by Evelyn Glass
“You need us,” she whispered between his soft kisses of her lips. “We can help.”
“I know. But I worry. If anything were to happen to you. To any of you. I don’t think I can live with that.”
“Shhh… Everything is going to be okay,” she whispered as she kissed him this time. “We’ll be careful. But this is something I have to do. I need this. I need this to help me deal with Will’s death. I’m so… angry… I need this to help me let go. I need to be part of making sure justice is served. I need it. The other night, when I thought it was all slipping away, I—”
“I know,” Jules interrupted so she wouldn’t go to that dark place again. “But I need you to be careful. I need you to make sure the other women are careful. You’ve seen what Todd is willing to do. They can say they understand, but you know what can happen.”
“Yes. I will. I don’t want any more innocent blood spilled.”
“Me either.”
They stared into each other eyes a moment and Jules could feel his heart warming with his feelings for her. She was much more than a friend now. So much more. He should tell her how he felt about her, but he held his tongue, afraid of giving voice to what he felt so clearly, afraid of how she may react.
She watched Jules’s face softened as he looked at her, his eyes peering into her as if he was staring into the depths of her soul. He had been looking at her more and more often with that tender expression, the one that was so clear between Exotic and Eric, Spence and Tammy and Liv and Marsh. A look of love perhaps? He hadn’t said the words, but she could sense that things were changing between them. They were no longer just sex partners, they were lovers in every sense of the word. She longed to hear him say the words, as she ached to tell him how she felt, but she needed him to commit first. She had to be sure he felt the same way before she could bring herself to say the words, to give her heart fully over to him. She smiled at him as his lips touched her own. She had fallen in love with Mr. Julian Franklin Rivera, and for tonight, showing him how she felt was enough.
He began kissing down her body again, pausing to nuzzle, lick and tease her nipples. She sighed in contentment. Sometimes their lovemaking was fast, hard and athletic. Other times, like tonight, it was slow, loving and gentle. As he continued to work his way down, his lips fluttering over her skin in gossamer light touches, she began to move under the delicious feel of his lips. Removing the last of her covering, he breathed lightly on her womanhood as he teased her with kisses on her thighs and stomach. But she didn’t want the teasing tonight. She wanted to feel his closeness, to share in their coming together, to allow the deep feelings to flow through their joining.
She tugged lightly on his arms, pulling him gently upwards. “No… not tonight,” she breathed, not wanting to be worked into a froth of desire so she could enjoy their coupling.
As he returned his lips to hers, she pushed at his underwear, taking his hardness into her hand and stroking him gently as he hovered over her.
“Are you ready?” he whispered.
“Yes,” she sighed in response.
He took a moment to remove his boxers then busied himself at her breasts a moment, enjoying the pleasing of her as he positioned himself between her legs. Taking her lips, he kissed her softly as he entered her, sighing to each other’s mouths, giving and taking breath in pleasure. He lowered himself, adding a bit of weight, enjoying the press of her flesh to his as he slid into her in a slow, pleasurable rhythm.
She sighed, her eyes closing in pleasure, pleasure of the flesh and of the soul. Never had she had anyone fill her so completely, the warmth of his touch flowing through her and filling a hollow space she didn’t even knew existed. Each of his slow, sensuous, plunges filled her with joy as his hands gently held her head and caressed her face while he softly touched her lips with his own. She wanted to shout in pleasure, not of the flesh, but of the soul, and she smiled.
“What?” he whispered as her smile in the dim light of their room sent a thrill rippling through him.
“Nothing…”
“Tell me…”
“Nothing,” she repeated. “Just you make me feel so… alive. Like nothing can touch me, that I can do anything.”
He smiled, tasting her lips once more. “As you do me,” he whispered. And she did. She had pulled him from the darkness of his past, the shining light of her kindness and compassion lighting his path as struggled to throw off his guilt and shame. Sometimes the darkness tried to return, to claim him once more, but each time she smiled at him, touched him, touching his face in that way she has, the light returned and banished the darkness once more.
The moved together, two becoming one, until she shuddered as a pleasant warmness flowed through her, causing her to sigh. He paused at she took a deep breath, smiling in contentment.
“That was nice,” she whispered as he offered his lips, lips that she took, wanting to feel their touch. As he started to move again, she gently pushed him away, breaking off the kiss. “Stop,” she murmured.
“You okay?”
“Yes,” she smiled, pushing at him gently until he pulled out. She continued to push at him, steering him to his back. She turned with him then pulled him into the seated position as she lowered herself onto him, taking him inside again with a soft sigh as she curled her legs behind him and wrapped him in her arms. They sat, two people becoming one, holding each other, his hands softly cupping her ass, unmoving except for the gentle fluttering of his lips on the hollow of her neck. She knew he hadn’t climaxed, but he seemed content to simply hold her for as long as she wished… and she wanted him to hold her forever.
He just wanted to hold her, to feel the warmth of her skin and the warmth of her compassion. She gently pushed his head back and he smiled as he looked into her eyes. She looked as if she were going to say something, but smiled softly at him and slowly bent to take his lips with her own. As they kissed she began to thrust her hips, her weight bearing down on him making the gently rocking motion incredibly intense. He tightened his grip, pulling her more fully into him, holding her tight, never wanting to let her go.
“You like that?” she whispered, holding his head to her chest with a hand.
“Yes.”
She smiled, thrilling at the pleasure she was giving, and receiving. “Are you going to come?”
“Yes,” he breathed.
She began to rock harder, the excitement of driving Jules to his climax revving her up. She had selected this position to recapture that magical moment on his thinking rock, recalling how close she had felt to him there, but she hadn’t expected them to come in this position. Even on the rock they had to change to a better position to reach their climax, but hearing him admit he was going to come as he held her close and tight made her reach for her own orgasm.
“I’m going to come,” she murmured to plant the seed in her own mind.
“Come with me,” he whispered as his orgasm began to press down on him. He kissed at her neck, enjoying the feel of her skin against his lips. “I’m going to come, Rachel. I’m going to come.”
She tightened her grip around the back of his neck and head, pulling him in tighter, her own orgasm beginning to form. “Wait. Please wait,” she whispered. “I want to come with you.”
Something about this position, her weight pressing him deep into her, the feel of her body against his own, her sensuous movement, was driving him on. He shuddered as he fought off the orgasm’s first attempt to take him
“I can’t hold it,” he groaned out, his eyes tightly closed as his fought against the climax pressing down upon him again.
Hearing the stain of his voice as he shifted his hands to her back, pulling her in even tighter and clinging to her, excited more than she expected. She was definitely going to come again.
“Not yet,” she gasped and her own face crinkled as she strained to reach her orgasm before Jules was overwhelmed by his.
“Stop!” he begged, but it was too late. His essence exploded from him,
making him grunt with the searing waves of pleasure as Rachel continued to thrust hard and fast on him. He clung to her, battling through the release as his orgasm soared.
Hearing Jules cry out softly as he held her tight was enough to push her over the edge into her own climax. As her release burned through her, she stilled her driving hips with a gasp, allowing her orgasm to flow. She felt Jules relax under her, his breath warm and erotic against her skin as he blew out a long breath. She tipped her head over and laid her cheek against his head, breathing deep, feeling as close to him as she had ever felt to anyone, ever. Once again she longed to tell him how she felt, but held her tongue, afraid of spoiling this special moment.
He held her, eyes closed, content in ways he couldn’t recall feeling before. As his breathing slowed, he could feel a smile tugging at his lips. He started to tell her how he felt but didn’t, unsure of her reaction and unwilling spoil the moment. He held her a moment longer before he slowly, gently, tumbled her to the bed. He followed the roll coming to rest hovering over her where he could stare into her eyes.
“What?” she asked as she reached up and touched his face.
He considered telling her what he was thinking, that he was falling hard for her, but refrained. He wasn’t sure why he couldn’t tell her, fear or rejection perhaps, but he simply smiled and kissed her softly. “Nothing. Just thinking about how far I have come since we… became lovers.”
She smiled. He had come a long way, the darkness that seemed to surround him no longer shadowed his eyes, and perhaps that was the greatest compliment of all. She slid her hand behind his head and pulled him to her breast, holding him there as her eyes closed in contentment until, wrapped in each other’s arms, warm and at peace, she slid slowly into sleep.
Chapter Forty Three
“Who is this?” Terrance Wallace, Rachel’s father, asked.
“Daddy, this is Jules. My friend that I told you about. Remember?”
“Where’s Will? Why doesn’t he come by and see me anymore?”
“Daddy… Will’s dead,” Rachel said softly. She didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse that her dad was having a bad day and didn’t remember that Will had been killed.
“Dead?”
“Yes, Daddy. Don’t you remember? I told you.”
Darnell stared at her a moment. “In the Marines?”
“No Daddy,” she said as she fought to hold her tears. “He was killed in the bar. Shot.”
This was the first time he had accompanied Rachel to visit her father, and Jules gritted his teeth. It wasn’t Mr. Wallace fault, but it was hurting him to watch Rachel relive her brother’s death again.
“How?” Darnell asked.
“It was a robbery, sir,” Jules said. “Will died a hero. He saved the lives of everyone in the bar that night.” He looked to Rachel and saw her wipe at her eyes as she smiled at him.
Darnell looked at Jules again. “He did?”
“Yes sir. You should be proud of your son.”
“William… he’s a good boy. I’m proud of him.” Darnell looked down at the floor and blinked several times. “I didn’t have a chance to say goodbye. To tell him how proud I was of him. To tell him that his mother and I love him.”
“You did, sir. Right before. He knew,” Jules said, telling the man what he needed to hear. He stepped up to Darnell. “It was my honor to know him and call him friend.”
Darnell looked up at Jules, with tears in his eyes. “I’m… Have I met you before?”
“No sir,” Jules said standing before Darnell and holding his hand out. Some things are so deeply instilled in a person that even Alzheimer's couldn’t completely cloud it, and Darnell came to his feet and took Jules’s hand. “I asked Rachel to introduce me. I wanted to shake the hand of Will’s father.”
Rachel’s dad wasn’t that old but his Alzheimer’s had taken its toll and Jules was careful to not grip too tightly. “Have you met Laura?”
Jules looked to Rachel who mouthed the word mother. “No sir.”
“Laura?” Darnell called then looked around. “She must have gone shopping or something.”
“Dad, Mom is—” Rachel began.
“It’s okay, Mr. Wallace. I’ll meet her some other time,” Jules said cutting Rachel off.
“Yes. Okay,” Darnell said as he settled back into his chair and his eyes wandered to the television where a baseball game was on.
“You like the Rangers?” Jules asked as he sat down on the couch in the small room.
“What? Oh, yes. I tried out of them a long time ago. Before Rachel and William were born.”
“Really?” Jules asked, impressed despite himself. “What position? Did you make the cut?”
Darnell smiled in memory. “Yes. But you can’t raise a family on a minor leaguer’s salary. I was a catcher and…”
As her dad rambled on about baseball and falling in love with her mother, Rachel sat down next to Jules and took his hand in hers, intertwining her fingers with his. Her dad loved to tell that story and seemed as happy as she had seen him in weeks, delighted that he had someone new to listen. She looked to Jules and smiled at him as he glanced at her, giving her a lopsided grin. Jules… he was such a good man, telling her father what he wanted to hear in a way that built Will up without lying about what happened. She leaned into Jules and rested her head on his shoulder. She had heard this story at least a hundred times, but today, she didn’t mind hearing it again.
***
“Thank you,” Rachel said as they settled into Jules’s Tahoe.
“For what?”
“For what you did in there. For what you said about Will.”
“Every word was the truth, or close enough to it to not matter.”
“I know. He’s slipping, Jules. I have told him each time I’ve come up that Will’s dead, but he can’t remember. His good days are getting fewer than farther between.”
As they pulled out of the assisted living facility, he glanced at her in the passenger seat and saw the sadness in her face. He reached over and took her hand. “I’m sorry babe. I really am.”
“I know,” she sighed. She had already come to grips that she was going to lose her dad soon.
“I wish I could have met him before he got like this.”
“Yeah. Me too. I think he would have liked you.”
“And his daughter?” he prompted.
“She likes you too,” she said with a grin and squeeze of his hand. Just as she relaxed her grip, her phone began to chime. Rachel fished around in her purse a moment before coming up with her phone.
“It’s Liv. One of her contacts said an exchange is going down today, out on Longdraw in about three hours.”
“Shit,” Jules said as he eased his foot down on the throttle. Three hours was going to be cutting it tight. Very tight. “One of her contacts?”
“Yeah. Hang on a minute,” Rachel said as she typed away at her phone a moment. When her phone buzzed again she read. “She said she has three other women feeding her information. They don’t like where the club is going. She didn’t tell them she was passing the information along to me.” Rachel looked at Jules. “I wouldn’t want her pissed at me. She is one devious bitch.”
Jules grinning. “I hope Marsh knows what he’s getting himself in for. Get it set up, if you can,” he said, putting both hands on the wheel as he pressed down on the throttle a little more and the speedometer crept past ninety.
***
Two hours and fifteen minutes later Jules and Rachel bailed out of his Tahoe at his home, Jules trotting into the house and grabbing his ski-mask and rifle.
“Be careful!” Rachel admonished as she accepted his quick kiss.
“Always.”
She watched as the Tahoe backed swiftly into the road then left with a chirp of tires before roaring away down the road. Chewing on her bottom lip, she pressed the button and started the garage door down. The battle to take the club back had just begun.
***
&nb
sp; Jules was last to arrive at the rendezvous point where they could watch Longdraw road, pulling his truck off to join Marsh, Spence and Eric, and their three trucks.
“Glad you could join us,” Marsh teased.
“Hey! I was in Fort Stockton when I heard about it. You should be glad I made it at all. They here?”
“Jesus!” Eric exclaimed. “You must have been flying low to get here.”
“Between ninety and a hundred the whole way. I didn’t want to miss the fun.”
“No. Nobody has gone down there. I hope this isn’t some wild goose chase. Or a setup,” Spence said watching the turn off through a pair of binoculars.
“Well, if it is a setup, we’re fucked anyway. But at least we won’t be in the thick of it and nobody will see us unless they know where to look. I’m more worried about picking them up after the exchange,” Marsh said.