Hush - Fighting Fate #2

by Maree Green

  “Aaron,” she said distastefully. “Is the biggest loser you could possibly imagine.”

  I gave her an intense look to show her I wasn’t merely curious. I needed to know. “Tell me everything.”

  Her eyes widened a fraction and, silently, she watched me. I could see she was trying to work out what I wanted to know, and why. Looking down at my chest, she exhaled softly.

  “Aaron’s always been trouble,” she said quietly. “He barely made it through high school. He had no interest in going to college or working, preferring to live off Ken instead.”

  She looked up at me nervously. “He’s…been different the last few months. Worse. Demanding money off me even though Ken gives him whatever he needs, threatening to pawn things…”

  I frowned. It sounded very much like Aaron had gotten himself into some trouble. Was it with The Shadow?

  “He and Ken have been fighting a lot lately too. I don’t know what happened, but it sounded like Aaron lost a lot of Ken’s money. He came home all beaten up and Ken was furious. Things kind of changed after that. He’s hardly home and…”

  Her gaze flashed up to meet mine and I saw fear flicker inside it.

  “I don’t know why he would send that guy after me. Why would he want me dead?”

  My arms tightened reflexively. “It sounds as though Aaron’s got himself into some trouble. Have you heard anything about him owing anyone any money?”

  She frowned in thought, biting her lip. After a while she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I know he likes to gamble though. I’ve heard him bragging about his wins at the poker table before.”

  I exhaled heavily and gazed up at the ceiling. I knew Aaron had something to do with those fakes that were going around. It was becoming increasingly clear. He was selling the fakes. He knew they were repressed versions of Mr. X’s. He had someone jump Kaeli and try to kill her.

  I was fairly certain Captain was right about Ken too. By the sounds of what Kaeli was saying, Ken had no idea what Aaron was up to. But why would he start working against his own father when he’d obviously been on a good thing? Everything pointed to him having gotten into some debt and being forced to pay it back.

  It all made me worry about Kaeli even more. If Ken had used her for his own gains, what was to stop Aaron from doing the same? He’d already shown he didn’t care if she was alive or dead. He’d think nothing of using her as part payment or something.

  I cursed under my breath. If that little fucker touched one hair on her head, I was going to fucking kill him. Stealing myself, I forced myself to meet her gaze.

  “Has he threatened you at all?”

  She blinked at me and a tiny crease formed between her eyebrows. Unease flickered in her eyes. “I…” Her gaze went down to my chest and she bit her lip. “No.”

  My heart picked up its pace. I knew when I was being lied to. Placing a finger under her chin, I lifted her face back to mine, and pinned her with a look. “Tell me.”

  “It’s…just…nothing really…”

  “Kaeli…”

  She inhaled deeply, looking a mixture of confused and freaked out. “One day he suggested that he might…try me…”

  I frowned. Try her? What the fuck did that mean? Try her patience? I stared at her, trying to work out why she suddenly looked so uncomfortable. Then it hit me.

  “Are you fucking serious?!”

  If we weren’t on fucking lockdown, I’d go find him right now and cut his fucking balls off.

  Kaeli drew in a deep breath. “Up until a month ago, I would’ve said he was all talk, but he seems so different now. Like he’s a little…unhinged or something. I mean, I never thought he’d get someone to kill me…”

  Her body trembled against me, so I pulled her in tighter and tucked her head under my chin, pressing my lips to her hair. “I wish I could take you away from there,” I whispered.

  Her arm came around my waist, her hand softly smoothing over the muscles in my back. “I wish I could take you away from here…” she whispered back.

  Me too, I thought. Me too.

  It took a long time for either of us to relax after that, but eventually I felt her body loosen and her breathing slow. Knowing she was asleep, I finally allowed myself drift too.

  I woke the next morning with Kaeli’s incredible naked ass pressed up against me and my arms wrapped around her so tightly it was like I was trying to prevent her from escaping.

  Laying as still as I could, I just listened to her slow, deep breaths and felt the steady rise and fall of her chest. I wished I knew what the fuck to do to make things good for her. I kept going from deciding to keep her close to me so I could keep her safe, to getting her as far away from me as possible so I could keep her safe.

  Neither seemed like a very good idea. I just needed the operation to be over with before she got hurt.

  My arms automatically tightened a little more. I couldn’t let anything happen to her. She’d somehow crept under my skin and settled there. Bad things would happen to me if she was hurt in any way.

  Kaeli shifted a little, causing her ass to rub against my rising cock. I sucked in a breath at how good it felt, and my hand involuntarily moved over the flat of her stomach to the round curve of her hip. God, she felt good.

  She shifted again, slowly waking, and pressed back further against me. I groaned. My morning wood was well and truly standing to attention now. Pressing my nose to her neck, I breathed in deep. If this ended up being the only time I could be with her, I wanted to be able to remember every little thing about her I could.

  Tilting her head a little, Kaeli exposed more of her neck to me, moaning when I pressed an open mouth kiss to her soft, smooth skin, gently sucking it between my teeth.

  My dick twitched with excitement and I thrust forward a little, rubbing it against her naked ass. Fuck me, I wanted inside her. I sucked her neck harder, my hands on a seek and find mission of their own.

  Cupping her breast in my hand, I softly squeezed and kneaded it, pinching her tightening nipple between my fingers. She gasped and pushed back harder, her hand coming up to hold my head to her neck, then she wriggled against me and parted her legs a little. My cock jumped at the opportunity, sliding between her legs as I thrust forward, seeking out her heat.

  I groaned as it slid over her pussy, her arousal making the friction smooth and slippery. It was the best fucking sensation I’d ever felt. Kaeli gasped and latched onto the arm I had resting under her head with her free hand, moving her hips in time with mine.

  Fuck.

  I broke away from her neck and took a deep breath to try to control myself before I lost it completely, but the rest of my body wasn’t listening. My hand squeezed her breast before running over the soft curve of it, over and over again, and my hips thrust against her even harder, my dick seeking a way in.

  Kaeli’s breath was coming faster too, turning me the fuck on, and every now and again she would let out the sexiest little moan, clouding my head even more. Jesus Christ. I needed to get a grip.

  But then her hand slipped into mine beside her pillow, clasping it tight as she arched into me, making the head of my dick find the very place he was seeking. I choked on my next breath as her warmth enveloped me, sending an unexpected burst of pleasure through me.

  She groaned and turned her face so she could press her mouth against my bicep, licking and breathing her warm breath over my skin.

  A little voice of reason hummed inside my head like a tiny murmur, telling me to stop, that I had vowed to protect her - even from myself.

  I growled and pulled out before I could change my mind. Kaeli whimpered.

  “Condom…” I muttered, quickly reaching over to the bedside table and ripping the drawer open to get one.

  I tore it open and had it on faster than lightening, positioning myself exactly where I was before, guiding my cock back inside her warmth.

  Taking her hand beside her pillow again, I squeezed tight, sliding my other hand between her legs a
nd pulling her legs slightly apart while I pushed in deep. Pressing an opened mouth kiss to her neck again, I let my tongue slide over her soft skin, gently biting and sucking and tasting.

  Kaeli trembled against me, reaching back to hold my head in place, making me growl again. Our movements picked up a little faster. The way she was thrusting back on me and panting was almost sending me over the edge.

  “Touch yourself,” I murmured in her ear. “Make yourself come.”

  She hesitated for a second, but then she released my head and brought her hand down between her legs. I pressed a kiss to her shoulder, watching her fingers move slowly over her clit. She tensed, tightening her muscles around my cock. Fuck. I was so close.

  “Faster,” I breathed. “Like you do when no one’s watching.”

  I pulled her legs open a little more for her, and with a shaky breath, she began stroking herself faster, the tips of her fingers brushing against my cock every time I withdrew. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, fighting the urge to blow my load right there and then.

  Watching her touch herself was the biggest fucking turn on I’d ever had. I started pumping harder, faster, so fucking aroused my head was spinning.

  “Oh, god…” Kaeli’s whole body tensed and her fingers stilled against her clit for the briefest of moments before her muscles began contracting around me.

  Her legs slammed closed, clutching me even tighter as her whole body shuddered. Turning her face into the pillow, she moaned, and I fell over the edge. Gripping her thigh so hard I thought I might even leave fingerprints, I pushed in deep and held her to me while I shattered.

  I held her to me while she whimpered and her body continued to shudder from her orgasm. The feeling of her tremors around my dick was like nothing else I’d experienced before. It stole my breath. I groaned, unable to do much else while she held me prisoner.

  Eventually, her body fell lax and she started taking huge, gulping breaths of air. I was having a hard time catching my breath myself.

  Slowly, I pulled out, grimacing at how fucking sensitive my cock suddenly was. Shit, I hoped he wasn’t fucking broken.

  Kaeli rolled so she was facing me, still trying to catch her breath, and I tried not to swear while I took the condom off. Tying it a knot, I dropped it over the side of the bed to pick up later and reached out to pull her into my arms.

  Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, I squeezed her tight. “Holy fuck. That was intense.”

  She started to pull back from me. I wanted to force her to stay where she was, but I resisted. Just. She looked up at me with curious eyes. “Is it like that for you every time?”

  I blanched at the unexpected question. “Fuck, no. I don’t think it’s ever been like that for me.” I eyed her cautiously. “What about you?” I frowned. “Wait. No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

  A crease formed between her brows. “Why not?”

  “Because I don’t want to think about you with any other guys. It might make me smash something.”

  The corner of her mouth twitched up. “What if I told you I’d only had sex once before and it was awful?”

  My breath stuck. Fuck. She couldn’t be serious, could she? But as I gazed into her eyes I could see she was telling the truth. I exhaled shakily. I really wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On one hand, I was fucking happy she’d hardly been touched. She was practically a virgin. But on the other hand, I was more or less taking advantage of her inexperience inside a fucking dilapidated drug house.

  “It was in the back of my then boyfriend’s car, and I don’t really think he cared about anything but getting himself off."

  I glared at her. “Are you fucking serious?”

  She shrugged and gave me a tiny smile. “So, all my orgasms are yours - well, apart from the ones I’ve given myself…”

  I growled. The memory of her touching herself was still amazingly fresh in my mind. Pulling her back into my arms, I pressed my nose into her hair and just breathed.

  “What am I going to do with you, Kaeli?”

  Wasn’t that just the million dollar question.

  Chapter 45

  Kaeli

  It was after lunch by the time TJ allowed me to go. Leaving was bittersweet though. As much as I couldn’t wait to get the hell away from that house and those guys, I didn’t want to leave him.

  He and I were both quiet on the drive back to my house. I didn’t think either of us knew what to say. Neither of us knew what the future held. There were no promises we could make. No reassurances we could give. Whatever it was we were doing could only be done on a minute by minute basis.

  I knew he was having a hard time having to drop me back home. Now we both knew Aaron was behind the attempted robbery - and attempted murder, it wasn’t the best scenario for me to be in the same house as him, but I had nowhere else I could go. Not without my mom anyway.

  When he pulled the car into my street instead of the back alley, I gave him a curious glance, wondering what he was doing. We were almost to the house when I saw his eyes narrow dangerously.

  Jerking the wheel to pull up to the curb, he slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car.

  It all happened so fast. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I watched him tackle someone to the ground, his fists flying. Sucking in a worried breath, I quickly scrambled out to the footpath, to do what, I had no idea.

  It wasn’t until the two of them rolled a couple of times that I realized it was Aaron he was fighting with, and my heart immediately went into my throat. It wasn’t that I thought Aaron could beat my boy in a fight. I had no doubt he could more than hold his own. My worry came from the fact that Aaron was completely unpredictable at the moment. I wouldn’t put it past him to knife him or something.

  My boy blocked a punch Aaron threw at him, then swung his fist around to connect with the side of Aaron’s face. Aaron’s head snapped to the side and he cursed, trying to lash out again with his fists, but my boy was too fast. He grabbed him and yanked him to his feet, shoving him hard against the tree before smashing his fist into his cheek again.

  “What the fuck is going on?!”

  I spun to see Ken storming out of the house.

  My boy growled, holding Aaron tight around his throat. “Why don’t you ask the piece of shit you call your son? In fact, why don’t you ask him why he had someone jump Kaeli for the five G’s she was carrying, with the instructions to kill her when he was done?”

  Ken’s eyes widened before he glared at Aaron. “What the fuck have you done, Aaron? You’re stealing from your own father?!”

  Why was I not surprised he was more worried about the money than me?

  “She’s fucking lying!” Aaron choked. “Why the fuck would I steal from you?”

  Ken’s gaze narrowed as he looked between Aaron and me, but the sound of Aaron choking had us both looking back. His face had gone a deep shade of purple as my boy’s hand tightened even more.

  “I think you might be missing the fact that I was there, asswipe,” he growled. “I heard everything that scum said, and I was the one who put a bullet in his brain.”

  Comprehension dawned in Aaron’s eyes, and I was sure I saw fear flicker in them briefly.

  “And what about the five G’s you were jumped for,” Ken spat at Aaron. “Were you behind that as well?”

  When Aaron didn’t even try to answer, we all had our answer. Ken’s expression shut down, but I could still see the murderous hatred deep in his eyes.

  “If he doesn’t kill you, you’re going to get the fuck out of my house. You’re no longer welcome.” Turning to me, he pinned me with a death glare, making me automatically take a step back. “Where’s the bag?”

  I swallowed, looking back at the car.

  Without another word, he strode away, grabbing the bag out of the car and disappearing inside. My boy shoved away from Aaron, letting him drop to the ground before issuing a warning in the scariest assed voice I’d ever heard.

  “If yo
u come anywhere near Kaeli, or I hear about you sending anyone after her again, I will rip you limb from limb, and I will enjoy every fucking minute of it. Is that clear?”

  Aaron bent over and coughed loudly, holding his throat with both hands. He nodded pathetically.

  “Say it!”

  “Yes!” Aaron bit out, his voice rough and barely audible. “It’s fucking clear!”

  “Good. Now do what you father said and get the fuck out of here.”

  I watched Aaron pick himself up and stagger away, still holding his throat. My boy strode over to me, grabbing my hand, and started leading me towards the house, mumbling something about me not being safe and needing protection at home as well as at school. I didn’t think he even realized what he was saying, but it only reaffirmed that I could trust him.

  When we got to the front porch, he pulled me around so we were standing face to face. He watched me for a long time, just letting his eyes travel over my face.

  “I fucking hate having to leave you here,” he said quietly.

  I swallowed. I wasn’t used to his honesty. “I’ll be okay. I’ll make sure I keep my eyes open.”

  His jaw clenched a little and he nodded. “Text me if anything happens.”

  I wanted to lighten the mood a little so I forced a grin on my lips. “Anything?”

  He watched me for a second, and I could see he was trying to lighten up, but it didn’t happen. His worry was too real. He sighed. “Please be careful.”

  “I will,” I whispered.

  He nodded and went to step away, but paused. “Uh…about last night…”

  I probably should’ve stopped him from having to say anything, but I genuinely wanted to know where he thought we stood.

  “I just want you to know how much that meant to me. How much you mean to me.”

  “And that is…?”

  He inhaled slow and deep. “More than my own life.”

  It was words like that that made people fall in love.

  With that, he turned and walked away.