Gods & Monsters

by Jani Kay

  Instead, I offered him tea. His face was priceless. I’d expected him to turn me down and ask for something stronger, but to my surprise, he’d agreed. I’d smiled as I left the bathroom, humming a tune as I put the kettle on.

  The tea was for me. I needed something sweet and warm to calm me down. We hadn’t really talked in a long time. I’d put my cards on the table a long while ago. There could never be anyone but Cobra for me.

  Strong arms slid around my waist from behind me and pulled me to a hard muscled chest. My heart beat so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

  “Baby,” he murmured against my ear as he pushed my hair to the side and ran his lips over my skin. He knew I loved that. My ears and the skin around that area were super sensitive and he could make me wet just by kissing my neck.

  His tongue snaked out and ran along the shell of my ear. My knees felt weak, and my whole body responded by tingling.

  “Cobra,” I groaned, pulling my head away from those decadent lips. I wanted nothing more than his mouth on me, but it would turn me into a mess, and I needed to keep it together while we talked.

  “I want you, baby. I need you tonight.”

  Sex. Was that all he wanted from me? How long had it been since he’d emptied his balls? Had he had help from one of the club whores? There were plenty of willing women just waiting in the wings for Cobra to summon them. They weren’t shy in telling me how sexy they found my husband, or how lucky I was having him. They’d be more than happy to service my man without any qualms.

  “Um . . . the tea is ready. Shall we sit on the couch?” I said, shrugging him off me and lifting the two cups from the counter.

  “Yeah, okay,” he said, as he followed me. “Don’t shut me out, Mia. I’m trying to make it up to you.” His voice was strained and tight.

  I set the cups down on the table and turned to face him. “I’m not—I promise you, I’m trying, too. But you can’t just show up and expect me to fall into your arms after everything that’s happened. You were the one who shut me out for weeks. You were the one who didn’t want me.” I couldn’t hide the hurt. I’d always been transparent to Cobra. Except for when it came to the one thing that drove us apart.

  Reaching out, I cupped his cheek. “There’s nothing I want to hide from you ever again. But we need to talk. Get it all out—otherwise it will fester inside us forever. We need to clear the air and say what we need to say.”

  His hand came up to cover mine. His eyes burned into mine as we stood watching one another. There was so much to say, and yet it was so difficult to put it all into words.

  “Let me worship you. Let me talk to you in the only way I know how. I don’t know how to say everything I feel. I need to show you. Please let me.”

  It was true. Cobra wasn’t a man of many words. His way of communicating was through deeds. I nodded slowly, my gaze never leaving his. He placed a hand behind my neck and pulled me closer.

  God, I loved that. With one tiny gesture, he showed me his possession. That he owned me, as he always had. I yielded, letting him draw me closer to him until our bodies melded together.

  “We fit so perfectly together. Just like we always have. You were made for me, Mia. And I for you.” He brushed his lips over mine. True again. I couldn’t disagree. Slowly but surely he was reeling me in and I was only too willing to follow. As long as he communicated with me, let me in, I was open to him.

  He leaned his forehead against mine, his hand around my neck, our bodies so close I could feel his heartbeat under my fingertips. “Just let me talk, okay?”

  This was a first. I needed to hear his words, so I listened with my heart.

  “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “Sorry that I wasn’t here when you needed me. I failed you in so many ways, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t want me anymore.”

  I sucked in a breath. I need you more than you can ever know.

  “I know I sucked as a husband and a father. I let you down by letting Daemon take Jamie. And then I messed up further by not coming home when we couldn’t find him. Because I felt that I’d failed our family, I tortured myself, not realizing that I was punishing both of us.” He fell silent for a while. Both our chests were heaving as we took it all in. “I’m just a man. A stupid man . . . but a man who loves you so much. I’d die for you—and the kids.”

  “You nearly did. God, I shot you in the arm,” I said, my voice strangled by the tears I was holding back.

  “It’s only a graze, nothing serious. The bullet hit the wall. You are a brave woman, Mia, to have stood up to Daemon like that.”

  I pulled away and inspected his arm. “Daemon aimed to shoot you between the eyes. I hadn’t planned on shooting anyone, but I couldn’t let that happen.” I closed my eyes and swallowed the thick lump in my throat. “My love for you was stronger than my fear for him.”

  “Thank fuck, baby. You saved my life.”

  “Technically, I didn’t,” I said with a small smile. “Ryder stole my glory.”

  “Asshole always does that,” I joked, then added, “luckily for us. Ryder has saved my hide more times than I care to count. Was the best life insurance policy I ever bought, when I saved his damn life.”

  “We’re both lucky. Ryder has been wonderful to me, and the kids, too. I couldn’t love him more—”

  “Careful,” my husband growled, pulling me back into his embrace. “If you ever loved him more than me, I’d have to kill him.”

  “Don’t be silly,” I laughed, swatting his arm. “I could never lo—”

  “Yeah? Keep going.”

  I dropped my gaze to his chest, avoiding his eyes. He lifted my chin and held it so I had nowhere to look but at his face. My lids fluttered closed as I pressed my lips together.

  “Open your eyes, baby, and tell me. I need to hear it. Please.”

  Drawing in a long slow breath, I cranked my eyelids open. The love and adoration in Cobra’s gaze were hard to ignore. He gazed deep into my eyes. Deep into my soul.

  “I could never love anyone like I love you. Even when you didn’t want me, I still wanted you.”

  “Mia, that’s not true. I’ve never stopped wanting you. From the first moment I laid eyes on you when you were nothing more than a kid. I couldn’t take my fucking eyes or mind off you. You hit me in the heart . . . and the cock . . . and since then I’ve wanted nothing more than you.”

  My insides ached. “Then why did you push me away? Help me understand. It hurt me so much.”

  “I’m so fucking sorry. I’m a cranky crab—you know I always draw into my shell when I’m hurting.”

  I nodded. That was true.

  “You’ve always waited for me to come out of the shell. This time, I feared I’d gone too far.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Truth is, I don’t think I’m good enough for you. I don’t deserve your love.”

  “Baby.” My eyes widened in shock. How could he believe that was true?

  “You called me baby. The first time in weeks.”

  “I did. You tricked me, though.”

  Cobra dipped his head and sucked my bottom lip into his mouth. He devoured my lips with his like a starving man. I let him taste me as our tongues danced the oldest dance mankind knew.

  I melted into him and snaked my arms around his neck, being careful not to hurt his shoulder. He kissed me again, his hunger insatiable.

  Chuckling, he lifted me with one arm and carried me toward the couch. “Our tea is getting cold.”

  Our tea?

  “Fuck the tea,” I said, eager for his lips to kiss me again.

  “I’d rather fuck you,” he said, squeezing my ass.

  Chapter 50 — Cobra

  I’d finally won her over. Christ, I hadn’t realized how much I ached for her until I kissed her. My whole body was set alight with want and need. My heartbeat echoed in my ears as I set her down on the couch and crawled over her beautiful body, drinking her in with my eyes.

  “I love you so fucking much. I need to show you. I’m go
ing to make the sweetest love to you we have ever experienced.”

  I gripped the edges of the T-shirt she wore and lifted it over her head. She’d lost weight since I’d last seen her naked, but all her curves were still in the right places. My cock strained against my shorts, eager to get inside my woman.

  “Baby,” she breathed as a blush spread over her skin. She tried to cover her breasts with her arms.

  “Don’t,” I groaned. “Don’t hide from me. You are the most beautiful creature on this Earth. I love looking at you. My eyes could never tire of staring at your beauty and grace.”

  Her blush deepened, spreading from her neck over her cheeks. She bit into her lower lip, looking so vulnerable and fucking adorable that my heart skipped a beat.

  Grabbing hold of her wrists with the hand of my good arm, I pinned them above her head so that I could feast on her tits. Her large brown nipples were already hard just from my gaze. I smiled wickedly as I circled her nipple with my tongue before sucking it into my mouth.

  Mia’s chest heaved but she didn’t make a sound. Was I not affecting her the way she affected me? I kissed down her ribs and stomach till I found her navel. Slowly circling it with my tongue, I sucked and kissed her skin, breathing deeply to catch her scent in my nostrils.

  God, I missed this. I missed her. So. Fucking. Much.

  She reached down and grabbed hold of my cock through my shorts. “Aghh,” I rumbled from the back of my throat, the magic of her fingers firing me up further as she stroked my length.

  Her hands left my cock and I nearly cried with disappointment. She worked quickly to push the shorts down over my ass before grabbing my cock in one cool hand and my balls in the other. Rubbing her thumb over the tip, she rubbed the pre-cum into my skin.

  Fuck. I could explode right this second.

  “Go slow, baby, I’m on the fucking edge.”

  The smile she gifted me with hit me in the heart. I could hardly stand all the love pouring out between us. The air felt alive, crackling with anticipation.

  I reached between her legs and dipped a finger into her warm wet pussy, testing her readiness.

  “So fucking wet, baby.”

  “For you? Always, Cobra. You just look at me and I’m wet for you.” From her swollen mouth to her swollen cunt, I loved every inch of this woman. She was sexy beyond words and her admission made my cock jerk.

  “Good to know baby, ’cause you know I can’t stop looking at you.”

  She giggled softly, the easy and sexy sound of a woman who knew with confidence she had her man just where she wanted him. She had me well and truly by the balls. There was nowhere else I’d rather be.

  That’s a lie.

  I wanted to be inside her. Fuck her slowly while I stared into the dark liquid pools of her soul.

  She brought my cock to her entrance, a shy smile on her lips. Although I knew every inch of her body intimately, this felt as if we were discovering one another all over again.

  I. Could. Not. Wait. A. Fucking. Second. Longer.

  I pushed in, her slick warmth surrounding me. “I’m home, baby. Where I belong.”

  “Cobra, I love you so much. Don’t ever leave me again. Please.”

  Her words ripped my insides open. What the fuck had I been thinking?

  “Never. I promise.”

  We moved together, our bodies completely in tune with one another. It was how we always were meant to be. Lacing our fingers together above her head, I didn’t care that my shoulder ached or that my muscles burned. It was so good to connect on such a deep level with my woman.

  “You saved me, baby. Not only from death, but also from bitterness and hatred. You are the lightness to my darkness. Without you, I’d be lost.”

  I leaned in to possess her mouth. A salty taste mingled into our kiss.

  She’s crying.

  I pulled back, releasing her lips to find warm tears spilling down her face. Alarm spike through me and I stopped moving.

  “Baby, what’s wrong? I thought we were all good?”

  “We . . . we are. These are happy tears. And sad ones, too. Happy that it all worked out. Sad for all our losses.”

  I wiped her tears with my thumb. “Let’s make more babies,” I said as I started moving inside her again. “I heard you wanted more, and I’m down with that.”

  The megawatt smile she gifted me with stole my breath away. “I want a mini Cobra, a boy who is just like his daddy—a fierce protector, a fair and just man who makes the world a better place.”

  “It’s you, love, that makes the world a better place by just being in it,” I smiled back at her, inwardly pleased that she thought so highly of me. There was nothing I wanted more than to be her hero, her rock whenever she needed me.

  She let out a long satisfied sigh as I kissed her neck. “I’m so happy when I’m with you.”

  “Get used to it, baby. I’m not going anywhere.” Her pussy tightened around me, sending me to heaven. “But can we shut up and just fuck, because my balls are ready to explode.”

  She arched her back and met me thrust for thrust, our joining becoming more urgent with each stroke, feverish even. Slow was forgotten as our need for one another took over. I couldn’t string a sentence together if I tried—I was that close to the edge.

  With sweat on my brow and my heart racing, I urged her to let go. “I’m there, baby—come with me. Let’s come together.”

  “Cobra,” she cried out, her nails digging into my palms as I squeezed her hands in mine.

  White light ripped through me as I found my release at the same time as Mia let her orgasm wash over her. It was perfect.

  We were perfect.

  Together.

  Epilogue — Daemon

  Being born second made all the difference in my life. Nobody remembered who was second, only who came first. All my life I’d struggled to make my place in this world, never succeeding.

  It consumed me, tore at my heart and soul until I shut it out and let the darkness devour me. It was much easier to bare life this way.

  All I’d wanted was to be loved. To feel cared for and cherished. For one moment, I wanted to be first. It never happened, until evil possessed my heart and I sold my soul to the devil for one chance at being number one. He made me believe I could have it all if I took what I wanted and made it mine.

  Alessandra. She was the sweetest thing I’d ever seen. The closest I’d come to heaven. Only, as usual, my twin had gotten to her first. She loved him. We looked alike in every way, yet she still chose him. It shredded my heart and broke me.

  Jamie. He wasn’t mine.

  I wanted Cobra to believe it because it was the ultimate revenge.

  But it wasn’t possible. One bar fight in my youth while I was away from the club for a few months had led to me shooting blanks for the rest of my life. I’d not cared that I’d been declared sterile after surgery on my balls, because there was no worse fate I could imagine than spawning offspring.

  It was my secret. I certainly felt no need to spread the news.

  The night I’d heard screaming from Cobra’s room, I’d been a few rooms away, finding my solace in the white powder I’d sniffed up my nostrils. At first I was alarmed, as I’d never heard them fight or argue before. Theirs was supposed to be the perfect union. Right.

  When I’d heard the door slam and Cobra roar into the darkness, I’d known he wouldn’t be back for a while. At first I’d wanted to go to Alessandra to see if she was okay, but I’d stayed in my room, listening to her sobs until she became quiet. It had ripped my heart apart. She was the closest I’d ever felt to loving someone.

  Something about her changed me inside—I didn’t understand what it was. That I was madly attracted to her on a physical level was an understatement. But it wasn’t enough. I wanted all of her. Only I knew she’d never be mine.

  She was Mia. That meant she was Cobra’s. I refused to call her by that name. It was the sweet Alessandra that had taken over my mind, and to me she always
was that girl.

  But she didn’t want me. As long as she was Mia, she belonged to another man. My twin. I’d stewed in my anger and wrestled my inner demons for what felt like hours.

  And then I’d let the dark side take over.

  What if I could have her for one moment? That would be enough for the rest of my life, wouldn’t it? If I could feel and taste her just once.

  I’d snorted another row of the powder. Courage and daring had spiked through me. I hadn’t been able to get the image of her lying alone in that bed, only yards from me, out of my head.

  If I snuck in and she thought I was her husband returning, I could pull it off. I’d wanted her as I’d never wanted anything in my life.

  Angry yet relieved that she hadn’t locked the door, I’d snuck into the room. She’d been asleep. It was my chance to feel what happiness was. I’d stripped quickly and slid into the bed behind her.

  I’d fucked many women in my life. I’d used their bodies when they were asleep or high or drunk. But that? It had been like nothing I’d ever felt. Nor would I feel it again. Her soft snore made me smile in the dark as I’d moved closer and breathed her in. Everything about her intoxicated my senses. Even in her sleep she’d been more alluring that the most beautiful woman I’d ever fucked.

  I couldn’t help myself. I’d been so fucking hard for her that I’d slipped my cock into her and found nirvana. For the first time in my life, the ache in my heart and soul lifted. She was better than drugs to take the pain away. I wanted more. So much more.

  She’d moaned in her sleep and pushed her ass against me, asking for more. It was too easy. I’d reached for her pussy and helped her come on my cock.

  She’d called a name.

  The wrong name.

  His name. Cobra.

  And I’d lost it.

  I wasn’t even second—I was nothing.

  The darkness had taken me over.

  Sliced into my heart and soul.

  Turned me into a monster.

  I’d get my revenge. I’d make her pay for not knowing my name.

  *~* The End *~*