The sound of her soft laugh, the smell of her hair spread across my chest, her nipples rasping over the sensitive skin on my side has me hard and throbbing for her in seconds. There’s nothing better than the melodic sound of her voice and her sweet giggles. To know that I’ve made her happy, made her smile, makes me happier than I ever thought I could be.
Rolling Kennedy over, I guide my cock to her slit and slide inside her. She’s wet, hot, and feels like silk wrapped around my dick. I’ve never felt anything better than being buried balls deep inside her perfect pussy, except when I meet her eyes after my first thrust bottoms out, and she gasps in awe. That makes me feel like a fucking king.
Being able to watch Kennedy, touch, tease, taste, and kiss her is more than I ever imagined I’d have with her. I didn’t think we’d be here; me making love to her, and her looking back at me like I’m the center of her world.
My mind fractured the day I walked away from her years ago. I put her in a box that was untouchable, unlockable, just out of my reach. No matter how hard I tried, something kept me from taking hold and opening it, and now I know why. Opening that box meant releasing the pain of loss and heartbreak the likes I’d never experience before or ever would again.
I knew then, just like I’m aware now, that Kennedy was destined to be my forever. She was put on Earth for the sole purpose of me loving her in a way that no man has loved a woman past, present, or future. I was born to find her, to cherish her, to claim her as my own, just as she was born to save me. From myself. From infinite loneliness. From a life without love.
Kennedy is my salvation, and I’m lucky enough to have the rest of our lives together to appreciate just how rare that it. Because not everyone is quite so fortunate.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
~ Mia Reynolds ~
“There’s only one thing better than the cutest cat in the world. Any dog.”
– A fact of life
My bags are packed, and I spent the last hour simultaneously avoiding Jump and obsessively checking every square inch of the room I’ve been staying in. In fifteen minutes Zara will be here to pick me up, and then, then maybe I’ll be able to take a deep breath again. At least, I hope so.
I’m about to pull my cell out of my purse when Talon knocks on my bedroom door.
“Hey, Mia. Can I come in for a minute?”
Smiling at him, I nod.
“Of course,” I say, my voice wavering slightly.
I’m seriously going to miss this kid because I love Talon. In less than two months, he’s been able to worm his way into my heart when I promised myself I wouldn’t let anyone else in. Not yet. Not until I healed after losing Devlin and Mathias. But Talon is funny, smart, sensitive, and intuitive and he made it next to impossible not to love him.
Kennedy should be proud of herself for how Talon has turned out. It must not have been easy to raise a child alone and homeless with next to no resources. I wouldn’t have been able to do it, that’s for sure. And I don’t think many others would either. I respect her for that and so much more. The courage it took, the strength, sacrifice, and devotion Kennedy feels for Talon is unfathomable. Especially to someone like me. Someone who isn’t worthy of any of those things.
Flopping down onto the neatly made bed, Talon stretches out linking his hand behind his head.
“So you’re really going then?” He asks. Not waiting for and answer because Talon never does, he informs me, “He’s not here, you know. He left a few minutes ago, so it’s safe to come out if that’s what you were waiting for.”
I want to lie and say I wasn’t, but I’ve told enough of those to last me a lifetime so I choose to stay silent instead. Talon doesn’t miss my wince at the sound of his name. Actually, this kid doesn’t miss much, which is both good and bad. Good because he’s an excellent judge of character – with the exception of befriending me. And bad because I can’t hide anything from him, nor can anyone else.
Sitting down beside him, I squeeze Talon’s hand.
“Jump shouldn’t have to leave just because I feel uncomfortable around him, that’s part of the reason I have to go.”
“But that’s just it, Mia. You don’t have to leave; you’re choosing too,” Talon protests.
Usually, this would be enough to frighten me – someone raising their voice and clenching their fists – but I know down to my core Talon wouldn’t hurt me. He isn’t wired that way. With the knowledge of what happened to his mom always in the back of his mind, Talon would sooner cut his own arm off than ever use it to harm a woman, girl, or child.
Pleading for him to understand, I go on to explain,
“I won’t patronize you and tell you you’re too young to understand, but we are going to have to agree to disagree on this one, Talon. I have loved staying here with you and your mom, but it’s time for me to go. You just learned you have two awesome brothers, your mom and Cash are newlyweds, and Jump needs time and space to work out his issues. And don’t forget, football starts soon, so you’ll be way too busy hanging out with your friends, meeting girls, and traveling to games to worry about me. We’ll still see each other all the time anyway. It’s not like I’m moving to Antarctica or anything.”
Groaning in defeat, Talon rises slowly so that we’re sitting hip to hip, our legs dangling off the side of the bed.
“You’re too nice, you know that right? I’m going to worry about you if you’re not here for me to keep an eye on you.”
The tone of his voice and the way he deadpans his statement makes me giggle.
“I’m a big girl, Talon,” my body shakes with silent laughter. “Believe it or not, I’m actually quite capable of taking care of myself. But if I run into trouble, I promise to let you know.” Stretching out my hand, palm up, I wiggle my fingers. “Hand me your phone. I’ll send myself a text from it so you’ll have my number and I’ll have yours.”
“Already done,” he smirks, winking at me.
Cheeky little shit. He stole my phone.
“Just saying, but girls don’t like it when you rummage through their purses, dude. And anyway, you never know what you’ll come across when you’re digging through the black hole of feminine storage devices,” I joke, not at all angry he temporarily absconded with my phone.
Talon throws his head back and laughs. I take a moment to appreciate how young he still looks when his eyes are alight with humor and his cheeks flush. It’s such a stark contrast with his height and well-developed build that it’s easy to forget sometimes Talon is still fourteen. Although if you ask him since he’s fifteen in four days, which according to Talon means he’s basically an adult.
When he manages to dull the roar to quieter chuckles, he replies,
“Mia, I didn’t go through your purse; I found it on your nightstand. I know I’m still a kid, but can you please just promise you’ll call me if you’re scared or worried about anything. If you won’t do it for yourself, then do it for me. It’ll make me feel better.”
Oh, and the cheeky shit is manipulative too. I see how it is.
“I never make promises I can’t keep, so you can rest assured when I tell you I’ll call if I need you, I will,” I say, bumping his shoulder with mine.
The honking of a car horn signals my ride is here. Zara told me over the phone earlier, that she’s eager to get me loaded up and back to her brother Locke’s where I’ll be staying until I can afford a place of my own. Apparently, Knight, her boss, is an overbearing, bossy, altogether too sexy asshole – her words, not mine – that is refusing to give her more than two hours off to help me move.
Initially, when she suggested moving in with her, I jumped at the opportunity. And not just because of Jump either. I will admit, he played a large part in why I want to leave, but not all of it. The other factors were exactly as I listed to Talon. These people who took me in without knowing anything about me are only just learning how to become a family. They need time and space to do that, and no unnecessary distractions. In this case, I would be the di
straction.
Something is, or I should say was, going on between Jump and I. Something that scared me. Something big that was only growing larger and harder to ignore with every passing day. I’m drawn to him, tethered to him with an invisible string. He could control me if I let him. He could easily make me change my mind about swearing off men forever. In fact, he nearly did.
That was the day I called Zara and accepted her offer to move in. The day I realized I wasn’t strong enough to live in the same house as Jump and not use him like I use everyone else. I can’t do that to him. I can’t take from him when he has so little left to give. Jump needs every ounce of strength and resolve to fight his own demons; he doesn’t have any to spare for mine. And even if he did, I wouldn’t let him. Eventually, I have to learn to stand on my own two feet and now is as good a time as any.
Before you get the wrong idea, I don’t mean I use people in a bad way. Well, not if you go based on the traditional definition of the word. The best way for me to describe it is that I’m a succubus. I feed off and absorb the emotions of others. I use their strength and determination because that’s what I’m sorely lacking.
I don’t hurt people, though. Or if I do, I don’t mean to. I try to give back as much as I take, but more often than not, I find myself becoming too involved, too attached, too invested and end up being taken advantage of. I know this about myself, and Talon knows it too, which is why he’s worried about me.
He shouldn’t be. He should be worried about if he’ll be a starter for the football team this year, which out of the many girls that pursue him he’s going to date, and what to watch on TV tonight. No teenage boy needs to worry about an insecure, perpetually frightened twenty-four-year-old woman who should be well-versed in taking care of herself. That’s far too much pressure and responsibility for him to take on so young.
“That’s your ride,” Talon reminds me that Zara is waiting, jarring me from my thoughts.
I stand up and brush my hands down the legs of my jeans. My eyes are downcast, and my lips tremble at having to say goodbye to him. I don’t do goodbye’s which is why I was hoping Jump wouldn’t be here. There’s no way I would have made it out of the house without balling like a baby if I had to face him after what happened last night.
My conviction to stay away from the tall, broad, muscular man that unknowingly stole a piece of my heart broke last night. He was so close, and he smelled so good that when he pressed his lips to mine, I gave in and kissed him back. It was the best and worst kiss of my life.
It was everything you want a kiss to be; sweet, coaxing, tender, slowly building in intensity until it became passionate and all-consuming. I felt Jump everywhere. He seeped into my bones, burrowed into my heart, and scored a path to my soul.
At the same time, I was overwhelmed by him. What I know of Jump, which admittedly isn’t much, he’s not gentle, kind, or patient with the women he’s intimate with. I try to convince myself that maybe kissing is different. Maybe Jump takes his time making women burn for him, creating an ache so bad that they will have no choice but to use his body to sate it. But I know it’s not true.
The truth is hidden somewhere between two opposing thoughts I can’t allow my fragile heart to explore. Why? Because this man will break me. It’s not a matter of if, but when. If I took the chance, made a leap of faith with him, in the end, Jump wouldn’t own a piece of my heart; he’d own all of it.
That in and of itself might not sound like a bad thing. Jump deserves to love someone one and be loved in return, but that person can’t be me. My life is in a shambles, even more so than his. And if I let him in, not just into my heart because it’s already too late for that, but shared my deepest, darkest secrets with him, Jump would only be disappointed by what he discovered. He wouldn’t look at me with the same heat, hunger, and desire anymore, and I couldn’t bear that. I just couldn’t.
See, my life isn’t complicated or laden with baggage because nothing ever happens to me. I had one bad experience which turned into two – the second far worse than then first – and they changed everything. My entire world was turned upside down in an instant, and for good reason.
My name is Mia Reynolds, and I am a murderer.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
~ Kennedy ~
“I’m sorry I slapped you... But you didn’t seem like you would ever stop talking and I panicked.”
– Kennedy to Zara
It has been six weeks since Cash and I got married. Four weeks ago, my friends believed it was a good idea to stage an ambush as a way of telling me they thought I was pregnant. The next day, I went to the doctor and had their suspicions confirmed, even though it was hardly necessary at that point. I’m well aware I haven’t had a period since just after I came to Furnace, but Cash was adamant he wanted me checked out by a trained medical professional ASAP.
My appointment was the day after Mia moved out, but I persuaded her to put the unpacking aside by promising to buy her lunch, plus dessert if she came with me. Cash was there, of course, but I hadn’t expected Talon or Jump to tag along. I figured they would have much better things to do than sit around a doctor’s office surrounded by screaming kids and heavily pregnant women, but evidently, I was wrong.
Jump’s response to me asking him why he was so determined to come with us was,
“What better place is there to pick up chicks? For starters, their tits are huge. Next off, it’s not like I can knock them up, is it?” While what he said wasn’t untrue, I still can’t believe he blurted that out in the middle of the waiting room.
Mia was shocked, and I think a little hurt to see Jump sitting in the back seat of Cash’s truck when we arrived to pick her up. And I didn’t blame her. Jump was an asshole to her while she was living with us, but if anything, his behavior is even worse now.
I don’t understand it. Honestly, I don’t. Mia is sweet, kind, and beautiful; being rude and acting like a prick to her is like kicking a puppy. Apparently, Jump is exactly the kind of man who takes his anger out on innocent baby animals because he sure as hell doesn’t hold back when it comes to taunting Mia.
Out of all the times I’ve asked him about it, Jump hasn’t managed to explain why he does it. He talks in circles most of the time, telling me I should just consider what he’s doing ‘desensitization’ because Mia needs to grow a thicker skin. I don’t disagree with him – Mia does get taken advantage of – but I’m not convinced his way is the right way of going about it.
The ride to and from the doctor’s office was uncomfortable and tense. Having Mia and Jump together in an enclosed space is definitely not something I want to repeat any time soon. If it weren’t for Talon cracking jokes and trying to lighten the mood by acting as a buffer between the two, I think Mia probably would have thrown herself from the truck in order to get away from Jump.
After the usual weigh-in, measurements, and being instructed to pee in a cup, the doctor confirmed what we already knew and told me that next time, he would do an ultrasound to confirm how far along I am. To this, Jump and Talon said if I even thought about leaving either of them at home, they would make me pay dearly for it. And I believed them.
Jump and Cash don’t have a family outside the MC, so truthfully, I’m not surprised Jump is so excited at the prospect of becoming an Uncle. Not many people know this about him, but Patrick ‘Jump’ Collins is a big old softie. He absolutely adores children, especially babies. So much so, I pity the poor woman who eventually makes it worthwhile for him to settle down because I know for a fact, Jump wants, at least, four kids. If not five or six.
I tell him constantly that he’s thirty already, so he needs to get a move on if he’s planning on having that many. That or, Jump better hope he finds a woman that has twins in her family history, because with Jump’s manwhore status and time running out, he will be lucky to have one, let alone, six.
Not that I’m saying at thirty Jump is old. Of course, he’s not. It’s just that when you pick women up in bars, the groce
ry store, gas station, even on the side of the road once – in that case, she wasn’t a hooker, but I wouldn’t put that past him – it doesn’t exactly scream long-term commitment. More like, one night stands with the possibility of morning sex if she was worth sticking around for. All I’m saying is that those aren’t the type of women who he should consider as hopefuls to be the mother of his children.
Look, I know there are plenty of women out there just looking for a good time, a casual hook-up of sorts, but as unpopular as my opinion is – with Zara specifically – I don’t believe women are built that way. We crave more than a mindless fuck with a stranger; we crave a connection.
That said, it doesn’t have to be love at first sight or even lust. Women can have sex with a man without those things. But we do need to be attracted to him, be able to trust the man we’re giving our body to, and it would be nice to manage some kind of conversation that isn’t fuck, are you wet, you’re so tight, or suck me off. In other words, women, no matter how much they protest otherwise, can’t sleep with random strangers without some kind of emotion being involved.
Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8) Page 53