by L. M. Reign
“It’s so big,” she whispers. “I know it’ll fit, but... it’s so big.” I smirk. Her words inflating my ego.
“Let’s get rid of these clothes,” I grab the hem of her shirt, proud of my restraint to remove it slowly rather than jerk it off her body like I want to. I have to pick my jaw up from the floor when her ample tits come into view, spilling over the tops of her black lace bra. “God damn.” My dick twitches, happy with what he sees, too.
She moves to cover her chest and I grab her hands, shaking my head. “No, baby. Don’t ever hide this body from me. Lean back.”
I could practically smell her arousal from here but refrained from rushing this. I’ve heard the first time isn’t as enjoyable, but I want to make sure she’s ready. Give her enough foreplay to make it easier and in case she changes her mind.
Please God, don’t let her change her mind.
I pull her into another kiss, the way her tongue moves against mine drives me insane. “I can’t get enough of you. It will never be enough,” I trail down her chest, kissing the swell of her tits before moving down her slender abdomen. “Last chance, Mila. If you want to say no, please do it now.”
“No,” she shakes her head, her voice croaking. My heart stops. “Don’t stop.” I nip her stomach, making her moan.
“Don’t play with me like that.” I pop the button on her shorts and pull them down her legs. A bare scrap of red fabric kept me from her pussy. Slowly, I stroke my thumb over her through the fabric, making her moan and arch her back, pushing her tits in the air. “Fuck, baby.” Shoving the little scrap aside, I slowly insert one finger. Then two.
So. Fuckin’. Wet.
“You’re drenched.”
Leaning down, I run my tongue up her length, lingering on her clit the way some of the club brothers told me to. I think I’m doing it right since she arches her hips into me. I suck her clit in my mouth, eliciting another moan out of her.
“Oh my god. Cole,” she whimpers, threading her fingers in my hair. “I want to take this slow,” I kiss her pussy. “But I want you, baby. I’m goin’ to burst if I don’t.”
“Then take me.” Her eyes are blazing, filled with need.
Her bra is off in seconds, her panties and my boxers follow; landing somewhere over my shoulder. “Baby, promise me you’ll tell me if I hurt you,” I push her back onto the blanket, grabbing her legs and opening them wide as I spread my body over hers.
Her sparkling eyes stare up at me with absolute trust as she wets her lips. She has no idea how much she has me by the balls. I stroke her bottom lip with my thumb. “Baby, I need you to tell me if I hurt you. Can you do that?”
She grabs hand and kisses my thumb. “I will, but you won’t hurt me.” I lean down and bring my mouth to hers, needing to feel her desire. She opens up and my tongue glides across hers, diving deep into her mouth, sharing her taste with her as she palms my shoulders with both hands.
“Before I do though, I need to love on these tits.” I suck one nipple in my mouth, drawing it into a tight peak and releasing it with a pop before doing the same to the other. Her soft moan pierces the air and I can’t wait anymore.
“Cole, now.” Her demand was firm. Definite. Quickly sheathing my cock, I rub against her pussy before slowly sliding inside her. Inch by inch. Her face is strained, eyes clenched shut, and her back arched, pressing her tits against my chest.
“Are you okay?” I grunt, barely maintaining my composure.
“I’m fine,” she whispered tensely. “Keep going.” I slide in further, groaning at the feeling of finally being inside her. Tighter than a vise grip, soaking wet, and so fucking warm. I can feel her body resisting my intrusion.
“Hold on baby,” I hold onto her hips, pinning her against the blanket, driving into her, pushing past that last barrier. She whimpers, covering her eyes with her hand. “Baby?” I still, halting my movements when I feel close to losing it. I want this to last.
No. No. No. No.
“I’m fine,” she takes a deep breath. “It burns but keep going,” her voice was still tense. “You should move.” She stares up at me with an uneasy smile.
“If I do, I’m goin’ to come,” I explain, embarrassed I couldn’t make this last longer. She doesn’t respond with words, but instead clenches around me. “What the fuck was that?” She giggles, the movement making her pussy spasm even more. “Don’t do that, baby. It’ll ruin it.”
“Cole. It’s okay. Come. And we’ll do it again.”
Shoving the memory away, I find Mila looking lost in thought, too. “Why do you remember them?”
“They remember me for killing them. We doing this up there?” I nod, grabbing the bag from the back and heft it over my shoulder.
“Is Hurst staying in one of the houses over there?”
I shake my head, finding the sound of leaves crunching under my feet satisfying. Hurst was hiding out in the vacant motel on the opposite side of the abandoned development that was never finished.
“Roach motel.”
“Ew. That thing is still standing? Things last too long in this town.”
“Not everything,” I throw over my shoulder. Not bothering to look back to see if she got my meaning.
Reaching the top, I see a few lights flickering at the old motel. The faded paneling on the walls boasted an extinct decorating scheme and told the story of the seediness that’s taken place inside it’s walls.
“What room?”
“Three thirty-three.” Setting the bag down, I unzip it and stare at the gun. Ashamed to admit that I have no idea how to set it up. Bodi always said there were two speeds in life. Fast and accelerate. He’d shit bricks if he saw me pissing in the wind right now.
“Don’t know how to assemble it?” The smugness in her voice grates on my nerves. I’d rather saw my own arm off than give her the satisfaction of answering.
“Goddamnit,” I snarl after a few seconds. “Can you just fuckin’ do it?”
“If I do, I get to shoot him.”
“Not the way it works,” I tell her. “If we do this, we do it my way.” She made a cute harrumph noise in defiance that made her sound uptight.
“Good luck figuring it out, then,” she turns on her heel, heading back down.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, my skin prickling with anger as I stare at her retreating back. Her haughty posture matching her smug tone. She was cute when she wasn’t busting my balls.
“Goddamnit, Mila.” She comes to a stop, turning on her heel with a fucking Cheshire cat grin on her face. “I’ve done this before. Just let me do it. You’re the one who wanted to come so get your fuckin’ ass back up here.”
“You forget I’ve done this before, too.”
There it was. The stark reminder that she’s a killer. Tainted. Just like me.
“Fine,” I gesture to the bag. “Assemble it and shoot the blond cunt in three thirty-three.” She assembles it with ease before laying her body across the ground, propping herself up on her elbows.
“Are you going to get down here?” I take advantage of her open invitation and get as close as possible. “Let me teach you a few things,” she whispers. I watch her swivel the gun, combing the hotel for the room. “Grab the binoculars from my bag and confirm I’ve got the mark.”
“He’s sittin’ in the window, left back corner,” I stare through the small lens.
“Breaking the window will cause a commotion. Do you want that?”
Fuck.
I shake my head, pissed that I didn’t even think about it. “I have an idea,” she fires one shot causing an echo to ripple through the woods. A sign that was hanging loosely by a small metal chain clatters on the ground a few doors down from Hurst.
“What the fuck, Mila!?” She shushes me, focused on the scope. I peek through the binoculars again, watching Hurst get up and move cautiously towards the front door.
“Got you,” she mutters, becoming one with her weapon. “He’s headed for the door in three. Two. One.” The scene
unfurls slowly through the two little lens from the second Mila pulled the trigger.
Hurst opened the door, peeking out before jolting backwards, flinging it open in haste. He fell to the ground, a mist of red lingering in the air for a second before dissipating as quickly as it came.
“We need to move.” She starts disassembling quickly, shoving parts inside the bag.
I watch her, feeling regret seep into my bones. A reminder that it was my favorite thing to wear besides my hat.
I shouldn’t have let her do this. The woman before me was quickly becoming the storm in my life. The perfect kind that only gave you two options; either dance in her rain or be destroyed by her winds.
Chapter 10
Mila
Another night, another party. That part of this job was getting old, fast. These men want to have a pig roast to celebrate everything, inviting other bikers, club whores, strippers, and the ilk.
Ever since Cole made his declaration in the tattoo shop, I’ve been avoiding having a conversation with him like the plague. If I was honest, I wanted to give into him, but after that kill, I knew I couldn’t do that again. I couldn’t let him lure me into a false sense of security with his words. I couldn’t be owned any more than I could believe his words mean something.
In an effort to find some peace and quiet, I ended up on the roof. Pulling the Adirondack chair by the space heater under the busted string lights. I plop down and grab the dossier from my bag, adding photos that I took yesterday while following my latest target.
Capo bastone; Luca Domenico, son of the notorious Capo famiglia, Adriano Domenico.
Clipping his picture to the printed schedule, I stare at the man who has been protecting the one I’ve been hunting the last few years. His face is strong and angular: jaw dusted with stubble, prominent chin, and eyes framed by black eyebrows matching his slicked back hair. His broad shoulders covered with a tailored suit as he moved through the city under the watchful gaze of his bodyguard.
Sangster.
I grab the picture I took of him and clip it with Luca’s. The final touches of the dossier; complete. I didn’t realize that I had pulled my pendant out and started to fiddle with it, rubbing my fingers over the stars.
“I got you somethin’. Cover your eyes,” he whispered in my ear.
“You already got me magnolias. What else could you possibly give me?” I giggled, covering my eyes. I felt the cool touch of his fingers draping something across my neck.
“Pick your hair up. Keep your eyes closed.” Pulling my hands away from my face, I do what he says. “Open,” he tells me once the weight settles around my neck.
Looking down, I gasp, pulling the pendant closer for inspection. He’d gotten me a set of stars encased in a beautiful mixture of oranges, purples, blues, and silvers of the universe.
“Cole, it’s beautiful,” I smile at him and pull him into a hug.
“I know you love lookin’ at the stars and wanted you to have some of them close to you, so I chose those.
I could say somethin’ cliché like you’re my world, but you already know that. I’m thankful for every single day that I get to breathe the same air as you,” he kisses my cheek softly. “Because, even though we are small particles in this world, by the grace of God, the alignment of the stars, or the fate of the universe. Whatever the fuck you want to call it - we’re together - and that means you’ll never be alone.”
I hear the click of the door alerting me to a presence. I close the file as Bloom rounds the corner, freezing when she sees me. Sliding it back into my bag, I give her a small smile. We haven’t gotten the chance to talk much lately.
“They’re lookin’ for you,” she tells me, lighting a cigarette.
“It’s time?”
She smiles. “Yeah. Time gets away from you when you’re up here.”
I nod. “It does. It’s my favorite spot tonight. So quiet and a world away from the one below. And I can see the stars. The sta-”
“The stars bring the soul peace,” she finished, exhaling a stream of smoke into the darkness.
“Yeah,” I say softly. “My mom used to say that. All the time.”
“She was a good woman. I’m sorry for what happened. Raised you and your brother well.”
“You did, too. Cole seems… okay. Would you like to sit?” I gesture to the wrought iron chair beside me.
“Better not keep the men waitin’, darlin’.”
I shrug. “If they can’t find me, they can wait.”
She laughs, sitting beside me. “That fire of yours... it’s beautiful. I used to have somethin’ like it. That was before everything went to shit.”
“What happened?” I watched as darkness descended upon her features.
“I wasn’t there for Cole. Not when he needed me and not when it counted. You see, I got hooked on some drugs for a while. Couldn’t tell you what day it was, much less take care of a kid.
I’m not proud of it, but I’m grateful to you and your family. Thank you for shelterin’ my baby when he was hurt. I was in no position to be able to stop his daddy from unleashing his anger on my boy. And thank you, Mila, for lovin’ him. He needed to know what that was because we sure as hell didn’t show him here.” Her voice was tinged with regret and pain.
That’s why he never wanted us to meet her.
Leaning forward, I grab her hand. “I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re better now.” She gripped my hand tightly, rubbing her thumb over my knuckles.
“I suppose I owe you an apology, too.” I cock my head, staring at her intently.
“What for?”
“The baby.”
I freeze, yanking my hand away from hers. “You know,” I accuse, wracking my brain for any connection as to how. “That’s how you know my mom.”
Bloom nods, guilt contorting her features. I take a shaky breath, blinking to hide the tears that threatened to fall - the ones that come when the image that I’ve spent years conjuring flashes in my mind.
A little boy with an unruly mess of blonde curls. Chubby cheeks, button nose, my eyes with Cole’s dimples.
“When?” I whisper quietly, afraid my voice will give me away.
“After you decided,” she says with a shuddering breath. “I tried like hell to get him back to you, Mila. But I was too late. He was so tangled up in Bodi’s mess that there was no way back. Are you okay, darlin’? I don’t mean to upset you.” My vision became blurry and tears started to escape.
“I will be,” I want to tell her. I always am. I bend, I break, I mend, and I ride out the storm until I break all over again. “Does he know?” I wipe my tears. Turning to glare at her when she doesn’t answer. “Does. He. Know?”
“No,” she shakes her head sadly. “It was never my secret to tell. I kept the picture your mom gave me hidden. Not even Bodi can find it.”
“Picture?”
“Your mom gave me one.” I tilt my head, trying to reign in the panic wreaking havoc inside me. She has a picture. Of my baby.
That’s why mama left the room.
“If I’m not supposed to have it, I’ll get rid of it. I just wanted to see my... grandchild.”
A wave of anger washes over the regret, creating a riptide of fury. I don’t know where it comes from exactly, but it’s powerful. Soul-consuming.
I wanted to hurt something, someone to release this anger, and assuage the burden of my guilt. But I knew I would only be fooling myself. This guilt, this regret will never leave me.
I sling my bag over my shoulder and head towards the door. “Keep it,” I tell her. “May it bring you more joy than it brought me.”
_____________________
Cole
“Build’s done,” Rook reports. “I delivered it to the hospital this morning.”
“Good,” Bodi puffs on his cigarette. “Lockdale?” He turns his gaze to me.
“We handled that last night.” I stare back at him reticently.
“Damien’s here to pick up the merch. We tr
ansported it over last night after he tested it. All accounted for. And,” Diesel pauses, making sure he has everyone’s attention. “He wants it all.” Cheers erupt around the table. Rook claps me on the shoulder with excitement, making me laugh.
“Thank fuckin’ God. That’s a relief,” Gibbs mutters, running his fingers over his receding hairline.
“Think you lost some more hair over this, ol’ man,” I turn the attention to him.
“I fuckin’ did. Fuck you very much.” He flips me off. I smile and pull a cigarette from behind my ear, lighting it.
“Good. Load him up discreetly. Use the garage and invite him to the party. He can fuck and drink as much as he wants!” We bang our fist on the table.
Knocking draws our attention to the set of double doors. Diesel cracks it open a sliver to reveal the girls. “Are you going to let us in!?” Ness has to yell over the thumping music outside.
“Let ‘em in,” Bodi waves him off. Diesel holds the door open as Mila follows her inside.
Brass is out of his chair, blocking Mila’s path before she moves further. “I want your guns.” He crosses his arms, not budging. Mila doesn’t put up much of a fight as she hands them over.
“There’s still thirteen ways in this room to kill you.”
“I only count seven,” Ness speaks from the back. Mila starts speaking in that fucking language, presumably telling Ness about the six other ways.
“Clever,” Ness smirks, watching the guys scan the room warily. Mila exudes hostility as she brings herself to stand between Milo and Dash at the end of the table.
“How the fuck are there thirteen ways to kill someone in here?” Rook asked, eyeing the ceiling. The corner of her pink mouth twitched with a hint of a smile.
It’s been days. Fucking days since I’ve actually seen her. She’s either gone when I wake up or asleep when I come in. She’s avoiding me and all it’s done is make me miss her. I’ve missed that look, her sweet face. I’ve missed every fucking thing about her.