by Gayle, E. M.
“Fuck yes, baby. Show me how much you love it when I eat this pussy.”
His growled filthy words vibrated against my tender flesh as my head lolled back at the warm zing of pleasure of his tongue diving at my opening.
I couldn’t believe—
No, I didn’t comprehend until now how intense this could feel. I whimpered and he turned flat out crazed while adding his fingers into the mix as they rubbed back and forth across my clit.
It didn’t take long and my whole body shook when a hard orgasm ripped through me and robbed my ability to think beyond what this man did to me. I screamed his name and the world nearly went black.
From that point on seconds or hours could have passed and I wouldn’t have known which. Hell, I barely realized he’d moved from between my legs until I felt him nudge at my opening with something much different.
My eyes flew open and I watched him sink into me in one powerful thrust. The muscle at his jaw clenched and his eyes were dark with unbanked need. A heady sensation grew in my chest as I clung to his arms as he slammed into me again and again.
“Houston,” I cried, the only warning that I was about to fall headlong into another blinding release. He’d found the spot inside me no other man had. I didn’t just mean my G-spot either. Something inside my heart had cracked too. A sacred place revealed that I’d never wanted to be touched again.
Heat like never before poured over and through me as his shouts joined mine. Houston’s hold on my hair got tighter and sweat slicked our skin as the pleasure turned almost unbearable.
I couldn’t focus on any one thing, yet everything sharpened to a fine edged point.
“You like it like this, don’t you, Princess?”
When I didn’t answer right away, his grip tangled tighter in my hair. My eyes may have watered, but I loved it anyway.
“Y-yes.” I stuttered.
“Is it too rough?”
“N-no.”
“And if I do this?” Without pausing his almost punishing strokes, he released my hair, grabbed my arms and pinned me to the bed.
I couldn’t move.
Didn’t want to move.
I craved this with a desperation I had no desire to examine closely.
I shook my head.
The hard look in his eyes may have spoken about volumes of darkness I didn’t yet understand about him, but could easily match in myself.
We were two sides of the same coin. I could feel it.
This beautiful, hard edged, sexy beast of a man might have been in the Marines, defending our country, but he’d come home far from innocent. That I understood.
That I needed.
“Fuck yes, come now!” he yelled as he bucked forward and tilted his hips in an angle that threatened to break me as much as pleasure me. Not only that, it ripped an orgasm from me that sizzled from every never ending I had and some I didn’t know about.
Houston Reed engulfed me in flames.
Heat licked at my soul.
The scars on my heart sizzled with pain and relief.
And my old life, well, it burned away.
By the time Houston got up to dispose of the condom, my eyes were drooping and I didn’t want to move. He’d officially worn me out.
Needless to say, we never made it to the pool. Hell, I didn’t even get dressed again. We ate, we laughed, and we fucked—a lot. (his words.)
Chapter Thirteen
Houston
A loud banging roused Houston from a deep sleep. He scrubbed his hands across his face and took a deep breath. How long had it been since he’d slept so hard?
Shit. How long had it been since he’d fucked a woman half to death? He smiled and looked over at Izzy curled up on her side, her sweet ass pressed to his hip.
He couldn’t exactly pinpoint the moment he lost control or the one when he decided he needed a hell of a lot more time with her. It wasn’t fucking natural to get this insane so quickly, but natural could go fuck itself.
She had a unique combination of shy innocence and dark desires that made him want things he’d long ago dismissed. Things like a relationship. Although he knew exactly how dangerous those cravings could be.
The banging that had woken him sounded again and this time came accompanied by someone shouting his name.
“God dammit, Hawkeye. Wake the fuck up and answer the door.”
He groaned at the voice he recognized and one of the few people who insisted on using his nickname.
“Who’s Hawkeye? Someone you know?” Izzy asked on a yawn as she stirred next to him.
“Yeah. Don’t worry about it. Go back to sleep and I’ll take care of this.” He squeezed her hip gently.
“Okay,” she whispered, already succumbing to the exhaustion that plagued him as well.
They’d need to hydrate and refuel soon. Things had taken a bit of a rough turn last night. She’d be sore.
The banging persisted and some of the anger he kept bottled began to flow. “Stop fucking knocking and hold your goddamned horses.”
He retrieved his pants from the floor and shoved his legs into them as dread consumed him. The last person on the planet he wanted to talk to stood at his door threatening to kick it down.
Half dressed, he crossed to the door and jerked it open. “What the hell do you want?”
“You didn’t show for our meeting.”
Houston rolled his eyes. Was Axel serious right now? “And you tracked me all the way here just to tell me that?”
Axel shrugged. “Not as hard as it sounds. One of our newest brothers is a hacker. He was able to access your credit card charge info in less than five minutes.”
Houston ground his teeth. Was that supposed to impress him? They should have left him alone. He had a right to his privacy and some fucking peace.
“I told you I wasn’t interested.”
“Meet wasn’t optional and you know it,” Axel hissed, rage lighting his eyes.
Fresh anger swept through him as he stepped outside and pulled the door partially closed behind him.
“Look, I get what you’re trying to do, but I’m not ready. I may never be ready.”
“Meet wasn’t optional,” he repeated. “You left our Prez hanging and that shit ain’t right.”
Houston scrubbed his hands over his face. He could handle a lot without much sleep, but this he didn’t want to deal with. It was too much.
“Don’t push this with me, Axel. I’m. Not. Fucking. Ready.”
Axel stepped into his personal space and got in his face. “We’ve been patient as we can be. You’ve had ten years. It’s time for you to do the right thing by the club.”
Houston felt his eye twitch as he tried to tamp down the anger threatening to explode.
“I goddamned left because this club got my mother killed!”
“Hawk, man. The club had noth—”
“Bullshit!” He exploded, his effort to remain calm obliterated. “That night was brought on by a lifetime of struggle and suffering at the hands of our brotherhood. Just because my father held the gun at the end doesn’t mean we all don’t shoulder some of the blame.”
“That’s not true.” A dark, gravelly voice came from the shadows a moment before the man himself emerged into the light.
Houston’s head pounded at the sight of his quasi step-father. He’d never been sure what to call him. He wasn’t about to touch any other labels that would describe the triangle relationship between him and his parents. The fucked up scenario in which none of them could be a man and move on from and that eventually ripped them all apart.
“JD.” It had been a long damn time and while the man had more grey in his hair and his beard than the last time he’d seen him, not much else had changed.
“Houston. Good to see you, son.”
His mind bristled at being called son. He’d officially disowned his biological father, but never fully resolved anything with JD. Before he could decide what to say next, the door behind him creaked open and he
turned to find Izzy sticking her head out.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
He took in her messy bed head, the red welts along her neck and collar bones and the razor burn across her cheeks and chin from his days old stubble. Under normal circumstances he would have been excited to see his marks on her. But in this case, he wanted to hide her away from the club. Never let them see her.
He stepped closer to the door, making sure she was blocked by his body.
“Is this why you didn’t make the meet?” Axel asked. “Pussy? That’s fucking bullshit.”
“Axel, that’s enough,” JD interjected.
The anger inside him went white-hot with rage as the burning need to protect Izzy grabbed him by the balls. “You’re goddamn right that’s enough. Watch your fucking mouth, asshole.” He threw the words over his shoulder, putting every ounce of venom he harbored into each one. “Izzy, go back inside and stay there. Everything is fine.” For a second the fire in her flared in the depths of her dark eyes and he braced for her retort, but at the last minute she banked it, simply nodding and closing the door. She might have used a little more force than necessary, but it could have been worse.
“Feisty little bitch. Hot too. But that’s no fucking excuse to stand up your brothers and your President.”
His fists clenched at his side as he turned back to his unwelcome visitors. “Say another word and we’re going to have serious issues. The kind where I shove my fist down your throat and ruin your pretty face.”
Axel lunged forward and he steeled himself for the fight. Adrenalin spiked and his body locked tight. However, before Axel could take a second step, JD grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him back.
“We aren’t here to start a fight,” the older man warned. “You,” he motioned toward Houston. “Need to hear me out. We have a lot of catching up to do. Things have changed and it’s time to let the past be the past.”
He shook his head. “No. We. Don’t. I mean maybe if you hadn’t come after me like I owed you, I might have listened—eventually. Now? Forget it.”
“I told you he was still an asshole. Ten years didn’t change shit for him.”
“He is right here and what I’ve done or not done is none of yours or this club’s business. And I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t make me keep repeating myself. I’m not now or will I ever be Wrath again. I have zero interest in your shady deals or your fight with other criminals or any other illegal bullshit you can’t stay away from. I may not be 100% sure what my future holds today, but I do know it doesn’t include any of you. The sooner you get that through your thick heads the better off we’ll all be.”
“You ungrateful motherfucker. Who the fuck do you think has taken care of—”
“Axel,” JD barked, his booming voice almost thunderous as he intervened again. “The boy said he’s done, he’s done. I’m not here to make him do something against his will. He owes us nothing and if this is the way he wants it then we owe him nothing either. Whether he appreciates it or not, our debts have been paid. Let’s go.”
JD turned to leave and then stopped and turned back. “Sell the house and don’t come back. As much as I hate to say it, you won’t be welcome there anymore. Good luck, son.” With that JD disappeared back into the shadows and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Despite his ten years away and a whole lot of pain between them, JD had still felt like family.
“I hope you fully understand what you’ve done. The club is done waiting for the favored son to return. That pussy in there better be worth it because you are on your own for real.”
Houston swallowed the pithy comeback on the tip of his tongue. In the big picture it didn’t matter if Axel or anyone else was pissed at him over this. He’d gotten what he wanted and it was best this way. A clean and final break. He didn’t need the club for anything. He had to move on.
The final tether holding him to his old life had broken.
Chapter Fourteen
Izzy
I didn’t know what to make of the anger raging through the man standing just inside the door. Or the pain in his eyes that he tried to hide. Whatever that had been about had been big and I was about to deal with the aftermath.
This is where a smart woman would grab her stuff and say goodbye. This little fling had come to an abrupt end and it was time to get out while I still could.
Apparently, I wasn’t a smart woman.
“Are you okay?” I asked again knowing full well he would lie and say he was.
He nodded tightly as he walked over to his pack and retrieved a bottle of alcohol and what looked like a hand rolled cigarette that he placed at the corner of his mouth. I didn’t bother to tell him that it was only ten in the morning. Not only was I in no position to judge, but I understood the desire to chase the demons away any way he could.
Instead of returning to the bed where I waited, he took a seat at the small dining table staged close to the window. He proceeded to unscrew the cap from the bottle and took several swallows before producing a lighter from his pants pocket and lit the cigarette still dangling from his lips.
I sat mesmerized by the act as he inhaled deeply and then slowly blew a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. The sweet, odd scent hit me almost immediately and I realized that was no ordinary cigarette. Houston was smoking weed.
After several more puffs, he finally turned and allowed his blue-eyed gaze to wander over me. With no small amount of surprise and a little shame mixed in, I shivered against an unexpected wave of arousal.
“Want some?”
I almost said no on auto pilot when I suddenly remembered I didn’t have to worry about what anyone thought anymore. My father wasn’t here to punish me and there was no staff to chastise me in his absence.
I walked over and accepted the offered blunt and took a small puff. I’d never smoked weed or anything before so I didn’t want to choke on it my first time.
I did anyway as my lungs protested with a small series of coughs.
“First time?”
I nodded, still trying to catch my breath.
He smiled for the first time that morning and my brain sighed in relief.
Once I was settled, he pulled me into his lap and pressed his front to my back. As the warmth of my little first marijuana buzz began to steal over me, I laid my head on his shoulder and sighed.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Not really. Although I’m sure you have lots of questions. But you can just join the club. I’m still waiting to hear more from you.”
Game. Set. Match. Crap.
Ensnared in my own desire to make him feel better.
But I was stubborn and not letting it all go that easy.
“Just one question.”
He snorted. “Quid Quo Pro, Princess. It’s a thing. I’ll give you your one question, but in return I want a whole lot more. It’s time to even the score.”
“Okay,” I agreed as he handed me the weed cigarette again. This time when I puffed on it, I didn’t cough, although it still burned a tiny bit.
“Go ahead then. Ask your question.”
“Who’s Hawkeye?”
A low rumbling laugh from his chest vibrated against my back and made my already loosening muscles go positively lax. “All that and that’s your big question? You really are a little nut.”
We laughed and it felt really good again. The bad taste of the confrontation was far from gone, but alone together we’d managed to at least get a little more comfortable. I didn’t know what that meant but I liked it.
“Hawkeye is a nickname given to me by my mother.”
Uh oh. I might have thought too soon since I didn’t know I was opening yet another can of worms.
“She always said I had knack for seeing the impossible. First, with my perfect vision as a little kid on the town’s archery team and then later when it became a tool that came in handy for the club. Being able to see remarkably well at greater than usual long
distances translated into making me the perfect weapon.”
“I’m sure that isn’t what she meant when she named you that.”
“Probably not. But my dad was a first class asshole too and it stuck. For a long time I almost forgot it wasn’t my real name.”
“And now?”
“I don’t know how I feel about it. For ten years in the Corps I became known simply as Reed. It wasn’t until I returned to Sultan and ran into Axel I heard the name again. It brought back a lot of memories.”
“Not all of them bad I hope.”
“Nah. Not all of them bad. My mom was pretty damned awesome. In her quiet way, she seemed to understand so much. She also had a fire in her. She didn’t let it out too often, but when she did, phew—watch out.” He stroked my hair as he spoke. “You remind me a little of her.”
I don’t know if the high I was feeling was from the marijuana, but my whole body warmed at his words. I wanted to hear more. “How so?”
“My mother was shy, almost timid at times. Until she wasn’t. Then she’d show you just how brave she could be. There’s also the color of your hair, the shade of your skin, even the darkness of your eyes. Although hers came from her Native American family and I’d venture a guess yours comes from an Italian family.”
I laughed. “How’d you know?”
“Call it a hunch. I don’t think I’ve ever met a more protective father than an Italian father.”
“That is true. Although that doesn’t explain the retched mean that lives inside him. I don’t know where that came from, but it’s truly bone chilling. He’s also unforgiving, cruel and possibly evil.”
“And that is why you are afraid he will catch you?”
I nodded against his chest. “I should have left already. The longer I stay with you the more at risk you become.”
He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me tight. “You’ve seen where I come from. I can take care of myself.”