Tarnished

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Tarnished Page 23

by Erica Chilson


  In a calm voice, “No,” Willa comforts me some. “But Sean was Octavia Probst’s big brother.”

  Turning to the side, forehead still pressed into the cool wood, “What? I have a sister?”

  “The FBI are trying to figure out if Octavia has anything to do with any of this. When they first started, the civil lawsuit was on the national news, and their dark secret came to light. So Sean was just checking up on Donny, then he began begging money off him. Then the Probst brothers caught wind of what their big brother was doing and all hell broke loose.”

  “There’s more of them?” Rolling, my back slides down the door until I land firmly on my ass– subconsciously protecting it, I think. “They’re not related to me, are they?”

  “No.” Willa sits on the edge of the mattress, facing me. “Octavia is definitely your sister. She’s thirty-one years old, living in Virginia. Sean was the oldest and not the brightest, but he felt your daddy owed their family.”

  “I have a sister.” I taste the words on my tongue, and it feels strange but nice. “Sean’s gone now, and if my sister isn’t involved–”

  “I didn’t say she wasn’t,” Willa reminds me. “She’s just living her life, but that’s doesn’t mean jackshit. See, she has two other brothers. One’s a year younger than Sean named Damon. He’s in jail for putting a hit out on you two years ago, thinking with Donny in jail and you and Bren dead and with my entire family high out of our minds, Octavia had a chance at getting your daddy’s money, and Annie’s through the kids.”

  “Shit.”

  “It gets worse, and this is where the FBI comes into it. They can’t locate the youngest brother– Cain. We’re positive he’s the one who took control of Sean. He’s a ghost. We don’t even know what he looks like. But we do know that fucking with the Kennedys gave him a taste for extortion, and he’s targeting families who receive large settlements.”

  Charging to my feet, I whisper-shout at Willa, “Why wasn’t I told?”

  “What good would it have done, Royce?” Willa’s words stop me from committing something violent. “Your sister is trying to live her own life, and she knows where you are if she wants to introduce herself. We have no idea where Cain is, or when he’ll crop up. We have a security system on the house. The kids were safe in Gillette Holler, with Octavia’s brothers terrified of my daddy. What good would it have done making you a paranoid mess, when we needed you to take care of everyone and keep an eye on your money?”

  Pacing, eyes darting all over the place as my mind reels, words tumble from my lips. “You mean like I did to Wynn– am still doing to Wynn.”

  An ironic, humorless laugh echoes around the bedroom. “You said it, not me.” Willa falls backward to lie on the mattress. “Good grief, it’s been a horrific day.” Kicking her flip flops across the room, Willa makes herself comfortable. “It’s days like today that make me want to reach for a bottle of pills or a syringe. Sorry if that freaks your ass out, but it doesn’t make it any less true.”

  Terrified, voice breaking, “It’s my fault for pressing you.”

  “Don’t.” Not only can I hear the eye roll in Willa’s voice, I watch her do it. “I said it makes me want… not that I was actually gonna do it. I’ve worked too hard to go back down that road.” Closing her naughty, rolling eyes, she purrs, “Distract me. Make it all go away. At least until tomorrow.”

  Standing over Willa, watching how peaceful she looks with her eyes closed. Only the throb in her neck and the steady rhythm of her chest rapidly rising and falling betrays the fact that she isn’t as calm as she’s trying to appear.

  This is the first time in over a year that Willa has brought up using, so I know it’s riding close to the surface, ready to pull her under.

  After more than a year with no sex and a lot of family bonding, I tease her with, “Wanna play a board game?” I’m rewarded with her throaty laugh. Back arching off the bed, Willa clutches her chest as she giggles evilly. “We’ve got Operation out in the hallway. The dang kids refused to put it away.”

  “Royce,” Willa chuckles my name, eyes dancing with delight. “A board game, really?”

  “I could be the doctor,” I offer, keeping a straight face. “I could keep poking at you to see if you’ll squeal.”

  Humor fading away, Willa’s face transforms from a happy young woman to that of my succubus. “You can poke me all night,” comes in a throaty purr. Sneaky fingers hook into the front of my shirt, controlling me. “But I’m gonna be the doctor.”

  I squeal like a girl when Willa pounces.

  Invisible Scars

  Crouched with her knees on my thighs and her palms holding her weight on my chest, Willa grins down at me with eyes flickering depraved thoughts. “Are you going to be a good patient, Mr. Kennedy?” Her fingertip twitches, hitting my nipple, shooting sparks down my spine to take root in my cock.

  Grunting, I shift on the bed to adjust myself. “Depends,” I rasp roughly, amazed at how this vixen can make me go from terror to a heartbeat away from coming in my pants. “I have a feeling you’re no Dr. Feelgood.”

  Arching her neck, Willa laughs at the ceiling. “The generational divide just widened, old man.” Tweaking my nipple, she rights herself until she’s straddling my hips. “Pretty sure Dr. Feelgood was before your time, and we both know I’m more into rough handling.”

  “You have a shitty bedside manner.” With a firm swat, I time my words with my hand landing on her firm ass. “Slap-happy Willamina Kennedy.” Groaning, rolling my hips up into her, I grip her ass and knead my fingertips into her flesh. “I’ve always loved calling you Willamina Kennedy because I could pretend it was me who had the honor of sharing my last name with you and the kids.”

  Flashing me a look loaded with annoyance and the threat of punishment, Willa points at the locked door behind her. “Regret stays out in the hallway tonight, mister. Tomorrow morning when we get up, we’re gonna kick it down the stairs and out into the yard like a misbehaving pup. If you bring it up again. Ever again. I’ma punish you for it.”

  With a voice filled with need and urgency, I rasp out, “You promise?” causing Willa to look gobsmacked. Before she comes to her senses, I perform a wrestling maneuver to reverse our positions.

  Glaring while laughing, Willa’s fists of fury pound against my back and her heels dig into the mattress. “This is better,” I murmur softly, palm brushing her blonde curls from her forehead. I kiss the tip of her nose to still her. “I have something for you. I-I-I…” stammering, I blush ten shade of Hades.

  Hand reaching out blindly, my fingertips pull the drawer to my nightstand open. I fish around, trying to locate what I’m looking for. I grin in victory, palming the prize. “I know you’re not a flashy girl. You don’t long for materialistic things. And I realize we both just accepted the fact that this is our fate.” I gesture to us, around the room, to the house and beyond, and to our children out by the bonfire. “How about we scrub a little bit of the tarnish off our souls before we go any further tonight.”

  “Royce?” Willa’s voice pitches high with fear, knowing exactly where I’m leading.

  “Every time we’ve laid together, you were either my brother’s wife, or high out of your mind, sneaking around with me. It wasn’t right, and you deserved better.”

  Eyes scrunched tight against the threat of tears, “It’s what I wanted,” she breathes, choking on her words.

  “I know. Me too.” Unbiddenly, my cheek is rubbing against the tip of her nose, comforting the both of us. “I wanted you, consequences be damned. But it’s time we do this right. From now on.”

  Shifting up onto my elbows, I make sure I’m not pressing down onto her. “Willamina Gillette, would you do me the honor of calling me your husband? Will you be my partner in crime, old man that I am? Will you take the name you already own? Will you drag me around Rusty Knob by the balls and tell me to knock my shit off when I start acting like a judgmental, self-righteous prick?”

  Choking on a laugh an
d a sob, Willa’s eyes are bright with wonder.

  “What?” I tip my chin, trying hard not to laugh. “Did you expect a bunch of romantic bullshit? You’re blunt like a ballpeen hammer, girl. I expected you’d appreciate the down and dirty of realism.” I tilt my head to the side, taking in how beautiful this creature is, and I’m all hers. “I can do better, though.”

  Raising a blonde eyebrow in challenge, “Oh, yeah?”

  “Oh. Yeah, I can.” I nod my head rapidly, silent laughter flowing from between my lips. “How’s this? You’re a stubborn succubus who stole my soul the moment I looked at ya. In fact, I’ve sold my soul a dozen times since, and I’d do so again and again until the day I die.”

  “That’s so much better.” Willa snickers. “So flattering.”

  I grip her tiny chin with two fingertips. “How’s this?” I lean down to steal a quick kiss, not even giving her time to pucker up. In a serious voice, I tell the God’s honest truth. “Winding road of a journey or not. I’ve never wanted anything more than to be your husband, the father of your children. To protect, nurture, and teach you and yours, and have you protect, nurture, and teach me and mine. To walk this earth at your side. In our olden years, to sit in a pair of rocking chairs on the porch, shouting at the hoodlum grandchildren and great-grandchildren we created. And to share my last breath with you.”

  Eyes glued to the water blue gazing up at me, my fingertips flick the box open and fish out the ring. “Willamina Kennedy, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife, simply because I love you.”

  Nodding her head up and down rapidly, unable to speak, tears are splattering my cheeks from both her eyes and mine– tears of happiness. “I’ll take that as a yes. Not that I’m surprised.” I pluck the ring I bought her nearly a decade ago. “I was buying Donny a watch just a few weeks after I met you, and I saw this ring and some supernatural force compelled me to buy it.”

  “That long ago?” Willa draws out the words, awe lacing her voice. “The first thought in my head when you walked into Donny’s house was that Daddy hitched me to the wrong Kennedy. I would have gladly taken it like a dog with you. Hell, I was going nuts over the thought.”

  Barking a sharp laugh, I drop the ring in the bedclothes. I have to rut around for it while bubbles of amusement make my movements jerky. “We’ll be doing that later tonight– that’s the one position we’ve never tried.”

  “Hurry up and get that ring on me, Royce-baby,” Willa taunts me, fingers joining the search. “You’re killing me.”

  “Woohoo!” I release a whoop in victory when my fingertips pluck the ring up from the quilt. With shaking hands I locate Willa’s ring finger, and try several times unsuccessfully to slip the ring on her.

  Being impatient, Willa sneaks in and slips it on herself. Without looking at the ring, because that’s the type of woman she is– the type I need –Willa stares up at me with crystal clear eyes filled with clarity, no longer fogged by substance and fear.

  “Do you know why I want to marry you?” She asks, waiting for me to respond before continuing, but all I can do is smile in reply. “I want to be your wife because living a life without you in it wouldn’t be worth living at all.”

  Curling my palms against her cheeks, “Willa,” I cry out, aching for her because the tone of her voice was pure agony.

  “I’ve lived without you, needing you, wanting you, longing to be with you, and that made me appreciate how perfect it is now even if everything falls to shit. I’ll always remember the pain of separation, and that will force me to never take anything for granted.”

  With surprising strength, Willa reverses our positions, always wanting to be on top. We’re both panting softly from the struggle, but I never really put up much of a fight. Straddling my hips, finding her favorite place to sit– grinding my engorged dick in a painful way –Willa inspects the ring on her finger.

  Expression blank, Willa stares at the ring. After a moment, she bites her lip and tries to stop her mouth from quirking up in confusion.

  So I put her out of her misery. “You don’t strike me as a girl who likes something flashy. I mean, obviously I could afford to buy you the biggest rock I could find, but it wouldn’t mean anything.”

  Staring at the old, worn infinity band circling her ring finger, Willa contemplates my words, but she doesn’t get it yet.

  “Most baubles start out shiny and brand new, and they age with use and become worthless.” I rub at the ring on Willa’s dainty finger, showing her how it will shine brightly one day. “With this ring, the years will rub the tarnish away, leaving behind pristine metal. The longer we’re together, the more valuable the ring becomes and the stronger we’ll be.”

  Expecting an, “Oh, Royce,” in a girly voice filled with adoration, I get attacked instead. I laugh through the mauling, lips being pried open by a very demanding tongue. With inhuman strength, the woman pins my wrists to the bed so I can’t retaliate without hurting her. Riding my hips, struggling to keep me pinned, Willa bites and nips and sucks at my face.

  “Down, girl,” I gasp into her mouth, surviving the attack. “Let me kiss ya back, for Christ’s sake.”

  “Uh-huh,” vibrates against my bottom lip, then teeth sink into my flesh, causing me to jackknife off the mattress. Willa head-butts me back down until I’m spread out flat on the mattress. “You be a good patient, and let Dr. Feelgood take care of ya.”

  “Oh, my God!” I shout against Willa’s mouth, her teeth trying to latch onto my tongue. “You’re fucking nuts.” She captures my tongue and starts sucking it in a salacious manner, lips pulling in a rhythmic pattern. My cock starts to throb in time with the pull of her mouth. It’s a move I know all too well from back when she’d wake me up on nights she snuck into my room for a rough ride. She always greeted me with a set of lips wrapped around my cock– either from her mouth or her pussy.

  I pretend to fight back a bit, half-assed lifting my arms up, wiggling around the mattress, kicking my feet, kneeing Willa in the ass, and growling while trying to bite her tongue, because that’s what she likes. Willa gets off on conquering me, the little minx.

  “Stay still,” she warns in a sultry voice, and I listen. I’m thoroughly enjoying this fucked up game we play, because I know I’m the only person on the planet she’d ever trust enough or be comfortable with doing this. I freeze my muscles, watching her body language for hints on what’s coming next.

  Letting go of my wrists, lifting to sit astride my hips, “Good boy,” she praises me. The lips may be moving, but my eyes dart to her fingertips. Deftly unbuttoning her white blouse– the woman wears white all year long, every single day. Virginal white. After slowly popping button after button, driving me fucking insane, she parts her blouse down the middle, exposing her bra and the tiny tits hidden beneath.

  Flicking the front closure on her bra, Willa bounces on my lap, tearing a, “No fair,” from my parted lips. Panting, I suffer through the severe grind of her ass on my dick and the way her titties jounce when she bobs up and down. “You’re doing that on purpose,” I whisper breathlessly. “No fair.”

  “Don’t pop in your pants, old man.” Willa taunts me, smirking while grinding with evil intent. “I can feel your willy dancing, and your recovery time probably sucks.”

  “Hey, I’m not that old.” My hands retaliate, flashing out to grip a palmful of tit. Groaning, cock jerking in happiness, I get a few squeezes in before she’s swatting my hands away like a pesky fly. “No fair,” I pout, resting my palms on the mattress.

  “Good boy.” Willa rewards me by not closing her blouse. She runs her palms underneath my t-shirt, grazing my bare skin. “You were always a fast learner.” My nipples get tugged playfully between questing fingertips, and try as I might, the succubus can feel my reaction. “Mmm… somebody always pretends they don’t like me torturing their nips, but the willy in your pants never lies.”

  “Free my willy,” I mutter lamely, receiving an eye roll for my efforts. “From my pants.”
r />   Willa chuckles, “Dumbass,” underneath her breath, but I feel it’s a win since I got her to smile.

  There’s no two ways about it; it’s been over a year since we touched like this, and many, many years since we touched in a healthy way. It’s why we held off, spending time building intimacy through a brush of a touch, a whisper in an ear, holding hands. It was always rushed before, and painful in the aftermath.

  So if Willa wants to taunt and tease me, turn this playful or violent, I’m going to let her. But we’ll be ending the night making love and falling asleep in each other’s arms, and waking up together for the first time in our lives. It’s a lot of pressure, and I fear I’ll disappoint.

  “Do whatever you want to me,” I offer. “My mind, body, heart, and soul belongs to you.”

  Smiling wryly down at me, “I think I better take good care of it, because I don’t want to wear it out.”

  “Ah-ha-ha-ha…” I mock-laugh. “The old fogey jokes never get old.”

  Willa’s laugh is a real one, tinged with naughtiness. “Let’s free that willy, shall we?”

  “We shall.” I become super helpful, lifting up so Willa can pull my t-shirt off my back. With the flick of her wrist, it lands somewhere in the vicinity of the bathroom door. I get a bit overexcited when her palm grazes my hard-on as her fingers work the button and zipper on my jeans. It’s a struggle, but as soon as fresh air caresses my dick, I don’t give two shits that my jeans just hit the bedroom door– Willa’s got an arm on her.

  Panting, biting back a please, in slow perusal, Willa’s gaze skims over my body. When her eyes light on my cock, the little guy jerks up, trying to get at her, begging like an eager puppy. Fists clenching in the quilt, toes curling, I lock my muscles down from reacting, because all I want to do is pounce on the woman and get inside her. Now.

  A pitiful, “Please,” slips out before I can stop it. “Touch me.”

 

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