by Lauren Wood
Virgil was not at all with Chris and his gang. The ride back to the city was a while and we had time to talk. He was married and about to celebrate forty years of marriage. I don’t know why, but I got misty-eyed as he talked. I wanted that, I think everyone wanted that kind of love.
“Sounds like your wife is a lucky woman Virgil.”
“Not hardly Angela. I am the lucky one. I don’t know what I would have done without her. It was hard to convince her, but I never gave up and eventually I got my way and she became my bride.”
It was sweet and I couldn’t help but smile. I was close to home and even though there was a lot ahead of me, I knew that it was going to be okay, it was going to have to be.
I got to my house and I had him drop me off a little ways away from it. He didn’t question me, not really, but he did give me his number if I needed anything. I missed kind people like him. I missed home, but home was not as safe as I remembered. Not when there were people like Marcus and Chris in the world.
As soon as I got in through the back door, I started to pack. I really didn’t have a plan, except that I was going to wait for it to get dark and then I was walking to the bus stop. That was going to take me to the train station and then I was going to get on a train and leave this place for good. I don’t know if I wanted to go back to Dallas or what I wanted to do, but what I did know was that I had to get out of here. There was nothing for me. Not anymore. I had some family I could stay with for a while in Pascagoula and I knew that it would be better than anything here. My job sucked and the man I loved didn’t care. I had some biker guys after me. It couldn’t get much worse. My ex was starting to seem sane compared to all of the rest of them.
***
“What are you doing here Marcus?”
This was the last person that was supposed to be here. I had moved hundreds of miles away, well I had ran that far away to get away from him.
“I have been looking for you Angela. I thought you were dead.”
He moved to embrace me and I took a step back. Did he not think that I knew about him, what he had done and said? What the hell was he doing here? The man that didn’t care.
“I’m not dead, no thanks to you. What are you doing here Marcus? I left to get away from you and all of the men like you.”
“They are gone. They will never hurt you again.”
“Chris was nice to me. He didn’t have to be the way he was. I hope you didn’t hurt him.”
The look on his face told me that Chris was likely not walking the planet anymore. How could I have been so wrong and not seen it for what it was? Why hadn’t I really seen what kind of man he was? I should have gotten a clue from the bullet hole.
“I did what had to be done. He wouldn’t talk and tell me where you were.”
“He didn’t know. I took off when he went outside, walked back to the house on Lakeland Drive and got the hell out of town. I am sorry you wasted your time here Marcus. It seemed from what you told Chris that you weren’t that worried about what happened to me.”
“How do you know him enough to call him by his first name?”
“We talked. We talked while he decided what to do with me. I guess he wanted to use me for leverage, but once he realized that I meant nothing to you, I wasn’t worth anything.”
He moved towards me again and I stopped him. “You need to go. I don’t want to do this with you. I still really don’t understand what it is you are even doing here Marcus. What is the point?”
“The point is that I love you.”
I had heard that before and I didn’t believe it now anymore. Not after everything that has happened.
“You need to go. I heard what you said to Chris.”
“What do you think would have happened to you if he would have known how much I cared? The man had nothing to lose and everything to gain from hurting you. I wanted to give him less of a reason to. You got away and you are okay, that is what matters.”
“Yeah well I am here now no thanks to you.”
“I came for you.”
“I never saw you Marcus.” I shook my head and tried to make sense of this. I was at my grandmother’s house and lived several states away now. I might have said something about her years ago, giving him a clue to where I would be now, but I really wasn’t sure. All I knew was that she was going to be home in a little while and there was no excuse for the man in front of me. I wanted him gone, for both of our sakes.
“You were already gone. Lucas and I had the guys check the swamp for a couple of weeks looking for you.”
“If they would have done anything to me, the alligators would have gotten me. A guy like you should know that.”
His face screwed up a little bit and he pushed his way into the door. “If you are going to look at me like I am a criminal, I might as well do some criminal shit. I came for you. I am here now. What do I want? All I want to do is kiss you Angie, I don’t want to fight.”
“I don’t want to kiss you or have anything to do with you, not after hearing what you said. I should have never come back to New Orleans. If I would have thought that I would have run into you, I promise that I wouldn’t have come at all.”
“You don’t mean this Angie.”
“Stop calling me that. It is Angela. Everyone calls me that.”
“Not me.”
“Why are you different?”
“Because of what we had. If you wouldn’t have left…”
I wasn’t going to let him get any further. I was done listening to it. “I left because I had to. You left me no choice and all of this has just showed me that I did the right thing. Our child was better off.”
Shit. Did I just say that out loud?”
“Our child?”
“Huh?”
Marcus was not smiling anymore and I could tell that he was pissed. Why had I said that? After all of this time and all of his questions, why in the world would I just come out with something like that? I must have lost it. That was the only thing that even made sense. It had to be that.
“You said that our child was better off. What do you mean?”
It wasn’t hard to understand, but maybe for him it was. He was looking at me as if he had seen a ghost and I didn’t know what to say. What could I say, but finally the truth?
“I was pregnant when I left. You were getting into trouble, getting into fights at school and after talking to my parents, they decided that sending me away was for the best. I didn’t want to, but now I see it as the best thing that could have happened. I can’t even imagine what life would be like the way you live.”
It was going to take him some time to wrap his brain around it. I didn’t blame him, but I still didn’t know why he was here.
“So we have a child?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“In Texas. I gave him up for adoption.”
“Him?”
Every word seemed to bring him pain and I felt a wave of guilt. My own anger was gone and I found myself sitting next to him to comfort him on the couch.
“I am sorry about this Marcus. But you can see that this is for the best, right? It was all for the best.”
Marcus’ green eyes were filled with anger. It wasn’t a look that I had seen before and I can’t say that I liked it.
“How can this be for the best when we aren’t together? How could keeping my kid from me be for the best?”
That was a question that was hard to answer. Really hard and I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t the one that left me for dead with those bad men. I had to focus on that, as opposed to focusing on my own wrong doing. I didn’t mean anything to him, I had to remind myself of that several times. It didn’t matter how I felt, it mattered that I was the only one that felt it.
Chapter 15
Marcus
“If you really cared Marcus, you wouldn’t have left me up there with Chris like that. I heard what you said. He had you on speaker phone. I was trying to keep our child safe. That was all I was doing and no
w that I know what kind of life you lead, I was right. There was no way that we were going to make it.”
“I keep telling you that it’s not like that Angela. If they would have known what you meant to me, there is no way that they would have let you go. I can’t imagine life without you, so I lied. I told them that you meant nothing to me Angela. You have to know the truth.
“The truth is that you just don’t care. It’s been a long time Marcus, I don’t blame you. I didn’t expect to see you here and then all of a sudden, here you were. I get it. You had a life here and I shouldn’t get in the way of it.”
This girl was like a broken record and the only way I knew to stop her was to kiss her. It was immediate. The sound was cut off and she was left with her eyes closed and a soft whimper on her lips. It was the only way that I could make her see how much I loved her. I had to show her because words were never enough.
“Can’t you feel how much I love you? Don’t you see Angela that you are the only one that I have ever loved? You complete me.”
I moved over her body and pressed her into the couch underneath her. She felt good and the injury that had stopped me before was almost completely healed. I was back up to fighting strength and after weeks of searching for her to find her here, made the need inside of me that had slept for that time, awake and raring to go.
I felt hands go to my chest and I growled as I pulled back. I didn’t want to stop and by the way her body was gyrating against me, neither did she.
“What?” I was out of breath from need and my hardness was already pushing into her stomach. Didn’t she know that this is what was supposed to happen? We were meant to be together and I had known that since the first time we hooked up.
“I just, I don’t know.”
“I do, so where can we go and get more comfortable?”
It was a question that I wasn’t sure I was going to get an answer to, but that was okay. I kept telling myself that it was all going to be okay. I would make her see things my way.
Instead of waiting for her to answer, I got up and pulled her up with me. “Show me where you want to do this. I can’t wait another minute for you Angie.”
She giggled a little and I was sure it was because of the desperation that must be apparent on my face. I was going to lose it if I didn’t have her soon. All of the rest of it could be figured out later. We needed to let our bodies talk for a while. There was never as much issue with us when we talked with our hands and hips.
The bedroom that she directed me into was the first one at the top of the stairs. It smelled like her when I moved into the room. Everything in the room reminded me of her and reminded me that in a way I didn’t think I would ever find her alive. I had hopes, but I learned long ago that hope meant nothing, action is the key. My actions now were going to solidify all that I had told her. She needed to know that I was nothing without her and I was willing to do whatever it takes to keep here. Right now that meant making her forget all of the bad and focus on what it is like between us.
I laid her down and started to kiss her again. It had been so long since I had touched any woman and that it was her had me more excited than I cared to admit. I didn’t want her to think that I wasn’t into her, but at the same time I didn’t want to erupt so quickly. I wanted everything to be perfect and before long I started to take off her jeans.
She looked as beautiful as I remembered. Not much had changed on her and the more I looked at her perfection, the more I knew that I would have to convince her to stay. I had to convince her that she was as incomplete without me, as I was incomplete without her. It wasn’t something that I could tell her, the words just seemed to be thought of as a line. It was going to be something that I had to show her and prove to her every day until she realized that I was the one that she was supposed to be with.
“God, you are perfect Angie.”
Her face got a little red and she looked away from me. I loved the way she looked then. It really was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for it to be any other way.
“You always know what to say. You are such a smooth talker.”
The words were a reminder that it had to be shown.
I shushed her and told her that she was just supposed to let me love on her. That was all that I needed and I knew that after it was all done, it would be all she needed as well. I had never had trouble getting a woman in my life. Why was I worried about it?
Standing up, I shuffled my clothes off quickly. I heard her gasp and some of the confidence that I had lost was coming back to me. Why had I forgotten the most important thing? Angie was just as horny as I was.
“Come to bed Marcus. It has been so long.”
Her words made me smile and I caught the long look that she was giving to my hardness. When she had been over and practically begged for it, why didn’t I remember how much she was into this? Had I really forgotten the look of lust that came over her face every time she looked at me?
“I know Angie. It feels like an eternity without you.”
She smiled and her arms moved up to pull me down. I wasn’t ready for that yet though. At the rate I was going, I was going to bust quickly. She had to be as ready for it as I was. I wanted to hear her moans that I could still hear echoing in my head in the middle of the night. I needed us to be us again.
I remembered that Angela liked when I rubbed her and it wasn’t long before I had her jumping in pleasure under my ministrations. She was writhing on the bed and calling out my name. It was too perfect and as I watched her body jerk and roll, I had to wonder if I was dreaming. It seemed right since Angie was all I wanted for so long. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me and I didn’t want to wake up if that were the case.
“God I love you Angela.”
My lips and tongue moved between her legs and I flicked her tiny clit until I tasted a flood of fluid in my mouth. She tasted as sweet as I recalled and the taste made me even more excited. Every soft moan and whimper drove the blood buzzing a little faster through my veins. It was impossible to stop this now.
“Please Marcus, I need you.”
I was on top of her and my head was between her thighs, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted me inside of her and once she said those words, I was unable to stop myself from moving higher up on her body. I looked between our bodies as I moved over her, looking down at the innocent eyes and the innocent face that I had fallen in love with.
“Is this what you want?”
I was just at her core, the head of my cock pressing into her hot, wet tightness. Angela moaned my name, her eyes closing to the pleasure as I entered her as slow as humanly possible. I could feel her clenching down on me and I was the one that had to hold my breath to insure that I didn’t lose it right then and there. I could already feel cum bubbling in my balls and I wanted to release all of it inside of her. The woman was going to mine forever and I had to remind myself of that so I didn’t get ahead of myself.
Angela’s legs were moved to my shoulders, letting me slide all the way into her. It was what we both needed as I rocked into her slowly. Angie’s hips were egging me on and I knew that she wanted it fast. Angie whimpered and squeezed me inside of her, trying to bait me to do what I wanted. She was good at that and it wasn’t long before I was doing just as she wanted.
The increased speed made me have to bite the inside of my cheek a little better to control myself. I wanted to come inside of her, blast my seed in her and make another child with Angie. It was a sure way to keep her, now that I know what it was that was between us.
Angela screamed out underneath me and I could feel all of her muscles contracting in around me. She was suffocating me with her silken sheet and I was unable to hold back any more. “Angie, I’m coming baby.”
I filled her with every drop that I could give her. I thought of what would happen next and how this was going to work. I hadn’t even left her yet and I was already planning when I could get back inside of her.
Pulling her to me as I laid on my
side, I hadn’t been so happy in such a long time.
“I can’t wait until we are back in New Orleans. I have missed you.”
“I am not going back there.”
“What, why?”
“Because that is not the life for me, Marcus. I love you, I really do, but I just can’t.”
I didn’t understand her words. Was I hearing her wrong? Didn’t she feel the same way that I did?
“What do you mean that you aren’t going back? What about this, about us?”
I hated the high pitched sound that I was making and I stopped to calm myself down. Surely she didn’t mean that, right?
“Look Marcus, I love you. I always have and whether I like it or not, I know that I always will. But I can’t go back to that life where I am kidnapped and almost killed. I can’t live this life with you.”
“I will do anything. What do you want?”
“I want to be safe Marcus. I want you to be safe so I don’t have to worry about something horrible happening to you every time you leave the house. I know that it can’t be though. You are not that kind of man.”
She was wrong. She didn’t know what kind of man I was. I was her man and whatever I had to do to make that happen, I would. Moving to my pants, I found my cell phone and called Lucas.
“Lucas, I’m out.”
“What? What the hell do you mean you are out? Are you drinking again Marcus? I told you it will always look better in the morning.”
“Not this time. I am out.”
“Why?”
“Because I promised someone I love that I would quit this life.”
I heard him out, but the answer was still the same. I wasn’t going to jeopardize my life with Angela for anything.
“That easy huh?”
“It is when all I want is you Angela. I love you and I am not letting you go again, ever.”
THE END
BE MINE: A BAD BOY NEXT DOOR ROMANCE
“I ran a gang, dealt with life and death every day. She was harder than that. She was the one that made my heartbeat slam in my chest and wonder what if there was more.”