by Stormy Glenn
Luck had sort of been with me so far, and I hadn’t been spotted by anyone. I seriously doubted that would continue once I got closer to the city. I just didn’t see any other choice. It was either take my chances or stay here and get caught for sure.
There was no snow where I was currently standing, but that could easily change. It was cold enough tonight for either snow or ice. That also brought another issue I had to deal with, and soon. I was naked as the day I was born. I was in danger of getting hypothermia.
Lany would get really pissed if I froze something off.
Running was good. Not only did it put distance between me and whoever had been holding me, but it kept my blood pumping. I was really hoping to find something to cover up with before I was found. The guys on my squad would never believe this, and they would laugh their asses off if they ever learned of it.
I was hoping that never happened.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be running through the woods naked as a jaybird. Just goes to show you that life can throw you a curve ball every now and then. It made me appreciate the messes Lany tended to get himself into.
I grew a little nervous when the trees thinned out. It was dark enough that I still had plenty of shadows to hide in, but once it became light out, I wouldn’t be able to hide any longer. I needed to either find shelter before then or clothes.
I’d prefer clothes.
I was no longer running, but I wasn’t simply walking either. My pace was hurried, but cautious. It almost felt as if I had escaped just a little too easy. If that was the case, I had to wonder why. What reason would someone have for kidnapping me and then allowing me to escape?
I could think of only one, and the mere thought sent chills down my spine that had nothing to do with the temperature outside. Having no idea what had happened to Lany was gutting me.
I slowed when I spotted lights through the trees. This could be rescue or this could be hell. I moved closer, staying to the shadows. One look and I knew it was hell.
In other words, a biker bar.
I was gonna die.
I could either go around—and who knew how long that would take—or I could head in and hope I didn’t get stabbed, shot, or worse. You could never tell what was going to happen with a bunch of drunk bikers. They could either be the nicest people on earth or gut you for looking at them wrong.
I crept to the edge of the clearing across from the parking lot. The gravel lot was filled with motorcycles…and bikers. Lots of big, tattooed, muscular bikers.
This was not going to end well.
I waited until just a few of the bikers were left outside before deciding to head in. The less people I had to confront, the better. I started to cover my exposed bits and pieces and then decided to hell with it. It wasn’t like they weren’t going to know I was naked. My hands—as large as they were—only covered so much.
I squared my shoulders before starting out of the trees, wincing when my feet landed on sharp pebbles. I really wanted my boots.
Pants would be nice, too.
I was spotted about halfway across the parking lot.
“Fucking hell, boys,” someone called out. “Would you get a hold of this idiot.”
Yeah, not going to end well.
I steeled my nerves and kept walking forward, coming to stop several feet from the four men. “Would one of you have a phone I can use? I seem to have lost mine.”
“Sal?”
I blinked as I turned to stare at one of the bikers.
Was that…
“Hey, dude, it’s Mark Burke, from upstate.”
Mark Burke? Since when?
“Oh yeah, hey.”
“You know this guy, Burke?”
Burke chuckled, but I saw the nervous look he gave me. “Oh yeah, me and Sal go way back. Got in trouble together more than once while I was hanging around up state.” Burke winked. “A lot of guilty pleasures.”
Bingo.
“Yeah.” I tried to smile but my teeth were starting to chatter. I glanced down at my naked body. “One too many.”
“Dude, where are your clothes?” one of the other guys asked.
I could spin a tale with the best of them. “There was this real hottie. She was married and—”
The man laughed. “Enough said.”
“Speaking of hot, where’s your other half?” Burke asked. “Trouble in paradise?”
I chose my words carefully. I was standing in the middle of a bunch of bikers after all. “I was hoping Lany was at home, but I could be wrong. Things got kind of interesting there for a while and I lost track. It was practically the gunfight at the OK Corral.”
Burke’s eyes rounded before he laughed. “Dude, you sure know how to live.”
Barely.
“I probably have a change of clothes that will fit you in my saddle bags. Why don’t we get you dressed and then you can use my phone to call home and check in.”
“That would be great, thanks. Lany’ll be pissed if I freeze something vital off.”
The other men all laughed as if they thought that was totally hilarious. Burke chuckled, but I could see the warning in his eyes to be careful.
I followed him over to his motorcycle and waited as he pulled out a pair of socks, jeans, and a flannel shirt.
“No shoes?”
“Sorry, man, I don’t carry another pair.”
I’d take it and be damn happy.
I stood right there next to the bike as I pulled on the clothes Burke had handed me. I started to feel warmer almost immediately.
My feet were still cold.
“Here.” Burke held out his phone. “Make it quick, and…uh…” He glanced past me. “Keep it simple.”
“I get it.” I grabbed the phone and dialed, desperate to call home. “Can you give me a ride back to town?” I asked I waited for someone to pick up. Seeing Lany would be just as good, if not better, than simply talking to him.
Burke nodded. “I think I can arrange that.”
I couldn’t even begin to describe how relieved that made me, but nearly as much as the sound of Lany’s voice when he picked up the phone. That brought tears to my eyes.
“Hey, caro.”
Chapter Eleven
Lany
My breath caught. “Sal?”
“Yeah, Lany, it’s me.”
“Oh, Sal, I thought…” I pressed my lips together when talking became too much. Just hearing the man’s voice was more than I had begun to hope for.
“I’m okay, Lany. I’m a little banged up, but nothing that even needs a doctor.”
“Where are you?” Lany whispered. “I’ll come get you.”
“No, don’t do that. I’m safe, but I’m not out of danger yet.”
“Sal—”
“I’m with Burke, caro. He’s going to get me home.”
“Burke?” I cried out. “But, he’s undercover.”
“I know, Lany.”
Oh.
“Are you sure you’re safe?”
“As safe as I can be under the circumstances.”
“I’m safe, too. I called Clarke after they took you and he’s had me under house arrest ever since.” I heard Sal breathe out, so I knew that was a question weighing heavy on his mind. “I wasn’t hurt, Sal. Just scared, especially when they tossed you in the cab and took you away.”
“You weren’t hurt?”
“No, not even a scratch.”
“That’s”—Sal cleared his throat—“that’s real good, Lany.”
“Come home, Sal. I need to see you.”
“I’m on my way, caro. I promise.”
I needed it to be now.
“Let me talk to Clarke, Lany. I need to get him working on a few things so we can catch these assholes.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain everything when I get home, Lany.”
“Okay, Sal.” I didn’t want to let go of the phone. It was my only lifeline to my love. But, I also knew Sal wanted to get Clarke moving on tr
acking the guys who had taken him. I wanted that too. I just wanted Sal more.
“Clarke,” I called out when I walked out of the bedroom. I held out the phone. “It’s Sal.”
The man’s eyebrows rose swiftly. “Sal’s on the line?”
I nodded.
Clarke rushed across the room to me. I had to bite my lip to keep from shouting at him when he took the phone out of my hand. I wanted to continue to talk to Sal until he was back in my arms again. It was the only way I could be sure he was coming back to me.
When Clarke started walking away from me, I hurried after him. If I had my way, I wasn’t going to be out of a five-foot range of that phone until Sal walked through the door. I didn’t pay attention to exactly what Clarke said, so I was a little surprised when Lyn started tapping away on his laptop.
“When he is coming home?” I asked when there seemed to be a lull in the conversation.
Clarke held the phone out to me.
“Sal?”
“I’m on my way, caro. I promise. Just as soon as I get off the phone with you.”
“No, I—”
“Lany, I’ll be riding on Burke’s motorcycle. I won’t be able to talk with you.”
I blinked. “Burke has a motorcycle?”
“I think it’s a guilty pleasure, Lany.”
Even I knew what that meant.
“He’s not going to get into trouble, is he?”
Sal mumbled something before speaking to me again. “He says he’s good to go for the next couple of days. He’s going to hang at the penthouse with us.”
Even better.
“I’ll call Mario’s.”
“I can’t wait, caro.”
“Hey, Sal?”
“Yeah, Lany?”
“Tell me.”
“Tu sei una stella, caro…la mia stella.”
I sighed. I was almost back to being able to breathe again.
“Ti amo con tutta l’anima, Sal,” I whispered as tears prickled my eyes again.
“I love you with all of my heart, too, Lany. Always have. Always will.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon, caro.”
My hand trembled as I clicked the off button and then set the phone down on the dining table. Sometimes I wondered if I was strong enough to be the spouse of a police officer. It was harder than I thought.
Most of the time, I was blissfully happy, but the last twenty hours had been hell. Not something I ever wanted to go through again. The flip side of that was that I would go through every aching second of it again if it meant having Sal back.
Did I have it bad or what?
I curled up on the couch, my blanket wrapped tightly around me and the phone held to my chest, and watched the door. Time seemed to tick by at a snail’s pace to the point I wanted to scream.
I didn’t.
I was quite proud of myself. Except for the rigid set of my shoulders and the tears I kept blinking away, I held it together.
Sort of.
I wasn’t screaming, so that was a plus.
How much time had passed, I had no idea, so when the house phone rang, I nearly jumped off the couch. I quickly hit the connect button. “Sal?”
“No, it’s your Uncle Jerry. I’m downstairs.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t sound so existed, Junior. I’ll start to think you don’t want to see me.”
“No, it’s not that. Sal called and he’s on his way home.”
“You found him?”
I frowned as I considered my response. “I think he found us.”
“I’m not sure I understand that, Junior.”
“I don’t know everything. Sal said he’d tell me about it when he got home.”
“Well, I suppose you’d better let me up then. I’ll need to know what happened and whether to call off the dogs or not.”
“I’ll have Jenson let you up.” I hung up and then dialed Jenson in the lobby. “Hello, Jenson, please let my uncle come up.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Delvecchio.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up, because what else was there to say? Sal lived here. He could come and go as he chose, and Clarke had already cautioned Jenson that we were on lockdown. He wouldn’t let anyone up without permission from us. He didn’t anyway, but now, he’d be extra cautious.
Now, it was just a waiting game.
I wasn’t good at waiting.
When the main door opened, I didn’t look up. I knew who it was. I just stared down at the phone in my hand, wishing it to ring again.
“Lany?”
I looked up at Eddie. “Huh?”
The man lifted his chin, his eyes going past me.
I turned and looked, and gasped as my heart slammed in my chest. “Sal!”
I was up over the couch and running toward Sal not a breath later. The large man easily caught me in his arms, crushing me to him.
“Caro.”
“You’re home.” I pressed my face into Sal’s throat, breathing deep. It was faint, but it was there. Cinnamon and whiskey. I released a happy little sigh.
Sal chuckled.
“I missed you,” I whispered.
“Mi sei mancato molto,” Sal whispered back.
“You’re okay?” I leaned back to get a good look at him. There didn’t seem to be any injuries that I could see, but I hadn’t looked him over naked either.
I wasn’t sure I approved of the clothes he wore. They looked a tad tight. They looked hot on him, but I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the whole biker thing.
He had no shoes.
“What are you wearing and where are your shoes?”
Sal chuckled. “Burke loaned me some of his undercover gear.”
“And he was undercover as what? A wannabe leather-daddy?”
Sal chuckled. “It’s a long story, caro, and I’ll be happy to tell you everything just as soon as I’ve had a shower, put on my own clothes, and got something to eat.”
Oops.
I winced. “I forgot to call Mario’s.”
“No worries, love.” Sal pressed a kiss to the top of my head before giving me a small smile. “I can grab something from the fridge.”
I felt like a heel.
“Sal—”
“Caro, all I really want right now is to take a hot shower. I ran halfway across the country naked as a jaybird and then sat on the back of Burke’s bike with no shoes and no jacket. I’m freezing.”
There was a huge story here and I was aching to know what it was, but I wanted Sal warm first. I patted his chest. “You go hop in the shower while I call Mario’s. I’m sure I can find someone to go get our order. We have plenty of people here.” I winked up at the big man. “And then I’ll come in to wash your back.”
Sal’s smile brightened. “Deal.”
I didn’t want to move away from Sal, but the sooner I did, the sooner I could get back to him. After pressing a quick kiss to his chin—and yes, I had to stand on my tiptoes—I hurried back to the couch to get the phone.
I dialed Mario’s and waited for someone to pick up as I watched Sal talking to Burke and Clarke as he headed for the bedroom. He stopped in the doorway, spoke to both men a few more minutes, then glanced at me before turning and walking into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
I couldn’t place our order and get off the phone fast enough. “Someone needs to go down to Mario’s and pick up dinner. Maria’s making the order right now.”
I tossed the phone onto the couch and made a beeline for the bedroom.
I had a back to scrub.
I shut the bedroom door behind me nice I stepped inside. The clothes Sal had been wearing littered the floor. I smirked as I picked them up and carried them into the bathroom. I paused in the doorway, my mouth hanging open as my body infused with heat.
Sal stood in the shower, his arms braced on the wall as he ducked his head under the shower spray. All six and a half feet of strong muscular Italian was dis
played in front of me.
I could probably die now a happy man.
“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to come scrub my back?” Sal asked without lifting his head.
I heard something tear as I pulled my clothes off.
I didn’t care.
I dropped everything on the floor and then stepped inside the large shower stall. Gino had redesigned it for us as a wedding present a couple of years ago, making it into the spa experience Sal had had back in his old place. We loved it for just this very reason.
I yelped as Sal picked me up just as I stepped inside and closed the glass door and then he pinned me against the wall with his much larger body. Sal reached down and grabbed my ass, kneading each globe before ghosting his fingers over my aching hole.
I inhaled deeply when Sal’s eyes took on a heated, glossy look. “Are you going to fuck me in the shower, Sal?”
“I’ll fuck you anywhere I can.” Sal chuckled as he grabbed the waterproof lube off the shower shelf. “I’m addicted to you.”
I was okay with that.
I groaned when a finger rimmed around my ring of muscles. A slight pressure was applied, and then Sal’s finger pushed into me. I panted, wanting to feel more, but needing a minute to adjust, then crying out louder a moment later when Sal added a second finger, and then a third.
I felt so full and wonderful.
I reached up and grabbed Sal’s shoulders when he pushed his cock against my tight entrance, easily sliding all the way in. My eyes almost crossed at the pleasure that racked my body. Shivers broke out all over my body when Sal’s hand snaked up my neck and over my scalp. Sal grabbed a fistful of my hair and gave a light tug.
I lifted my ass higher as I shouted out my pleasure. “Sal,” I groaned as I started riding Sal’s cock hard and fast.
Sal gripped my ass tightly in his hands and pounded into me. My head fell back against the shower wall and loud groans filled the enclosed space. The pleasure Sal was giving me was beyond anything I had ever experienced except when I was in this man’s arms.
Sal lifted me up, sliding his arms under my thighs. It changed the angle of his thrusts, hitting my sweet spot. I went crazy, crying out and coming all over the front of us.
That seemed to be all Sal was waiting for. Sal groaned as he shoved his cock deep into my ass and stiffened. Spurt after spurt of cum shot from his cock, filling me.