Wild Hearts (Wild Hearts series)

by Vivian Wood

  “But, I mean, clearly this is for me,” Faith said. “And the whole KKK thing, the race thing, I don’t get it.”

  “How so?” Mama asked.

  “I’m French and Irish!” she said.

  Alex’s hand moved from the small of her back to her waist. She felt him resist, uncertain, but she threw herself against him. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, but somehow she kept them in check. “This is crazy,” she said into his chest.

  His hand gently rubbed her waist, and in that moment she felt safe even as the flames burned all around them.

  Mama sighed. “Alex, you take Faith inside, all right? Y’all have some tea, I’ll have the rest of the boys handle this.”

  Faith and Alex were silent as they ascended the porch steps. The fire lit up the house and made their shadows dance.

  “Are you all right?” Alex asked when they reached the kitchen. He put on the kettle and pulled the tea bags out of the cupboard.

  “I guess so,” Faith said. “God, I’m so sorry.”

  “Sorry? For what?”

  “Well, really I should say sorry to Mama. For everything! These burning crosses, her ruined yard, and—oh God, I forgot.”

  “What?” he asked as he sat down beside her. Their knees touched.

  “Those guys, they threw stones through my bedroom window. Shattered the glass, and I don’t know what other damage.”

  “It’s fine, Faith,” he said. Alex reached across the table and took her hands. “It’s just a window. I’ll take care of it. You said there’s glass broken?”

  She nodded. “I don’t know how bad it is,” she whispered.

  “For tonight, you’ll stay in one of the guest rooms. That glass is old, I don’t want you cutting yourself.”

  She bit her lip. “I should go home,” she said. “I’m just making a mess and trouble. For all of you,” she added. Faith looked up at him and couldn’t help but notice how boyishly handsome he was even with mussed up hair and tired eyes.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. The kettle started to whistle, and he stood up. “None of this is your fault.”

  “Clearly it is! You think any of this would be happening if it weren’t for me?”

  He shrugged with his back to her. “I have no idea. But I do know this island—and the people on it—better than you. There’s a lot of history here that you know nothing about. Hell, that I don’t know much about.”

  “But the whole KKK thing . . . that just makes no sense,” she said.

  “Who knows,” he said as he sat down a mug of steaming hot tea before her. “Maybe they’re confused, maybe there’s more to it than we think, I have no idea. But what I do know is that you shouldn’t go running back to California just because a few rednecks get fire happy.”

  She sighed. “Maybe you’re right,” she said. “I don’t know. But I feel terrible, dragging your whole family into this.”

  “You didn’t do anything,” he said. Alex sat down beside her and blew on his own tea.

  “Do you . . . do you think it’s those same guys? From the ferry?” she asked. Faith couldn’t bring herself to say “cousins.”

  “Maybe, I don’t know,” Alex said. “I didn’t get a look at them. But judging from the size of your so-called cousins, I’d think they’d be pretty easy to identify.”

  “I didn’t get a good look at them,” she said sadly. “I just—I woke up because of the window breaking, and when I tried to look outside, all I saw was another stone coming my way. Maybe Mama saw more than I did.”

  He shook his head. “I doubt it. Mama’s blind as a bat without her contacts.”

  “But she was shooting a gun!” Faith said, flabbergasted.

  “Yeah, might not want to mention that to her,” Alex said. “She swears she doesn’t need good vision to shoot. Instinct, she calls it. But my bet is she couldn’t tell you if those guys weighed one hundred or one thousand pounds.”

  “Great,” Faith said with a moan. “Do you . . . do you think they’ll be back?”

  “Hard to tell. Anyone with a lick of sense would steer clear of Mama and her shotgun.”

  Faith smiled. “She’s a tough woman,” she said. “You know, they make it sound like you need to be hard to live in the city. San Francisco, New York, whatever. But I’ve never seen grit like what your mama has.”

  Alex smiled. “That’s a country woman for you. But with Mama, I think it’s more than that. She basically had to raise a whole brood of boys on her own. That’ll thicken anyone’s skin real quick.”

  Faith laughed. She cupped her hands around the hot mug and let the warmth soak into her. Suddenly, she realized she no longer shook with terror. The flames were still getting doused outside, but at the breakfast nook with Alex, the horror of the evening felt a world away. “This isn’t what I expected,” she said.

  “What’s that?”

  “This. Everything. Life on the island, your mama. You.” She blushed at how it sounded, but didn’t want to take it back. It was all true. People really can surprise you.

  “Think we got it all,” Lee said as he stomped into the kitchen like an overzealous puppy.

  “Any other messages?” Faith asked as she finished her tea.

  “Not that I could tell,” Lee said. “They sure were generous with the starter fluid, though.”

  “—thing tomorrow. You tell that nursery manager I don’t care if they’re not in season. I want my garden . . .”

  Mama shot directions at Caleb in the mudroom as they kicked off their boots. Faith smiled slightly. Everything was already en route to normal again. Mama worried about her flower garden, and Faith could just picture Lee as he took mental notes of tomorrow’s tasks.

  “I smell like I work at a gas station,” Matt complained as he came in behind Caleb and went directly to the sink to scrub his hands.

  “A little manual labor’d do you good,” Caleb said.

  “Manual labor and pumping gas aren’t exactly comparable,” Matt said.

  Alex rolled his eyes at Faith, and she giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” Matt asked as he dug through the cupboard for soap that wouldn’t dry his hands to hell, according to him.

  “Nothing,” Faith said with a smile. “Can I do anything to help?” She tried to stifle a yawn.

  “Y’all go on back to bed,” Mama said as she appeared in the kitchen. “That’s enough excitement for one day.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Matt said, and bolted out of the room.

  “Well, that’s one way to start a Friday,” Caleb said.

  Chapter 16

  Alex

  He was exhausted, but Alex dragged himself into the cabin shower as the sun started to rise. He reeked of smoke and was covered in debris from the aftermath of the fire. Still, through the exhaustion, he had to admit it felt good that Faith had turned to him. In the midst of everything, he was the only one she’d turned to for comfort.

  Alex had almost forgotten what it was like to be someone’s protector. It’s addictive, that’s for sure, he thought as he stepped under the piping hot water. And Faith’s body. She was so soft in my arms.

  After he’d put her to bed, he’d joined Caleb, Matt, and Lee to clean up the yard as best they could. The entire night, from holding Faith to the adrenaline rush of the attack, had him bursting with energy.

  As he rubbed a bar of soap across his torso, he toyed with the idea of getting himself off after the shower. It had been a while. Actually, he couldn’t remember the last time. He’d spent so many days resisting the urge to feel anything because of how Faith got to him that now he was a bundled up mess.

  He sighed and turned off the shower. Alex dried himself off and tousled his hair. The bathroom was thick with steam, and the summer heat had already crept throughout the cabin. It was equipped with ceiling fans but no air conditioning. “To give it that touch of southern authenticity,” the builder had said.

  Alex let out a huff when he remembered his clothes were still in the bedroo
m. I really am out of it today, he thought. Though when he tossed the towel onto the bar, he brushed his hand across his rock-hard cock. Even that small of a touch made him ache with want—and an image of Faith in those barely there shorts she always wore flashed through his mind.

  He was blinded by the steam when he exited the bathroom but knew his way around the cabin without seeing it. Alex reached forward to where he knew the back of the sofa would be and ran smack into Faith.

  “I’m sor—” she started but stopped. They were just inches apart, and her eyes went directly to his groin. He knew he should be embarrassed, cover himself or do something, but he was frozen. Her eyes on his cock somehow made him even harder.

  She parted her lips and started to take quick breaths. When he glanced down, he saw that his tip was already slick with precum.

  “Alex,” she started, but he couldn’t hold himself back anymore. It took less than a second to close the distance between them. His lips were on hers, exploring. Faith parted her lips farther to welcome his tongue against hers. God, she tastes sweet.

  With one hand, he cupped her chin upward to him. The other pulled her close against him. His hardness slipped with ease between the heat of her soft thighs. Those little shorts really are good for something besides a tease.

  Alex needed more, wanted more, and by the way Faith responded, he knew she did, too. He started to walk her backward, through the open bedroom door. When the back of her knees hit the bed frame, she sat down, those readied lips inches from his cock.

  Before she could react, he lifted her shirt over her head. Below, she wore nothing. Pink nipples were already hard, and his length slickened more, desperate for her.

  But he wasn’t about to give in yet. Instead, he twisted the thin cotton shirt around her wrists like makeshift handcuffs. Slowly, he lowered her bound hands and gently pushed her onto her back. Faith lifted her head to watch while he lowered his lips to the full breasts he’d fantasized about for so long.

  As Alex began to nibble on one nipple, he pinched and squeezed the other. Faith let out faint gasps and wriggled against her T-shirt, which held her captive. His cock pressed against one of her thighs, covering her skin in his wetness.

  When she began to whisper, “Please,” and whipped her head from side to side, he moved down her stomach with soft kisses. He only needed one hand to unbutton those denim shorts and pull them off her legs. Beneath, a thin lace thong barely contained her wetness. She’d soaked nearly entirely through the light-pink material.

  Alex kissed her through the material and tasted her sweetness. She let out a loud groan, spread her legs wide, and pressed herself to his mouth. He smiled up at her, though her eyes were screwed shut. When was the last time someone wanted you like this?

  He kissed her again, deeper, through the material. Her clit was swollen and plump. With his every touch, she responded. With one hand securely holding the T-shirt around her wrists, his other hand ripped down the thong in one fluid motion. Alex traced his tongue up the inside of her thighs and across the crest of her mound. Faith panted his name when he came close to her glistening clit, but he teased her mercilessly. Instead of the kisses and licks she craved, he blew across her clit and made her open her legs wider.

  She was so ready; her juices had already started to drip from her opening. He tested her with a finger, which she pushed against greedily. As his finger entered her, slowly, he tasted her clit and felt her muscles tighten around his knuckles. He pulled his finger out, though she did her best to press against his hand and keep him inside.

  His index finger was covered in her viscous juices. He held his hand up to her and pressed his thumb and forefinger together so she could see just how wet she was. Faith leaned up to suck his hand, but he pulled away and traced her areola with her sweetness. “More,” she murmured.

  “More what?” he asked. Alex tightened his grip on the T-shirt as she started to struggle again. At the same time, he teased her opening with two fingers and kissed her clit.

  “Give me more,” she said.

  He slid two fingers into her. Faith cried out as he began to work her clit, licking and sucking. When she began to fuck his hand, he let her and matched her rhythm with his mouth. When he could tell she was close, he made her slow down. Alex raised his head, switched his mouth for his thumb, and took her in.

  With her head tossed back, eyes shut, and mouth open, she was an absolute vision. “Are you going to come for me?” he asked as he started to fuck her faster with his hand.

  “Yes,” she said. Faith opened her eyes and looked at him. He released her wrists just enough so she could prop herself onto her elbows and watch. “I’m close,” she said.

  “I want you to come in my mouth,” he commanded. “I want to taste you.”

  “I can’t—”

  “Come in my mouth, Faith,” he repeated. Alex’s tongue returned to her clit. He explored every crevice of her. When he could tell she was close to coming, he slowed down. Alex removed his finger from her even as she cried out in frustration—only to begin to moan when his tongue dove into her center.

  “Please,” she said when he trailed his tongue from her opening to her readied clit.

  “Come for me, Faith,” he whispered. Alex released her hands.

  Immediately, she wove her fingers into his hair and pulled his lips against her center. He gripped her hips on either side of his face and met her furious pace. She fucked his face, his mouth, like it was all she’d ever wanted and every time she cried out his name it made him want her more. “I’m coming,” she said. “Oh, fuck, right now.”

  He’d readied himself for the flood of her sweetness, but what she gave him he’d never have expected. Along with the gush of her coming, the juices that poured onto his tongue, he felt the stream of her squirting across his face. It drizzled along his throat and to his chest.

  She was wetter than anyone he’d seen before. Carefully, he licked up every last drop of her. The trails of her come and squirting coated her legs. When he kissed her clit one last time, she shivered.

  As he raised his head, he saw that she was flushed. Faith clutched the balled-up T-shirt to her face. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It doesn’t usually happen, and I thought—”

  “Sorry?” he asked. “For what? That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

  “Really?” she asked. Faith chewed at her lower lip and gave him a half smile. Alex got up from his knees and she looked down. “You’re still hard,” she said, almost surprised.

  “Yeah, well, I kind of blame you,” he said with a laugh.

  “You were hard when you came out of the bathroom,” she said. Faith sat up.

  “Because I was thinking about you.”

  “Really?” she asked. Faith looked up at him through those thick lashes.

  “You’re all I’ve been thinking of since you got here.”

  “You’re just saying that,” she said with a glint in her eye. She brought a hand to his length, but he caught her wrist. “Please?” she asked.

  He smiled at her. “Good manners are hard to find,” he said. “Please, what?”

  “Please let me have your cock,” she said. She reached for him with her other hand, but he caught it, too.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “What do you want to do with it?”

  “You’ll see,” she purred. “Please.” Faith leaned forward and took his tip between her lips. Alex couldn’t resist anymore. He dropped her wrists and combed her hair back with his fingers so he could watch. Those lips he’d dreamed of for the past two weeks were finally on him and felt better than he’d hoped.

  Faith licked the full length of his shaft and sucked gently on his tip. With her hand at his base, she took him slowly all the way to the back of her throat. “Jesus,” Alex said, but he resisted the urge to hold her head.

  She made satisfied little sounds in the back of her throat as she licked and sucked. “You’re going to make me come,” he said, his fingers twisted in her
long hair.

  Faith released him. “Come in me,” she said as she stroked him with a hand slick with saliva.

  “What?”

  “Come in me,” she repeated. “Please, Alex, I need you to fuck me.” She pushed herself back along the bed and opened her legs to him. One of her hands pulled at a nipple while the other circled her clit.

  “Say it again,” he demanded as he crawled toward her.

  “Please fuck me,” she whispered into his ear.

  He slid into her with ease and called out in surprise at how good she felt. Tight, wet, and warm.

  Faith dug her nails into his lower back to keep him deep inside her. “Slow,” she said. “I want to feel you.”

  He started to fuck her, slow and controlled, while he kissed and sucked her neck.

  “Stay,” she said suddenly as she pulled him as tight as she could against her. “Fuck, I’m coming again.”

  He felt the waves of her orgasm squeeze against him. It was so intense she brought him along with her.

  “Faith,” he said. “Jesus, you’re going to make me come right now.”

  “Come in me,” she panted through her waves of pleasure. “Please, I need it.”

  He released himself into her with a cry, and Faith yelled his name as another wave of orgasm hit her. Alex wasn’t sure if it was just their combined orgasms or if she’d squirted again, but he felt nothing but the heat of their juices.

  “Oh my God,” she repeated over and over.

  He felt the aftershock of orgasms roll through her, and each one squeezed out more of his come.

  Alex propped himself up on his forearms and looked down at her. God, she is beautiful. More so now than ever before. “I didn’t even get to fuck you properly,” he said with a smile.

  She laughed. “There’s plenty of time,” she said. “It’s just, you know, been a while for me.”

  “Yeah, I probably have you beat,” he said. Alex rolled to her side and lifted his arm for her to spoon into his chest.

  Faith nuzzled against him and traced the outline of his muscles with a finger. “You have no idea how much I wanted this,” she said.