We fell asleep still connected in the rising sun.
* * *
I woke up alone in bed to the sounds of Holden moving around the living room.
He stuck his head in briefly, “Hey angel. I have a pot of warm water on the stove for you to clean up with. Oatmeal and blueberries on the table when you’re ready. I have to go help mom fix a few pickets around her garden.”
I mumbled a reply and he gave me a lopsided grin.
“Yeah get used to it. You’re mine now.”
I threw a pillow at him.
I heard his dark laugh through the cabin and the door shutting.
My legs were shaky when I stood up and tried to walk. There was a sore sensation between my legs that wasn’t totally unpleasant. He was large, which equated to enormous when he was inside of me. I shivered at the memories of the morning.
I had a quick washcloth bath in the bathroom. The large sink accommodated quite a bit of water when I poured it in from the bucket that Holden had heated for me on the stove. I wondered if there was a way to wash my hair. It was sticking out on top of my head in all directions when I looked at it in a small mirror. I was never going to get all the tangles out.
I looked at my scar for a long moment. Logan had been right when he had told me in the hospital that it wouldn’t matter to Holden. It was something that I forgot about a lot when I was having days like yesterday. Then there was the mirror in the morning. I had to face it every day at some point. It was like a small reality check every day. Holden’s parents hadn’t mentioned it outright. They were either polite or Holden had told them about it. They didn’t strike me as the type that would hold back though, especially Ray.
I paused for a second while my eyes slid over it. No panic attack. Not even a small flutter of fear.
Shaking my head, I dug through my bag for my birth control pills and clothes. I was coming up short on the pills. Hopefully they weren’t in the other bag. If we were going to have hot crazy sex like that then I wondered if doubling up on them would help. He went so deep I felt like he was purposely trying to get to my ovaries.
Were there extra strength pills? Condoms, we need condoms. Super-sized, jumbo, extra thick condoms.
I did my thing and wandered into the kitchen.
There was a small part of me that wanted to remove the berries in my oatmeal. I stared at them wondering if they had been nurtured with the compost in Ray’s bins. I slowly chewed on one, giving my mind and my stomach a chance to get used to the idea. My hunger took over at that point and whatever reservations I had, were fleeting as I dug in.
There was a knock at the door.
“Julia?” I heard Ray say from the other side.
I got up and opened the door for him. He took a long look at my face and his eyes started twinkling.
My face started burning under his inspection. Whether he was a nut or not, I suspected he knew perfectly well what Holden and I had done this morning. He had some magical quality about him that made me think he could probably guess everything.
He gave me an innocent look. “Now that you and Holden are up and he’s busy, I need your help with something.”
Curious I said, “Sure. What are we doing?”
He handed me an old, green WWII helmet with a flower wreath around the brim. “Have to wear your princess hat for this one.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What exactly are we doing Ray?”
He started whistling and walking toward the barn.
The barn!
I followed behind him, more curious than ever. I looked around for Holden, remembering he had given me express orders not to go near the building. I felt like I was sneaking into some government installation with my helmet.
Ray unchained the door, which opened wide. The interior was dark with secrets yet to be revealed. He switched on a single low light to illuminate his treasure. His hands clapped together rubbing like he was thinking of what he might pick up.
When my eyes adjusted and I started scanning the shelves.
“Holy mother of artillery,” I mumbled.
Ray turned back to me and wiggled his eyebrows.
To take it all in with one look around was overwhelming to say the least. Ray had a small arms cache that would rival any military base I suspected. It was certainly more than one private owner should legally be allowed to own.
There were guns, rifles, swords, a box marked “grenades”, something that looked like a grenade launcher if I was correct, and a huge gun strapped to a heavy metal tripod. There was just so much of it I couldn’t comprehend all the things I was seeing.
“Uhm, Ray?”
“Yeah sweetie. We need some grenades today. Whoa, maybe dynamite. Yeah. That should work. One small stick. Maybe just the blasting caps, some ammonium nitrate, and some gas. Instant hole in the ground for a pond.”
“So, we’re building a bomb?” I squeaked.
He gave me an insane toothy grin. “We’re building a pond! Bomb, schmomb. Let’s just say, some creative construction. You in, missy?”
My face nearly broke from smiling. “You’re like my evil fairy godmother. I am SO fucking in! Holden is going to lose his mind!”
He laughed and got a box out as he started filling it with a few items. He mumbled to himself about each item and wiggled his fingers several times before plucking something off the shelf. It was like watching a mad scientist collect his ingredients.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the tripod gun.
He glanced at it. “.50 machine gun. We can cut down some trees later if you want. I needed to clear a few anyway.”
I was dumbfounded. “You do what with it?”
He got a mischievous grin on his face. “Eh, creative wood clearing. I could use a mortar if you want but that tends to send wood shards everywhere and it’s a real shitty day trying to clean it up.”
Santa was a madman. I loved it. I wanted to adopt him immediately and live on his mountain if it meant getting to play with his toys. Granted, the environmentalist in me disapproved.
Bad, bad Julia for wanting to blow something up with Santa.
Technically it was his land though and he was just clearing trees. Clearing trees was a good thing around habitations no matter how you went about it. At least that’s how I was going to justify all of this.
Because it was a fucking .50 machine gun and I wanted to shoot it!
We left the barn and strolled along the backside of the building. I had the strange feeling that Ray was trying to avoid being watched from their cabin as we ducked behind some large rocks along the road.
“See the key is Julia, you have to find the right dirt. The dirt is very important because if you have a bed that doesn’t soak and hold then the water won’t stay. These little snappers go off and you don’t have it planted right then all it does is spray pebbles and rock. Let me tell you, that shit is both deadly and hurts like the devil. So, I found a good clay mudhole out here that should work just perfect and I can redirect the water for a fresh pool.”
He went on about the details on how he was going to put all of his materials together. It sounded simple but not something I was entirely understanding. He had an old pickup truck from the fifties angled away from the spot he chose. When all was assembled and ready to go he ran back to the truck with the speed of a man twenty years younger.
He crouched, gave me a dark smile just like Holden when he was about to do something crazy and tapped my helmet.
The reverberating sound of the blast echoed off the valley in what sounded like a clap of thunder but in far closer proximity. My knees nearly buckled.
Spray from the blast rained down on us in the form of mud clumps, water, dirt and pebbles. I felt it land on my shoulders and face and watched as a particularly large clump of muddy grass landed on Ray’s shoulder and stick. He had dirt and mud covering his face, much like I suspected I had on mine.
My ears were ringing slightly.
“That was AWESOME!” I yelled.
“What the FUCK!” I heard, and turned my head to see Holden angrily marching towards us. His face was furious as he looked his dad over.
His stride carried him directly to me then he bent down, picked me up, and carried me away from Ray. I looked back and Ray was still smiling like he had won the lottery. He gave me a very serious salute and went off to inspect his work.
I looked up at Holden, whose jaw was clenched tight and eyes were focused in the distance. I kissed his cheek and smiled sweetly at him.
He growled. I could see a vein in his temple twitching. Although the day was cool I could see small beads of sweat along his hairline.
He strode all the way to our cabin and kicked the door open with his boot. He sat me down on the kitchen table rather abruptly.
He took a pistol out of the backside of his jeans and laid it on the counter. “That old man nearly gave me a heart attack. Are you okay?”
His hands started running down my body picking dirt off as he went. He unbuckled my helmet and chunked it over his shoulder. It landed with a thud and bounced a couple of times.
“Holden, I’m fine,” I said, cupping his jaw. I pulled it until he was looking in my eyes.
His large hand came to rest at the side of my face, his thumb massaged my cheek. He took a deep shaky breath and let it out slowly. The red in his face started to fade and his jaw loosened up.
I stretched up to kiss him softly on his lips.
His mouth angled against mine and he took over. He was frantic, pushing his tongue inside my mouth and biting at my bottom lip.
I moaned against him and put my hands around his neck. My legs spread as he shoved them apart and pulled me forward against his hard cock. I shivered from the lightning bolts shooting through me all the way down between my legs. My back arched as he pressed himself into me several times.
He stood back, giving me a possessive look. There were smudges of mud on his cheek and forehead which confirmed that I probably had a shitload of it on mine.
His hands gripped the underside of my shirt and tore it off. My hands were underneath his as he lifted and threw it his over his shoulder. His hands started at the buttons in my jeans, while mine did the same to his.
He was so incredibly sculpted from years of training. I ran my hands over his abs and up to his pecs. My mouth licked one and he groaned.
His hand pulled at my hair when I bit him. His mouth descended on my neck and sucked hard.
I moaned in his ear, “Fuck me. Please.”
He growled against me and bared his teeth. He looked feral and it only increased the hot pulse at my core. I needed him in me. Now.
He yanked my jeans down along with my panties. “So fucking hot.”
Then he tore my shoes off and I was naked and panting in front of him. He lifted me up from the table and turned me around so that my hard nipples pressed against the surface of the smooth wood. The sensation only caused them to peak further and swell.
Holden grabbed both of my hips and impaled me in one thrust.
I let out a loud whimpering groan at the suddenness of it and then he began to move. His thrusts were hard and demanding. His hand came down on one of my ass cheeks in a loud smack. He was solid as a rock and burning up inside of me.
I moaned and arched for him. My arms stretched out in front of me trying to find something to grip. One of his hands grabbed mine and yanked it around to hold it in the center of my back. Then the other was brought around and held. He had ultimate control over me and I was truly his as our bodies slammed together.
He was groaning and grunting in time with the methodical rhythm. I whimpered over and over, saying things I didn’t even comprehend. I was delirious with pleasure when he smacked my ass again. The slight sting triggered my orgasm and I clenched hard around him. His hard movements drove me over the edge again and I yelled out.
“Julia! Fucking hell!” he yelled and gave one last thrust before he let out an inhuman roar.
His movements slowed, which I barely noticed in my fuzzy state of mind. I was numb and well pleased. I felt like purring.
He slid out and used a rag to clean between my thighs before turning my non-functioning body around in a bear hug. He wrapped his large arms around me and caged me in.
“Did I hurt you?” he said against my hair.
“No honey. I want to do that again.”
He chuckled deeply. “Told you that you would beg me eventually.”
I stared at the wall and smirked. I started humming “You’re So Vain” to him. He was such a jackass and I loved him.
I loved him. I guess I was ready to join the insane asylum.
Chapter Twelve
Holden and I had spent most of the rest of the day in the cabin together. My body felt exhausted and sore by the time we emerged for dinner by the campfire. We had made it to the rug in the living room after the kitchen table. Then it had been bent over the side of the couch, up against the wall and then back to the bedroom. I had a rug burn on my hip and multiple bite marks on the back of my neck. He had restrained me with his hands, manipulated my limbs into every position imaginable and reddened my ass with his palms.
I felt spent and happy when we sat down to eat.
The sky overhead had looked very ominous and Rose had said she felt like it would snow overnight.
Holden had laid into his dad heavily about the barn, warning him that it was a time bomb ready to go off if he kept stockpiling it with things that could potentially blow up. His dad had taken it in stride, and had given me a secretive wink after things settled down again.
I couldn’t blame Holden for how he felt about it. It really was dangerous. Especially when Ray lived by himself most of the time. However, part of me kind of wished he felt a little differently just so I could have a crack at the mega, super cool gun.
All in the name of tree clearing of course.
We spent a good evening huddled around the fire in coats and blankets. I sang some acapella songs for them, including a few children’s songs, just because we were all in a light mood.
A few snowflakes started coming down from the sky that forced us to wrap up early, even though the light in the sky hadn’t quite extinguished.
Holden’s phone buzzed when we were back in the cabin. He looked at the screen and walked to the bedroom, shutting the door.
I started a pot of water on the ancient stove. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it completely right but it seemed like it was fairly simple. I lit a log that was already in it and added some tender to let the stove warm up.
By the time Holden had emerged again, I was sitting at the table with a good cup of warm tea and enough water left over to possibly wash my hair in the sink. He had been in the bedroom yelling for over forty-five minutes.
He sat down at the table with a wince and set the phone down carefully as if to prevent himself from slamming it on the table.
“Julia, there’s a problem. That was Brock on the phone and then Aiden joined the call.”
I set my cup down on the table. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ll get on the phone with both of them in a minute but I want you to know that I have a solution. And that solution has nothing to do with this problem. I was going to do this before the problem existed.”
I looked at him confused. “I don’t understand.”
“I may have to leave for a little bit. Maybe not.”
Frowning, I took another sip of my tea and his phone started to ring.
He answered it on video conferencing and two faces finally came into view. The connection was slow and the images cut out for a second then reformed.
Aiden, and I assumed Brock, sat at a conference table together.
Brock leaned forward. “Getting us?”
“Yeah Brock, we’re here,” Holden replied.
“Hey there Julia,” Brock winked at me.
Holden growled.
Brock was cute, not as good looking as Holden bu
t he had this ruffled hair thing going on with some stylish black glasses. He was built like a quarterback. Solid, wide chest. He wore a black, short-sleeved polo that showed off a tattoo on the underside of one of his muscled arms.
“Hey Brock. Hey Aiden, how’s Liv?”
“Pissed you didn’t call her. Do me a favor and keep my bride happy.”
“Will do. Just haven’t used it up here at all.”
Brock spoke, “Don’t mention any places on the feed.”
I looked at Holden then replied. “Oh, okay.”
Aiden cleared his throat, “Julia, we wanted to talk to you about something that’s come up since you’ve been there.”
Holden took hold of my hand under the table and squeezed. His work mask was clouding his face but I could tell he was worried about something.
Aiden continued, “Did you sign any papers by chance, that your sister gave you that might have been legal documents of some type?”
I had to think about that for a second. “Yeah, I think so. About a year ago maybe and then just recently when we were in talks with Bansham Records. She said they were papers that authorized her to work as my PR representative.”
Holden stiffened.
Aiden and Brock started talking in hushed tones to each other. Aiden picked his phone up and looked like he was texting someone.
Brock leaned toward the camera. “Okay so here’s the deal. You sister had you sign something that legally trademarked you. Then you signed something giving her sole rights to the trademark. Basically.”
“Uh,” I replied. “Okay, does that make me an indentured servant or something? I don’t understand.”
“Well without going into too many specifics it means she has legal control over your brand and what you produce. As in your songs, records and such.”
“But how can someone own those things if they’re works I’m actually singing.”
“It’s complicated and you can consult an attorney about it, which I would advise, but she’s trademarked your name. If you sing, produce, or anything else then she has sole legal control based on the documents.”
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