The Lies Between Us

by M. N. Forgy

  She slowly turns her head, tears running down her face.

  “You really hurt me,” she mutters, her lips trembling with emotion. My chest constricts and I grab her face, bringing it close to mine.

  “I know, and I’ll never do it again, Cherry,” I promise.

  Her fingers dive into my hair, and her legs clamp around my waist.

  “I’m sorry, too, Lip. I wanted to tell you. But I was too afraid of not only losing you, but putting myself and Piper in danger,” she murmurs.

  “I know. We both fucked up,” I add, circling the apple of her cheek.

  The wind gusts, blowing her hair around her face. I kiss her sugary lips and slip my tongue inside her warm mouth, tasting her. Hands slip under my shirt, and her nails dig into my skin. The pain makes me hiss, but the wolfish look on her face has me lowering my head and smirking at her.

  “I know in my head I should give you up, walk away. But my heart wants you, and I can’t for the life of me turn my back on you,” she whispers, a raindrop sliding down her face and finding purchase right on the edge of her upper lip.

  “I told you when you met me, I’d damage you for any man left in my wake.”

  I grab her by the thighs and push her back against the tree. My hands slip under her wet top, grasping her firm tits. She leans her face in and sucks my earlobe into her warm mouth, and my cock throbs painfully as it strains against my jeans. I turn us and lower her feet to the ground gently.

  Grabbing her wet top, I pull it over her head, leaving her in nothing but her white lacybra. She looks so innocent in it, so I leave it. She grabs the hem of my shirt and tears it off my head, her arms shaky, movements rushed. I grab her by the wrist and pull her close to me.

  “Don’t rush,” I demand.

  She blinks, the raindrops weaving through the vines of the tree, planting themselves on her freckled skin. Her hands fumble with my jeans, and she shoves them down. My dick springs free, and I moan with relief. I undo my boots and kick my jeans off the rest of the way.

  Cherry lies on her back on the ground, and her chest rises as she takes a large breath. I crawl on all fours over to her and hover over her, right in her line of sight.

  My hand slips up her soft thigh, the pads of my fingers soaking up the raindrops. The feel of her silky skin against my palm nearly makes me blow my load. I undo her shorts and find her white lacy thong under it. I swipe my index and middle finger along the thin fabric and pull the dainty material down her legs.

  Pushing her knees open, her wet, pink pussy is ready and waiting for me. I thumb her clit, and she bucks against my touch. A sly smirk crosses my face at how well her body responds to me. Leaning down, I kiss her clit, suck it into my mouth, and then nip it hard. She moans and squirms her hips along my face. The taste of her is sweet with a tone of musk. I love it. I could eat her pussy all day. The swirl of her hips as she rides my face is something I’d never get used to.

  I push myself up and plant a kiss right above the apex of her thighs. Grabbing her hips, I flip her onto her knees, and she catches herself before she face-plants right into the green grass. Having her on all fours is fucking exotic. I rub my palm along her right ass cheek, my fingers nearly touching her wetness, teasing her. She flips her head back, her hair splaying across her back.

  “Jesus, Cherry,” I mutter, caressing the skin of her back with one hand and her ass with the other. “That day I picked you up from the side of the road, I never intended on letting you go.”

  She turns her head, her mouth pouty and eyes heavy. I can’t help it; I grit my teeth and smack her ass. She lolls her head back and moans, “Yes!”

  “Don’t you ever leave,” I mutter, rubbing the red handprint staining her skin. “Do you hear me? You’re mine; you can’t escape me.” She doesn’t reply, so I slap it again.

  “I won’t,” she moans. I grab the base of my dick and position it right along her wetness. Swiping the head of my cock back and forth through her lips, jolts of pleasure pulse through it with the simple contact. I can’t take the torture any longer, so I push the head in and her back lifts as I fill her tight cunt.

  I close my eyes and relish in the feel of her warm, tight pussy. It’s like I’ve never felt her before, like it’s our first time together. Maybe it is; now that we don’t have burdens breathing in our ear, we’re free to feel and do as we please.

  Thrusting into her hard, she moans loudly. The storm thunders all around us, and I drive my hips into her once more. I notice her fingers dig into the grass and her body trembles with pleasure. I lean over her, my chest on her back, and grab both of the damp cups of her bra as I pound into her over and over. Pressure builds in my balls, and my cock is as hard as it gets. She moans, pants, and growls, sounding like a fucking animal as I give her everything I got. I give her Phillip fucking DeLuca.

  “Oh, my God, Lip!” she shouts, but nobody can hear her screams of pleasure, so I don’t let up.

  My knees slip on the wet grass, and my toes anchor themselves into the dirt beneath. I nip on her back before kissing it softly. I slip my hand up her chest and onto the base of her neck.

  Her legs open up and her pussy becomes wetter—she’s getting close. As I reach around her hips, swirling her clit, her sex clamps down on my dick and I can’t hold back anymore. My knees give out and I fall on top of her, causing her hands and knees to collapse. I thrust into her a few more times as I reach the end of my release.

  Realizing I might be crushing her, I roll over and look up at the tree’s vines.

  “Oh. My. God.” She pants between each word. I just nod, out of breath.

  She rolls over and I watch her out of the corner of my eye. Her hands and knees are grass-stained, her skin flushed from coming. She rolls over onto her stomach, her red ass glowing amongst her soft skin.

  “The storm passed,” she says, pointing to the sky. I look out into the distance and see the sun splitting behind the dark clouds. Sitting up, I grab my briefs.

  “We’d better get back. They’ll be looking for us.”

  Her head hangs. I can tell she’s over-thinking something.

  “What?” I ask, pulling on my clothes.

  She shakes her head and sits up. “What does this mean?”

  I bite at my lip ring, unsure. I know she means us having sex. What does it mean for us? Where do we stand?

  “I’m not sure.” It’s the truth.

  She gives me a pained look; I hurt her feelings again. What did she want me to say, that we’re a happily-ever-after couple? It would be a lie.

  “Look, I could lie to you, tell you what you want to hear. I don’t know where we stand, but I know I want to move forward with you, Cherry. Lies breed resentment, and we’ll be right back where we were.”

  Her face relaxes with that, and a smirk crosses her face. “You’re right.”

  “Come on, let’s get back,” I hold my hand out and she grabs it. My hand tingles as if it’s the first time she’s held it. Maybe I can actually feel now that I’m not told what to feel.

  ***

  Pulling into the club parking lot, I notice Shadow backing his bike into his spot. I pull in right next to him, and Cherry’s arms tighten around my waist. She’s been waiting for Shadow to return. Turning my bike off, I take my helmet off and eye him.

  “You get anything?” I question.

  Shadow takes his helmet off and swipes his hand through his hair. “Yeah. Eric and the judge are working together, it seems. Let’s find Bull and figure out how we should proceed.”

  “And Piper, is she okay?” Cherry blurts.

  Shadow nods. “Yeah, she’s fine from what I can see.”

  Cherry’s body sags in relief. I help her off the bike and brush hair from her face.

  “Let me take care of this,” I state.

  Her hands cup mine and her gray eyes look right through me, telling me I’d better not fuck this up.

  ***

  “Boys!” Bull hollers, waving us all to the chapel. All the patche
d-in brothers head toward the table, sitting in our regular spots.

  “What did you get, son?” Bull questions Shadow.

  “Well, Eric met up with Judge Calhoun twice. They’re working together to find Cherry. I tailed one of Eric’s goons and cornered him; he was easy enough to get information out of. He said the judge wants Cherry dead and is paying Eric to find the highest bidder. Between Eric’s shady friends and the judge’s high-profile resources, it won’t take them long to find her,” Shadow informs us.

  Bull runs his hands along the scruff on his cheeks.

  “I say we go visit this judge, put an end to this order. Then we go retaliate on this Eric fuck, show him what happens when you fuck with ours. We owe that much to Cherry,” Bull suggests. “All in favor?”

  Everyone around the table agrees.

  “Let’s get this done tonight, before they figure us out and we’re ambushed.” Bull knocks his knuckles on the top of the table and stands.

  When the doors open, Cherry is outside pacing back and forth.

  “What happened? What’s going on? What are you guys going to do?” Cherry rambles. I grab her upper arms to calm her.

  “We’re going to end the hit, and I’m going to teach that Eric fuck a lesson. You need to stay here with Kane and Tom Cat,” I explain.

  “Piper, what about Piper?” Her voice cracks. I bite my bottom lip and tighten my grip on her arms.

  “I’m going to bring her back, Cherry. I will. I’m going to do right by you, show you that you’re safe with me, no matter what kind of monster you may think I am.”

  She cups my cheeks and purses her lips. “You’re not a monster, Lip.”

  “Stay here, Cherry. I mean it.” I demand.

  “Lip! Let’s go!” Bobby hollers.

  I pull from Cherry’s grip and point at Kane. “You protect her, or I’ll break your face,” I threaten. Kane smirks, not fazed at all by my promises.

  “You got it, brother.”

  LIP

  We follow Shadow for what seems like forever, passing the ramps I met Cherry on until eventually we pull up on a nice, three-story house. There are lights shining upon it, and the landscaping looks expensive as hell. This must be the judge’s house. Shadow stops a block away, turning off his bike.

  “There’s no other way in. He has the place armed, and I can’t seem to hack through it.” Shadow shrugs.

  “So what, we just go knock on the fucking door and say ‘excuse me, but we’re here to fucking break your knee caps’?” Sarcasm drips from my voice.

  Bull laughs.

  “Pretty much.” Shadow chuckles.

  We pull into his driveway and park. I shake my head; I can’t believe we are just going to walk up to his front door. As we go, we pass a koi pond and a camera on the side of the house.

  “Should I just knock?” Bobby shrugs.

  “Nah, ring the doorbell.” I smirk, jutting my head toward the lit-up doorbell button.

  “This is humiliating.” Bobby shakes his head and rings the bell.

  Minutes later, the door slowly opens, and the judge is scowling at us. He’s bald and has on little glasses. He’s sporting a beer gut, with a white shirt and suspenders attached to some black slacks.

  “The Devil’s Dust, I’ve been expecting you,” he greets. “Come in.” He turns and Bull steps into the house.

  “Have you now?” Bull states.

  “Seems someone went back on their deal,” Judge Calhoun scoffs, sitting down in a high-backed brown leather chair.

  “Yeah, well, I know the girl and just couldn’t do it. I tried to keep her out of your hair, but what can I say—she’s a mother wanting her daughter.” Bull shrugs. Judge Calhoun nods and looks at the floor.

  “Right, I understand. That’s why I hired out this time. She will be dealt with,” Calhoun threatens. I step forward angrily.

  “Sorry, but that’s not going to work.” Bull sits in a chair across from the judge and crosses his legs.

  “Well, I’m afraid that’s not up to you. She is a threat, not only to me, but also to my brother.” Calhoun looks up from Bull to us. “My brother is Senator Calhoun, and if word gets out that I’m dirty, he’s ruined.”

  I sigh heavily. This cannot be happening.

  “I advise you to reconsider your options. Cherry doesn’t want to burn you, she just wants her kid,” Bull tries to negotiate. The judge laughs and reaches for a tumbler filled with amber liquid.

  “No deal. Now get out.”

  I grab my knife from its holster and step toward Judge Calhoun.

  “I’m about to make you reconsider,” I snarl.

  “Whoa!” Bull jumps up and grabs my arm.

  “You kill him, you’ll go down. He has cameras everywhere, and we drove up to his fucking house. Witnesses, Lip.” I flick my gaze from Bull to the judge.

  “I’m not about to walk away,” I inform.

  Bull scoffs. “Me either, son. I’m not saying we aren’t going to do what we have to. I’m just saying we need to go into this slowly.” Bull smiles wickedly. He doesn’t want to kill the judge; he wants to torture him into reconsidering.

  I nod, getting his point. The judge laughs a full belly laugh, thinking he’s won. I step forward, grip the butt of my knife and slam it into the top of his hand, anchoring it into the arm of his chair.

  His mouth pops open, his eyes wide as saucers. His hand releases the glass of amber, and it shatters into a million little shards as it collides with the floor.

  He jumps upright in his seat and starts to heave in excruciating pain.

  “All right, let’s try it this way,” I taunt.

  “Kill the hit on Cherry,” I suggest. He heaves again and tries to grab the knife, but whimpers when his fingers apply more pressure. Looking down, he shakes his head.

  “No, I won’t do it,” he croaks.

  Bobby walks up and pulls a knife that looks damn near identical to mine out of his pocket.

  “You wanna try again?” Bobby smirks. The judge looks up and his face goes pale with fear, but he doesn’t give in.

  “Your loss.” Bobby shrugs and thrusts his knife down toward the judge’s other hand.

  “Wait!” Judge Calhoun screams and Bobby stops, the blade of the knife a hair’s width away from the judge’s palm.

  “Oh, did we have a change of heart?” Bull grins.

  “Fine, I’ll lift it,” the judge pants. “But you’d better keep her mouth shut or the deal is off. She’ll die before she ever sees a trial against me.” His brows furrow.

  “The kid. We want the kid, too,” I add. Bull turns his head, looking at me like I’ve lost it.

  “I can’t, that’s all I got.” Judge Calhoun shakes his head.

  I step forward and push down on the knife, enjoying the sound of the blade crunching through tendons and veins. He hollers out and tries to grab my hand to stop my assault.

  “We want the kid,” I repeat.

  “Okay, o-okay. I’ll draw up the pa-paperwork, I’ll—” he stammers. “I’ll get you the damn kid, just get this fucking knife out of my hand!” he screams.

  I hunch down, my eyes meeting his dull ones. Grabbing the knife and fisting it hard, I twist the blade sideways, making sure it leaves a scar.

  “I want this to be a reminder the next time you slam that gavel down. Make sure you’re being honest and doing what you think is right by law and not by greed. This scar will remind you of why you’re on that stand, and what your duties really are, and that greed will only grant you pain and scar your soul in the end.”

  Just when I think he’s about to pass out, I pull the blade out and wipe it on my jeans.

  “So, we’re good?” Bull cocks his head to the side, eyeing the judge.

  “We’re good. Now get the fuck out!” Judge Calhoun points at his front door.

  “Great.” Bull smiles wolfishly.

  Walking out, Bull cups my shoulder and smiles at me. “You did good, kid. It takes a man not to kill another who wronged his
family.”

  I smirk, but inside I’m on fire. I want to kill that bastard, and as much as Bull doesn’t want me to, I will one day. That’s a promise.

  CHERRY

  Pacing the floor, I bite on my nails. They’ve been gone a long time. Worry sears through my chest like a hot blade.

  “Girl, you’re making me dizzy watching you go back and forth. Sit down and have a shot or something.” Dani sighs, sitting on a stool.

  I shake my head. “I can’t. I can’t stay here any longer.” I head toward the door, and Dani jumps from her seat.

  “Cherry, you can’t leave. Orders are you have to stay here!” Dani yells, following close behind me.

  I push the doors open and walk toward the club’s SUV. Seeing that my car was blown up, it will have to do.

  “Cherry!” Dani screams, walking out of the club. “You can’t go by yourself, it’s not safe!”

  I turn to look over my shoulder at Dani and slam into something hard. I trip backward, nearly falling on my ass. Looking at what I ran into, I find a man. He’s hard to make out with the shadows of the night smothering his features. An evil laugh sounds from behind the figure, and I look toward it, noticing a bunch of motorcycles and other dark shadows.