by Sarah Bailey
“Can’t leave you with this all night now… wouldn’t be fair.”
I grinned as his hand dived under my boxers. The relief I felt at knowing everything was okay between us. I’d finally let go with him completely was like a huge weight lifting off my chest. I should never have worried about sex between us. We were still working each other out after all. So I let Eric bring me to climax with his hand wrapped around my dick as he stared down at me with those beautiful eyes of his that were the window into his soul. The soul that was completely and utterly entwined with mine.
Chapter 17
I opened my eyes feeling a little groggy and so hot it was as though my skin was burning. The next moment I realised why. The arm under my neck was hooked over my shoulder and possessively cupping my breast. Warm breath fluttered across the back of my neck, a solid body pressed into me and its other arm was laid over my side with the hand splayed out across my stomach. My legs were pinned to the mattress by the one curled over my thigh.
Rory held onto me so tightly as though I was about to bolt at any moment. I craned my head back a little so I could see his face. His eyes were closed and his dirty blonde hair was rumpled. He looked so peaceful. I could feel the soft rise and fall of his chest at my back and his very hard, very big cock pressing into the curve of my behind.
I almost shivered remembering the way he’d fucked me last night. How he’d made me take that huge cock down my throat. And fucked my pussy with so much brutality, I could still feel him there this morning. He held nothing back. Unleashed, wild and untethered, leaving me at the mercy of his hands, his mouth and his cock. He’d made me come so violently, I thought I was about to pass out. The way he’d cared for me afterwards when I told him it was what I needed warmed my fucking soul. He put me in the shower but not before going to my room to get a hairband to tie my hair up first. Rory washed every inch of me gently and thoroughly. He hadn’t let me wash him back but I knew he’d eventually let me do so in time.
When he’d carried me back to bed after drying the both of us, I noticed he’d brought me a clean set of clothes, my hairbrush and PJs which he’d left in a neat pile on his sofa. I forwent clothes in preference to being skin to skin with him. We curled up in bed together after I brushed my hair out. He held me to his chest and told me I was beautiful before pressing a kiss to my temple. That’s how we’d fallen asleep together. In each other’s arms. Sharing the same air with our mouths inches apart.
I felt him stir as his face pressed against my neck, nose nuzzling my skin. The hand across my breast shifted, his thumb swiping over my nipple, making it harden painfully under his touch.
“Ror.” The breathiness of my voice echoed the need building inside me. The ache between my legs switched from sore to pulsating desire.
His hand on my stomach slid between my thighs.
“Has my little star woken up with a needy pussy?” he hissed against my skin as his fingers hooked inside me.
I whimpered. On the one hand, I wanted him in me but on the other, my pussy still hurt from his vicious pounding.
“I’m sore,” I whispered, needing honesty between us.
His fingers turned gentle in an instant. He pressed a kiss to the back of my neck. My heart thundered against my chest at the gesture.
“Let me make it better.”
His thumb swiped over my clit, making me jerk in his tight hold. As I did, his cock slid between my cheeks. He groaned a little, grinding against me as he played my body with his fingers. Desire ripped through me, sending waves of pleasure up my spine. Despite everything, I wanted him with a desperation threatening to consume me whole.
“Ror, please.”
“You want me to fuck you even though you’re sore?”
“Yes,” I whimpered, almost desperately grinding back against him.
My body overtook my common sense. Having been deprived of Rory’s touch for so long, all I wanted was to feel him everywhere. Devouring me. Sinking deep inside me. I longed for him in ways I didn’t quite understand.
“I don’t want to hurt you further.”
I mewled as his thumb on my clit grew more insistent.
“Please, please, please.”
He let go of me only to grab his cock between us and notch it to my entrance. He impaled me inch by maddening inch with slow thrusts which sent my pulse skittering. It hurt, but I was so worked up, I didn’t even care about the pain. Feeling him inside me was the sweetest ecstasy imaginable.
“Little star, you’re so hot and tight, fuck. How did I go so long without being inside you? I need you. Fuck. I need you like this so fucking much. My little star. Mine. Fuck. Mine.”
The words were spoken with such agonising intensity laced with need and desire, I didn’t know what to think. I never imagined this much passion from a man so quiet and full of pain inside. Rory just needed someone to love him the way he was. To show him even if he was broken, he still deserved happiness. He still deserved to be free.
The loud pounding on his door made me jump and him freeze.
“Ash… I need to speak to you,” came Quinn’s muffled voice.
Rory let go of me. I felt bereft of his presence and his cock immediately, but I knew Quinn wouldn’t interrupt us unless it was urgent. I crawled out of Rory’s bed, wincing a little as I took a few steps forward. Okay, so maybe sex this morning wouldn’t be a good idea considering how each step made my pussy hurt ache further and not in a good way. Not bothering with clothes, I opened the door and found not just Quinn standing there, but Xav and Eric were behind him. They looked me over, but none of their expressions turned devious. All of them looked grim.
“What is it?”
That’s when I noticed Quinn had something in his hands. Four white roses. My blood ran cold. I hated white roses because of what they represented in my life so why the hell did he have those?
“These were delivered to the Syndicate this morning. Along with this,” Quinn told me as he handed me a small piece of paper.
I looked down at it, immediately recognising the handwriting. My fingers shook as I read it, my stomach dropping to my feet.
You have forty-eight hours to return my daughter to my side. If you do not comply, she will be the final named rose and all of you will suffer as a result of your decision to keep her from me.
I reached out and took the roses from Quinn, finding little notes attached to them. I read them one by one.
Quinn Knox.
Xavier Scott.
Eric Nelson.
Rory Carter.
Frank had named them. He intended to kill them no matter what we did.
The roses and the note fell out of my hands. The weight of Frank’s hold on me crashed down on all sides. I backed away, unable to look at them. My decision to stay by their sides had resulted in their death sentences. Even though they promised not to let me go, I felt the responsibility deep in my gut. This was my fault. My fucking fault.
“Little girl…”
I put a hand to my mouth, trying to hold back the tidal wave of emotions threatening to burst out. I couldn’t lose them. I just couldn’t. They were my anchors in this world. The only people I cared about more than life itself. And in those moments, I realised something significant. I loved all four of them. I loved them so much it burnt through me, searing their names on my heart and soul. They were mine and I was theirs. And I’d put my men in danger.
Quinn stepped into Rory’s room after me, followed by Xav and Eric. I shook my head. Nothing anyone said or did would make this better. Nothing. So I did the only thing I could, I crawled back into Rory’s bed and hid against his chest as the wracking sobs erupted from my mouth and tears fell on his skin.
“What happened?” Rory asked, the rumble of his voice echoing in my ears.
“Russo sent four white roses to the Syndicate with our names on them and a request we deliver his daughter within forty-eight hours or suffer the consequences. He’ll disown her if we
don’t and follow it up with a rose with her name on it,” Quinn said, the concern in his voice ripping my soul to shreds.
Rory wrapped his arms around me, holding me to him as I continued to sob wordlessly against him.
“He’s going to put her on his death list along with us.”
“Essentially.”
“Motherfucker.”
“What the fuck do we do now?” Xav asked.
The silence in the room told me even Quinn didn’t know what our next steps should be. It made me feel hopeless and despair gripped me in an iron hold. Rory stroked my hair and leant down, pressing his face to it.
“Shh, little star,” he whispered. “Shh.”
The fact he was making an attempt to comfort me destroyed me further. My poor, beautiful broken Rory who’d feared human contact, suffered an abusive childhood and had so many demons I barely knew how to count them, was comforting me. Me.
I didn’t deserve him. I didn’t deserve any of them.
“There’s only one thing we can do,” Quinn’s voice echoed around my skull. “What Viktor suggested last night. Ash has to publicly denounce her allegiance to Russo. We have to cut him off before he can make a move against us, before he can give the families proof we have her.”
“What makes you think he can get proof?”
“Julian is getting out of hospital, Xav. You know as well as I do he will take what he knows and use it, no matter what he’s told you. He already has if this latest shit is anything to go by. Frank will have proof and we’ll be fucked. The only chance we have to survive this is if we stop him gaining the families’ help in declaring war against us before the forty-eight hours are up. The only person who can save us now… is Ash.”
Chapter 18
The weight of Quinn’s words settled over the five of us. We all knew the risks of going after Frank Russo. We’d accounted for an outcome where he discovered who we were. What we’d never accounted for was her. That she’d become so important to us, so intrinsic to our lives. Ash was everything we never knew we needed. Funny that a single girl had stolen all of our hearts and made them her own. Whilst Rory might not have said anything about his feelings, it was clear as fucking day. Especially when he was holding her against him as she cried and was trying to soothe her. I think that was the biggest miracle of all. Seeing him give comfort to another human being who wasn’t me, Quinn or Xav without reservation.
And yes, I couldn’t help my own feelings for her either. They’d grown on me, spreading through my bones and cementing the bond between us. So watching her cry her eyes out at the thought of us dying broke my heart clean in two. I hated it. Hated how much pain she was in because it fucking hurt me too.
“Well, she’s not really in a state to do anything right now,” I said quietly when no one else spoke.
“We can’t just do nothing,” Quinn replied, rubbing his face in frustration.
No, we couldn’t do nothing whilst we waited for Ash to calm down enough to make a decision. We had less than forty-eight hours. A ticking time bomb to our destruction.
“The only way the families will believe it is if they hear it from her personally, so I suggest you work out how to get them all together at once, or at least their representatives since it’s short notice. You might want to use what Ash gave us to persuade them.”
Quinn’s expression hardened, but he gave me a sharp nod. Regardless of what Ash wanted to do, we couldn’t afford to waste a moment.
“Right, you’re right. Xav, come with me, we’ll sort this shit out. I need to phone that fucking cunt and get him to tell me why he didn’t inform me of this impending disaster.” He waved at Ash and Rory. “Deal with this for me, please.” His voice was much softer as if he wished he could be there for her himself. “Make sure our girl gets what she needs.”
I realised whilst Quinn trusted Rory, there would come a point where he couldn’t cope with her clinging to him any longer. He had his limits and one look at his face told me he was close to reaching them. As much as he cared about Ash, she’d been with him all night. He needed time to himself.
“I’ve got this.”
Xav gave my shoulder a squeeze and dropped his head against mine for a moment before him and Quinn disappeared from the room. Quinn picked up the roses on his way. I didn’t think Ash needed to see the offending items again. Hell, they gave me the fucking creeps.
I turned to Rory who was looking more and more uncomfortable by the second.
“Um, clothes, right?”
He nodded and waved at his cupboards before pointing to the pile of clothes left on his sofa. I went over to his cupboards first and pulled him out a clean pair of boxers, jeans and a t-shirt. Then I collected Ash’s clothes. I dropped all of them on the bed before taking a seat. Ash was still crying, her sobs echoing around the room.
“Little star,” Rory whispered. “E’s going to help you get dressed, okay?”
She clung to him, shaking her head as if letting go would break her further. He gave me a pained look. I was going to have to take her away from him whether she wanted me to or not. I shifted closer and pulled back the covers, not wanting to make him more uncomfortable, but the fact they were both naked couldn’t be helped. I stroked her back, trying to show her it would be okay. Her body shook with the force of her wracking sobs.
“No,” she cried. “No. No. No. No.”
“I’m sorry, beautiful,” I told her as I wrapped my hands around her arms and pried her off Rory. “I’m really sorry.”
She fought against me weakly, but ultimately, she let me settle her in my lap and hold her against my chest.
“Shh, it’s okay.”
She hiccupped and buried her fists in my jumper.
Rory shifted away, grabbing the clothes I’d brought over for him. I kept my attention on Ash to give him some privacy. When he was dressed, he handed me the box of tissues from next to his bed. I pulled Ash’s face back and proceeded to mop it up despite the fact she was still crying. Her blue eyes were bloodshot and she looked like her world had fallen apart. She let me dress her in her pyjamas since I was going to tuck her up in my bed. I wanted her comfortable.
I cupped her cheek and stroked it with my thumb.
“You’re okay. We’re going to fix this, I promise.”
“I can’t,” she sobbed. “I can’t lose you.”
My beautiful girl, that will never happen. Not whilst I’m still breathing.
“You won’t. We’re not going anywhere.”
“He wants you dead. I can’t… I can’t…”
“Shh, shh.” I stroked her cheek again, wanting so desperately to take this pain away for her. “We’re right here, Ash. No one is losing anyone.”
I stood up with her cradled against my chest.
“Now, we need to give Rory some time, okay? I’m not going to leave your side, I promise.”
She gave me a small nod as more tears spilt down her cheeks.
“Tell him I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry for,” came Rory’s voice from behind me. “I’ll come see you later.”
I looked over my shoulder at him. He seemed to be a little less agitated now she was with me.
“Ror,” she whimpered.
Next thing I knew, he’d come around the bed and was standing in front of us, staring down at Ash. She looked up at him with watery eyes, her bottom lip trembling.
“Everything’s okay,” he said quietly before leaning and down and pressing his lips to her forehead. “You’re mine and I’m yours, little star, always.”
When he pulled back, a fresh set of tears poured down her face but she smiled weakly at him as if she needed those words more than she needed air. I gave him a nod before walking out of his room with her. When we reached mine, I tugged back the covers and settled her in my bed. She curled up on her side after I wiped her face again, hugging the duvet to her chest.
“E…”
&n
bsp; I sat next to her and stroked her shoulder.
“I’m right here, Ash.”
Her eyes peeked out at me cover the top of the covers, the rest of her face hidden.
“Is Quinn right? Am I the only one who can save us?”
I sighed and rubbed my thigh.
“I think so.”
I didn’t want to lie to her about it. We were in a shit situation. A life or death one. If Russo came after us with the backing of the families, we wouldn’t survive it. We’d have to go into hiding. That was always the last resort exit plan. None of us wanted to go down that road.
“That’s a big responsibility.”
I gave her a sad smile.
“Do you think you’re up to it?”
She gave me a little nod.
“How can I not be? I can’t let Frank destroy us. I love you.”
My heart fucking just about stopped in my chest.
“Did… did you just say what I think you did?”
She tugged the covers down and reached out, grasping my hand.
“I love you, E.”
I didn’t know what to say in response to that. The unexpected sometimes rendered me speechless. So I did instead. Pulling back the covers, I crawled in next to her and wrapped her up against my chest, burying my face in her blonde hair. She clung to me and didn’t try and prompt me to say anything which I was grateful for. I needed a minute to get myself together. To take in the magnitude of her admission.
She loves me. I don’t know why this makes me feel so… everything.
When Xav told me he loved me, it wasn’t entirely the same since I’d been hearing it my whole life in a different context. Not to say him being in love with me wasn’t monumental. It was. It’s just having Ash say it was like a fucking bomb go off in my chest. It almost squeezed the life out of me in the best way possible. Ash hadn’t known me her whole life. She’d grown to love me in these few months we’d been around each other. In the time we’d been together.
“Beautiful,” I murmured against her hair before shifting lower and kissing her face. I couldn’t help planting them all over. On her forehead. Her eyes. Her cheeks. Her lips. “Ash.” My heart thumped so hard against my chest, it almost hurt. “Hellcat.”