Tarnished Lies and Dead Ends Read online

  His fingers danced along her backbone, came down, and circled her hole as he watched it flex in anticipation around the improvised hook. Wildman grinned, thinking, Not that, baby. He slipped his palm around her hip, settling just above her pubic bone. Tracing random circles with his fingertips, he increased the speed of his thrusts, sweat covering his body and hers, her pale skin now rosy with arousal. Rocking his hips, he speared into her and made a claw of his waiting fingers, sliding down until he could feel the root of his cock grinding against her with each down thrust. Wet and slippery, he spread the lips of her pussy and clamped her clit in an unmovable grip. She wailed and bucked, an orgasm hitting without warning, and a rigid tension ripped through her as her body responded. Rippling waves of pressure surrounded his cock, her hole straining to swallow his fingers, and he pinched again, earning another wail of his name, the sound rising and rising until it mixed with his roar, seed impotently caught in the condom, but still deep inside her. My woman. He thrust again, his hips jittering back and forth before he rocked deep, releasing her clit as he slowly slumped over her back. My Jussie.

  ***

  Justine

  When Wildman left her body, it was slowly and with great care. His hand eased over her ass, one palm possessively cupping her swollen labia, gently soothing her. She knew it, felt it, but was so far inside the floaty space within her head his actions seemed separate. The mattress moved, springing up to the side, and a soft blanket drifted down to cover her sweat-filmed skin.

  Then the mattress dipped again, and he cleaned her thoroughly. If she’d been less floaty, it might have been embarrassing, but because it was Wildman, probably not even then. Every part of her was his, and it was right that he care for what he owned. She flew for a few seconds before settling against crisp, clean sheets, still smelling of bleach and fresh air.

  That’s when it happened again, something she’d only felt once before.

  He lay next to her, tugging her into the little spoon position, arranging her limbs as best pleased him, and she gave no resistance, liking the marionette strings binding her to him. Tucking her half underneath him, his weight against her back, heavy thigh covering both of her legs, he rested his cheek against the side of her head, so his mouth was close to hers.

  “I know you aren’t all here right now, but you’ll remember enough of this so it’ll matter.” Justine tensed, but before she could move, his hand was gliding along her arm, down her side, curling around her belly until she was bound in place by his arms. “Shhhh. You don’t gotta do nothin’, darlin’. Just listen. Can you do that for me? Just listen?”

  In the silence within the room, buffered from the sounds of the party below them and outside, Justine licking her lips sounded loud, and she bit down on them before giving him a response. “Mmhmm.” Consciously relaxing her muscles, starting from her neck and shoulders, she tried to show him she could follow directions, even in this state.

  His chuckle rumbled through her body, transferring from his body to hers, and rattling a soothing feeling into place in her chest. “Good girl, you’re such a good girl.” Justine wanted to preen, but he’d asked for stillness and quiet, so she breathed out a pleased sigh instead. “My girl’s so good.” His hand lifted and stroked hair from her face until his cheek was skin-to-skin with hers. “My baby.” Justine smiled small, just a tiny recognition she knew he’d feel in the movement underneath his touch. “Just listen, baby. Just listen.”

  His body tightened around her, a bulwark against anything in the outside world, and she knew where this talk was going. Hoped she understood, anyway.

  “You’re mine. Came to me tonight, braved the gauntlet for me, hung in there even when you and me weren’t on the same page, and that’s earned you a spot at my side for as long as this old earth ball keeps turnin’.” A soft kiss landed on her cheek, another on her temple, and as much as she wanted to turn her head to reach his mouth, she stayed true to his instructions, not demanding anything, just soaking it all up. If he wanted her to kiss him back, he’d tell her, and it wasn’t her problem to figure it out. “Past days have been a special kinda hell, not knowin’ if you would be back. I knew you were okay, were safe. Michaels is a member, so the minute they deplaned you at BRG, he was in contact.” Wild took in a deep breath. “Said you were fuckin’ brave, and I told him ‘well, hell, yeah, she’s my Jussie.’ Man laughed at me, then congratulated me on findin’ a woman wild as me.” Another kiss against her cheek, then fingers lifted her chin, and his mouth was on hers, permission to engage, and she did, tangling her tongue with his as he thrust into her mouth, proud and possessive all in the same moment. “Mine” was growled down her throat as he turned her underneath him, sensitive breasts pressed against his hard chest as his mouth moved across her jaw, teeth to her earlobe in a stinging bite that had her neck arching and twisting, giving him better access. “Jesus, Jussie. Makes me fuckin’ crazy. Every goddamned inch of you is temptation. Wanna mark you. Wanna own you. Wanna make love to you slow and sweet, but I wanna fuck you hard and fast in the same breath. Want everything you can give me. Can you give me this, baby?”

  There was only one answer to that question.

  “Yes.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Wildman

  Staring up at the ceiling, this time from a different position, he slowly stroked a palm up and down Jussie’s back. From her shoulders, all the way down to those dimples in her ass that were so bitable, and a gentle return sweep up to the vulnerable nape of her neck. She was nestled against his side, cheek to the hollow of his shoulder, with a delicate hand resting flat against his chest. Fits me like a goddamned glove, no matter what we’re doin’. His smile was satisfied, his chest and head filled with hope and confidence that this time, this woman, this was where he was meant to be.

  Boots up the stairs had him cocking an ear to the door, so the instant a single knuckle thumped quietly against the wood, he was already shifting her to the side, replacing his chest with a pillow and pulling the blanket up around her shoulders. Unbolting the door, he opened it a little, standing to protect Jussie from view. “Yeah?” he asked Pony, who had a happy smirk in place on his face. “Fuck you need?”

  “Her keys. She’s parked out near the road, so I wanna bring it in closer, make it easier to watch now most folks have headed out.”

  She hadn’t held a purse, and he remembered her bared-torso twirl from when she’d imagined needing to prove she wasn’t a plant. “Gimme a minute.” He closed the door against Pony’s chuckle, shaking his head at his brother’s amusement. “Jussie, baby.” He leaned close, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Where’re your keys, honey?”

  “Behind the visor. It’s not locked.” She didn’t move, which meant she’d been more awake than he’d thought. “Tell him thanks from me.”

  The message passed through the slightly cracked door, he was about to close it when Pony paused. “Wild, you should know. Mason’s downstairs.”

  “What the fuck, man? Are you shittin’ me?” She just fuckin’ got here and he’s already in our business?

  “Don’t shoot the messenger, brother. He came to talk to Twisted, but he noted the car on the lot. It’s hers, not a rental, and he tagged the Florida plates first thing. He hasn’t asked about her, but you can see him lookin’. However, he has asked for you, somethin’ like four times already.” Pony shrugged. “Twisted just keeps sayin’, ‘Wild who?’ like he’s a dumbass, and you can see it’s chappin’ Mason’s ass. Kinda funny in a way.”

  “Shit.” Wildman made a quick calculation and knew there was no way anyone would be able to block Mason for long. “Tell Twisted quiet-like we’ll be down in a bit, gonna take the back stairs, come in from the kitchens.”

  “Agreed it might be best if you didn’t come down the center stairs like a parade, pushin’ it in his face you’re dickin’ his sister.” Pony’s nod held as much sarcastic humor as a movement like that could. “Good call, brother. Good fuckin’ call.”

  “Oh, fuck
you.” He reached out and gripped Pony’s shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

  “I’d say anytime, but hopefully you’ll take the loud action home next time, or at least wait until we don’t have a houseful of kids askin’ who’s bein’ murdered upstairs.” He shook his head. “Brothers have had to deal with some shit from their ole ladies on this one, brother. Funny as fuck.”

  “Shit.” He chuckled through the word, already anticipating the brushing elbows and “way to go” looks. “We had ourselves a little reunion.” He gripped his bare dick and tugged. He was behind the door, but knew the movement was unmistakable. “Might need to reunite a tad more before we come downstairs.”

  “Your funeral, man.” Pony’s laughter was quiet as he turned and walked away, shaking his head. “Your goddamned funeral.”

  “Jussie?” He bolted the door and turned to see she hadn’t moved, remained with her cheek on the pillow, hand resting on top of it. On second look, he saw her palm was no longer flattened but had been covered by her fingers, hand in a tight fist. “Sounds like you and me need a shower, then we’ll dress and head downstairs.”

  Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he propped a leg up, resting his thigh along the curve of her ass. Eyes closed, she was breathing evenly, slowly, and if he hadn’t already memorized every expression and movement of her so far, he might have believed she was sleeping. He used the back of his hand to pop the soft flesh of her lower cheek, just where it joined the top of her thigh, knowing the covers would blunt the pain. It got the reaction he’d looked for, her eyes opening and head turning just enough to bring her gaze to him. The expression on her face was so open and vulnerable, he immediately abandoned his position to crawl under the covers behind her, wrapping her up in his arms to erase any space between them.

  “Baby,” he crooned, dusting kisses across her shoulder and up the side of her neck. “My baby.” His lips dragged along the edge of her jaw until he found her mouth, which he took possession of, molding their lips together in a hot kiss. Every touch was in sync, and they worked together as her fingers found his wrists, holding his hands in place around her. “My Jussie.” He rested his cheek against hers, closing his eyes when he saw she’d shut hers.

  “I have a son.”

  Her words stilled his movements, and he stared at the inside of his lids for two breaths before responding.

  “I nearly had a child once. Dead in my wife’s belly, killed by my blood brother. Colder than cold, and still hurts, even if I dealt with everything I could at the time.” He knew the story about Christopher Camp. Of course he did. It was one of the larger markers he’d given to Retro. But he wanted to hear her version, needed it from her like a gift, and if it required him peeling back the pain of his past a little to ease her way, he’d do that a thousand times over. “She and the child still inside her are buried in a little grove in southern Florida. Officially missing, unless her folks had her declared. That’s been—” He had to do a quick calculation. “Way too many years ago now. Fuck, I hadn’t counted up the years in a long-ass time, baby. Shit. The days just rack up, don’t they?”

  “Chris, his name is Christopher, is a little older than that. Married with two kids. He lives in Louisville with his family.” She laughed, the sound wet and painful, his arm underneath her head damp with tears. He knew he couldn’t console her, not yet. She needed to get this out of her somehow, and he was the catalyst and the cure, all at once. He just had to pick the time to soothe her. “I don’t… I don’t see him.”

  “Do you want to?” Wildman didn’t know what it would entail, but if his Jussie wanted it, he’d upend heaven and hell to make it happen for her. She shook her head and shuddered, curling into a tighter ball, and he followed her with his body, keeping the zero space between them as best he could. “Want regular reports, then? Just to check in, know what’s goin’ on? You tell me, Jussie, and I’ll make it happen, baby.”

  “It was club business that took him from me.” Wildman stilled in place, not sure what her statement meant. “Your…” She took a tiny breath, then a larger one, pushing the words out on a huge exhale. “Your wife and child, was it club business?”

  “Yeah. Was in a shit club because my half-brother was there, and I had it in my head he needed me at his back. Hurricane season came, and a storm swept through, takin’ half the members’ roofs with it. I helped get everybody back on their feet. Service to the club, you know? Powell Durrell, that was my brother, thought it was ambition on my part. So he called in a bullshit claim to the dominant club in the area, paid for a paper with my name on it. Shit happened”—understatement, but she don’t need to know I killed him—“and he got hurt, died at the hospital. I went home, and the man he’d hired was sittin’ at my kitchen table, eating the cold food Shelly had made for me. I dealt with him, then went looking for her. Dead in our bed, and the only blessing was she didn’t look scared.” He scoffed. “So yeah, club business you could say. I dropped that club like a hot potato, separated from them with prejudice and little care. Wandered for a bit, a long bit, but wound up in Louisiana. Took a couple of false starts, but I found my home, you know what I mean? Incoherent is me, and I am IMC. I know you get it, know you understand. No more shit clubs for me, baby. Found the club, and now I’ve found you, if you’ll have me.”

  “Her name was Shelly?”

  He mouthed at her ear until he could get her earlobe between his teeth, clamping down gently, not aiming to cause pain. “Yeah, Shelly. Out of the two of us, she was the ambitious one, always saw more in my future than I could see.”

  “What do you see in your future now?” She twisted in his arms, facing him, giving him a view of her pain-swollen eyes, red from weeping. He thought she’d never been more beautiful.

  “You, Jussie.” He kissed her hard and fast, had her gasping into his mouth within moments as he shifted over her, falling into the cradle she made with her legs like he’d been with her a thousand times. “You, and only you.” He tested the waters with the palm of his hand, then a pair of fingers diving deep, finding her wet and ready.

  Wildman held his breath when she rolled the condom on for him, her fingers dancing delicately along his shaft, paying close attention to the tip where she’d left an ambitious reservoir for his release. Then he was inside her again, slipping slowly between her intimate lips, clutched tightly in her arms.

  They moved together like a dance, her hips rising as he thrust deep, taking as much of each other as they could. It was slow and sweet, and when she came with his name on her lips, he let the recognition that she was here, with him, carry him over the edge, falling so close behind her Justine was still spasming around him as he filled that pinched tip of the condom, his mind imagining what it would be like when he could take her bare, pushing the white semen back inside her with the tip of his dick, make her come with his mouth as he lapped her clean. That forced another few jerks from his dick, each movement inside her making her gasp until he covered her mouth with his again. He kissed her as his dick softened enough he had to pull back, ease out, holding the edge of the condom in place with finger and thumb.

  “Okay.” Her breathing had slowed considerably, but the word still sounded labored.

  “Okay?” He questioned her as he disposed of the condom, turned on the hot water in the shower, and came back into the room, lifting her in his arms before he walked them back to the bathroom. “Just okay, baby? Damn, woman, I’m already losin’ my touch? Fuck, hurt a man, would ya?”

  Her easy giggle felt like a miracle, and he smiled as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Feet on the floor, she cocked a hip against the counter, uncaring of her nakedness as he stared at her. Steam billowed from the shower, and he reached in, adjusting the temperature to one that would be tolerable for them both.

  “Okay, as in ‘okay, I’m ready to go downstairs and face my brother down,’ okay.” Her palm landed in the center of his chest, and he covered it with his hand. “Not a criticism of your lovemaking prowess.”

&n
bsp; “Well, thank God for that.” He pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. “I nearly couldn’t tell if you even enjoyed it, woman.”

  After dressing, he led her down the back stairs hand in hand, about to take the turn that would lead them outside and around the rear of the clubhouse when she slowed. Her fingers clutched at him with desperate strength. “Jussie?” He turned and caught her in his arms, pulling her close. “What is it?”

  “I think I do.”

  Wildman stroked down the fall of hair draped across her upper back, slowly traveling from her scalp to her shoulder blades, then again. He waited for her to elaborate, because he couldn’t for the life of him think what she might be referring to. He’d dropped a load of info on her tonight, and at least her response to whatever had tripped her up was positive.

  “You asked if I’d like to see Chris.”

  He hummed softly, his arms tightening around her to fend off whatever might be coming. “Mmhmm. And if you want it, I’ll make it happen. Let me do my thang, and I’ll sort out the best way.”

  “I don’t want him to know about me.” Her immediate terror was stark, fingers clawing at his chest as she tried to thrust her arms between them, fruitlessly attempting to push away. “He can’t know about me.”

  “I got it, babe. You wanna lay eyes on him. Have a chance to make sure with your own five senses how he’s happy and healthy, and has a good life. That your sacrifices were worth it, the pain you still feel, the way you’ve got a hollow spot inside you, because he’s good. I got it, Jussie.”

  “Yeah.” Her breaths came short and labored, bursts of panted air gusting across his chest and neck. “Yeah, please. That’s what I’d like. Just to know.”

  “Then…” He gave her a squeeze, holding tight until she slipped her arms around his waist. “I’ll make it happen.”

  They stood like that for a few breaths longer, then he pulled back and tipped her chin up with a bent knuckle. “You good to face the squad?” She rolled her eyes but pulled in a bracing breath before she nodded, so he knew she might be able to pull it off, but she was still more vulnerable than she’d like to be, given what was waiting on them. “Okay, then, let’s do this damn thing. I’m right here, and I don’t want you anywhere but next to me. You needa take a piss, take me with, yeah?”