“I own. It was part of my inheritance. My dad died when I was nine.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.” He mumbles as he glances down the hall to the guestroom.
The door is wide open and I know for a fact that every last vestige of Damon is gone from the room. If he expects him to pop out from a closet, he is going to be disappointed...besides, I keep my skeletons buried deep in the cellar of my mind.
“It was a long time ago and I have spent a lot of time working through it.”
I say this and it is partly true. I don’t miss him all the time, but I will always miss my dad.
He drains the last of his cup and places it in the sink when he finishes his circuit of my apartment.
“Thank you for the coffee Miss. Sinclair.”
Following him to the door, he turns when he gets to the hallway and hands me a card.
“If you hear from your stepbrother, can you give me a call? We just need to ask him if he has seen Jake Turner. Nothing else. He isn’t in any trouble.”
If you only knew, I think to myself as I take the card.
“I will Detective but I honestly don’t think I will see him for a few years. He’s like that, he leaves and only makes it back to visit once every few years. And with us being so busy out here, we have never made it out to see him.”
“I understand, but if you do...remember to call.”
And with that he turns and walks down the hallway to the elevator bay. I watch him go, the quiet confidence of a man who knows it is only a matter of time before he gets what he is looking for.
Shuddering, I close the door and lean my head against it. What has he pulled me in to? Now I am lying to the police when I should have called them a dozen times since I watched Damon murder that man.
Turning away, I head to my bedroom. I need to get these thoughts out of my head and I know the only way I will be able to do that is for me to go for a run.
Chapter Nine
Running. That is all I have been doing for the last few days; running from the truth, running from myself, running from my mom. I haven’t talked to her in days but I sent her a few texts that I was okay, just busy with school.
And that was the truth. I had thrown myself back into my studies and tried to make my life normal. Whenever I allowed myself to dwell on anything negative, I went on a run. Shuddering, I wipe the sweat as I walk up to my apartment. Regardless of everything, I have never been in such great shape...I am almost ready to run a half marathon at least.
My phone starts buzzing as I push through the door and I glance at the screen expecting to see my mom’s number again. The number is unfamiliar and I hesitate, wondering if it is someone else looking for Damon. The phone goes silent in my hand before I can answer it.
Then it is buzzing again, the same number flashing on the screen. Whoever it is, it must be urgent. “Hello,” I say as I lock the door behind me and slip off my shoes.
“Bumblebee?”
Damon, my heart gives a flutter at the sound of his voice.
“Damon? What’s wrong? Where are you?” I fire the questions rapidly, praying that he is okay.
“Nothing...” I can hear him breathing on the other side of the line but he doesn’t say anything at first. “I need...I need to see you.”
I need to see you too. “I don’t know Damon. Maybe we should leave things where they are.”
“Please, if only for ten minutes. Then I will leave you alone.”
I feel my resolve slipping as I look around my empty apartment. “Okay, when do you want to meet.”
“I’m just outside; I can be up there in two minutes.”
I nod and then realize that he can’t see me. “Okay, come up.”
My nerves dance as I go and unlock the door. When the elevator doors open and he stumbles into sight, a little cry escapes my lips and before I know it, I am running down the hallway and grabbing him.
He slumps against me and I know it isn’t an act...he really needs my support. His one eye is swollen shut and there is blood on his nose as if it was bleeding only a short time ago. His mouth is swollen and an angry bruise is forming on his cheek.
I manage to get him inside and onto the couch where he closes his eyes and clutches his stomach. I run into the bathroom and grab some cloths and the first aid kit before I grab icepacks from the freezer and fill a bowl with warm water.
Returning to him, I sit on the edge of the coffee table and wet a cloth. Carefully wiping the cut on his face, he hisses and I say, “Sorry,” before I continue working on his face.
Adding the antiseptic to the cut, I ask, “What happened to you?”
Opening his good eye, he laughs, “I got the shit kicked out of me. Couldn’t you tell?”
“I get that but I saw you fight, how could you have gotten the shit kicked out of you?”
He captures my hand under his and presses against his cheek that I was washing. Looking into my eyes, he says, “Because of you.”
There isn’t anger or accusation in his voice, it is a statement and it sounds like a hopeless one.
“I was in a rough bar, getting drunk, thinking about you and how I fucked up with you. Then I got angry at myself for everything I have ever done wrong and the fight started when a rival gang member talked shit to me.”
He groans and clutches his stomach so I help him take off his shirt. Bruises cover his abdomen and I press the ice pack against them.
“When I fought back, it caused a huge brawl. I barely got out of there before the police showed up.”
“You stupid idiot,” I say, tears in my eyes at how beat up he is.
His fingers brush away my tears and he says, “Don’t cry Bumblebee, I’ll be better in the morning.”
“Do you have anywhere to go?” I ask.
“No, I just came here to ask if I could stay here, just for a week,” he adds when he seems my hesitation. “I am planning on leaving the country, going to Europe or maybe somewhere else where they don’t have extradition with the States. I just need a week to get things together so I can get out. Get away from the gang and from my past.”
I shake my head, “I don’t think you can. The police were here looking for you.”
He nods. “I know and I know you didn’t tell them anything or they would be looking a lot harder. Right now, they have nothing but eventually they will find Jake. It’s okay if you don’t want me here. I understand but I wanted to come tonight to apologize for everything. I never meant for your life to become complicated.”
His apology breaks my heart. Despite who he is, what he has done, I love him...not as a stepbrother, but more...
If you just let me stay a few days, no more than a week, I will be gone and you’ll get your wish. You won’t ever have to see me again Mia.”
I know I should say no but instead I nod.
“For one week, then you have to go.”
Chapter Ten
“I love you,” he whispers against my skin and I laugh at the way it tickles me.
“Yes, Damon,” I shudder as his hands slide over me and erase all the guilt that I have had for years. This is right, this is what is meant to be and I have waited for it for so long.
Some part of me knows it’s a dream but I don’t care. In this dream, Damon is just a man, not related to me in any way and I welcome him into my bed as he slides against me.
His hands push up my silky nightgown, exposing the tender flesh of my stomach. He kisses it and I jerk at the bolt of desire it sends through me. The chuckle on my skin makes me wrap my legs around his waist and pull him up to me.
“You drive me crazy Damon,” I whisper before I capture his mouth with mine.
His hard shaft presses against my clit and I rock against it, feeling my center clench with need. I want him inside me but I don’t know how to urge the dream on, to take it to a place I have never been.
Instead, I fall back and allow him to kiss and nip at my neck; his scruff scratching my skin and exciting me even more. His ha
nds run down my body and play at the edges of my panties.
“Yes, Damon,” I say, spreading my legs wide for him to gain access.
His fingers slide under the silky fabric and then he is slipping between my folds and rubbing my clit. Arching my back, his free hand grasps my breast and he teases the nipple as he licks and kisses my stomach.
I am a riot of sensations and I rock back and forth, moaning and crying for him to make love to me. He looks up at me, his eyes full of need as he says,
“Are you sure you want this? That you want me?”
I nod but he traps my clit between his thumb and index finger, causing me to groan instead of saying what I need to say. My climax builds higher and higher and sparkling colours fill my vision. I thrash my head back and forth as he works my body with his fingers before he slips a finger deep inside me.
I cry out, “Yes, I want you. I am sure.”
And as I do, the door crashes open and two large men charge into the room. They grab Damon and throw him off the bed as my cries of pleasure turn to screams of terror. Damon shouts, “Run Mia, get out of here,” as the taller man, his dirty hair hanging in dreads around his face, races and gun at Damon and fires...
****
Screaming, I jerk myself awake and start sobbing. The dream had felt so real and even now, my body vibrates with a combination of desire and horror. I clutch my chest at the pain in it and I struggle to breathe my anxiety from the dream is overpowering.
The door crashes in and I see Damon in the doorway.
“What’s wrong?” he asks as he rushes over to the bed and wraps me up in his arms.
I turn into his chest, breathing him in as I struggle with the emotions warring inside of me. I know I should send him away but I don’t want to. I want to be with him regardless of what is going on between us.
Not saying anything, I wrap my arms around him and bury myself into his warmth. His hands glide up and down my back in comfort and there is nothing more between us than me feeling safe.
Crazy because I shouldn’t be feeling so comfortable in his arms...in my bed as I sit in nothing but a short teddy. But for this moment, as the nightmare clings to me, I ignore how inappropriate it is. I even ignore the little flicker of desire that is sparking inside me.
Instead, I breathe him in, finally able to catch my breath, and I touch his bare skin, gently, not enough to make him think I want more but enough to feel his heat branded on my skin. He is wearing nothing but pajama bottoms and my face is pressed against his stomach, loving the feel of his touch.
Finally, my sobs stop but I don’t let go. Instead, I close my eyes and simply relax on him as he brushes my hair with his hands. I don’t know how long we sit like this but when he finally shifts so he can lean against my headboard, I go to move.
Embarrassment floods my cheeks and I look away from him. I can’t look at him without wanting something more...he is so beautiful. He captures my arm just as I am about to slip away and says, “Hey, it’s okay. I’ll just hold you while you tell me what’s wrong.”
Hesitating, I bite my lip and shot a glance towards the door. He stands up and I look at him in alarm. Did my hesitation chase him away?
“I will be right back,” he says, seeing my alarm, before he slips through the door.
I can hear him walking through the apartment and I look over at my dressing gown. Should I put it on? Shaking my head, I decide against it. He’s already seen me in my teddy so there is no reason to be shy now. Climbing back under the covers, I lean against the headboard and watch him walk back into the room with a cloth and a glass of water.
“Here,” he says as he passes me an aspirin bottle and some cold water. “I thought you might have a headache from crying.”
I nearly drop the bottle as I open it, fresh tears shining in my eyes. I did have a headache but I didn’t mention it to him. Knowing that he was thinking of me so completely has me feeling shattered. Why can’t he be this man all the time? Why does he have to be who he is?
He takes the glass from me and wipes the dried tears from my face with a warm washcloth. The act is so tender that I feel like my heart is breaking and swelling at once. Swelling because I am in love with him, breaking because I know that he will be gone and I will never see him again.
When he is done, he glances at me before he slips a gun out of the back of his pajama bottoms and places it onto the nightstand. He gives me an apologetic glance but I don’t say anything. I know he is dangerous and maybe that means he lives a life filled with danger. Maybe my dream wasn’t that far off.
Damon climbs onto my bed and sits against the headboard before slipping his legs under the blankets. He pulls me into him and I slide down until my head is resting on his stomach. I tuck my arm around his waist and sigh at how wonderful this feels.
“Thank you,” I say.
He pushes my hair out of my face as he says, “For what?”
“For this. Just making me feel better after I’ve had a nightmare,” I mumble.
“It was nothing. I was worried about you and want you to feel better Bumblebee.”
I smile against his stomach, I do feel better but I don’t say anything. If I admit to being fine now, will he go back to his room and leave me here alone. I don’t want that so I just relax into his touch as he runs his hands through my hair. Finally, he says, “What was your nightmare about?”
I stiffen as the images of his body rocking as three bullets rip through him fill my mind. “It was awful,” I say, the tears filling my eyes again.
“What was?”
“You...you died. Someone came into my...” I was going to say room but that would make him ask so many questions, “My apartment and shot you while I watched. I couldn’t do anything to stop it or to save it.”
His hands still in my hair and I turn slightly to see what is wrong. I can see the worry on his face and I know that I said something that strikes close to home.
“Is someone going to kill you Damon?” I ask.
“Maybe, I don’t know but I have to be prepared for that. I do know that I will go down like Angelique did.”
My brow furrows in question and then I realize she was the angel on his arm.
“She wanted to retire, actually wanted to raise a family, get a dog, live in the suburbs. Hell, I don’t know. She was hired to kill a guy and it got fucked up. She ended up having to make a tough decision. Turns out the wife and kids came home a day early from their vacation and walked in on Angelique finishing the job.”
I shudder at the image. The similarities it had to my dad made fresh pain open up inside of me. “So she killed the woman and children,” I say, interrupting him.
“No, that’s just it. She didn’t. She took the file she had on the man and put it in the wife’s hands as she walked out. She thought if the woman knew what a deadbeat he was, she wouldn’t say anything. And she didn’t, not really, she phoned the police and said she saw a man running from the house. The kids were only one and two, young, so they couldn’t be questioned. When everyone found out what she did, they realized she had been compromised.”
His voice took on a haunted edge as he continued, “She tried to leave and they didn’t want that. They put up a hit and I filled it.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say, not really sure what else to say.
“You don’t have to be. When she found out they had the hit, she came after us. In the end, it was self-defense...her or me. I chose me.”
I shudder at the cold edge to his words as he continues.
“I phoned my boss and told him I had to lie low. Said I had been compromised with Jake and that the police were sniffing around. He said it was fine and to take a vacation but if history is any guide, I have to get out of here before he places the contract on my head.”
A tremor of fear runs through me. “Where are you going to go?”
His eyes turn dark with some emotion that I can’t place.
“I don’t want to tell you. The less you know, the safer
you will be.”
“Is my life in danger?” I whisper.
“No, I don’t think so. They don’t know my past or where I have been staying. I booked a hotel the entire time I was here so that is where they will think I’ve been.”
I nod and turn over so I can lay with my head looking up at him. For a fleeting second, something comes over me and I place a quick kiss to his stomach.
“I don’t want you to leave.”
The room goes quiet at my words and his eyes burn with a hunger that is exhilarating. I watch as he slowly pulls me up so that I am sitting. He leans forward, and presses his lips to mine. This time, the kiss is tender but it sends a fire through me that is stronger than any I have ever witnessed. I melt into his kiss as his fingers caress my cheek.
Step...the all too familiar voice plays in my mind. I don’t care anymore. If these are the last moments I will have with him, I will take them. There won’t be any regrets and he will know that I have loved him for a long time.
Without breaking his kiss, I maneuver my body until I am kneeling beside him. Our tongues spar and my hands brace myself on his shoulders. I shudder as his hands roam down my sides and he smiles against my kiss. The fire builds and I feel a tension filling me that is as exquisite as it is frustrating.
Scrambling around, I sigh when I straddle his legs, my knees on either side of his hips. He groans and pulls me tightly against him as he nibbles at the side of my mouth and then kisses a line down to my neck and shoulder. Tiny pinpricks of pleasure blossom on my skin with every kiss.
“God, Damon..” I breathe into his ear before I lick the lobe of his ear. He moans in response.
“I have wanted you ever since my birthday when we did those things in the kitchen.” I say, pulling his head up so he can see the want in my eyes.
His mirror the same desire and he smiles as he says, “I have wanted you since the first day I met you. All I could think about was taking you back to my house and making love to you.”
I laugh, “I don’t think my mom would have been happy with you if you had.”
Bad Biker Stepbrother Page 5