by Leah Holt
“Bijou—it's french for jewel, Redd. You took exactly what you went there for, you just didn't know it.”
Maybe now he would understand the trouble he was in.
Maybe now he would take me seriously and not brush the danger under the rug.
Redd had planned on fixing the situation. . .
All I could do was hope he still felt that way.
Chapter Thirteen
Redd
I was quiet for the rest of the night. What was there for me to say?
The vehicle in the parking lot had left before Vicki came back out, driven by a man who was waiting for a woman carrying one small child and a bag of groceries.
Focusing on anything other than Bijou's words was unmanageable. It was as if fate had played a trick on me, dangling this delicious treat in front of my face, only to fool me into doing something good.
She was what I was searching for the entire time. . . Fucking shit.
Bijou and Vicki worked side by side in the kitchen, making a good dinner and giggling together. It made me happy to see Vicki smiling that way.
I just couldn't stop my head from going to the dark side. I had fucked up, I had fucked up and it wasn't just going to cost me my life, there would be three of us getting buried together in a mass grave.
Bijou was his prized possession, she was his jewel.
It was so hard for me grasp the reality of that. I had expected cash or valuables, not a woman.
“Redd, I'm going to bed.” Vicki walked up to me and kicked me in the shin. “The kitchen is clean and my homework is done. Bijou helped me with my math tonight, so you're off the hook.” Kissing my cheek, she sent me a smile and headed towards her room.
“Night, little one, see you in the morning.” Forcing a smile, I did my best to not let her see how I really felt inside.
I was a bomb about to go off, ready to storm that guy's house to make him suffer for every bruise, cut, and scar he had ever given to Bijou. I was ready to make him pay for past, present, and future pain he would have a hand in.
Digging my fingers into the arm of the couch, I clenched my teeth behind a fake smile, as endless rage filled my muscles.
He's not going to get away with this. I won't let him.
“Night,” she said, stopping in the hall and turning her head over her shoulder. “Night, Bijou.”
“Night, Vicki.” Bijou stepped into the doorway of the kitchen and living room, wiping her hands with paper towels.
I felt her turn her eyes to me, standing in silence, fully aware of the challenge I was up against.
“I know what you want to say,” I said, leaning forward and pushing my head into my hands.
“Oh yeah, and what do you think I want to say?” Walking to my side, the paper towel bumbled between her fingers, until she finally balled it up and held it tight.
Growling lightly, I scrubbed my head with my nails, scratching at my scalp. “That I'm a fucking idiot.”
“You're not even close.”
Throwing my body back, I gripped my thighs. “Well that's what I feel like. I fucked up big time.”
Bijou dropped to my side, laying an open hand on my leg. “You're not an idiot, you saved me. Do you have any idea what that means to me?”
Letting out a deep chuckle, I rubbed my chin with my thumb. “It will mean nothing if that man finds you.”
Squeezing my leg, she smiled. “Then let's fix it. . . Together. I know his habits, I know how he works. I didn't spend all that time watching him and not learn shit. I watched so I could end it, so I could end him. Let's end this, Redd.”
Veering my stare, I snapped. “And what happens if we fail? What will happen to Vicki if I die?” Pushing her hand away, I laid my head back and shut my eyes. “My mother didn't give herself so Vicki would end up alone.”
“We won't fail.” Standing up straight, she cocked her leg out and glared at me. “I won't fail.”
“What if we leave? What if we all just leave right now?” Staring up at her, I reached out and took her hand. “We could run and he won't find us. I've been able to avoid the police for years, I'm sure I can avoid him.”
She wanted to ask me why, why had I been running from the cops. And if she had asked, I would have spilled my guts to her. I didn't want to hold anything back, not now. I had to let her in, I had to tell her who I was and what I had done so she could understand.
Under hooded lids, her expression hardened. “I'm not running, Redd. I won't let him do this to another girl.”
She never asked. I wasn't sure if she hadn't heard me or if she just didn't want to know. Either way I wasn't going to hide it, but she had to ask. I wouldn't let it just spew from my mouth if she wasn't looking for an answer.
Maybe she figured it out herself.
Jumping to my feet, I curled my hands around her waist. “I can't risk something happening to you.” Tugging her into my chest, I pressed our bodies together. “If something happened to you—I'd never be able to live with myself.”
Arching her neck, her head tipped back. My eyes drifted over her face, stealing glances at her lips and throat.
And even with the danger surrounding us, right then all I could do was think about making her mine. I wanted her in every way. I wanted her mind, body and soul.
Maybe it was watching her cook dinner, maybe it was the feeling of building a family, a real family where we shared laughs, tears, and everything in between. Maybe this was the reason I had found her to begin with, to give Vicki a home that was meant to share.
Our lives were so similar that together we could find peace and understanding, balancing on a common ground where we could hold each other up.
I wasn't going to choose between her or my sister. That wasn't even a fair choice to have to make. What would make one life deserve safety over another?
Yes, Vicki was my sister, but Bijou, she had stolen something from me too. She stole my breath, she stole my head and my body. . . This woman had stormed in, stealing my heart.
I never believed in love at first sight, I always thought it was a crock of shit. Until I looked into her eyes. I didn't need months or years to know what I wanted.
I wanted Bijou.
Lowering my lips to her ear, I nibbled the lobe, gently plucking it with my teeth. “We could both start over. A new place, a new life, no looking over our shoulders, wondering when the gavel will fall.”
I felt a shiver run through her body as I whispered in her ear. Goosebumps jumped across her skin, starting at the base of her head and working their way down.
The control I had to conjure up was beyond difficult. Every inch of my body wanted to tear her fucking clothing off thread by thread.
I'm not a romantic, I'm not a loving man—I take. That's all I know, that's what I'm good at.
But right then, it wasn't about me. It was about her—this was for her.
I was going to make her see what I already knew; that we had found each other in this fucked up world for a reason. Bijou filled a hole in my heart, she made me feel complete.
And maybe all these years I had really been searching for her.
Gently, I slipped my hands beneath her shirt. Her skin was hot and her muscles shook, but she didn't ask me to stop. I could see in her eyes she wanted this too, she just didn't know how to say it.
My fingers inched up her ribs, slow and precise, coming to a stop just below the tender curve of her perfect tits. Stroking my thumbs up and down, I grazed her soft flesh with the tip of my thumbs, feeling her chest jump into my palms.
Her nipples pebbled and she let out a weak gasp, falling into my chest. My cock thickened, painfully pushing into my zipper, ready to tear through my jeans.
For every second of agony I felt not taking what I wanted, was a victory I wanted Bijou to have. I wanted her to know that she owned some of the control, that I wouldn't do anything unless she permitted me to.
No matter how much it killed me inside.
Peering up at me, her lip tremb
led, teeth nibbling the skin. Her eyes flashed with uncertainty, lost and confused.
“Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you. I won't do anything you don't want me to.”
Nodding, she stayed quiet, losing her voice. Holding her chin, I tipped her head higher, not allowing her eyes to drift away. “You have all the control here, Bijou. So take it.”
Chapter Fourteen
Bijou
Is this really happening?
Redd's thumbs rolled smoothly over the plump bottom of my breasts, forcing a chill to break out over my skin. He was moving slowly, waiting and watching for my approval. Refusing to go higher or lower unless he knew I was agreeing to it.
I liked that. It was something I needed, a sliver of control when everything else around me was spinning on its axis in the wrong direction.
Inside my body tumbled, crumbling and dissolving into something I didn't recognize. My muscles were shaking, my brain was firing off and shutting down, opening to a whole new world of feelings.
All my walls came crashing down, breaking off like chunks of ice, leaving my frail heart open and beating for more.
“Will you let me give you this?” he asked, moving his hands up a little higher, and brushing the pads of his fingers over my nipples, turning them stiff. “I know you might not be ready, and I won't push you. If you want me to stop, I will. All you need to do is tell me.”
Is that what I want? Do I want him to stop?
My brain screamed to step back, but my body heated for more. I wanted him to touch me, to show me how kind a man's hands could be, to give me pleasure instead of pain.
Biting my lip, I shook my head no. “I don't think I want you to stop.” Lifting my hands to his arms, I held him. “I think I want this.”
Cupping my chin, he tilted my head up, and ran his thumb across my parted lips. “I didn't ask if you thought you wanted it, I asked if you'd let me give it to you. I told you I'm a man who takes, I wasn't lying when I said that. But no matter how much I want to take you, I won't. You need to know exactly what you want. Think you do—means there's doubt. There can't be any doubt, Bijou.”
It was as if those were the words that I needed to hear all along. I needed to have someone give me back my voice, I needed to have someone tell me to take control and force me to make a decision for myself.
Redd had done that. He had given me more choices than I could ever remember having. Thoughts, speech, decisions. . . He bundled them up and left them at my feet.
Pushing up on the tips of my toes, I curled my arms around his neck and pressed my face to his. The stubble on his jaw scraped my cheek, his warm breath flowed over my face and I breathed him in.
His skin smelled minty and musky, with a light woodsy aroma; all man, all hard, all firm and filled with hunger.
The thick muscle between his legs pinned itself against my inner thigh, snuggling in perfectly to the diamond-shaped cut out. Inhaling a sharp breath, I dragged my lips over his, barely touching, fluttering over the surface.
Looking up into his eyes, I held my mouth in place, keeping the small void that separated us. “I know what I want.” Whispering, I felt his chest expand as he sucked in the air around my face. “There are no doubts, Redd. I want you.”
Crushing my lips onto his, I kissed him. I kissed him because I could, I kissed him because I wanted to. And I kissed him to let him know that I had made my choice.
This is my decision.
Twining his fingers into my hair, Redd wrapped a strong arm around my waist and pulled me in. His tongue slipped into my mouth, fingertips burning against my scalp as he clutched my head.
Pulling away, he was breathing heavy and labored. His eyes were glossy and full of need as desire turned into small droplets of sweat against his forehead. “If this goes any further, I can't promise you I'll be able to control myself. Are you sure this is what you want?”
Wrapping my fingers around his jaw, I met his gaze. “I haven't been this sure about something in forever, so just shut up and take me.”
I wasn't going to have him battling himself through this. I made my decision, I didn't need him to keep breaking away to check on me. I knew he was worried about damaging me, I could see the fear in his eyes.
It was the first time I had actually registered true fear on his face. But I was already broken into a million pieces when he found me. . .
He couldn't hurt me anymore than I already was.
I needed him to realize that he had scraped the shards off the ground and was gluing them back together. Redd wasn't the reason for my pain, he was turning into my reason to keep going.
Forcefully, Redd smashed his lips against mine, our breathing intense and hot, our tongues flicking and swirling. In one strong swoop, he lifted me off my feet, and I curled my body around his.
He held me up as if I weighed nothing at all. I felt small in his embrace. His large hands cupped my ass, covering each cheek, thick forearms clung to my hips. The chiseled arms flexed and tightened, pulling me in like he couldn't get us close enough together.
Carrying me down the hall, we never broke apart. I wouldn't let him, not now, now ever. I could feel all the internal cracks mending, each and every one sparked and heated, securing back in place.
Pushing the door to his room shut with the heel of his foot, he laid me down on the bed, still holding me tight. Perched above me, Redd positioned his arms beside my head, as his lips kept stealing the air from my lungs.
“Why does this feel so right?” he asked, placing kisses between words, his question lingering over my mouth and warming me to the core.
My legs opened wider, giving him room to settle against my mound. “Doesn't wrong always feel right?” Running my nails down his back, I arched my head up to see him better.
Pulling his head away, he stared down on me, eyes clouding over with confusion. I could tell he didn't like what I said, but I didn't think he knew for certain if I was implying a good or bad thing.
“That's not my opinion, that's just how it works.” Dragging my fingers up to his nape, I played with the hair on the back of his head. Twirling the short strands between my fingers, I plucked and tugged them until I saw a shiver scale his body. “You know I'm not yours to have, and that makes you want me more.”
“You're wrong.” His voice was crisp and heavy, eyes lowering over my face and drinking me in. “I don't just want you because I'm not supposed to have you—I want you because now your mine.” Running a finger across my brow, Redd smiled. “I made you mine the second I stole you from that house.”
I shook inside, quivering from head to toe. My sex pulsed as his cock rubbed against the swelling bundle of nerves, forcing me to squirm.
Slipping his hand down my ribs, the weight of his body held me in place. His smile widened, tongue teasing the sharp edges of his teeth. “I'm never giving you back, Bijou, there's not a chance in hell. You're mine now, it all ends here and now.”
The sound of his voice and what he said should have scared me, it should have made me scramble away and jump to my feet. But hearing him stake claim on me, it did the complete opposite.
Sexual desire reached up from my belly, wrapping smooth tendrils around my heart and making it jump. I never wanted to leave his side, I wanted to be here, right here.
Arching my back, his hands curled under my waist, gripping my ass. Grinding into me, he rolled his hips. Closing my eyes, I moaned as a rush of fire swept through me. Redd kissed down my neck and nibbled my collarbone, his mouth inviting and penetrating to the core.
I could feel him on my skin, I could feel him in my chest and my muscles, across my stomach and down my legs. Even if I wanted to stop everything that was about to happen, I wouldn't be able to.
My legs felt like jelly and my head could barely register up from down. I felt lighter than air, afraid I'd float away if he suddenly let me go.
“You like this.” His mouth spoke into the crook of my neck, buzzing over the vein pulsing at the surface. “What
else does my secret treasure enjoy?”
“Fuck,” I choked out as his thick fingers pinched my nipples and his teeth dug harder into the tender flesh of my throat.
Raking my nails down his back, I slammed them into the mattress and held the blanket. With white knuckles, I clutched the fabric, chest lurching high as he twisted and plucked my hardened beads.
Folding my shirt up my belly, he continued until the sweater was over my head and my bare chest was exposed. Palming my mound, Redd groaned, and his eyes darkened, but not the same darkness I'd grown accustomed to seeing.
They were devouring every inch of flesh they ran over, causing my blood to percolate under the surface. My skin turned from smooth into thousands of tiny ripples as he moved his head down my body, blowing cool air over the surface.
“I'm going to give you what you deserve to feel.” His hips jerked forward, hitting my clit, and forcing me to moan.
I was throbbing all over with hot and cold chills, aroused and faint, with butterflies storming my gut like a marching band.
Redd's fingers teased the thin edge of my leggings, curling ever so slowly and disappearing behind the fabric. Peeling them down inch by inch, his eyes fluttered up to mine. He was looking to make sure I was alright still, that panic hadn't somehow snaked its way in.
Pushing my ass up in the air, I nodded slightly with an approving blink. A small smirk lifted against his cheek, his fingers tugging down my pants past my hips.
Releasing a light moan as they reached my crest, he pulled them down faster until they fell off my feet and I was left bare.
A cool breeze wrapped my skin, making me shiver. My eyes were still closed, but I could feel Redd watching me. The bed shifted, his weight now hovering above me. Keeping my eyes shut, I arched my head back as his lips met my neck and the sharp edges of his teeth ran down my throat.
Touching the curve of my jaw with his tongue, he licked down my neck and between my breasts, stopping to draw a swirl just above my naval.
Opening my eyes, I looked down to see him smiling. The cotton of his shirt tickled against my ribs, and I watched him as he gently sucked the tender flesh of my breast into his mouth. His lips curled, sucking and pulling, making my knees tremble and my stomach clench tight.