“Um … I don’t see why not. I love your family, so they’re all going to have to meet eventually,” I say, shrugging and getting up to see if everyone is cool with the plans for supper. They all agree, and we head our separate ways so we can all get ready. Mom and John are staying at Ella’s because there’s only one room at our place and they have tons of room since they built an extension to their house.
* * *
We make a stop at a grocery store to pick up a few things for the barbeque, before heading over to D.W.’s house to meet the rest of the family. That’s what Jack calls them anyway. After he introduces everyone to his mother, sisters, brother-in-law, nieces, D.W., his wife, Donna and their daughters, Klaire and Tina, the women all head off to the kitchen to help set everything up while the men ‘man the grill,’ as they say.
After about twenty minutes the doorbell rings and Devon and his newest ‘girlfriend’, Amy, walk in. Wow, she looks like a complete bitch. They all do the whole introduction thing again, and we invite her into the kitchen with us. She’s a beautiful girl, and she definitely knows it. She comes in the kitchen along with her attitude and sits at the island, watching us get everything ready.
“Hey Amy, can you help me with the salad?” I ask, not wanting her to feel left out.
“I can’t. I might ruin my nails. I just had them done,” she says.
Okay, definitely a bitch. What the hell is Devon doing with her? She totally doesn’t seem like his type. All of his other women didn’t last any longer than a week or two, but at least they were nice. We all go about trying to make small talk with her, but it doesn’t really seem to work. She only speaks with one-word answers. From the little we learn from her, she comes from money, and she doesn’t work. She doesn’t have to, so she spends most of her time shopping and travelling.
“Steaks are done,” someone yells from out in the yard. It makes me flinch and not in a good way.
“Okay, tables are ready, so everyone outside, grab a place to sit, and let’s eat,” Donna tells everybody.
When we walk out into the backyard, I notice three picnic tables set up with fancy tablecloths. The trees all have tons of lanterns hanging from them, and there’s tea-light candles lit in glass jars on the tabletops, giving the backyard an inviting glow. Everyone grabs their food, sits down, and digs in. As everyone is enjoying the wonderful meal, I look around and realize how lucky I am to be brought into this family, and also for them to accept my family at the same time. It’s beautiful. I watch all the conversations going on, and take it all in. This is my life.
After dinner, Mom and Daddy-O tell us all to go out somewhere and enjoy some time together, so we get Jack’s mom to take Gia’s kids to her place and Mom and John take Harley and Hendrix back to Ella and Ryder’s house. Izzy, Gia, Sofie, Kurtis, Devon, Amy, Ryder, Ella, Jack, and I all decide to go to a quiet little sports bar so the guys can watch a game and the girls get to chat.
I ask Gia how her breakfast in bed went the morning after our girl’s night.
“Oh my God, it was awesome! I also returned the favor and had mine after,” she says, blushing.
We all laugh at her except for Amy. She just gives us a disgusted look. Oh well, she means nothing to me.
After a couple of hours, we all decide to call it a night and head home. Shortly after saying our goodbyes, we all start going our own ways.
When we get home I start asking Jack about Amy and what the hell Devon’s doing with someone like that.
“Babe, stay out of it. It’s none of our business,” he says.
“What do you mean? She’s a complete bitch, and Devon is so sweet. He can do better than that!” I start yelling.
“Payton, drop it!” Jack growls.
“No, I won’t drop it,” I hiss. The next thing I know I’m up against the wall, and Jack’s face is in mine.
“Let it go. If that’s who he wants, then so be it. It’s not our business. He obviously sees something in her that we don’t,” he demands.
“Or what? Are you going to spank me?” I ask, daring him to.
“Is that what you want?” he whispers. I watch the anger slip off his face.
“I want you to spank me. I’m a bad little girl, Officer De Luca,” I moan, running my hand over his instant arousal.
“Well, I’ve got to teach you a lesson, baby. Go over to the window and take off your clothes,” he orders. I walk seductively toward the window and start removing my clothes while he watches. When I get down to my barely there lace black thong, he suddenly tells me to leave it on.
“Where do you want me officer?” I ask.
“Turn around, place both hands on the window above your head and spread your legs.”
I don’t hesitate with doing as I’m told. Within seconds, I feel him behind be grinding his erection into my ass, kissing my neck and back, and fondling my breasts. His hands start pinching my nipples making them pebble so hard that it hurts.
“Are you ready for your punishment?” he groans. Fuck, yeah, I am. I can’t form the words, though, while his hands are now roaming down my body, slowly slipping his fingers through my core, teasing me senseless. I just nod my head.
“Answer me,” he demands, fisting my hair and pulling back on it gently, not enough to make it hurt.
“Ye … yes,” I croak.
Jack leans back from my body and slides his hands down my spine and around to my hips, pulling my body out so my ass is stuck out and exposed to him.
“Keep your hands flat on the window, and watch me while I mark you,” he says, looking at me in the reflection. I moan in agreement as he starts rubbing my ass. Looking at the mirrored image of us, I see the arousal on his face as well as his hand slightly rearing back for the first smack.
“Ahh …” I say with the burning pain that follows it.
“Did you like that, baby? You want more?”
“God, yes,” I moan as he soothes the area that he already marked. I watch his reflection in the window as he smacks me again and caresses the marks with his hand. I’ve never been so turned on in my life. My legs are shaking from want and need. Jack slips his hand down between my legs, rubbing the moisture there.
“My bella, so wet. Fuck, you look so sexy with my mark on your ass,” he growls as he slides two fingers in my core, fucking them in and out in a ravaging motion. I’m on the brink of climaxing.
“Please Jack, fuck me, baby,” I scream from the fire my body is making.
Jack’s fingers disappear and, within seconds, I feel the coolness of the window against my back as he flips me around and picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist, he rips my panties off, and slams me down on his rock hard cock. I scream and claw at his back as the fierceness in his thrusts intensify as he pounds in and out of me.
“Jack,” I moan.
“That’s it, baby. Come for me, come all over my cock,” he moans back, nuzzling my neck.
I come, and I come hard. Riding out my climax, I can feel him growing even bigger saying that he’s almost there. Jack pulls me back from the window, moving us to sit on the couch with me straddling him. I start to move up and down on his shaft, but start thinking of something I want to do. I lift up off of him trying to get to my feet before he stops me. I jump out of the way as he goes to grab my hips.
“Payton,” he growls.
“Oh, calm down, Jack,” I say, getting on my knees in front of him. I see that what I’m going to do registers on his face, and he grins in response. I lean in and suck his cock right to the back of my throat, swallowing. He grips my hair in his hands and starts thrusting his hips, fucking my mouth. I can taste myself on him, and I start to moan, wanting more.
“Turn around,” he commands. I turn around, and Jack takes my hips, pulling me back toward him.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
He lies back on the couch and sits me on his face.
Oh, now I get it.
Fuck yeah!
I stretch across his sculpted body going to to
wn on his cock, while he does the same to me. I feel my climax building again, so I suck harder, faster, longer, and deeper. I want him to come with me; even though we aren’t joined, this is still a very intimate act. I put his cock in the very back of my throat and suck my way back up as he takes my clit between his teeth and sucks on it, sending me and him over the edge.
After I suck every drop from him, I lay my face on his thigh trying to catch my breath. He places his face against my inner thigh as well.
“Just keeps getting better,” he says with a chuckle, his breath fluttering against my sensitive skin.
“I still have a few tricks up my sleeve for you yet,” I reply huskily.
“Oh, and I have lots for you, too, Payton. Trust me, I’m far from finished with you.”
* * *
My parents have been here for three days now, and I’ve managed to successfully skirt around and avoid talking to my mother about what happened to me back in high school. That is, until today. Jack asks John to give him a hand at his mother’s house. She needs a few things moved around. I think it’s just an excuse to get Mom and me alone so we talk. Jack knows how nervous I am about discussing the rape with her in person. I also have a session with Dr. Lansin today, and oddly enough, I kind of want her to come with me.
“Mom?” I call out.
“Yeah, honey?”
“Can you come and sit with me for a minute?” I ask, chewing nervously on my lip.
“About time, Payton, I was beginning to think I was going to have to drag it out of you,” she says with sadness in her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I know I should’ve told you when it happened. I wanted to, but I was so scared that they would do what they threatened that I just couldn’t,” I say, putting my head down in shame. She pulls me into her arms like she did when I was a little girl. I burrow my face into her chest and let my tears fall free.
“I get it, Payton, I really do. I need you to know that I’m here for you now, and I love you,” she murmurs, her hand rubbing my back in a soothing circular motion.
“I love you, too, Mom. Would you go to a session with me? I’d like you to be there to see how this whole healing process works. I’m done keeping secrets from everyone,” I tell her.
“Of course I want to be there for you. When’s your next appointment?” Mom asks, holding my hand in hers. I lean over and hug her.
“My next one’s today actually. I have to leave for it in about an hour.”
“Great, let’s leave now. I want to stop at that cute little café we saw the other day and have lunch with my daughter,” she suggests. And that’s exactly what we do.
When we arrive at Dr. Lansin’s office, I introduce my mother to my therapist and explain how I’d like her to sit in on my session today. Of course, she says it’s not a problem as long as I’m comfortable with it. I really am. Maybe one day, I’ll even have Jack join me.
“So, Payton, I’m very pleased at your progression during your therapy sessions. You always come here with a positive outlook and the drive to get better. Those two things are going to help you heal. And it’s those exact reasons that it’ll be sooner rather than later. Now, the one topic that I’d like to discuss today and haven’t as of yet, is your trust issue,” she says softly, looking up at me after jotting something down in her notebook.
“My trust issue?” I question.
“Yes. I listen very carefully as you’ve told me about your rape and the way you dealt with it after. And you have to realize that nobody blames you for what happened or why you refused to tell anyone about the attack. You obviously felt that your family was threatened and wanted to protect them. That’s very admirable. But what concerns me is that you’ve never developed relationships with men until recently. It appears you aren’t able to trust people and their intentions, especially when it comes to the male gender,” she tells me.
“No. I didn’t trust men. I guess I let those guys worm their way into my head and believed them when they told me nobody would want me and that I was unworthy of love. The rape traumatized me so badly that I didn’t realize that not every man out there was like that, I just believed they were.”
“So now that you are in a relationship with Jack, do you trust him?” she asks me.
“Of course I trust him!” I snap, defensively. My mother reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“Do you really?” her eyes bore into mine, waiting for my answer.
“I do,” I squeak out, looking down at my lap. I do trust Jack, don’t I? I know he loves me and would never hurt me, but can I ever truly trust him. I desperately want and need to. He’s definitely building up my faith in him as our relationship progresses. So, I’m confident that given time, I’ll completely trust him. Would he be upset to know that I told him I trusted him, but really I’m unsure? Yeah, he’d totally be pissed, so I’m really working like a dog on this.
Dr. Lansin leaves the trust issue, but she doesn’t leave the topic of Jack and me. The rest of the hour is all about Jack and our intense relationship, starting from the moment we met. Minus all the sex stuff because that’s not something my mom needs to know about.
From the look on my mother’s face, I think she finds it comforting as she listens to what my therapist and I discuss.
Over the next few days, Mom and I grow even closer, and she’s finally coming to terms with everything that’s happened, too. I think it’s been harder on her than me, but that’s because she’s had a lot less time to deal with it than I have. She told me the night before leaving that she feels guilty knowing it happened, and she didn’t protect me like a parent should have. But how could she have ever known something like that would’ve happened.
The next morning, we’re back at the airport. I don’t want them to leave. I already miss them so much, especially my mom. Jack informs my parents that we’ll be flying out to Boston soon and that he can’t wait. I like that—he wants to go to my home where I grew up and spend time with my family.
After we drop them off Jack’s phone starts ringing.
“DW, what’s up?” he asks.
I can’t hear the other end of the call, but it sounds like he’s asking if my parents are on their way home. That’s really nice of him. I know Jack looks up to him like a father figure, and it makes me tingle that he’s checking in on them. When the call’s over, Jack puts his arm around my shoulder, and we make our way back home.
Home.
I love it.
Chapter 23
His and Hers
Payton
It’s been a week since my parents went back home and a little over month since the whole ‘kidnapping by morons incident,’ and even though the police confiscated my car after the ordeal, they still didn’t locate the jump drive those assholes were looking for. When my car was finally released from evidence, which was only a couple of days ago, Jack and I thoroughly searched it and still found nothing. Either Dag lied to those guys about stashing it in my car, or he put it there and moved it later. I mean, why would he tell them where it was, if they were going to kill him anyway? Maybe he was just trying to buy some time. The police still haven’t located Dag’s body, and the guys responsible for his death aren’t talking about it.
When I told Jack about the time I came home and found Dag waiting for me on my bed and how pissed I was at him, he thought it’d be worth our while checking out my old bedroom. Amber and Molly still hadn’t gotten a new roommate, so the room was empty. We searched the closet and the adjoining bathroom, but once again, came up with nothing.
The ATF and Jack’s team were floored when I told them about the fifth man in the group. With all of the surveillance and undercover work, they completely missed it, or the guy simply got wind of the whole operation and managed to stay out of radar. I guess he didn’t give a fuck whether his other partners in crime got caught or not.
When Jack has to leave me alone because of work, he always makes sure that I’m under protective detail by someone in uniform. He’s not taking
the chance that the missing link to his whole case is unknown, AWOL, and gunning for me. After our epically, amazing car sex he told me that he was relieved that I got out of that warehouse safe and fairly unharmed, but he was pissed that I took the risk that I did trying to escape. His anger didn’t last long, though, because as soon as we got home, he kept his promise to the medic and kept me up all night long and made sweet, slow, and desperate love to me. It was freaking incredible!
I’m thinking about all of this as I shower for the day, when suddenly the foggy glass door opens, and I turn around to witness Jack sizing me up in all my wet, naked glory.
“Fuck me,” he groans, as his eyes lazily move up my body, stopping when they meet my gaze. His gruff, throaty remark makes me instantly wet (well, wetter) and aching.
“Jack,” I whimper, slowly walking toward him. His hands grip me by the upper arms, pulling me into his hard chest.
“Devon called with a lead on the fifth guy, so I’ve got to check it out. I’ll breathe easier knowing this fucker can’t get to you,” he softly says against my mouth, placing a tender kiss against my lips. I nuzzle my face into his neck, breathing in his scent as he places soft, lingering kisses along the side of my face, down my neck, and across my shoulder. Even with the warmth from the enveloping steam rising from the shower, my body’s only reaction is to shiver as goose bumps spread across my skin.
“Please be careful, baby,” I mumble against his neck.
“I will, and I’ll be back before you know it,” he says reassuringly.
“Okay,” I say, lifting my head up toward him and pressing my lips against his again. His tongue slides into my mouth, gently stroking and tasting me. We both groan in unison as the kiss deepens. Our laughter bubbling interrupts our kiss.
“Langston’s on duty today. He’s down in the kitchen having a cup of Joe. If you go anywhere, make sure he’s with you,” he tells me.
“Okay. Have I told you I love you yet today?” I ask him.
“Yeah, but I never get tired of hearing it,” he admits.
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