I might be wounded, but I need her right now, need to touch her, hold her, feel her. I need to know this is real, that she’s not going anywhere.
Maybe she needs this moment as much as I do. It sure as hell feels like it, and when it comes to Kadence, I haven’t been wrong yet.
A second later we’re kissing, my tongue between her lips, my body pressed to hers.
A small noise leaves her, this one of want, of need…of being here with me.
Has me so fucking hard.
I can’t help the small noise that leaves me. She just feels too fucking good.
She breaks the kiss, panting.
“No, you’re injured. Let’s just rest, talk.”
But the way she looks at me after I grin tells me she knows I’m not about to let this end.
* * *
Kadence
We need to stop this because Aston needs to rest. But he’s alive and I want him. I want to feel him, to know he’s here with me.
He’s on me, pulling me closer, kissing me again until we’re somehow making our way downstairs, our mouths barely leaving each other’s.
I’m lost in the sensations, making it impossible for me to resist him, wounded or not. Doesn’t matter; I will always want this man.
We go to the bed, he lays me on it, his big body over mine, and I just absorb the feelings.
He starts to kiss and suck the side of my neck, completely ignoring the pain in his shoulder as if I’m all he cares about. Aston is thorough with his tongue and lips, making me squirm beneath him, ready to beg for his cock in me.
I try not to touch his shoulder, but I want to feel his heat, his strength. I want to know that this moment is happening.
The hot, hard length of him is between my thighs. He starts moving his hips back and forth, rubbing himself against me.
“I need you out of these fucking clothes,” he growls next to my ear. “Get them off.”
I don’t wait for him to ask twice.
Sitting up, I strip myself of my shirt and pants before reaching over and gently pulling Aston’s shirt up his body, until I’m tossing it on the floor next to mine.
I reach for his pants, to undo them, but Aston makes it hard, his mouth capturing mine and biting as I struggle to undress us both, until we’re both finally free of our clothing and panting into each other’s mouths.
I look down as much as I can, and with the way Aston hovers over me, I can see his cock sliding through my cleft. It’s so damn arousing, and I know I can get off from this alone.
His cockhead moves against my clit every time he presses his dick upward. I groan at how good it feels, wanting and needing it inside of me before I go crazy with this need.
“How much do you want me?” he whispers against my lips while wrapping his hand around my throat. He gives it a gentle squeeze and moves his cock against me again. “How fucking much?”
I want to feel him stretching me, pushing into me hard. I want to feel like what happened, him getting hurt, nearly dying, was a dream.
A nightmare.
He starts to swirl his tongue around the shell of my ear, causing my lips to part and my eyes to close.
“I need you in me, now.”
Without breaking away, Aston releases my throat and reaches between our bodies, grabs his cock, and places the tip at the entrance of my pussy.
Everything inside of me stills, my hands gripping his back, preparing for his intrusion. For his thickness to fill me, to consume me.
“I can’t go slow. The thought of you getting hurt or killed because of me makes me fucking insane. I’m about to show you just how much I need you.”
All I can do is nod and hold on tight, more than ready to take him, to feel him. Everything he has to give me.
In one deep, hard thrust he shoves his thickness into me, causing me to scream and dig my nails into his muscular back. His balls are pressed right up against my body once he buries himself all the way inside me. I am stretched to the max, the pain mixing with the pleasure, making me hungry for more.
“Fuck,” he says harshly. He pushes in and out, over and over, groaning with every thrust and retreat.
I scream against his sweaty neck, holding on for dear life as he takes me hard. Fast and hard, as if he needs to be inside me to survive. As if we need each other to breathe. And in this moment, I do.
I lift my gaze to his abdomen, seeing his six-pack clench and relax with every thrust. He slams his pelvis against mine, the sound of sloppy sex so arousing.
With just a few more hard thrusts from Aston, I’m coming around his cock, scraping my nails down his back, most likely drawing blood.
This has Aston growling into my neck, his hands gripping me anywhere he can as he continues to pound into me until I feel his cum filling me once again.
“You’re so fucking perfect, Kadence.” He slams into me and stops. “And you’re mine.”
24
Kadence
We spend the next couple of hours alternating between fucking and catching our breath, until we finally find ourselves lying in his bed, him holding me as he talks about his old life.
The one he had before his parents got murdered.
Hearing all the stories of how his parents hurt their children rips my heart out, only giving me more of an understanding of the lives of the Locke boys.
I can’t even imagine going my whole childhood afraid of what my parents might do next. Afraid of what new way they might find to physically hurt or torture me.
It wasn’t until their uncle Killian, found out and stepped in that the boys moved into the safety of his home.
The boys should’ve been safe then, but their parents always found some way to manipulate the boys out of their uncle’s house and back with them, until the process started all over again.
Aston was just moving of his parents’ house for the fourth and final time when he stopped at home late at night to pack his belongings. He found his parents murdered and two dealers robbing them of anything of worth.
The dealers assumed he was alone and stabbed him three times, leaving him for dead, but Sterling and Ace were just outside, smoking a joint and waiting for him.
As soon as they saw the dealers running from the front door, they rushed into the house to find Aston on the floor, bleeding to death.
Sterling took care of Aston until the ambulance arrived, while Ace tracked down the dealers and made them pay.
He killed them both without question, and I have a feeling that when it comes to protecting each other, that they’d kill every single time.
The Locke brothers have been hard and cold ever since, not letting fear cripple them anymore.
“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper into Aston’s neck. “I hate that you almost died. That you could’ve died tonight too. The thought kills me, Aston. I can’t lose you. I won’t.”
He pulls me onto his hard chest and kisses my forehead, giving me the reassurance I need right now. “That shit ain’t going to happen. Nothing is going to fucking keep me from you. Ever. Never forget that. I don’t give a shit what it takes. I’ll never stop fighting when it comes to being with you.”
His words relax me, causing me to fall further into him, allowing his embrace to comfort me. “I hope so,” I say gently. “I’m in too deep with you now.”
“Me too, baby. Me too.”
I practically jump out of Aston’s arms when there’s a loud bang on his bedroom door.
“Holy shit!” I grab my chest and bury myself under the sheet.
I feel Aston laugh against my arm before he pulls me back to him and yells to whoever’s knocking on the door. “What do you want, asshole?”
“We need to discuss some shit,” Sterling yells back. “Get dressed and come upstairs. You’ve got five minutes or we’re coming to you.”
“Fuck.” Aston sits up and runs his hands through his slick hair. “He’s right. Even though we roughed these motherfuckers up and showed them we’re not to be messed with,
we need to come up with a solution for you and your roommate. These guys weren’t playing. They came here ready to take us out and hurt us in any way possible. It nearly took Ace drowning a motherfucker to get them to finally back off and leave, agreeing to our terms if we took it easy on them. Still, I don’t trust them.”
We both crawl out of bed and begin getting dressed. I can see how tense Aston is, as if he’s busy thinking about me getting hurt.
“We’re gonna need to find you guys somewhere else to live. It needs to be somewhere safe and closer to us so we can keep an eye out on you two better. Even though we made it clear we wanted those fuckers out of town by tonight, you can never be too safe.”
Aston grabs my hand, keeping me close. I follow him upstairs to where his brothers are eating a pizza and chilling on the couch as if they hadn’t just almost killed or gotten killed.
Aston didn’t go into detail about what happened out there, besides Ace almost drowning someone, and honestly I don’t want to know. Their enemies were out for blood when they arrived, but the three Locke brothers are still breathing. All I care about is that the boys took care of them before they were able to take care of the Locke brothers.
Ace pats the seat next to him and gives me a sexy little wink. “Sit. Have some pizza.”
I get ready to sit down, but Aston sits first, pulling me into his lap and wrapping his strong arms around me. “All right. Let’s discuss this shit so I can get my girl back to bed. It’s late.”
Sterling shakes his head and hands me a slice of pizza, which I take and begin eating. It’s well past two now, and suddenly my stomach is growling.
“I called Uncle Killian, and he’s looking into a few properties nearby that we can get our hands on. Said he might have some connections. We should have word within a few days.” Sterling tosses his pizza down and gives me a stern look. “I’m sure Aston already told you the plan. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Being sorry isn’t something us Lockes do very well. We need you to do this for us. Got it?”
I nod my head and lean into Aston as he holds me tighter to him to comfort me and let me know that I’m safe in the hands of him and his brothers.
My safety isn’t something I’m concerned about when it comes to the Lockes. It’s getting Melissa to agree that worries me.
She already hates the idea of the Lockes even coming close to our house. I can’t imagine how she’s going to take us needing to move next to them and into their safety.
“I’ll talk to my roommate tomorrow and let her know what the plan is. It’s going to take some convincing to get her to agree, but I’m down for anything that you guys feel is safe for us. I trust you guys, and I’m going to do my best to get her to as well.”
“Good.” Sterling stands up and hands me a beer. “Welcome to the circle.”
I feel Aston smile against my neck before he kisses his way up it. A small moan escapes me, causing him to growl into my ear.
“Finish that beer so I can take you back to my bed. I’m not done with you yet. I won’t be for a long fucking time.”
Holy fuck… I don’t want him to be. Ever.
* * *
Aston
One week later
I stare at Melissa and Kadence as they argue over what they need to keep and what needs to get trashed.
They’ve been doing this for the last three hours, and I have to admit that it’s been quite amusing.
Her roommate wasn’t comfortable with us helping them move at first, but after I made it clear that there was no way in hell we weren’t helping, she calmed down a bit, allowing us to touch her things.
Doesn’t mean she hasn’t been watching our every move from the corner of her eye as if she expects us to bite her or some shit.
I am a possessive bastard when it comes to Kadence.
I don’t fucking deny that.
Her friend Melissa is important in her life, and although I don’t want Kadence staying right across the street from the assholes we sent away, I’m not going to leave her friend high and dry and put her in potential danger.
So we helped them find a place closer to us with the assistance of Killian. It’s nicer, not near where those fuckers lived, and I’m five damn minutes from Kadence.
Sterling and I are helping them move, and Ace is setting up some security shit at their new place. Can never be too cautious when it comes to the safety of my girl. Even with having her close, you never know what the fuck could happen.
There’s some pretty fucked-up people in this town.
I assumed Melissa would have been totally against this whole idea, but once we told her what had gone down with those fuckers, me getting shot, and Kadence in danger, she was more than willing to pack up and move where it was safe. Apparently she just wasn’t expecting us to physically be here helping.
“One last time, ladies.” Sterling holds up an ugly old lamp that looks like it was salvaged from the dumpster. “Is this shit coming with or staying? Please tell me this ugly fucker is going in the trash.”
“Staying,” Kadence says quickly before Melissa can respond. “Staying.”
“I like it, but fine.” Melissa rolls her eyes at Kadence. “Toss the damn thing. Less junk to unpack.”
Sterling grins and throws his cigarette down. “Good fucking choice. This is the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen.” He kicks the lamp across the yard and jumps up to close the back of the truck. “I’m gonna do one more sweep to make sure those assholes are really gone and not just hiding out. I’ll meet you at the girls’.”
I nod my head and turn to the girls. “You two ready to roll?”
Kadence and Melissa stop by the moving truck, look back at the house, and then glance at me.
“As ready as we will be,” Kadence says, and I pull her into the hardness of my body, reminding her that I’ll do anything to protect her.
She’s one of us now. She’s mine and I protect what is mine, no matter the consequences.
“Then let’s roll.”
Epilogue
Kadence
Six months later
I stare at the bonfire in the center of the Locke brothers’ property and smile. Aston is beside me, his new guitar in hand as he strums on it.
The sound is peaceful, lulling almost.
I’ve gotten so used to this that I’m not sure what it would feel like not to be here right now, under the stars with the Locke brothers.
It’s something we’ve been doing every Saturday for the last six months. Even on the colder nights, we still find our way out here in the stillness of the night sitting around a fire having drinks and just giving each other hell.
The boys have been doing this for years now. It’s their way of letting each other know that they’re a family and nothing will ever break them apart.
It’s their short moment of peace in the chaos of their lives. If it weren’t for these moments, then I’m more than positive they’d lose their shit.
“You fucker,” Ace says to Sterling while elbowing him hard in the chest. “Get your own beer. You saw my ass just grab that one and set it down.”
Sterling holds up the bottle with a cocky grin. “You know what happens when you leave shit sitting around. Becomes available to the first motherfucker to grab it.”
Ace reaches under his chair for another beer. “It’s cool.” He pops the top and sits back. “Good thing I’m always prepared.”
I start to laugh because this is pretty typical of these guys. And to be honest I’m loving it. I feel like I’m at home, like they are my family.
It’s a damn good feeling.
I glance at Melissa, who over the last few months has actually warmed up to the idea of hanging out with them. This is the eighth bonfire she’s joined us for, and she seems to fight less and less with each time I ask her to come.
She was still hesitant at first. But she saw how much Aston cared about me, and how much I do for him. She realized this is my life now.
Aston is the man I l
ove. He’s where I feel the safest.
“Beer?” Aston hands me one, and I smile and grab it. Before I can take a drink, he grabs my face and kisses me hard, reminding me, just like every day, that I’m his.
I love that about Aston. He’s not afraid to show me every single day that I’m his and he’ll do anything for me. It doesn’t matter what it is, anything I ever fucking ask—although I try not to ask for much.
Truthfully all I want is for him to be there for me, and that’s something I know he’ll always be. He’s proved that every day for over six months, and I’ve done everything I can to do the same for him.
Leaning against him, I tilt my beer back, taking a small sip. It’s cold and runs down my throat, this hoppy, bitter taste that covers my tongue.
I watch the flames again, wondering how my life ended up here. I love it, I really do. I feel like I’ve finally found my family, like what I was given in life led up to this moment.
“Chug, little sister,” Sterling says with a grin.
I smile, the endearment hitting my heart. They welcome me, see me as their family, too.
I glance at Melissa, and see she’s grinning. I’m glad she came around and is happy hanging with us, being around them.
She’s my family too, my sister, and without her in my life I would be lost.
“Come here, baby,” Aston says and pulls me into his lap, his strong arms holding me protectively.
“Come on, chug, Kadence. There are a lot more beers to go around, and this night isn’t over until they’re all fucking gone.” Ace tilts back his beer right before he falls to the ground from Sterling kicking his chair over. “Fucker,” he growls before placing the beer back to his lips and taking a drink anyways. “I can drink from here just fine.”
“Ignore them and kiss me,” Aston says, and before I can do or say anything, he’s kissing me, making everything else around us disappear. His mouth on mine always seems to do that. Makes me feel as if it’s just the two of us. No one has ever been able to make me feel this happy, and I know from the way he treats me, like I’m his fucking everything, that no one has ever made him feel this happy either.
Locke Brothers Series Page 9