Oh he saw the fucking glint alright, his eyes bulged wider and he couldn’t look at anything else. His eyes flicked from side to side like he was watching a ping pong ball. I showed him his past and his future.
‘NATE.’ I heard the sudden shout behind me and the hurried movement of shoes hitting the cold tiles, but it was all too goddamn late.
I brought the blade down.
Physically I was pulled backwards off the slimy bastard and I watched with absolute fucking pride as he sunk to the floor. My brothers held on to me, one of them on each side. Alex slammed my bloodied knife-clasping fist onto his knee, making it open in response. The knife hit the floor with a resounding and satisfying clatter.
I looked at him one last time as they dragged me away. The scar that Bella had created was reopened and spilling blood down his cheek, like the tears that he had forced to spill down hers. I closed my eyes. I never wanted to see the fucking bastard ever again.
BELLA
I had slept fitfully during the night and had woken up feeling less than refreshed. The day was bright and forcing its way through the light coloured curtains. The worry that had haunted my dreams last night came back to me with force and I sat up quickly. I rummaged around the bed for Nathan’s phone, just to check he hadn’t called or text. I’d tried to sleep with it close to me in case anyone should phone. I swiped through each screen and found nothing, my heart sank.
Outside I could just make out the noise of someone in the living area of the cabin and when I concentrated with my nose and not my fears, I could make out the smell of bacon cooking. My insides were rioting as I had hardly eaten yesterday. I swung my feet over and down to the floor, it was great to tread on a clean carpet, but I knew in my heart I would have rather trodden on hot coals to have Nate by my side asleep now. I wondered where the hell he was and if he was OK.
I opened the door and walked through to see Brock cooking over the hob. Max was on the floor pushing around a small collection of bikes and cars, running through a very elaborate make believe story as he did so. I watched as he lifted up his dark head and found me.
‘You’ve woked up… daddy said I was to be verwee quiet and let you sleep.’ He jumped up into my arms and squeezed me like his little life depended on it. It was just what I needed and I ran my hand through his dishevelled bed hair and held him close to me. It was one of the things I loved most about young children, their ability to see through an adult’s shit and to be able to offer you comfort, when you sometimes didn’t even recognise you needed it.
Brock served up the breakfast onto plates and placed them down on the table in the seating area. I placed Max down on the bench seat and he scooted around to his plate, immediately digging into his food. I sat down with a sigh.
‘Have you heard anything, Brock, from Nate?’
‘It’s gone down, Bella… he phoned just before they went in after them.’ I looked up from my plate meeting his ice-blue stare, dropping my cutlery as I stood up and made my way back to Nathan’s phone. I picked it up off the bed and with trembling fingers I dialled my mobile. It rang and rang, and finally I heard the voice I’d wanted to hear for the last God knows how many hours.
‘Speak…’ he replied and started laughing. Tears were chasing each other down my face in sheer bloody unadulterated relief. ‘Darlin… it’s over.’ I sank onto the bed and tucked myself up into a foetal position holding the mobile close to my ear. ‘I’m coming for you, darlin… you better be fucking ready for me. Stop crying and get Brock’s ass into gear. I need to fuck you today, scratch that I’m gonna fuck you today… are you listening to me?’ I laughed with his last sentence. ‘There’s my girl. I’ll see ya soon, darlin.’
‘I’m sorry… Nate.’ My voice was small but I knew he had heard me.
I heard him inhale a deep breath. ‘It never fucking happened, darlin… we’re good, aren’t we?’
‘I hope so… you are everything to me. I need you. I want to be with you always.’
‘Then you’d better be fucking ready for always. You and that gorgeous rack of yours. I’m coming to get ya. Best you make sure you’re ready and waiting, no fucking panties would be good.’
‘That’s easy, I’ve run out of clean ones anyway.’ I laughed at our easy banter and teasing.
‘Tell Brock to keep his goddamn eyes on the road.’ He disconnected the call and I laughed and cried with equal exuberance. Stood in the open doorway was Brock, with Max holding tightly onto his leg, his eyes like saucers as he watched me laughing and crying at the same time. The poor kid didn’t know what to make of it and I started to pull myself together for his sake, as I watched Brock cup and rub the back of his son’s head in reassurance.
I want that. I want Nathan to hold our son to him.
‘We need to go please, Brock, as soon as we can.’ I met his eyes and gave him a small smile.
Shaking his head at me, he answered, ‘Going nowhere, Bella until you eat some breakfast.’
I started to protest and watched as he brought his finger to his mouth to sshh me.
What was it about these men? Bloody alpha male, control freaks.
I hurried behind them as they made their way back to the table. We all sat down and in between struggling to calm my breathing down and the hiccups that had started, I managed to swallow the food and it was SO bloody good. I chased the food down my throat with a cup of almost decent tasting tea.
He was alright, he was safe and so was I.
‘Nate’s OK, Brock,’ I forced out in my relief, just loving the sound of those few words as they tripped off my tongue. He already knew by my earlier response, but I needed to say them. I wanted to roll the words around with my tongue, liking the way they felt and sounded.
The tears began to flow once again at the thought and I quickly held the palm of my hand up to Brock, he had started to stand up at the table to make his way around to where I sat. Once he saw me shake my head at him he sat down with a sigh, looking at Max.
‘Daddy I don’t understand… what has Uncle Nathan done to make Bella cry?’
‘I know it doesn’t look like it, Max, but she’s happy… honest,’ he let out a chuckle after the comment, and ruffled the top of Max’s head.
I stood up from the table and made my way back to my small bedroom. I just heard the final part of their conversation.
‘I don’t know about girls.’
‘Son… neither do I,’ Brock said with a laugh.
I spent the next ten minutes on the mobile to Frankie. She understood me, we laughed, cried and hiccupped in equal measure.
Then at last we were on our way. Brock made no promises but hoped we would get to Salina’s in California by tonight. The whole team were starting to arrive at the track at Laguna Seca. After a quick conversation with Brock, we got more information from Nathan. He was going to fly in, he just had to have an interview with the FBI and then hopefully we would be together.
The only problem that I could see now was Candy.
BELLA
As we pulled into the raceway, I had to convince myself to stay in the car. I knew without being told that Nathan had arrived before us, I could sense he was near as every single nerve end was buzzing and although it was a warm evening, each bare piece of my skin was covered in the goose bumps of awareness. Brock had slowed the car down to meet with the speed restrictions of the area. I wanted to scream at him to drive faster, but sat and bit my tongue instead.
Finally, up ahead I could make out the area where the trailers were parked. I glanced down at the well-worn clothes I had on and unconsciously smoothed them down. Once again, I was wearing the little yellow sundress and my ripped denim shorts. It was all I had left to wear and I wondered if Nathan would remember the last time I wore them?
People were busy outside their trailers. I watched as Brock waved at a few people he knew. The weather was hot and many of the people were cooking outside on barbeques. I supposed towards the end of the week things would become more fraught and busier, the closer we got t
o the actual race day, rather than the relaxed atmosphere I was witnessing now.
We stopped alongside a huge white trailer and a beautiful woman opened the door. She had her red hair tied up in a ponytail. She looked comfy and equally attractive in a pair of shorts and a vest T-shirt.
‘Hi, good to see you… you made good time,’ she shouted towards us. I heard her English accent and immediately felt more at home. I watched as a little girl with almost copper red hair peered through her mum’s legs. She was just making sure she knew who her mum was talking to, before she came out of hiding wearing a full face of freckles, which made her look even more beautiful.
‘TILLY, SAH-SAH,’ a shout went up from behind me as Max shouted his hellos. ‘Unclip me, Daddy… unclip me!’
I got out of the car feeling like I was intruding on an intimate moment between a young family. Once he was released, Max ran straight towards them, not knowing quite who to hug first. It brought a smile to my face, being able to watch the children’s excited chatter and glee at being reunited. Brock walked up the steps and cupping Tilly’s face, he kissed her full on the lips.
So I wouldn’t be introducing him to Jassy then?
Not knowing where to go next, I stood like a stupid fool and held onto the open car door, hoping and even praying for divine intervention.
‘Darlin.’ I jumped slightly as I heard a voice so close behind me I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. His breath seemed to linger there, making my hair stand on end. I hesitated not wanting to turn around and ruin the moment I had been running through my head all day, I didn’t want the few minutes of reconciliation to end, scared of what might follow. I closed my eyes.
One of Nate’s fingers expertly lifted my hair from one side of my neck and placed it around the other side, his calloused fingertip barely connected with my skin as he exposed my bare collarbone to his perusal. He didn’t connect with me, he didn’t need to, my skin ignited as he hovered his finger over it and traced the line it made.
‘Tilly, kids, nice to see ya… Brock, I’m grateful man, more than you’ll ever know,’ he shouted from behind me and over my shoulder to the little group huddled together. They were watching us closely and I felt a blush come over my cheeks as I felt him bite hard into the back of my neck claiming ownership. I stopped myself from gasping out loud in front of our audience.
‘Just get yourselves sorted out, Morish. Tomorrow I want you back on the bike. What the fu… flip happened to your boyish good looks, man?’ he restrained himself, after a quick look from Tilly.
I spun around so fast I almost toppled over, but Nate caught both of my elbows to steady me. He pulled me to him tightly, making his sandalwood body wash escape the loose V-neck of his T-shirt and waft up and into my nostrils. Not answering Brock, his mouth crashed into mine causing my eyes to close in sheer relief. I’d only had a split second to take in the cuts and bruises marring his face. To me they made him even more gorgeous and sexy. Those bruises were a result of him looking after me, protecting me and proving to me I was the one he wanted. I looped my hands over his shoulders and around his neck, clinging on to him tightly. I felt him pick me up and slowly begin to walk, carrying me stuck to the front of his body. I heard a few wolf-whistles and catcalls, but I couldn’t care less what we looked like.
I tried to count each step he took to work out how far away his trailer was from that of Tilly’s, but lost count as all my mind could focus on was the way his mouth and teeth controlled mine. I loved the minty flavour he always seemed to bring to the party.
At last the tips of my toes started to hit solid ground once again, as he lowered me to the floor.
‘Home sweet home,’ he whispered to me, as he broke off our kiss and rested his forehead against mine. I was still too close to take in his injured face. He ran his hands up the sides of my body, lifting my looped arms in the process above my head with my hands still linked together.
‘Remember this position, Bella,’ he added, as he made the silver cuffs and chain clink together. He smiled his lopsided grin at me as he took in my slightly shocked expression. ‘Nothing to say, darlin?’ I watched as his dimples came out to play, ‘Let’s get inside shall we? I’m sure you don’t want to bare that beautiful ass out here.’ He let go of my lifted arms and gently turned me around. Using one hand in the small of my back, he guided me towards the metallic silver trailer in front of us. As I rose up the steps ahead of him, his fingers grazed up the inside of my thigh and into the one of the legs of my shorts, brushing momentarily over my already engorged, wet lips. I grabbed hold of the handrail tightly and tried to pull my body back from wanting to turn and leap onto him. I heard him hiss between his teeth at finding me bare, as he’d instructed,
‘Good girl, but it won’t save you,’ he pulled the door closed behind him. I heard the lock fall into place. I wanted to touch his face to check out the cuts and grazes he now had, but all I could focus on was the feral look in his eyes. He lifted his eyebrows as he looked me up and down, his hazel eyes slowly burnt through my thin layer of clothing. ‘Strip.’
I was about to protest but thought better of it.
Slowly I pushed down my shorts and added a little wiggle as they fell to the floor, watching to see Nathan’s reaction. He fell backwards onto a chair and placed one bent leg up onto the table in front of him. He ran one hand through his hair expectantly. His other hand itched to touch me, I could see by the way he drummed his fingers onto his kneecap and picked at the loose thread from a tear in his jeans. I pushed one shoestring strap off my shoulder and then the other, all the time staring into his eyes. My fingers found the tiny buttons of my dress in between my boobs and I began to fumble with them in my haste. Nathan leant forward suddenly and pulled at the bottom of my dress, it came away from the top of my body and joined my already ditched shorts in a heap on the floor. I was naked and exposed to his burning gaze.
‘Have you ever been spanked before, Bella?’ His eyes darted back up to mine.
‘No.’
‘I want you across my lap…now,’ his voice was calm and composed. I on the other hand, was beginning to think that I was way out of my league with this sexy guy. Not wanting to show any hesitation, I quickly did as I was asked. My insides were beginning to quake, but not in fear. My body was reacting to the mere presence of him and my core started to unexpectedly tighten at just the thought of him smacking me. I laid my bare body over him, my already aching breasts feeling fuller as they pressed into his hard muscular legs. His right hand quickly wound itself into my hair and held it tightly, turning my face to the side, so I could look at him. His left hand began to make small circles on one of the spheres of my bum. Then just as I started to relax into the repetitive movement, he moved his hand to my other cheek. I could feel wetness begin to hit the top of my thighs.
His hand suddenly lifted and came down with a sharp smack.
‘Ohhh,’ spilt out of my mouth. I shuddered with the warmth that spread through me, my internal core clenched as tight as it could, just waiting for his hand to lift again from its caressing. Then all of a sudden it did. The smack was slightly harder this time and I groaned into his jean-clad thigh. I had closed my eyes, but opened them again when he tugged gently on my hair indicating he wanted me to look at him. Through my heightened state of arousal from my punishment, as my eyes came back into focus I took in the damage to my beautiful man’s face. One side of his lips were split and swollen, he had a couple of grazes to the left side of his face and his left eye was black, with a small gash above it closed over with a Steri-strip.
Just as soon as the punishment had begun it was over. Nathan helped me up and carefully sat me astride his lap. He lifted my face to look at him using his thumb and forefinger at the base of my chin. He then removed his fingers and ran them gently down my body, circling the swell of my breasts as he went. My nipples stiffened in response, and I inhaled deeply. Finally, he dipped his hand underneath me and found what he was searching for, running his fingers throug
h my now slick folds.
‘I would say you enjoyed that, Bella. Wouldn’t you?’ I watched as his fingers wet with my lust for him found their way into his mouth. ‘I dream hourly of having the fucking taste of you on my tongue.’
‘I did,’ I responded almost breathlessly, as I watched him sucking my arousal off his fingers, his eyes dilating further as he stared into mine.
‘In the future you will believe me when I tell you there is no one else for me, but YOU… I need and want no one but YOU. Do you understand?’ I nodded. ‘That was your punishment for not believing in me and not having enough confidence in yourself to understand you’re more than enough for me. Have ya got that?’ My hands were now moving their way down his torso, feeling the hardened muscles underneath my fingers.
‘I understand… but it’s hardly an incentive, now is it?’ I winked and smiled at him.
‘There’s my sassy girl… I’m goddamn looking forward to having my sassy, dirty girl back,’ he laughed and winked, then pulled me further up his thighs to connect with his jean-covered hard-on. I closed my eyes and wiggled a little.
‘Whilst I’m eager for this,’ I wiggled a bit more, ‘I still need you to tell me the truth about Candy.’
‘Yeah, that’s fair enough… you’re right I need to… I’m sort of helping her, like a sponsor… she’s a recovering alcoholic… I’m just there for her. After you left,’ he gripped hold of my hips to stop me moving away, ‘I decided at long fucking last to get some help. Ruby had been on at me for a while to find someone I could talk to about my childhood… the therapy helped, the tattoos and piercings helped me more, but that’s just the fucked up bastard I am. I decided to pay it back… and try to help some other damaged soul. She’s staying at the penthouse until she gets herself straight and I try to attend as many of her appointments as possible. I’m giving it back, my siblings sorted me out and I’m returning the favour.’ He smiled at me, watching as my facial expression showed my understanding.
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