a smile and shook her head. “It’s nothing, Jimmy. I’m okay.”

  I didn’t believe her. I placed my hand at the bottom of her shirt and pulled up. She had bruises all around her ribs. “Motherfucker!” I got up to charge back to the house. At that point, I was so consumed with rage, I would have just snapped his neck.

  Tara quickly grabbed my wrist. “Stop. Please don’t leave me.”

  Fuck, I was torn. I wanted to be there for Tara, but I also wanted to rip that fucker’s heart out. I knew I had to stay strong for her. I had to take on Dean’s practice of being able to wait it out, no matter how much I wanted to run back in there and wrap my hands around his scrawny fucking neck. He needed to be taught a lesson. He needed to realize the consequences of daring to lay a hand on Tara. For daring to hurt her.

  Sighing, I kneeled back down and caressed her cheek. “I won’t leave you, Tara, and I promise he will never hurt you again. You got that?”

  Tara looked at me for a moment. I think she could see the person inside of me. The person who lived on taking the law into his own hands. The person who was judge, jury, and executioner. I had hinted at my lifestyle to her, but had never voiced it out loud.

  I saw a tear fall down Tara’s face. She resolutely nodded her head. “I got that.”

  I tenderly kissed her on the head. I wanted to kiss her lips, but I was afraid I’d hurt her. That just incensed me even further.

  Closing the passenger door, I rushed over to the other side. I didn’t want to waste any more time. Th
e longer this went on, the less darkness we had to our advantage. And I did plan on this being a long night.

  I got in the car and drove as quickly as I could. The whole way there, I was gripping the steering wheel tightly, but didn’t even realize it until Tara placed a loving hand on my arm. Immediately relaxing, I looked over at her beautiful face. The one he had now marked. The one he had dared to mark.

  I smiled, but looked back at the road. I grabbed her hand in mine and held it tightly. This was the only comfort I could offer her now. I wanted to stay with her and take care of her tonight, but I had to get this done, and I knew Tyler would do everything she could to see to it that she got the best care. I could tell Tyler loved and cared for her and, I had to admit it, so did I. I never thought I could love anyone after Grace. She was the one with whom I was meant to spend my life. She was the one with whom I was supposed to marry and have children. I would have taken care of Grace. I would have loved her and protected her with everything I had. But sitting here with Tara, I couldn’t deny how I felt for her. I couldn’t deny that the first night she looked at me, I felt hope flourish within me for the first time in a long time. I felt things I hadn’t felt since Grace. For the first time, I felt as though maybe Grace and I were never meant to be. I had just been fooling myself all along that there could never be anyone else out there. Tonight truly made me realize that. I couldn’t lose Tara. I couldn’t lose her now that I had found her. I didn’t want life to deal me another blow of taking someone away from me when I had just let them in. I refused to let that happen. I refused to let Tara live her life under the cover of shadows. Tonight made me realize something.

  I loved her.

  Driving into Tyler’s driveway, I put the car in park and turned off the ignition. Before I got out of the car, I looked at Tara, squeezed her hand gently, and walked around to her side of the car. She was already getting out, clutching onto her side.

  “Tara, wait. Let me help you.”