by Harley Stone
“You’re in the camera’s line of sight. I don’t care what the fuck you do to that piece of shit, but if you do it where there’s video evidence, Emily will lose her shit. Be smart. Drag his ass five feet toward the garage. There’s a blind spot there.”
It took a minute for Morse’s words to sink in, and when they finally did, I let out some deranged sounding cackle. God, it was good to have brothers who had my back.
Grabbing ahold of Matt by his fucking shirt, I dragged him five feet down the path and put the phone back up to my ear. “This good?”
“Yeah, brother. You’re clear. Have fun, but try not to kill him.”
The line went dead.
Tina was helping Dylan to his feet.
“Is he okay?” I asked.
She nodded, and I felt her relief down to my very soul. We could have lost him. The stupid fucking piece of shit lying at my feet had taken a shot at him. Tina’s face was swollen and the area around her eye was already starting to turn colors. She squeezed Dylan to her side, glaring at Matt.
I also felt her anger. It fueled mine, and if I didn’t let it out, I’d explode.
“Good. The Escalade’s unlocked. Go get in it and call the cops.”
Matt needed to be dealt with, but it wasn’t a thing I wanted either of them to see. Tina hesitated, no doubt worried about the consequences I’d face, but Dylan grabbed her hand and started walking toward the parking garage. I gave him a nod of approval, and he returned the gesture.
“That kid is more of a man then you’ll ever be,” I spat at Matt.
He started babbling again, throwing around accusations and calling Tina all sorts of messed-up shit. “You fuckin’ my slut now?” he shouted at me. “Like my sloppy seconds, do you?”
I waited until she and Dylan were out of sight, and then I shut his ass up with a quick jab to the collar bone.
Matt’s eyes widened in pain.
Pussy. It wasn’t even hard. Barely more than a love tap. I was just getting started. “Like that, motherfucker?” I asked. “No. That’s right. You only like beating on people smaller than you. Bet you’ve never even raised your fist to a man before, have you? Well, come on now. Here’s your chance.” I stepped back, giving him time and room to get up.
Eyeing me, he started to stand, but changed his mind and took a cheap shot at my nuts instead. Thankfully, the bastard was slow, and I easily evaded his fist. I’d given him a chance to fight fair, and he’d gone for my nuts like a goddamn pussy. Pissed, I kicked him in the ribs.
Grunting, Matt writhed to the side.
“Unlike you, I derive no joy from kickin’ people when they’re down. Get your pathetic ass up before I fuckin’ make you.”
When he finally got to his feet, I took a swing at his left eye. “How does that feel? You like that shit? I saw the pictures, by the way. Saw what you did to her. I memorized every cut, every bruise, you gave her, and I’ve been waiting for this moment.” The moment I’d get to do the same to him. “After all, if you did it to her, it’s only fair that someone does it to you.”
Fear must have finally sunk in, because the piece of shit took off running.
He only made it about three steps before I caught his ass and dragged him back. Then I let him experience what an uppercut to the jaw felt like. His throat was next. Wrapping my hands around his neck, I squeezed until the motherfucker was gasping for air. Releasing him, I used his ribs as a punching bag. Next, I gave him a good old-fashioned dead leg before kicking him in the kidney and punching my way up and down both of his arms. The fucker didn’t just stand there and take it. No, he somehow managed to land two punches to my chest and a jab to my throat.
At some point during the fight, Rabbit appeared, leaning against the wall to watch. Matt begged him for help, but a vein started throbbing in my club brother’s forehead as he bared his teeth like some kind of feral cat. “Oh, I’m not here to help you, dumbass. I’m here to make sure nobody intervenes. Goddamn woman beater.” He spat. “You get tired, Kaos, you tag me in. I’d like a piece of this motherfucker, too.”
Not fucking likely. This asshole was all mine. Matt took a desperate swing at me, and I stepped inside and jabbed him in the gut for his trouble.
“What’s wrong, ass wipe?” Rabbit called out with a chuckle. “You never fight a man before?”
By the time the cops arrived, I felt like I’d delivered the type of justice an ass wipe like Matt could understand. Dropping to my knees, I put my hands behind my back and let them cuff me. I’d never been arrested before, but I knew enough not to incriminate myself.
Emily was waiting at the police station when we arrived. She took one look at the damage I’d done to Matt and shook her head.
But I caught the way her eyes smiled.
My official statement was that I saw a man take a shot at a child and I told the woman to call the cops while I attempted to make a citizen’s arrest. When the suspect resisted, I used force.
The booking officer stared at me, unblinking. “Don’t you think that force was a little excessive?”
I shrugged. “Oh, that’s not all from me. The son-of-a-bitch is clumsy. He must have fallen down a flight of stairs.”
“Sure did,” Rabbit chimed in from another officer’s desk, where he was giving his statement, vouching for me. “Saw the whole thing.”
18
Kaos
MY KNUCKLES WERE bruised and all cut to shit, but it was the most rewarding pain I’d ever felt in my life. Taking Matt’s twisted, fucked-up sense of power away from him was satisfying on a whole new level. Given the chance between winning the Stanley Cup and grinding that motherfucker’s face into the cement, there was no doubt in my mind which option I’d choose.
It was kind of wild how far my priorities had shifted.
Beating the shit out of Matt would have been worth jail time, but Emily worked her magic. Tina, Dylan, Rabbit, and Elenore all gave their statements, and I was released and told not to leave town. That wasn’t a problem, since everything I wanted was in Seattle.
Matt was being held without bail, and Tina and Dylan were finally safe to live their lives without him.
Since Tina had the Escalade, I hadn’t expected her and Dylan to stick around and wait for me to be released, but when I stepped into the waiting room, they were there. Dylan ran to me and threw his arms around my waist. Seeming to remember he was too cool for that touchy-feely bullshit, he released me and shook my hand instead.
“Do we get to go home now?” he asked.
The way he said it gave me pause. Was he talking about my place? I looked to Tina. She nodded, tears pooling in her eyes.
Mussing his hair, I nodded. “Yeah. Nothing would make me happier than to take you home. I’m starving. You hungry?”
He grinned up at me. “I’m a growing boy, Kaos. I’m always hungry.”
Chuckling, I headed for the door. Tina joined us along the way, her expression concerned.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “About earlier. We never should have left your house.”
“Home,” I corrected, holding my arm out to the side. She hesitated for only a moment before taking the invitation and tucking her body against mine. My arm felt good draped over her shoulders. It felt right. “You had some shit to work out,” I said. “What I don’t understand is how Matt got to you.”
“Matt said he installed a camera by the door, and he caught us going in on the feed. We were coming back out. I’d realized how stupid I was being and I…” She glanced at Dylan and corrected herself. “We wanted to come… home.”
Squeezing her against me, I kissed the top of her head. “You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”
I drove, and Tina called for a pizza. The delivery man arrived at the house just moments after we did. We stuffed our faces, and then dragged our asses into the family room to watch The Goonies. Tina cleaned the cuts on my hands, and I filled a baggie with ice for her eye. We must have looked like quite the pair. By the time we
got situated on the sofa, Dylan was out cold. I turned off the movie, scooped him up, and carried him to bed before leading Tina into my room. She gave me a little side-eye, but I pleaded the case that we were both tired, I wanted to talk—only talk—and after the day we’d had, I needed her close to me. Needed to keep reassuring myself she was safe.
“Dylan called Matt a narcissistic a-hole,” she said, making herself comfortable on my bed. She was fully clothed, and I was fine with that. I hadn’t been lying when I’d said I only wanted to talk. We had some catching up to do, and I’d learned my lesson and didn’t want to rush back into something she might regret.
Keeping my sweats and T-shirt on, I slid onto the bed beside her, smiling. “That kid’s wise beyond his years.”
“Wise?” She gaped at me. “I think the word you’re looking for is devious. He must have listened in on our conversation.”
“Can you blame him?” I fired back. “The adults in his world keep fucking up and he needed to know what was going on. I’m damn proud of him for the way he stood up for you. If he was a little older, I’d buy him a car.”
“He could have been killed.” Her voice hitched, and I realized she was barely holding herself together.
“Yeah, but he wasn’t.” I extended my arm up over her head. She scooted in, snuggling against my side. Right where she belonged. It felt so goddamn good and natural. Complete.
She let out a shuddering breath.
“He’s okay,” I assured her. “And Emily says that fucker’s gonna be locked up for a while. Even if he does get out, there’s no way in hell a judge will grant him visitation. Not after today.”
“Yeah, he really screwed up this time, didn’t he?”
“No, angel.” I chuckled. “He done fucked up. Call it what it is.” When she didn’t reply, I looked down at her. “Some situations require stronger words, but you don’t ever really cuss, do you?”
“I try really hard to be a lady.”
Unable to help myself, I chuckled at that. “You don’t think ladies cuss?” I couldn’t wait to tell Carisa. That woman could make a sailor blush.
“I’m not judging anyone who does,” Tina hurried to say. “It’s just been a thing for so long.”
Reading between the lines, I realized what she meant. “Matt didn’t like it.”
She didn’t confirm, but she didn’t need to.
I swiped the hair back from her forehead and planted a kiss there. “That piece of shit no longer holds any power over you. You checked his ass like a goddamn defenseman. I gotta tell you, it was kinda hot to see the momma bear come out, all claws and teeth, protecting her cub.”
Tina’s laugh vibrated against my side. It was nice hearing her laugh after all she’d been through today.
“You’re a badass now, so I need you to do something for me.”
“Okay…?” She sounded hesitant.
“Tell me to fuck off.”
She shook her head, giggling. “I’m not telling you that.”
“Yes, you are. It’s important practice for our future. I’m only a man and I’m gonna screw up, angel. We both need to know that you have the power to tell me to fuck off when I do.” When she didn’t immediately comply, I hooked my finger under her chin and tugged it up until she met my gaze. “Tell me to fuck off.”
Her eyes searched mine and the laughter died on her lips at whatever she saw. Finally, she nodded. “Fuck off, Darius.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and one lone tear slid down her cheek.
I swiped at it with my thumb, understanding how important this moment was for her. And… it was kind of hot. Never thought I’d be turned on by a woman telling me to pound pavement, but here we were. Seemed like I found everything Tina said and did sexy. “Good. Louder.”
Squaring her shoulders, she maintained eye contact. “Fuck off.” This time, there was a little glimmer of mischief in her eyes.
I grinned. “Give me more, angel.”
Emboldened, she sat up. “Fuck all the way off. Fuck off until you can’t fuck any further, and then fuck off some more.”
Goddamn, she was everything. Looking proud as a rooster, she stared at me. Resting my hand against the unbruised side of her face, I drew my thumb over her lips.
“That’s a whole lot of fuckin’, angel,” I said.
Her eyes liquefied and she let out a breathy little sound that went straight to my cock.
“Don’t look at me like that, badass. No sex tonight. I promised. Now, lie back down here beside me and tell me how much you missed my sexy ass.”
Chuckling, she collapsed, tucking herself back against my side. “You’re ridiculous. We were only apart for like a half hour.”
“And then I was interrogated and did several hours of hard time in the slammer.”
She rubbed circles on my belly with her fingertip. “You poor baby.”
“I know, right? There was this one guy in there who looked like he’d taken the mall Santa gig a little too far. Smelled like piss and cheap whiskey. He kept checkin’ out my ass, and I feared for my bootyhole.”
She gave me a little mock gasp. “Your bravery astounds me.”
“As it should. I’m very fucking astounding.” I chuckled a moment before sobering. “All kiddin’ aside, you really did scare me when you left. And for what it’s worth, I did miss you. You know, that’s not something they say in Greece.”
“Oh? What do the Greek say?” she asked.
“Mou leipeis. It translates closer to you are missing from me. That’s what it felt like when I dropped you and Dylan off, angel. Like a part of me was missing. I know it wasn’t long, but I’d like very much for us to never do that again.”
Wrapping her arm around my midsection, she gave me a squeeze. “You’re so… unexpected, Darius.”
I liked it when she called me by my given name. It sounded almost like a purr on her soft, plump lips. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’re a hockey-playing Army veteran who quotes Socrates, sings Hawaiian music lyrics, always knows what to say, and is great with my son.”
And she was good for my ego. Patting her hand, I said, “You forgot the sex god part.”
She laughed, but didn’t disagree. I took that as a win.
We stayed like that for hours, just talking and getting to know each other better. The more I learned about her, the more it reaffirmed that this woman was it for me. At some point, we must have dozed off, because Tina’s phone alarm startled us both awake. Throwing back the covers, she rolled out of my bed, almost smacking her head on the nightstand.
“Whoa. Where do you think you’re goin’?” I asked. The woman looked dead on her feet. She went to knuckle her eyes, but winced at the pain. Just looking at the bruises on her face made me wish bail had been set for Matt. I’d be tempted to bail his ass out so I could beat the shit out of him again.
“I need to wake Dylan up for school.”
“No, you don’t.”
Her eyes narrowed at me. “Do I need to start telling you to fuck off already?”
My God, I’d created a little wildcat. Laughing, I threw up my hands to shield myself from her ferocious glare. “No ma’am. But the kid just rescued his mom and gave a statement to lock up his dad. I think he deserves a day off.”
Deflating, she collapsed back on the bed. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
“Wow. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but you’re the second woman who’s told me that this week.”
Her head snapped around and she glared at me. “What other woman are you talking to?”
Even her jealousy was hot as fuck. My cock took notice, springing to life and encouraging me to show Tina she was the only woman for me. She’d ditched her bra some time during the night, because the natural form of her breasts got my attention quick. I tugged her over the bed until she straddled me. Tucking her long brown locks behind her ears, I grinned up at her. “Carisa, angel. Nothin’ for you to get all worked up about. Although, I kinda like this side of
you.”
“Oh.” Her brow furrowed. “I wasn’t getting worked up. I just—”
“Yes, you were. And I don’t blame you. I’m a fuckin’ beefcake.” I rolled my hips, letting her feel how hard she made me. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m your beefcake.”
Her eyes softened.
Grabbing her hands, I tugged her down until she was lying on top of me. Our lips pressed together in a slow, sensual kiss. I probably should have brushed my teeth before pulling this move, but I didn’t give a shit about morning breath. I wanted this woman exactly as she was. Scarred, bruised, exhausted, she’d never looked more beautiful. Probably because the damage wasn’t from her standing there taking a beating like some goddamn punching bag. No, it was from her standing up to her ex and protecting her son like some avenging angel. Just thinking about what could have happened to them choked me up and made me desperate for her.
I tugged her shirt upward, and she broke off the kiss long enough for me to remove it. My hands immediately went to her exposed tits. They were perfection in my hands, and I squeezed and played with them until her nipples were hard peaks.
Rolling us over so I was on top, I removed her leggings and stood, stepping back to admire her body. She reached for the blanket, but I lunged, catching her wrists before she could cover up.
“Don’t you dare hide yourself from me,” I said. “If I’m yours, then you’re mine, and I like to play with my toys. Last time we did this, it was all fast and furious like we were a couple of teenagers afraid of getting caught. This time, I want to worship your body like it deserves. Lie back and try to relax.”
Surprisingly, she did as she was told, watching me as I stripped out of my clothes and settled myself between her legs at her feet. Grabbing her right leg in both of my hands, I kissed the inside of her ankle. With her hooded eyes fixed on me, she continued to watch as I worked my way up her calf, kissing every inch of her soft, pale skin. I found a ticklish spot behind her knee, and a spot on her inner thigh that made her break out in goosebumps. Her breathing took on an erratic edge as my lips approached her honeypot. I skimmed over the sensitive folds and dropped back down to repeat the process with her left leg. By the time I spread her lower lips and blew on her clit, she was panting and writhing beneath me.