by Ryan Michele
“Bella, you have no way of knowing anything. Princess and Cruz met when he held a gun to her face. Crazy shit happens. It’s a part of life. Don’t give up so quickly or be so quick to judge.”
I shrug. “Only time will tell.” I fear time will tell me something I don’t want to know.
The door opens to my computer cave, and I look over to see Pops walking in, his face a mask of disapproval.
“Hey, Pops,” I call out.
He nods toward my bank of computers. “Have anything on Ransom yet?” His voice is firm. Fuck, I wish I had more to give him.
“He cut the feed and looped it at nine p.m. Then he restarted it at ten-thirty. That gave him an hour and a half to get whatever he needed out of that place and get gone.”
“I want in there,” Pops demands, and I pull up Ransom’s property on my screen.
Pointing to the photo, I tell him, “There are two entrances. I have infrared cameras telling me there are three guys.” I show him their locations. “But I’m not sure if the place is rigged to blow if we show up.”
“Find out,” he orders.
I decrypt the code for two computers at the same time, hoping to gain access to their system while Pops hovers over me. While I don’t fucking like it, I take it because I fucked up by calling Bella first. I’ll take that heat. If part of that is him over my shoulder, then so be it.
“Anything?” he asks after fifteen minutes of me meeting road blocks.
“I have one other way. Give me a sec.” I tap into the computer. “There.” I look up at Pops who hasn’t moved an inch. “These are the underground wires that are secondary to the wireless network they have going on. I already tapped that and can control it at any time. The wires, though, will be set to blow, and that can be accessed remotely. If Ransom’s watching and we step in, he detonates it.”
“Fuck,” Pops growls, crossing one arm over his chest, the other hand coming to his lips. “Do you think there’s anything there?”
I turn to him. “No, I don’t. Whatever he had, he took it with him: computers, phones. At least, that would be what I would do if I were as fucked as he is.”
“I wanna blow it,” Pops says. “Round up the guys and meet in church.” He turns and moves away.
Three hours later, we watch as Ransom’s compound and the men inside burn to the ground.
We pull up to our clubhouse in the van, parking it in the lot.
“Lock this place up tight,” Pops orders, and we do what he says. It won’t take long because everyone’s already on alert.
“So, brother, you sharing Bella with everyone or just your brother?” Dagger asks mischievously. He has a woman, Mearna, and she would cut off his balls if he touched another woman. Still, the question pisses me off.
“No one fucking touches her.”
Dagger laughs as we move toward the clubhouse. Then he nods his head to the courtyard, and I follow his gaze.
Two brothers from the Clayton Charter sit on either side of Bella at a picnic table. It’s like a punch to the gut that takes my breath away as the cards of my life fall into place. Yes, we’re in a bunch of shit, but having her here with everyone else … They need to know she’s mine.
Bella’s soft laugh can be heard as the two men try to get my fucking woman.
“Son of a motherfucking bitch,” I growl, marching toward her.
Her eyes light up when she sees me, but then the spark dies when she obviously figures out I’m pissed as shit.
She rises, coming toward me. “Buzz?”
I move past her and get in my brothers’ faces.
“See this woman?” I motion to Bella, and they nod. “Off fucking limits.”
I feel Bella jump beside me.
Both men put their hands up. “Didn’t know she was yours.”
“I told you I was staying with Buzz,” Bella says, pissing me off more.
“You told them you were with me?”
She hesitates. “I said that, while I’m here, I’m staying with you.”
I look at the guys. “She tells you she’s my woman and you hit on her?”
“Just thought she was fucking you, brother. Didn’t know it was something more,” Singer says.
Bella’s breath hitches, but I ignore her.
“Spread this shit. Bella is off limits to everyone,” I growl before turning to Bella.
I grab her arm and haul her toward the door to the clubhouse. My temper flairs, and I take some calming breaths to get it under control. By the time we march through the main room, down the stairs, and into her bedroom, the calmness begins to set in.
Bella tugs on her arm, wrenching it hard, and I let go. “That hurt!” she screams at me.
I close my eyes. That is the last thing I want to do. I never want to hurt her, dammit.
“I’m sorry about that.” I point at her arm. “Didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Can you tell me what the hell that was back there? I was just talking to those guys.” She crosses her arms over chest, pushing her tits up into the V of her shirt. My cock jumps to attention.
“They were ready to fuck you,” I say, shutting the door to the bedroom.
“Well, nice for them. That doesn’t mean I would have let them. Since I met you, I’ve only been with you and once with Breaker.”
The tension in the air thickens like a cloud. For the briefest of moments, her face flashes hurt, but she quickly masks it. I don’t like it one fucking bit.
“That’s good. Then I don’t have to kill them.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. “Why would you say that?”
I’m not playing this back and forth game anymore. We’ve been doing it for months, and I’m over it.
I step closer to her and wrap her in my arms. “Because if any motherfucker touches you, Bella, I’ll fucking gut him.”
“But Breaker …”
I shake my head, silencing her. “That was once. Never again. All mine. No other cock will be anywhere near you ever again.”
I give her no time to process the words before I capture her lips and press her soft body against mine. I grip her neck firmly, not allowing her to move as she kisses me back, trying to keep up. Then I push her away, not hard, but she stumbles a bit before gaining her balance.
“Strip,” I order, and her pupils dilate as she licks her plump-from-my-kisses bottom lip.
Something sparks in her eyes, and my first thought is, is she going to comply, or is she going to fight back?
The more I watch, the more I see it: the moment when she allows her body to surrender.
She tosses her clothes to the floor, giving me a fantastic view of all her curves. Bella is all woman; no skin and bones here. I have something to hold on to and keep me warm, and I love every damn inch. Her damn ass is to die for: round, pert, and fucking perfect.
She stands in front of me, unmoving, waiting. I love that, too.
“On the bed, face down, arms up, legs apart.”
The hitch of her breath tells me she heard me, but she doesn’t move.
I raise my brow in challenge.
It takes her a moment when it normally wouldn’t, and I see a bit of fear there, but she finally complies, getting into position. Then I move to the top drawer of the dresser where I stashed some toys for us to play with. I grab the cotton rope and move to her hands.
A slight tremor goes through her, but it’s not a turned on one. No, it’s fear, and that tears at my gut.
“Tell me why you’re afraid.”
She blows out a breath. “You’re pissed at me. That bothers me.”
“Good. I want it to bother you.”
“You want me to be scared of you?”
I sit on the side of the bed, holding the rope. “That’s not what I said, Bella. I said I’m happy that me being pissed bothers you. It means that you give a shit—you care. You want to do good for me, just like I want to do good for you.”
She closes her eyes, and when she opens them again, pain comes through, but
she replies with nothing. I’ll have to get it out of her another way.
“Ready to play?” I ask.
“Yes,” she shakily says back.
“I’m tying your hands and feet. You don’t move unless I say.” I grip the rope and her wrists.
“Yes,” she answers.
I begin to circle the rope around her wrists, knotting them in a way I learned from an old buddy of mine, who was deep into the lifestyle, which I am not. I just like to play. I don’t have titles or anything like my buddy has. I go with what suits me.
I practiced the technique over the years, but wrapping Bella, I take extra care to make sure nothing will chafe or hurt in any way.
She shivers as I tie her last leg.
“How does that feel?” I ask as I finish the last knot.
“Good,” she replies, sounding a bit foggy.
I walk over to the drawer and pull out my flogger. The long rod with a leather strap at the end feels erotic in my hand. This little tool can bring pleasure, and it can bring pain. Tonight, Bella will get both. She needs to learn once and for all that she is mine. No more games.
With a light touch, I run the leather tip across her skin, watching goose bumps form with each movement. Each time her flesh rises, a jolt of excitement hits me, making my already hard cock painful. I ignore it, knowing when I get done with Bella, the end will be worth it.
Something soft caresses my skin, causing shivers to flow through my body. I close my eyes as the worry about upsetting Buzz floats from my mind. Everything dissipates, leaving only the feeling of Buzz remaining.
This is the place I love to be. I crave it. A place where only Buzz can take me. A place I only want Buzz to take me.
A sharp sting comes to my ass, and my eyes spring open as a yelp escapes.
When I turn to see him, he has the look on his face he gets when we play. I love that I can give that to him.
He lifts the long rod in his hand before bringing it down hard. I jolt but lay my head down, the burn from the thwack lighting up my globes.
“We need to get a few things straight, Bella,” he says as the leather comes back down, leaving more fire in its wake, and my pussy quivers in anticipation.
He rubs the leather over my skin, my arms, my legs, bringing my nerves to attention. My mind begins to float again as I feel.
“First, you’re mine, Bella.” Thwack. “No one touches you. No men flirt with you and try to fuck what’s mine.” Thwack.
The burn intensifies, and not just from the leather, but from his words, which make my heart swell. Does this mean what I think it does?
“You don’t talk or flirt with other men, because you’re mine, Bella.” Thwack. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Buzz,” I say as I float.
“That means the only cock you ride is mine. The only one you see is mine.”
Thwack.
Thwack.
The burn mingles with the pleasure, and I close my eyes again, letting it take me away as it prickles over my skin.
“Nice,” I hear him mutter. “Fuckin’ love seeing you like this.”
I lick my dry lips and whisper a broken, “Yeah.”
“Do you love me, Bella?” he asks, and it sounds like he’s drifting away, or I am. I can’t tell. This, right here, is euphoria.
When I don’t answer, he brings his hands to my back, rubbing up and down.
“Bella, answer me.”
“Yes,” I respond.
“Good. That means you’re not going anywhere, Bella. By my side, that’s where you’ll be.”
My legs are pulled apart. I thought I had rope on them, but I can no longer feel them. Buzz plays with my clit, rolling his fingers around the nub, and my instinct is to grind my hips.
He squeezes my ass, the fire from his blows coming back to life, and I moan.
“Don’t move, Bella. You get what I give you.”
I don’t like that idea.
His hand comes back, and he plays, moving his finger around inside of me. The ball of wires inside tangles up, sitting on the cusp of blowing. Then he pulls back, only stringing me tighter and tighter. I need to come, need to release this, but he continues his torture, and I take every bit of it.
I float higher above the clouds as my hips are raised, and then Buzz is inside me. His thrusts set me off as white lights flash before my eyes like fireworks in the sky. The pleasure touches every inch of my skin, practically radiating off me. I scream, but I can barely hear it as he continues his thrusts.
He grips my hips hard as the buildup begins again, even though I haven’t fully come down from the first.
With a hard pinch to my clit, I explode, this one more powerful than the first.
Buzz pushes in deep. “Fuck, Bella,” he grunts as he releases my hips, and I fall to the bed.
I soar the high, the one that only Buzz can give me, and allow it to take me away.
Moments later, I lie there, my mind racing, the fuzziness receding.
“Buzz?” I ask quietly as he kisses the top of my head.
“Yeah.”
“I get that you say I’m yours …” I start, not exactly knowing how to word the next part.
“You are, Bella, and I’m yours.”
My heart warms at this, and my train of thought takes a minute to get back on track.
“What about the future? I mean, I have to finish school and—”
He pulls away from me and looks down. “Bella, we’ll work all that shit out. Promise. One day at a time, one second at a time, we’ll work it out.” From the fierceness in his tone, I believe him. Down to my bones, I believe that whatever future Buzz and I have, we will work it out.
For the first time since my father’s death, I feel truly happy.
I pull Bella against me and mold my body to hers. Her breaths are heavy, and her eyes glassy. I hold her secure to me, loving the feel of this woman.
I was pissed at the sight of the other men trying to get Bella. I hope now she understands I’m not letting her go. This is real. It’s been real for a long damn time. Now I need to convince her of that. Her telling me she loves me sealed the deal.
I awake to loud thumps on the door. Bella doesn’t rouse as I slide my arm out from under her, grab my jeans, and pull them on. Opening the door, I find Cruz standing there with an unreadable look on his face.
“Pops wants an update.”
I look at the clock. It’s only two in the morning.
I rub my hand over my face. I haven’t had a chance to go down to the computers after we got back, which will only piss Pops off more.
“Give me fifteen. I’ll run and check the feeds then be up.”
Cruz looks into the room then at me. “Better make it quick,” he growls before stomping off.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
I toss my shirt on then start to head to the computers. I hate leaving Bella, but it’s a must at the moment. I grab the key to her room and lock her door. Knowing she’s safe is my only comfort.
Walking into the room, I find Breaker in my chair, looking at all of the feeds. He always has my back. Now isn’t any different.
“Anything?” I ask, pulling up a chair next to him.
“New? No. But we sure did blow the fuckin’ place.” He hands me a disk. “I saved it on here.”
“Thanks. I need to figure out where this asshole is. There has to be a clue somewhere,” I say, racking my brain but getting nowhere.
I told myself I would stop coming here, yet here I am again. My boots crunch on the grass as I walk along the path, the sun just coming up, brightening the sky. The air is damp with dew, and I inhale the scent of it deep.
I find where I need to be and look down at the granite staring back at me.
Jerry Albert Redgrove
Beloved, father, uncle, brother, and friend
I kick the dirt, and it scatters across the stone before settling back on the earth. The urge to crumble up the flowers on each side of the tombstone compels me, but I
refrain. Whoever put them there has their reasons, just like I have mine for being here.
“Hey, asshole,” I say to the ground, and like always, no one answers back. Just once, I wish he would so I could put him back in the ground.
“Don’t,” I tell him as I cower in the corner of the room.
Jerry comes closer with a smile on his face that is anything but happy. It’s evil. I know firsthand.
“Do we have to play this game every time, little Tim?”
I hate when he calls me “little Tim.” Tim is a strong name, a standup name, and being fourteen, I’m getting closer to being bigger.
“Go away,” I order, but he doesn’t listen. Instead, he grabs my arm as I fight back.
I know he likes it when I fight, and I shouldn’t do it, but I can’t help it. Instinct kicks in.
He crashes my puny body against his and moves his lips to my ear. “Either you put out, or your brother does. You pick.”
The fight leaves. I won’t let anything touch Trey. He’s my best friend, and if I can protect him from this, I will.
I close my eyes and wait for it to start.
“This is the last time I’m coming, you worthless piece of shit.” This time, I mean it. I’m done.
I unzip my pants and pull out my cock. Then I piss on the fucker’s grave. Always said I was going to do it yet never have. Now I can check that off the list.
Coming here is totally pointless. It gives me no closure. Even putting him in the ground with his eyes wide as he saw me take his life didn’t give it to me. I’m not sure anything will.
For years, I put up with him touching me, never saying a word to anyone. There were two reasons I couldn’t: One, my mother loved him, and two, he said he would kill both my mother and Buzz. I believed he would. Now I don’t. But as a stupid kid, I did until my mother got fed up with him and got rid of him. Then it all stopped.
I spoke not one word until I got out of the Army, and when I did, it was to Buzz and only Buzz … ever. The only reason I told him was because I had to finish Jerry. I knew he would latch on to some other kid, and I couldn’t live with that fact, especially when I was able to take care of it.