Heart of a Savage

by Lashanta Charles

  “So, you’re not married?” She shakes her head. “And you’ve never slept with Connor?” Another shake of her head. “Or any other man?”

  “You’d be my first,” she whispers.

  I close my eyes and let that information sink in. I’ll be her first. Fuck if that doesn’t bring the caveman out of me. I feel like I should be beating my chest and roaring out my triumph from the top of a mountain after I’ve wrestled a fucking sabre tooth tiger. Or a wooly mammoth—I could take one down for her. Or I could just make her mine. She could truly be my Savage Princess. With that final thought, her fate is sealed. “How about I remedy that whole kiss mishap?” I don’t let her answer. Grabbing the back of her neck I pull her forward and crash her lips against mine. She moans and I nibble at her lip. When she opens, I sweep my tongue into her mouth, determined to savor every bit of her.

  Moving forward I wrap my arm around her waist, crushing her to me as I move us to the middle of the bed. When I have her where I want her, I let her go. Her knees spread wider, making more room for me to ease between her thighs. Placing my tip at her entrance I raise myself up and lock my elbows, but I don’t let her pull away from the kiss. I ease back from her then let my dick slide between the lips of her pussy. Her cream coats the entire length of me and she moans when the head bumps against her clit. She raises one leg high against my waist and wraps it around me, her heel digging into my ass as she raises her hips. She groans, a sound of anticipation and impatience. I break the kiss and stare down at her.

  “It’s going to hurt, right. On the videos I watch, it always hurts at first,” she says.

  Is that what’s on the laptop? Porn? Later.

  “When we do this, you don’t get to pull away afterwards. We do this and you’re mine, just as I’m yours. You’re a runner, little mouse, but remember what I told you. I’ll always find you.” She searches my eyes and finally nods.

  “I’m yours,” she agrees.

  “Put your other leg around me,” I tell her. She complies and I rest my forehead against hers. I don’t wait for more words or more permission. Lining up again, I surge forward. She whimpers and her nails dig painfully into my shoulders. I let out a rolling grunt, pushing through her heat and tightness until we’re completely fused together. Exquisite. It’s the only word I can think of to describe how she feels around me. Tighter than I’ve ever felt. Furnace hot. Gushing wet. From this moment forth I’ll live and die for her pussy. And after months and months of nothing, to dive head first into nirvana, Junior is more than ready to let go. I pause long enough to beg him to chill the fuck out.

  “Jesus, Nico. Help me,” Bailey murmurs as she drags her nails down my shoulders, her inner muscles gripping me so tightly I know I’ll have to force myself out of her. Help her? Gladly.

  “Have to move, my little mouse.” It’s the only warning I can give her before dragging my hips away. She let’s out a long “oh” and digs her heels deeper into my ass. I oblige the lady, slamming back into her. She cries out as I do it again and again, falling into a rhythm that she soon matches. The sounds falling from her lips spur me on and we chase the rapture that I know will be epic.

  “Yes, Nico. Yes,” she hisses, muscles tightening even more.

  I’m reduced to mere grunting and growling as my hips pick up speed. A tingle begins at the base of my spine, heat spreading through my thighs. Reaching back, I grip one of her calves and bring it forward to rest on my shoulder. The change in angle makes her feel even tighter. Ah, shit. Shit, shit, shit. That tingle has moved its way up my spine and is creeping back down. “You going to come for me, little mouse?”

  “God, yes.”

  “Now. I want you to come for me now. I want to feel your pussy rippling around my dick. I want it so tight, I no longer need to move, just your pussy pulsing, contracting, and pulling everything out of me. Draining me and filling you,” I murmur into her ear. And holy fuck, she does. She obeys to the last fucking detail and more. Her cream gushes from her, squirting against my pelvis and threatening to dislodge me, but she’s too tight for that. I push deep as she cries out, chanting my name like a healing mantra. That tingling explodes into a burning volcano and I let it erupt, groaning out my pleasure. My vision goes blurry at the edges and everything takes on a whitish hue. Fuuuuuuuccccck me. The peak is endless, drawn out by the fluttering still coming from her. When I’m no longer pulsing and spilling into her, I release her leg and look down at us. The evidence of her squirting orgasm dripping from me onto her. She lies boneless between us, a lazy, satisfied smile playing at her lip. I softly kiss her lips and her smile spreads. She’s fucking gorgeous when she smiles. Junior jerks in agreement and her eyes snap open.

  “That’s not possible,” she says, eyes wide and disbelieving.

  He jerks again, challenging her to continue doubting him. She’s right though. I think. “Aftershocks,” I mumble as I roll, switching our positions so she’s on top. She nuzzles into my chest and I rub circles into her back.

  “Hentai,” she mumbles.

  I stop rubbing and open my eyes to look down at her.

  “Japanese Hentai. It’s what’s on my laptop. My secret addiction,” she says as she points to the nightstand where her phone is.

  I pass it to her and within seconds she’s brought up a video before giving the phone back to me. At first I think it’s just an anime cartoon. It’s not just an anime. It’s anime porn. Asian cartoon characters going at it like we just did.

  “Oh!”

  I drag my eyes away from her phone – the shit really is addictive – to see what has her so excited. She pushes herself up from my chest and looks down. When she rolls her hips experimentally, I realize she’s caught wind of Junior. I look up at her face. Her hips roll again and she gasps.

  “Again, Nico,” she groans.

  “Again,” I agree as I push my hips up to meet hers, the Hentai an erotic soundtrack accompanying our own cacophony.

  I WAKE TO the smell of coffee and bacon. It beckons me to move, but I can already feel the soreness in my body. I don’t even remember how many times I woke up to Nico between my legs, alternating between his mouth and his hips, but I surely feel it this morning – or afternoon judging by the angle of the sunlight shining through the windows. Stretching out my limbs lets me know just how sore I really am. That’s not a complaint, though. Goodness, no. The things that man can make me feel is beyond imagination. My phone buzzes from the nightstand and my mood instantly sours. I don’t want to risk looking at it and seeing another picture of Kael, but the damage is already done. Like a black hole, I’m sucked into thoughts of never seeing my child again. The custody hearing is in less than a few days and my lawyers have done all they can to tilt the scales in our favor, but I know the odds are stacked against us. Against me. I keep asking myself what I would do if this became my reality. Could I let myself become that attached to another person that could be ripped away from me at a moment’s notice? Could Nico be that person? Would he even want to be? The truth is I have no idea what I would do. I didn’t think I would try to fight two cops, but that’s exactly what I did. When I tracked down the woman from child services, she had the nerve to tell me I was a menace. I probably shouldn’t have hung up on her. That most likely didn’t help my case. Steeling myself against the emotions I grab my phone. Sure enough, it’s a picture of Kaelen. He’s sitting at a dining table with a bowl of mac and cheese in front of him. The table is entirely too high for him to reach the food and it’s obvious he’s struggling not to make a mess while trying to eat. Stupid bitch can’t even get him a damn high chair. She’s taking pictures of his struggles instead of helping him. I magnify the picture trying to get a closer look at his face and what I see pierces straight through my heart. The child who’s eyes shine and sparkle with warmth and love is not who I see. The child I see is broken. Splintered. Those bright eyes are now dull and not an ounce of happiness is within them. I drop my forehead to the picture and let the tears flow. “I’m trying, munchkin
. I promise, I won’t give up.”

  “Hey? Hey? What’s this? What’s wrong?”

  My arms are gripped by strong hands and then I’m pulled into an embrace that soothes away some of the pain. Not all of it. Nothing short of having Kaelen in my arms could get rid of it all, but it’s damn close. I wrap my arms around Nico’s neck and nuzzle my face against his shoulder.

  “Talk to me. Tell me why you’re crying.”

  His voice is low and deep. A soft and comforting murmur, but there’s no mistaking the authority in the command.

  “He’s hurting, Nico. They took him away so they could hurt me and it’s hurting him even more.” I bring my phone to where he can see the picture and his jaw clenches when he sees it.

  “You shouldn’t make yourself suffer through this,” he growls.

  I shake my head at him. “He’s suffering through it. I won’t change my number and cut myself off from him.” His face softens, but his arm tightens around me. “This is all I can get of him. I need to be able to see him, even if it’s in this fucked up context.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have thought of it that way. I’d never ask you to cut yourself off from him.”

  “Piuthar.”

  My head snaps up and I look over Nico’s shoulder when I hear that voice, that word. Standing in the doorway of the bedroom is Rory.

  “Tread carefully. You’re already too damn close, but cross that threshold and your day will take a turn for the worst,” Nico warns without looking back. Rory takes two steps back before speaking.

  “Will you get dressed and come talk to me?”

  “Piuthar?” My voice comes out in a venomous hiss. “Tell me, brathair - brother, how long was she in my home before I got there? How long had she sat there forcing my child to play with her while all of you watched? How long did you know about it all and not tell me?” Rage trembles through my body and with every question my voice rises. Had Nico not been holding me against him I’m sure I would be in Rory’s face. As it is, his arms tighten just enough to let me know I’ll get no further than where I am. “You let her into my home, you knew they were going to take Kael from me, you stood by and did nothing. I even had to ask you to get him away from them when I went to the hospital.”

  “Nay, Bailey! Ya doona know what ya speak of. Ya know verra well I wouldna do that ta ya,” he yells, his brogue thickening with every word.

  “If you want to keep that voice box where it is, I suggest you lower the fucking volume when speaking to her,” Nico breaks in.

  A tingle slithers down my spine as he stares Rory down. The last time someone defended me from something so simple as another person yelling at me was before my dad died. Rory would step in and call Connor out if his behavior was blatantly painful to me, but otherwise he would turn a blind eye to it. Rory doesn’t hold Nico’s gaze for long and satisfactions blazes through me at that. Rory’s eyes find mine and he clears his throat.

  “My apologies, lass. I shouldna have spoken ta ya that way. When I learned aboot ev’rathing t’was already too late and ya were headed home. After that I did what I could ta try and get him ta change his mind and her as well. She’s too obsessed with him and he’s too stuck on ya. That’s why I’m here. Him and Killian have done some things ya need ta know.” His eyes cut to Nico. “Him too.”

  “Because your family hasn’t caused enough trouble in my life? I’m guessing this is why Killian agreed to keep Kaelen away from Connor?”

  “Tis possible, lass.”

  “Get dressed, little mouse. Hear him out completely and if you don’t like what he’s saying, I’ll gladly toss him out on his ass.”

  I want to argue. I want to scream and rage and fight and throw an all out tantrum. But that damn voice. Without breaking my glare from Rory I jerk my head in a nod.

  When I finally make it to the kitchen, Nico passes me a steaming mug of coffee and indicates the plate piled high with bacon, eggs, and biscuits. He takes better care of me than I do myself. I pull him in for a grateful hug before moving to the food. Only a few strips of bacon make it into my stomach before I decide I’m too edgy to eat. Rory watches from his perch on one of the other stools at the bar, but he has yet to speak. I ignore him for the time it takes me to pull ingredients from the pantry and cupboards. I take another sip of my coffee before getting started on a pistachio crust for mini strawberry tarts. Neither of them speaks as I get lost in the familiarity of measuring, mixing, and ultimately creating, but Nico doesn’t let me pull away from him completely. He seemingly uses any excuse he can think of to touch me, sometimes not even giving a reason, and eventually ends up helping me bake. When I feel calm enough and decide that I also want to do a buttermilk breakfast cake, I finally glance at Rory.

  “In spite of everything trying to bring you down, you look happy, piuthar. You may not believe it, but I’m happy for you.”

  “You shouldn’t waste what little time you have here on words that mean nothing to me.” I don’t mean those words, but he doesn’t need to know that. He and I will never be friends again, no matter how much he means to me. And the truth is, he will always be my brother. A week from now, he could call and need my help and I’d most likely drop everything to help him. I hate it. Hate how weak I am when it comes to the men in my life. Frustration crinkles his eyes and his mouth sets into a grim line, but he gives a sharp nod of his head.

  “Killian and Connor have been skimming money from the secondary firm. The girl responsible for auditing had been . . .”

  His words trail off and I wave my hand urging him to get on with it. Connor’s infidelity was never a secret and just as I didn’t care then, I don’t care now. However, it affects my business so this time it matters more.

  “She would cover it up for him. It would have gone unnoticed if you hadn’t ordered the external audit last week. The CFO has been handling it. He said he tried to tell you, but you haven’t been answering his calls.”

  “If you’re here to ask me to get Connor out of an embezzlement charge, you know it’s out of my hands by now.”

  “I just wanted to give you some background on where he got the money to start running with the cartels.”

  I don’t grasp the meaning behind that statement, but Nico drops the knife he’d been using to slice strawberries and turns to face Rory.

  “Which one?” Nico demands.

  Rory is temporarily stunned by the question, but he suddenly looks at Nico with an added layer of respect. What the fuck just happened?

  “Sinaloa,” Rory answers.

  “How long?”

  “A few of years now.”

  “Do they know he can’t get them the money?”

  Rory nods and Nico curses.

  “Is it her debt now?”

  “As of yesterday,” Rory confirms with a look so sorrowful I nearly cave and comfort him.

  Then I remember I have no idea what he’s saying. I have no idea why Nico seems to know exactly what it means and is perturbed to say the least. I trust Nico though. Implicitly. If he knows what this means and knows how to handle it, I’ll let him. For a moment, I drift away from the conversation and consider that I let Connor handle things as he saw fit. That ended very badly for me. I could be making a huge mistake by letting Nico assume such a similar role in my life. He could very well catalogue all of my weaknesses and use them against me just as Connor did.

  “Where did you go, little mouse?”

  “What?” I ask, forcing myself to focus.

  “I’m asking if you understand what’s happening, what all this means? I want you to let me make this thing with The Sinaloa Cartel go away for you. I can’t tell you how and you don’t have to do it my way if you decide another route is better, but I’m asking you to let me handle this for you while you focus on Kaelen and making sure nothing else is going on with your firms.”

  And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I know I can trust him. He didn’t just make a decision and pick a course of action without letting me know anything.
He’s asking my permission and letting me know I can choose another option if I want. Bringing myself up on my tiptoes, I plant my lips against his and bury my tongue in his mouth. His hands go to my hips, pulling me forward. Before things get too far, a throat clears exaggeratedly. We pull apart and I tell him to do it his way, but I still have questions.

  “Why was Connor involved with a cartel? I don’t understand. He had access to money and anything he wanted.”

  “A greedy person always wants more than they have. I don’t know how he made the initial contact, but he was hell bent on being a part of this and gaining more power. I don’t fully understand it either, but it’s what he wanted,” Rory explains.

  “Why is this my debt now?”

  “They see you as his wife. They know you have the money. He defaults, his debt becomes yours,” Nico says.

  “Why can’t we just pay them?” I ask.

  “You could do that if it’s really what you want to do,” Nico answers with a slow shrug of those amazingly broad shoulders.

  I bet not even the weight of the world would be a burden for them. I could give him every single one of my problems and he'd carry them with little to no effort. I also bet he doesn’t want to me to pay them. “Is it a lot?” I look from him to Rory and back. Neither of them answers and that tells me exactly what I need to know. It’s a lot.

  “He’s not willing to let you go, Bailey. He’s always been a little crazy when it came to you, but since you left him, it’s been worse. I know he’ll make bond when they arrest him, my uncles won’t have it any other way. Just be careful.” He turns to Nico as he stands from his seat at the table. “Take care of her. If I were you, I wouldn’t let her out of my sight.”