“You can’t seriously think I’m going to let you—well, you know.” I picked up a fry.
“Isn’t an issue of your willingness.” He took a large bite of his burger. A drop of ketchup lingered on his lip, but he swiped it away with a napkin.
I turned the topic away from my impending doom and back to him.
“What was the family issue that brought you home?” I picked up my burger, inspecting it for the best place to take my first bite.
His features tightened. “My sister died.”
I swallowed my bite, wishing my question could go down with it.
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” I whispered. If anyone knew the pain of family loss, it was me.
“Killed herself.” He bit into his burger, as though to keep from saying anything more.
“Oh my god,” I gasped. “That’s—I’m—”
“It’s fucked up. But it’s over. She had a shit time, and I wasn’t home to protect her from it.” He took a long pull of his root beer.
“You can’t blame—”
“I don’t.” He cut me off.
I recalled the feverish actions after I made a stupid comment about my worth. Those words had struck him. I hadn’t really meant them, not the way he heard them, but the pain I triggered was real to him.
“So, now you work outside the law?” I asked after a few more bites of my burger.
“Outside the law?” He chuckled. “Yeah. Something like that.”
“Your boss didn’t want me dead—which I’m extremely grateful for, by the way, but if he had. You would have…” I let the question die. “Never mind.”
His tongue ran along the inside of his cheek, and he tossed his napkin on top of his mostly eaten food. “If he makes you a target…” His answer faded away. “Then I’ll make a decision.”
“That’s not exactly reassuring,” I said, pushing my plate away from me. I’d eaten most of my burger and nearly all of the fries. Another bite and his answer would trigger my reflex to lose all of it on the table.
He waved for the waitress, who seemed to understand he wanted the check. Silently, she dropped it and left us again. Maybe the severity of his expression scared her as much as it had me, the first time I’d seen it.
Dustan pulled out his wallet and dropped several bills on top of the check while scooting out of the booth. He held his hand out to help me out but didn’t let me go once I was on my feet.
He led me to the bathroom. It was going to be a long ride until we stopped, so I didn’t argue. When I came back out, he cupped my elbow and walked me out to the car.
He opened my door but stopped me from climbing inside. I looked up at him, sure I’d see more of the same fire and irritation glaring down at me. I’d pushed and asked a question he couldn’t give me a good answer to.
“I’ve worked for the Cavalieri Della Morte for ten years. The men I work with are my brothers, and the man I take orders from has my complete loyalty. I have never, not once second guessed his orders, and I’ve never considered if I would follow them or not.”
The wind blew between us, whipping my hair around my face. He captured a strand and tucked it behind my ear.
“Until now.”
“Okay,” I said touching my fingertips to his arm.
“Okay.” He nodded, like he’d made a decision. “Get in.” He let me go and gestured toward the car. “Five hours until your ass is mine.”
And with that firmly spoken promise, he shut the door on any protest I could conjure.
Dustan
I have no explanation why I told Cherise about Ellen. I haven’t mentioned my sister’s suicide since it happened. To anyone.
I lied when I said I didn’t blame myself. Because I did. Every fucking day I woke up and remembered that my little sister had been in so much fucking pain and I hadn’t seen it, hadn’t been there for her, I blamed myself. I never should have left her with our parents.
Joining the SEALs, that was my escape, and eventually Ellen had made hers.
Cherise didn’t remind me of Ellen at all. Where my sister was soft and sweet, Cherise was snarky and fierce. They were complete opposites, except when it came to family. Neither of them seemed to have family that had their back.
Ellen had had me, but I was thousands of miles away and silent for weeks at a time. Even if she told me how much she was hurting, how scared she was of living, I was too far away to help. The people who should have been protecting her, watching over her, they let her down.
Like Cherise.
The hotel was just up ahead on the road, and Cherise was dead asleep beside me in the car. She hadn’t spoken much since the dinner, and I didn’t stir up any conversations, either. The silence gave me a place to hide away and force the memories of my sister out of my head.
After parking my car at the back entrance of the hotel, I looked through my wallet to find my key. Check-ins didn’t exactly give me the cover I needed when I traveled. Having my own room to use whenever needed worked with my lifestyle.
I checked my phone for messages then sent a quick text off to Bobby, asking him for an update. He never took so long to get information for me, and I was beginning to wonder how deep Cherise’s family ties went with families like the Merdes.
“Are we here?” She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. I smiled at the cuteness before me but straightened up when she peered at me.
“Yeah. We’re here.” I popped open my door and climbed. After grabbing my bags from the trunk and getting her out of her seat, I led her through the back entrance and up the stairs to my room at the top.
Her brow wrinkled when I produced my master key from my wallet, but she kept her question to herself. For the first time since we’d left my house earlier.
Cherise walked to the bed and sat on the corner, wrapping her arms around her stomach. Her hair poofed up in the back from her nap in the car, giving her a soft look, reminding me she wasn’t a criminal. She was an innocent caught up in a fucked-up mangled mess.
I dropped the bags and locked the door.
“There’s only one bed.” She hooked her ankle over the other.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “There was only one in my room last night, too.”
She turned away, checking out the rest of the room. “I think I’ll shower,” she said.
“Might want to rethink that, darlin’,” I said, unbuckling my belt. For the last hour of the drive, I’d been envisioning her creamy ass bent over the bed, waiting for her much-deserved punishment. I would have lingered more on the vision of my belt leaving red stripes across the generously round cheeks, but I didn’t need my fucking cock to start bursting in my pants.
“Why?” She stopped just outside the bathroom and looked my way. Her gaze dropped to my hands, at the leather being pulled free from my slacks, and her complexion paled.
“From what I’ve heard, a belting on a wet ass is worse. But if you want to make it worse on yourself, I suppose I can wait.” I folded my belt over, making sure the buckle was tucked securely in my palm.
“Dustan. It’s not my fault that asshole came onto your property.” She fisted her hands at her sides, showing me her fire while fear lingered in her eyes.
“No, but it is your fault you were walking the exact place I told you not to walk, isn’t it?” I asked, not taking a step or losing an inch of ground.
Her throat worked as she stared at my belt dangling at my side. She didn’t want to admit wanting it, but she wanted this part of me. She responded to my dominant side.
“I don’t want…”
“Come over here, darlin’.” I raised my hand, beckoning her to me.
Indecision warred in her gaze when it met mine.
“I can’t let you—”
“You aren’t letting me. You’re being a good girl and taking your punishment. If you don’t, and you start acting like a bad girl, what happens?”
She licked her lips. “Bad things happen to bad girls.”
“That’s right. And go
od things happen to good girls, remember that, darlin’.” My cock stirred in my pants. Just remembering the heat of her pussy clenching around my fingers when I brought her to orgasm after her whipping, made me ready to take her—hard.
She took the five steps between us and stood at the foot of the bed.
“Strip down,” I ordered and tossed the belt onto the bed so I could shake off my jacket.
With jerky movements, she tugged the sweater and jeans off, but by the time she’d gotten to her underwear, she’d slowed down. Her breathing picked up, making her breasts rise and fall with the quickened pace.
I kept my focus on her eyes while I unbuttoned my shirt and peeled it from my body. Her bottom lip slipped between her teeth as I exposed my torso. Ink covered my chest and my abs, most of my shoulders were tatted as well. Forty-seven tattoos in all, that’s what I had on my body. Some phrases that resonated with me, others images I liked. Fifteen names littered my chest, each one a man I knew. Men I’d fought side by side with and protected as best I could until it wasn’t enough. Fallen brothers in battle, never to be forgotten.
“Hand me the belt, darlin’.” I held my hand out, waiting for her to comply.
“You don’t have to do this.” A tremor ran through her voice, but she turned around and picked up the belt anyway. She had to know I wouldn’t change my mind. I never did.
I took the leather strap from her and let my gaze wander over her curves. Sinking my teeth into those hips became a high priority the longer I stared at her.
Stepping closer to her, I grasped her chin between my thumb and finger. I pushed her head back until she was eye to eye with me. “I think if I don’t, you’ll wish I had.”
A soft pink hue covered her cheeks, and I grinned.
“That’s not true,” she whispered. The struggle played out in her eyes. She wanted to be strong, firm in her denial, but I could see the truth. It was right there in front of me. The blush, the dilated pupils, the way her tongue ran along her lips.
“Oh, I think it is. I think if I touched your pussy right now, I’d find it soaking wet for me. And I know when we’re done here, you’ll be a mess for me.” The more I spoke, the redder her cheeks became, and every ounce of me fucking loved it.
“It’s just a response. Not real.” She tried to tug away from my grip, but I intensified it.
Her nipples brushed against my chest when I leaned closer to her. I inhaled, deep and long, enjoying the scent of her fear mixed with arousal. I couldn’t quite tell if it was the belting or the arousal she feared more. It didn’t really matter in the end. I wanted both from her, and Cherise was turning out to be a very giving person.
“We’ll see. Now, turn around and press your chest to the bed. Your ass is to stay high up for me. If I have to stop to correct your position, it will be worse.”
“Worse than the tree?” her question popped out, surprising her almost as much as me, I thought.
I blinked. “Let’s hope we don’t have to relive the tree anytime soon.” I’d been hard on her, as hard as I had ever been on anyone. This time she hadn’t earned that severity, but she had earned a solid tanning.
Her throat worked as she swallowed, probably another of her smart-ass remarks. She couldn’t seem to stop them when she got nervous.
“Okay. Okay,” she said, but I suspected she was talking herself into accepting the situation more than she was letting me know she was ready.
I released her chin and gestured for her to get in position. Since she wasn’t overly tall, the top of her head barely level with my collarbone, she managed the position easily. She folded her hands beneath her cheek and turned away.
Not one to waste time, I unleashed the belt across her ass. Her yelp of surprise filled the room just after the sharp snap of the leather. Her cheeks jiggled with the force, but I didn’t let myself focus too long on the erotic dance of her flesh.
“Fuck!” she screamed out and started to rise.
“Stay.” I snapped the belt across her thighs, and she cried out again, still trying to get up. “What did I say about position?” I said, irritated she still hadn’t learned I meant what I said.
“I can’t! It fucking hurts, Dustan!”
I shoved between her shoulder blades until her face was back in the mattress. Pressing my knee into her back, I held her down and brought the belt across her ass and thighs over and over again, not giving her a moment of peace or space enough to take a deep breath. She wiggled and cried, but she wasn’t going anywhere with my weight pressed against her.
Ugly red marks crisscrossed her ass and the tops of her thighs. The bruises from the last whipping hadn’t healed, but I made sure to avoid the welts. Her ass damn glowed nearly red by the time I was finished with her, and she was sobbing beneath me. Somewhere between my knee hitting her back and my stopping, she’d given up the fight. Her body trembled with her sobs.
I tossed the belt to the floor and sat beside her on the bed. Pulling her up in my arms, I dragged her into my lap. She pressed her head into the crook of my neck and hugged me tight.
She hugged me.
I’d just unleashed a hell of a spanking on her, and she was snuggling into me, not running away.
I smoothed her hair away from her face, wiping the wet tracks from her tears as well. I cupped her ass, feeling the heat but also checking if I’d given her any more welts.
I hadn’t.
I’d been careful. My aim wasn’t to damage her. Realizing that, my hands stilled. I froze.
I didn’t want her harmed.
I’d punished her for putting herself in harm’s way.
Any time, Arthur could put a target on her head, and I was worried about her well-being. This wasn’t my job.
I wasn’t supposed to be caring for her. I was supposed to be holding onto her until Arthur figured out what to do with her.
“I’m sorry I tried to get up.” Her whispered apology shot heat through my veins.
I fisted my hand in her hair, pulled her back from my body, and looked own at her. Her puffy eyes and red nose should have made her look a complete wreck. The mess should have revolted me, but instead, my cock stiffened in my pants.
“I’m not,” I confessed and captured her mouth below mine.
Cherise
The burn in my ass couldn’t compare to the heat running between my legs. He’d been right. I was wet before I even bent over for him. But now, with my ass on fire, my tears drying on my cheeks, my pussy ached for his touch.
When his lips touched mine, the tension in my body melted away. I touched his cheek, feeling the rough stubble of a beard. He pressed his body against me, moving me down to my back.
I hissed when the blanket rubbed against my ass, and he pulled back, looking down at me.
“Your ass is going to be a mess if you keep being bad for me,” he said with a lazy grin. He probably wouldn’t mind seeing his belt markings across my ass every day.
He leaned down, pressing kisses to my cheeks and down my neck until he reached my breasts. His fingers dug into my hips as he lashed my nipple with his tongue. I arched my back, offering myself to him, needing him to put out the fire he’d started.
“How wet are you, darlin’?” he asked, moving a hand between my legs. I spread my thighs for him, craving his touch as much as I needed the next beat of my heart.
“Very,” I answered while staring up into his eyes. He seemed to like watching me, to see how I’d react to his words—his touch.
His fingers found my clit as though he’d memorized the road map of my body. I sucked in a hot breath with his touch. He rubbed the bundle of nerves in a circle, pressing down hard, all the while watching me. His gaze igniting me from the inside.
I grabbed his shoulders. He’d only just touched me, and I was ready to explode.
“Nah, uh, darlin’. Not yet.” He grinned down at me, exposing a little crease on the side of his mouth when he did. I wanted to bite that cheek.
“Please,” I pleaded, wiggling
beneath his touch.
“Not yet.” He slid off the bed, away from me. I groaned, not even caring how telling the sound probably was. I looked down the length of my body at him as he unbuttoned his slacks and pushed them over his hips, along with what looked like boxers. I didn’t focus on the underwear type for too long, not after his cock sprang free.
I swallowed hard. The urge to reach out and feel him, to wrap my fingers around his thick shaft and sense his warmth consumed me. But I was learning Dustan’s ways quickly. If he didn’t tell me to do it, I wasn’t going to risk his displeasure by acting without permission.
He climbed back on the bed, moving me over to the middle.
“Part these beautiful legs for me.” He tapped my thighs.
I stared at him in silence for a beat then slid my legs apart.
He captured my face between his hands and kissed me again. Deeper and with more force than before, knocking all sense and reason from my mind as the tip of his cock touched my entrance. I ran my hand around his neck and up into his hair.
Heat ran through my body, speeding through my veins and making everything tingle.
“Cherise.” My name escaped his lips in a raspy, dark sound between kisses. “Open up for me, darlin’.”
His cock drove in, the large tip pushing into me, but then he stopped.
Dark eyes leered down at me. His fingers gripped my cheeks harder, making me wince.
“Tell me no,” he commanded. “Tell me no, and I’ll stop right now.”
Stop? Nothing could hurt more than him stopping at that moment.
I touched his cheek.
“I’m not saying no,” I whispered, feeling in my heart he needed to hear that.
“If you don’t say no, I’m taking you, darlin’. And when I take something, I don’t let go.” His forehead wrinkled, and his words hit hard.
“I’m not saying no,” I repeated.
He stared down at me for a long moment before seeming to come to a decision.
“Good.” He let go of my cheeks and crushed my lips with his own. He slammed into me, his cock filling me, stretching me. I cried out from the sudden intrusion, the overfilling sensation, but he continued to kiss me, taking my cries and my pleasure into his own body.
Valor: Cavalieri Della Morte Page 8