by Jamie Begley
Reaper stopped moving over her, wanting to throw himself off her before it was too late. Emotions that he never felt before, even with Taylor, threatened to escape the iron control he kept on his heart. Ginny was the key to unlocking the man he used to be. He didn’t want Gavin to come out. He had slipped out a few minutes the night before, but Reaper had been able to lock him back inside before he could gain a foothold in the light.
As if Ginny understood the battle going on inside of him, she lifted her head to kiss him, anchoring him back to the present.
“You stole my earring.” Thrusting higher inside of her, he started fucking Ginny as she started rubbing the skin behind his ears.
“No, I didn’t.” Ginny removed one of her hands to sweep one side of her hair aside, showing the top portion of her ear. “I only borrowed it.”
“Then, can I have it back?”
“No.”
“I’ve never seen you wear an earring there before.”
“I haven’t.”
“Then how?”
“I pierced it myself.”
“You sterilized the needle?”
Ginny rolled her eyes at him. “Of course, I did. You think I’m an amateur?”
“You did the other two holes yourself?”
“Lisa wouldn’t sign for me to get my ears pierced, so I did it myself. I almost pierced my nose just to get her really going, but I was too chicken.”
“You really hate being told what to do, don’t you?”
“Yes, it’s gotten me in trouble more than once.” Ginny circled her arms around his neck Mischievous eyes twinkled up at him, overlaid with the desire she was making no effort to hide. She was being adorable and helping him release the last of his anger. Ginny had learned too early in life how to wrap people around her little finger. Her confidence was coming back, and she had successfully skated around the worse of his punishment.
Reaper felt her pussy grip him tighter as she started to climax. Speeding up his piston-like movements, he didn’t try to stop her this time, joining her in the tumultuous reckoning that he had started. Still anchored to her, he kept moving inside of her after they both had come.
“I need to shower.” Giving him a pat on his shoulder, she wiggled her hips, trying to tell him that she wanted up.
“Level four—submission.”
Ginny raised her head off the mattress to give him a dirty look.
“This level takes longer to master.” Gavin pressed her back down into the mattress, grinning down at her ruthlessly. “Luckily for you, I’m a very patient teacher. We’ll keep at it until you get it … just right.”
Chapter Eleven
Reaper eased out from the covers to go to the bathroom, leaving an exhausted Ginny in the bed. Filling the clawfoot tub, he returned to the bedroom to remove the covers from Ginny.
“I was using that,” she complained sleepily, not even opening her eyes.
“I need it.”
“Then that’s okay … Just ask next time.” The woman would be sassy on her deathbed.
Arranging the covers in the bathroom, he returned once again to Ginny, lifting her into his arms.
“What…? I was sleeping,” she said grumpily into his neck.
“You can go back to sleep after we take a bath.”
Bending down, he placed her in the middle of the tub.
“Wait—I was going to take a shower.”
“When? In your sleep?” Climbing in the tub behind her, he stretched his legs out on the outside of her with her butt pushed up against his pelvis. “Should I have asked first which one you would have preferred?”
Ginny rubbed her bare back against his chest. “Nah, this is good.” Reaching for the soap and washcloth, she began to languidly wash her legs.
“Gavin, why is our blanket over the bathroom mirror?”
“Insurance.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you have a very suspicious nature?”
Taking the soapy washcloth from her, Reaper moved it between her breasts, meticulously cleaning each one with care. “It’s one of the side effects of being kidnapped.”
Ginny turned in the water. “You blame yourself for being kidnapped?”
“I made mistakes, and I paid the price. No one else to blame but myself.”
Ginny angrily snatched the washcloth away from him to smack his chest with it. “I don’t ever want to hear you blame yourself again! Ever!”
Reaper tried to take the washcloth back, and she just whacked him again.
“That’s the most asinine thing I’ve heard out of your mouth! Memphis, Crash, Vincent, and Slate were the ones responsible. Don’t you dare—”
“How do you know who was responsible for my kidnapping?” he asked, his eyes narrowed into slits.
She snapped her mouth shut.
“Killyama told you, didn’t she? She told you all of it. You and all the rest of her friends.” As rage and hurt bubbled inside of him, he placed his hands on the side of the tub to lever himself out.
“Sit back down!” she snarled up at him.
Reaper had no choice but to gingerly sit back down. Why? Because she was clenching his hair in her fist.
“Are you fucking crazy? What if I slipped?” he roared, trying to remove her hand.
“Boo-fucking-hoo. Listen up, wild man. Killyama and I did talk, but that was after she swore me to secrecy. She jeopardized her marriage to tell me, and no, she didn’t tell the other girls anything.”
“She had no business telling you jack shit!”
Humiliated that she knew the facts of his kidnapping, he was glad that Gavin was still locked inside his heart. Reaper could bear the humiliation; he was stronger.
Deciding he wasn’t ready to go bald, he made another attempt to get out of the tub, needing to get away from Ginny and the memories.
He tried to stand, only for Ginny to twist more fully in the water toward him. She moved her leg over his thighs to curl around his waist, laying more fully over him in the tub. His frantic effort had water splashing onto the tile below.
“Fucking move, Ginny, or so help me … Ow!” His ass settled back in the tub, when the back of his head hit the stone and a hunk of his hair came out. “Are you fucking crazy? You nearly cracked my skull open!”
“Good, maybe then you would see some sense. Listen to me!” she screeched. “I was feeling sorry for myself after I came to the clubhouse the day after Trudy’s wedding. I knew you wouldn’t be coming to take me up on my offer for coffee. Killyama had come to the church to see me, to check up on me for Sex Piston … but really, it was for Trudy.”
“What in the hell does this have to do with Killyama disclosing information that wasn’t hers to share?”
“If you’ll sit still and shut up, I’ll tell you.
“Killyama, Sex Piston—all of the crew—knew I was waiting for my soul mate. When I saw you at the wedding, I didn’t know who you were, so I asked Trudy, but she wouldn’t tell me. Neither would Fat Louise or Crazy Bitch. Killyama was the only one who told me when I threatened to ask Shade.”
Reaper went stone still. “Why wouldn’t they want you to find me?” Then, wounded by her disclosure, he started prying her hand out of his hair, uncaring about the resulting pain.
Ginny whacked his head back on the tub. Any idea Ginny was a gentle, compassionate woman who wouldn’t hurt a flea was smashed to smithereens by the volatile spitfire that was determined to be heard. No way was he taking it her easy on her the next time she deserved a spanking. At this rate, though, he would be lucky to get out of the tub without a concussion.
“Are you trying to knock me unconscious so you can drown me?” he accused.
“That little love tap won’t knock you unconscious,” she scoffed, pressing her breasts against his chest to tilt him backward. “You actually have to ask why they didn’t want me chasing after you?” Sliding her fingers from his hair, Ginny started rubbing the spot behind his ear enticingly. “They were protecting you. Each of them k
nows me well enough to know that I would drive you nuts with my belief we are soul mates. Hell, even Hammer and Jonas know I’ve been waiting for you. They also knew you wouldn’t be receptive to the notion.” Ginny huffed at him. “And boy, were they right.”
Reaper shook his head at her, trying to stop her enticing movements. “That wasn’t all they were worried about.”
“Can you blame them?” Ginny settled her free hand on his chest to prop her chin. “You made no secret about Taylor breaking your heart and that you ignored any overture from any woman in town or at the club. They thought, if none of those women could get to first base with you, I didn’t stand a chance. They were protecting my heart. They didn’t think I had enough courage to fight for you.”
He rolled his eyes at her and asked, “So where does the part about Memphis and Crash come in, then, huh?” Just mentioning their names felt like he was sitting in an ice bath.
“You don’t believe me? They were right. Everyone felt I never made an attempt to heal the breach between me and my brothers, and I pretty much let crap slide unless it involved me taking up for someone else.”
“For instance?” he growled.
“Anyway,”—Ginny went on as on as if he never spoke—“Trudy was on her honeymoon, so she asked Sex Piston, who was at work, so Sex Piston sent Killyama to see me.”
“Do me a favor and just finish bashing my head in or get to the fucking point!”
“I will if you would try to be more patient.”
Reaper spread his legs wider in the water so her ass would sink, and he could propel her off him without hurting her.
“I thought Killyama came to talk to me to put me off you. She wasn’t. She wanted me to be prepared so I wouldn’t fail.”
“Fail at what?”
“At getting my man! She thought I would have better luck landing Kaden’s jet than landing you without her help. She’s probably right. I’m not the type of woman you usually go for. I love you, but I’m not eating lettuce three times a day just to get rid of my pouch.”
What in fuck did this have to Killyama spilling his secrets?
Confusion had him wanting to get her back on track right after he assured her that her body was just fine the way it was.
“I don’t fucking expect you ….”
“You don’t have to disagree with me to make me feel better. Killyama told me you workout a lot. We could be workout buddies. What do you think about that idea?”
Instead of trying to get away from her, Reaper pulled her closer to feel the softness of her body. “I think, Killyama’s been running her mouth too damn much. I like the way your body feels.” He hand swept over the contour of her stomach. “She told you the details about my kidnapping …,” he prompted her along trying to get her back on track.
“Yes.”
“What else did she tell you?”
“Are you going to try to jump out of the tub again if I tell you?”
“No.”
“Then she told me everything she knows.”
Reaper raised his eyes to the ceiling.
“I love you, Gavin.”
“Don’t feel sorry for me.”
“I’ve never, ever felt sorry for you.”
“I should have been the one to tell you in my own time, not Killyama.”
“I’m glad she told me. After Killyama told me, I went to the lookout and cried. Not for you, but because I was so angry at God for not helping you. I haven’t gone to church or prayed since, except the night you took off with Slate.”
Reaper lowered his gaze back down to her.
“I consider myself a strong woman, but hearing the pain and torture you went through coming from your lips firsthand”—tears brimmed in Ginny’s eyes—“I don’t … I’m not strong enough. Maybe if I didn’t love you so much, I could … but I’m weak where you’re concerned.”
Reaper slowly brought his hand to her cheek to wipe the tears away.
Ginny gave a hiccupping sound. “This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I’m not crying because I feel sorry for you; I’m crying because when you hurt, I hurt.”
“Stop crying, baby.” His started stroking her shaking shoulders. “I’m not hurting now, so there’s no need to cry.”
“If God granted me one wish, I’d give up having you as my soul mate … and die an old virgin, if He would just turn back time and undo your kidnapping.”
“You wouldn’t use that wish on your dad and sister?”
“No, I couldn’t. Besides, it wouldn’t work.”
“Why not?”
Ginny sniffed back her tears, then said the most beautiful thing that anyone had ever said to him.
“Because you’re all I’ve ever wished for.”
Chapter Twelve
Rolling over, Reaper felt an empty space next to him on the bed. Reaching out for Ginny to pull her closer to him, he opened his eyes to find an empty spot on the mattress.
Sitting up, he looked around the room, seeing the chair was still under the doorknob. He slung the covers aside and got out of bed to find the bathroom was empty as well. Going back to the bedroom, he saw the curtains fluttering from the wind in front of the patio door.
Sliding the curtain aside, Reaper saw Ginny staring out at the ocean, lost in her own thoughts. He then found his jeans laying on the floor and slipped them on before going outside barefoot to stand behind her.
“I told you not to leave my side.”
“Look around. Each bungalow has its own patio.”
Deciding it would be useless to rebuke her when it was his fault she’d been able to slip out while he was sleeping, he took a casual look around, taking in their surroundings.
“I didn’t wake up when you got out of bed.”
“You were exhausted. Teaching takes a lot of energy,” she quipped without turning around to face him.
Moving in front of her, Reaper swept a swathe of her hair behind her ear at the despondent tilt of her lips. “What were you doing out here?”
“Talking to Silas.”
“Can he hear you?” The ridiculousness of his query should have raised alarm bells. However, his new normal with Ginny only awoke curiosity.
“Barely. We’re so far away it’s like talking through a muted phone line.”
“At least he knows you’re all right.” Silas would be able to reassure Viper and the brothers that he was safe, too. He had checked his cell phone several times last night. It was as dead as a doornail without the signal.
“That we both are,” she corrected. “Silas cares about you a great deal.”
Once upon a time, Reaper would have taken what Ginny said at face value, but the more time he spent with her, he had come to the conclusion that, while she’d discuss her feelings for him at the drop of a hat or answer any question, she wouldn’t volunteer information about herself or what was troubling her, using small talk to defer attention away from herself.
It was an unusual occurrence for him. The women he’d been involved with before wanted a sounding board. Hell, even the men he knew wanted someone they could talk personal shit with, either a friend or an intimate partner. As far as he could tell, Ginny didn’t. Unless it was T.A., but Reaper didn’t think she’d even confided in her sister. T.A. had been too upset at Ginny returning to Clindale without her knowledge. Was it Hammer? He brokered the deal with the FBI and was the one she wanted to accompany her. There was only way to find out.
“What’s your relationship with Hammer?” Reaper watched her reaction like a hawk, unaware his breathing had stopped.
Ginny switched her gaze from the ocean to his. “Hammer and I don’t have a relationship.”
His breathing returned to normal, whereas his jealousy remained. “Then why ask him to come with you? Why not someone else?”
“I didn’t exactly ask him. Hammer told me he was coming, and I only agreed when he swore to me that, if it anything happened, he would put his welfare first.”
“He agreed to that shit?”
“I didn’t leave him a choice,” she said firmly.
“You didn’t make me promise anything.” Reaper wasn’t sure if he should be angry at the revelation or not, but he knew one thing; his jealousy grew deeper. He should be happy Ginny hadn’t tried to continue to protect him, but did that imply she didn’t care about him as much as did Hammer?
“I made that a condition with Hammer, and if he was going to join me he had to agree; otherwise, I would have shut him out of the plan with the FBI altogether. I can’t use the same leverage with you.”
“You could have told the FBI”—Reaper dropped his voice low so only she could hear—“the truth about our marriage. They could have called in manpower to stop me.”
“Do you wish I had?” she challenged him, turning it around to question his feelings.
“I wouldn’t have let you set a foot on the plane without me.”
“You couldn’t have stopped me.” Ginny folded her arms over her chest as if she were cold.
“I could have delayed it long enough for Diamond to get there. She would have made mincemeat of the deal you arranged.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t bring her with you and that you didn’t drag me back to Treepoint.”
“It was a consideration,” he admitted.
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because you didn’t use your friendship with Sex Piston to involve her sister Diamond, so I figured you had an important reason to want to come back to Clindale.”
“Trudy and Sex Piston both have tried to convince me to ask Diamond for help.”
“Why haven’t you?”
“I knew I’d be exposing myself, which then opens the chance of Trudy, Diamond, and Sex Piston getting hurt. It wasn’t worth the risk.”
“If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve never admitted to being Evangeline, would you’ve?”
“It was time.”
“Because T.A.’s pregnant?”
“Yes. T.A. and I grew up pretending we didn’t know each other. I can’t pretend my niece or nephew isn’t related to me. I can’t erase the past, but I can attempt to move forward with all my cards on the table.”