PowerHouse_Anti-Hero Game_Power Chain Book One

by Chelsea Camaron

  This strong, arrogant, ruthless jerk was scared. Of me. While some may like that feeling, I did not. He had nothing to be scared of with me.

  “Will you take me to the Manor?”

  His head swiveled so fast, and it felt damn good to put the shocked look there. I was cutting myself open for him, laying it out there; it was my first step. I needed him to grab me so I didn’t fall, and I prayed that he would.

  “Are you sure?”

  I held my hand out to him as he looked back at the road, then placed his warmth in mine. “I’ve missed you, and I don’t want to do this anymore, Onyx. There’s a hole in my life where you were.”

  His chest rose and fell hard. “If you come back to the Manor, I’m not giving you up, Torryn. You’re not walking away from me and you have me—the good, bad, and ugly. This has to be your choice. And you have just seen some of how dark things can get. This is me, all of me.”

  He meant this with everything inside of him. I could practically see his heart on his sleeve. If you would have asked me months ago if the man had a heart, my answer would’ve been totally different. Now, he’s laying it bare, just as I was.

  “I choose you.”

  In profile, his lips tipped up wide as he pulled my hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it. “I choose you, too.”

  Relief swarmed, warm and calming. For the first time in days, hell months, I was able to breathe. He grabbed the rope of my life preserver and pulled me to him.

  “Call your sister and let her know you’re okay. She’s worried, then I’ll take you home.” He released my hand, pulled out his phone and handed it to me. “The code is seven-two-four-zero. I was seven when Dane came into my life and I wasn’t alone making us two, then when Pax and Garrett joined us, the four became zero because no one could touch us. Seven-two-four-zero, it’s also the gate code. Don’t share it, but don’t forget it.”

  Onyx Blake just gave me the code to his phone and his house. Something he had never done, not even to those he’s closest to. It made me unbelievably happy. He held my hand while I dialed the number, my sister picking up on the first ring.

  “Onyx? Where is she?”

  I gave him a slight squeeze. “It’s me, Kennedy. I’m fine. Well, a little bruised up, but I’m fine. Onyx is taking me home.”

  “What happened? When will you get there? Go to the hospital, Torryn, we can meet you there. Or come here, don’t go to your place alone.” The panic in her voice made me cringe. I loved my sister and never wanted her to feel scared, especially from me, but my gut told me not to tell her everything. If it was fear of Onyx getting in trouble with the law for what he had done, or I didn’t really know what, but I couldn’t.

  “I was in a car accident, and Onyx found me.”

  “But…” she started, but I continued.

  “Kennedy, love you, but can’t tell you any more. Just know that I’m safe.”

  “Talk to me, Tor,” she pleaded.

  “It’s been a helluva day, Kennedy. You got to have your secrets for how long from me?” I retorted harshly. I didn’t want to hurt her, but I refused to walk away from this chance with Onyx. “I promise I will talk to you about everything soon, but for now know I’m safe. I’m going home to rest.”

  Her deep exhale was filled with relief and a bit of anger. She wanted to know and I couldn’t begrudge her that, I just couldn’t tell her either. She had her secrets with her baby, and I had mine with Onyx. If someone asked me six months or a year ago if I would ever keep something from Kennedy, hands down the answer would be no. Onyx though, what we shared was ours, and I wanted to protect it with everything I had.

  “Fine. I’m on my way to your place. I’ll meet you there.”

  “No.” I cleared my throat. “I’m going to Onyx’s home, Kennedy, not to my apartment.”

  “But you said home.”

  Smiling, I replied, “Yeah, I did. I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you what’s going on. Give Ellie a big kiss from me. Love you.” I was too exhausted and sore to get into all this with her tonight.

  “Love you too, but just for the record, I’m not happy about you keeping things from me.”

  She knew I was safe with Onyx. While I never told her everything about my time at The Manor, she knew I was always protected with him.

  “Noted. And there was a time, you kept things from me. In the end you got your every dream come true so maybe this is mine. Bye.”

  “Bye.” She replied softly understanding where I was coming from.

  I clicked off the phone and started to set it down when Onyx interrupted me.

  “Go to contacts and hit Paxton, then put it on speaker.”

  Was it bad that I was seriously giddy that I was going to hear a conversation between these two. That I was getting a privilege no one ever got with Onyx. It only made me love him more.

  “Yeah.” The deep voice I remembered from my sister’s house came across the line.

  “Dane’s out. Need clean-up at the barn.”

  “Fuck,” Paxton growled. “You good?”

  “Yep.”

  “Good enough for me. I’ll get it handled.” The line went dead. Their relationship perplexed me, but it was something for another time.

  The drive didn’t take long and as soon as Onyx threw the SUV in park, he said, “Stay. I’m carrying you in.”

  “Onyx. I’m perfectly capable of walking.”

  His eyes narrowed on me. “You’re hurting and what did I tell you about lying?”

  “It’s not a lie. I can walk.”

  “But does it hurt?”

  I chewed on my bottom lip. “Yeah, but you didn’t ask that.”

  His smile turned his face from threatening to enigmatic in the matter of seconds. “I’m carrying you, babe.”

  A blush crept my cheeks. That was the first time he’d ever called me babe, and hell if it didn’t make me feel like a damn teenager again. He strode around the car, opening my door and picking me up with ease. He unlocked the door, still holding all my weight. With my arms wrapped around his neck, I rested my head on his shoulder, inhaling him.

  Onyx carried me in, and my breath caught. Color. There was color on the walls. It was a bluish-gray color that looked almost like slate. “You painted?”

  “I didn’t, but I had people come in.”

  “Why?” The curiosity got the better of me. It was such a huge change from white to color, and made the room look so much more welcoming.

  He leaned into me, touching his lips to mine. “It was stark without you.”

  Tears welled in my eyes as he kissed me sweetly, our tongues dancing, my body coming alive from what felt like a dormant three months. I thought he was going to take me to the bedroom but, instead, he started walking in the direction of the library.

  The door was open and my mouth fell in utter and complete shock. Books. They were everywhere from the tallest part of the bookcase that practically touched the ceiling, down to the floor. There were only two shelves empty in the entire place.

  The walls were painted the same color as the entry way, but there were so many white shelves that now burst with color, you didn’t see it much. A huge rug dancing with blues, grays, and blacks sat underneath a couch and two chairs. One of which was the white one Onyx and I first had sex on. The other two were a mix of the same blues, grays, and blacks.

  I was bowled over. “This is beautiful, Onyx.”

  He sat on the couch, pulling me with him and sitting me on top of him. “Those shelves over there”—he pointed to the far wall that housed two tall shelves—“are books you had in storage. You loved this room so much, even though you weren’t going to be here, I wanted to have a space that was you.”

  Tears cascaded down my face at his declaration. “You wanted me here with you?”

  He gripped the back of my neck, pulling me to him and kissing my lips. “Yeah.”

  “You didn’t call or come see me.” The disappointments were hard to mask.

  His fingers p
ulled back some of my hair from my eyes. “Needed you to do that. Forced you before, I wasn’t doing that again.”

  A small chuckle left my lips. “And here I was waiting for you, all the while you were waiting for me. We’re fucked up, Onyx.”

  “Nah, babe. Nothing about us is fucked up. It’s the only real thing I’ve ever felt.”

  Kissing him was my favorite thing. It was intimate and binding. It was exactly what I felt with this man. Bound to him. Like we had this connection that was soul searing. As we sank into one another, kissing and feeling, I’d never in my life been happier than that moment. At least with a man, Ellie being born was pretty up there.

  I shifted and groaned from pain, breaking the spell we were under. “You’re going to bed, and I’m checking you out.”

  He pulled his phone out first, dialing before I could protest leaving this room. “Need you at my house. Code is one-four-one-zero. Come in the door and up the stairs to my bedroom.”

  I gasped as he hung up the phone. “You said the code was the same as your phone? And you gave your gate code out? Do you have a fever?”

  “Babe, I’d do just about anything for you.” He rose with me in his arms. “And I’ll just change it when the doc leaves. That code is for guests and something I rotate regularly. I use a different one when I have to give it out so I can track if anyone ever comes in. Safety and privacy.”

  “How long will the doctor take to get here?”

  He shrugged. “Fifteen, twenty minutes.”

  I smiled wickedly. Yes, there was pain, but I needed more of a connection with Onyx. We needed to go back to where all of this started. I needed to feel him everywhere. “Sit down, Onyx.”

  His brow quirked. “Babe, gotta know, you giving directions isn’t going to work.”

  “Onyx,” I warned, and he smiled.

  After sitting down, I straddled him. My legs ached and so did my back, but nothing was keeping me from this. I’d endure the pain, tears, or whatever it took to have this closeness with him that I’d missed for way to long.

  Straddling him, his hands came to my hips. “I need you,” I whispered. With only his shirt covering my body, I tossed it to the floor to which he growled.

  “Don’t like seeing all those bruises.”

  “I know, but right now, nothing else matters but us.”

  He looked as if he were going to object so I started rocking my hips, feeling his hard erection rubbing my core. “I’ll even beg,” I taunted, bringing his attention back to me and away from the marks.

  “Will you, now.”

  “Yes,” I whispered, kissing him. “I need to fuck you, Onyx. I want to ride you.”

  His cock twitched. It only took him seconds to rip the underwear from my bottom and have his cock out of his jeans. When I lowered on him, I felt complete for the first time in my life. I was his, he was mine, and that was all that mattered in this world.

  He touched me deep, wrapping himself around me tightly. There was no movement, we were still and when I looked down into his eyes, pure fire and desire shone in them. He needed me just as much as I needed him.

  We kissed and I began to move up and down his length. Sparks flew between us, sending off sensations all over my body. All pain was pushed aside as I used my knees as leverage. Over and over we connected in and out, deep and shallow, all the while our lips never leaving each other.

  The build was rough and intense, yet our movements were sweet and calm. This wasn’t fucking. This was something completely different. Love. Connection. Bond. Together. All of it wrapped together, tying us together whole and complete.

  “I love you,” I cried out as the orgasm tore through me. My hands gripped his neck as wave after wave crashed through me. Onyx grunted, slamming his hips up and spilling himself inside of me.

  Breaths were hard to catch, and I settled my face in his neck. We sat there for long moments, each of us gaining our voices.

  “Torryn?”

  I lifted, looking into his eyes that swirled with so much emotion it smacked me in my soul. “Didn’t know what love was until you came into my life. Damn sure didn’t think I ever deserved it. But, baby, you’ve got me, and I fucking love you.”

  On a smile and happiness in my heart, I leaned down kissing him, my tears falling over both of us. This was what joy felt like, finding that one person who made you whole in a way that would devastate you if they left. That’s what being away from Onyx was—complete devastation. Now he wasn’t getting rid of me, and I would never get rid of him.

  30

  Onyx

  One Month Later

  With her legs spread wide, I devoured her pussy, licking and sucking. Torryn woke with a start, rising up with a moan.

  “Onyx,” she cried out sleepily.

  I continued flicking my tongue as I slid my finger inside her pussy, loving the feel of her coming alive under me. She was extra warm from sleep, the perfect concoction.

  “Who needs coffee?” she muttered as she flopped back onto her pillow. “I have a man who can work his tongue.”

  I laughed as her body tightened in her building climax. “Gotta get there, Torryn,” I said as I added a finger.

  “Your cock, give me all of you, Onyx.”

  With chaste kisses up her belly, stopping briefly to tease her belly button that I loved, I worked her with my fingers until I finally kissed my way to her lips. “Bossy woman! You know how I feel about being ordered,” I joked. My lips met hers and our tongues greeted each other for the morning.

  I removed my fingers and inched my cock inside her.

  “Would you really deny me?” she teased.

  “Never,” I admitted honestly. “Not a damn thing I wouldn’t give you.”

  I moved in and out of her slowly at first until her hips arched wanting more. Only then did I quicken our pace until she was crying out in ecstasy before I found my own release.

  Every night going to bed with her in my arms and every morning waking with her became a new comfort. After I finished giving her a thorough good morning, I showered and left. She would spend the day with her sister and niece before doing some work because yes, she wanted to keep her job. We compromised with her doing freelance from home. I kept a busy schedule and wanted to have time with her. Knowing my business and the hours it forced me to keep, she understood. Kennedy wasn’t thrilled about our relationship at first. I didn’t give a fuck, but Torryn did. Slowly, her sister was coming around. We may not have family birthdays together yet, but I refused to lose Torryn so the quicker the Lanier’s understood that then better for us all.

  Unfortunately, I had responsibilities so I couldn’t spend every waking moment with my cock buried inside her. Today, I made the drive to Philadelphia wishing I didn’t have to attend these meetings.

  Walking in, Dane, Paxton, and Garrett were already in their seats.

  “Fuck, she’s got you,” Dane muttered, standing to give me a hand slap into a shoulder bump greeting. “Coming in here looking all relaxed and shit. Looks good on ya, Onyx.”

  I should be pissed that Torryn made me soft. I wasn’t. If the need to kill arose, I’d do it and not blink. Had I changed? Yes, I now wanted color in my life. Fuck, I actually wanted life, family, and love—things I never saw in my future. When her name popped up on the client information packet, I recognized it from James, yes. My gut said she would be important. So yes, I did some truly fucked up things like buying a closet full of clothes. Each garment I personally selected just for her. While I didn’t intend for her to be at her sister’s house that day, I saw the opportunity and took it. It seemed I was even a step ahead of myself.

  Garrett stood and gave me a quick handshake. “Seeing this shit with you, gotta say, Onyx, you definitely don’t like to be dismissed,” he joked since he was there when Torryn McAllister dismissed me, setting the ball rolling for me to go after her.

  Yeah, in the beginning I wanted to teach her a lesson for ignoring me, then James a lesson in life, but in the end the pe
rson who was taught a lesson was me.

  Love was powerful, overwhelming, and all-consuming. It wasn’t weak, it wasn’t dangerous, and it wasn’t going to crumble an empire. It was strong, motivating, and the most fulfilling thing in my life.

  Paxton stood flipping the Zippo lighter in his hand first before sliding it into his pocket. “Happy for ya.” He gave me a nod, and I returned the sentiment.

  “Let’s get down to business.” Garrett sat back down and pulled out files.

  Catching up on each client, surrogate, our financials, and our legal needs, we were ready to close out the meeting. I had this pull deep in my gut that was ready to be back home with Torryn. She had text twice, the most recent she was at Kennedy’s playing with Ellie. Her niece was beautiful, and Torryn was completely smitten. My phone screen was a picture of Torryn and Ellie while Torryn’s was a picture of me with Ellie. Yes, we had become that couple, so settled in together.

  The conference room door flew open. The woman on the other side had a face full of rage and a gun in her hand.

  “Paxton fucking Williams, you son-of-a-bitch,” she screeched while Paxton stood with his hands held up in surrender.

  Dane made the first move, pulling his own gun and aiming it at her.

  “Hello, Laurel,” Paxton greeted the woman calmly. He even took out a cigarette and put it to his lips but didn’t light it. He looked to us. “Go ahead and leave, guys. Don’t shoot her and no matter what you hear, you don’t come back.” He smirked while Dane reluctantly lowered his weapon.

  “Don’t think that’s smart,” I replied as I took in the venom in this woman’s glare.

  “Oh Laurel would be happy to kill me, but she can’t and she knows it,” Paxton told us casually.

  Garrett passed Paxton with a shoulder squeeze and stepped to the woman. “Don’t shoot him in the balls, that shit just ain’t right, k?” he joked as he exited.

  If Garrett was willing to leave and Paxton wanted us to step out, then I would honor the man’s request.