His hand moved down her sides, past her narrow hips.
He could have sworn he tasted a hint of fear burst from her but it was masked over with exaltation too quickly for him to find the will to stop. Instead, he lifted her to her feet. She lost her touch on him but not her kiss. His hands slid up the side of her thighs, under her dress, and back to those delicate hips of hers.
Her kiss broke away slowly and she leaned her forehead to his, reached for his face to cradle it. She even traced her thumb across the bottom of his wet lips. “I don’t remember…I can’t remember if I’ve been here.”
“You haven’t,” his deep voice rasped.
Her eyes questioned him with a hint pain, embarrassment—that was what he tasted coming from her. She surely misunderstood him, thought he was being arrogant about her lack of experience.
Holding her gaze he moved her legs around him, setting her astride his lap. “This is our beginning.”
One strong pull of his hands had her hips against his, his bare erection against the wet silk of her panties.
He moved to kiss her but she met him halfway. Slow and deep kisses, the kind that made you savor every second. With the high they were feeling it was all they could manage to do. Going faster would feel like a sin, like they had no gratitude for the sensation.
His hands moved under her dress, sliding up, finally feeling the flesh of her chest, feeling the heat of her without a barrier. She started to rock against him then; the bliss of that was pure agony for him.
He thought he could keep it to this, hold all barriers of cloth in place, just ease her into the rush of them, but the dress had to go. With one swoop he’d pulled it over her head. Before it even hit the floor his lips were teasing her taut nipples.
Gwinn let out a sharp gasp, taking in the heat of his kiss on her flesh. There was something about his kiss that sent a jolt right to her core. It seemed to give her body a mind of its own. Her hips rocked forward against him, and even with barrier of her panties it still felt so personal, so connected. The emotion she felt was far deeper than any Gwinn could ever remember feeling.
His teeth were torture, the way they would glide across her nipple and nip, only for him to reward them with a blazing hot, moist kiss.
His hands clutched her hips and she could feel his long fingers bracing against her ass. Every other rock they would squeeze tighter, as if he were forcing them to stay in place, not slide lower.
She wanted him to; she was scared but far more exalted. Each time his hands clutched, his kisses on her chest grew in fierceness, sending waves of erotic energy right to her core. She felt herself building, growing, this swell of energy in her, to the point where everything felt amazing and all she knew was that she never wanted it to stop. The way he was moving her hips, pushing the hard length of him against the aching heat of her, was heaven. Craving, she was craving him and hated the restraint he was using.
It came out of nowhere, the explosion of energy inside of her, one so strong that for an instant she was sure she couldn’t move her limbs. His strong embrace rocked her hips against him as swiftly as he could; it was like he knew, knew that she was at this peak of bliss and he wanted to keep her there—make it last forever.
When she heard him moan, when his lips slid up her chest to her neck, and he clenched her hips once more she knew she had gotten to him, that right then she was his release. When she felt the heat of his seed between them she looked down, claimed his lips, and kept them to a slow glide as his entire body relaxed in her arms.
His kiss ended just as softly as it began. Their eyes connected, hers reflecting the embers of the sun, his a bright violet. It played into the haze around them, one Gwinn was sure she could see. Pure exaltation had encased them.
He’d reached for the towel between them, taking away the slick wetness that had lost its fervor.
Then he pulled her hips against him once again, took his time as he lifted his gaze, taking in her body which he could have sworn had a glow to it.
When he met her stare, their gaze seemed to last forever before he reached up and slowly kissed her once more, loving the taste of her. Loving how she had just wiped away years of tension, stress, all the dark things he had done and said with just that one brush against the erotic energy they clearly shared.
She was smiling through her kiss, even tightening her legs around him. Gwinn had never felt like a woman before. He’d given her that, and he’d given more. How he was holding her now made her believe he was never going to let her go.
Just as that kiss started to gain speed, as the idea of lifting her and taking her to his bed came to Shade, Echo’s voice boomed from his phone. “Breakfast is ready…bacon anyone?”
Shade couldn’t help but laugh at his brother’s tone. Laughing didn’t come easy to him but with the mood he was in now, it was likely to occur often.
Gwinn didn’t laugh. She knew what the message meant, her whole body tensed.
“What’s wrong?” Shade asked her.
She didn’t know. “I don’t like them,” she said, as she nervously moved off him and grabbed her dress from the floor and put it on like a shield. She was having a hard time catching her breath.
“Hey, hey it’s okay. I’m sure it’s Blackwater’s old ass. He’s got a thing for Reveca, likes to fuck with her, but she always makes him look like an ass.”
His explanation didn’t do a damn thing to calm her down. Reveca had told him about how Gwinn freaked with the raid. He didn’t think too much into it. Those deals would make anyone jumpy.
“Come on,” he said, pulling her to his room. He dropped his towel and slid on a pair of jeans. All the while, Gwinn’s panic grew and her eyes kept looking around like she wanted a place to hide.
“I got you. I’m going to show you it’s nothing,” he said, taking her hand. The porch from his room was on the side of the house, fairly sheltered with the massive trees around it, but you could see the lot.
Bare chested, his jeans unbuttoned, he pulled her out into the morning sun. Across the way he saw Blackwater’s car just before the garage. Talon, Thames, and Judge were there with crossed arms, waiting for him to get out of his car.
The bay that had Shade’s bike in it was half up, which must mean they had finished up what was left to repair on it.
Reveca wasn’t home, though. At least Shade couldn’t see her bike anywhere, which would mean the conversation would be nice and fast. Blackwater only dealt with her.
“See, it’s an old sweaty man,” Shade said with a nod through the trees.
Gwinn had latched on to him, her arms around his waist and her head against his chest. He could feel her trembling.
“You see him? You talk to him before?”
“Yeah…I don’t think I met him. He’s bad.”
Shade looked down in question. He knew he was. The more the Sons dug up on this hell they were stuck in now, proved how twisted that old fuck was, but the way Gwinn said it, with a tremble, had all of Shade’s defenses on high alert.
“You feel that from him?”
She nodded once.
“Taste it?” he asked, now really confused about her feeding habits.
“Just feel it,” she said, holding him tighter.
Shade wrapped his arms around her, even let his hand ease down her long hair.
He saw King walking the path between the house to the garage. King hesitated, looked back and then up at Shade, Gwinn in his arms.
Shade was expecting him to be pissed, jealous, but King smiled slightly, gave him a nod. One that said ‘good, keep her safe.’ Then he turned to stalk toward the lot with a lethal look in his eyes.
“Let’s get you in,” Shade said as he pulled Gwinn closer then walked her back to his room.
Chapter Four
If there was one thing Talon knew it was that Blackwater should have been six feet under a long time ago. And if Talon was here when he shot Reveca, who Blackwater called Maren, he would be.
Talon and Thrash
were off at war with Zale at the time, establishing chapters of the Pentacle Sons across the globe. They were trying to convince all the immortals Reveca had turned—who had fought with Talon on modern and not so modern battlefields—that was the best way to be visible and invisible at the same time.
Zale’s Rouges were out of control back then. In some states they were the only criminal element, one the cops couldn’t figure out how to catch. The Sons could though, and they did, or at least they put a big enough threat out there that the Rouges backed off.
Reveca dealt with shit differently than Talon. She had some longsighted views, thought if she just laid low for a while behind the gates of the Boneyard then emerged later as this fictitious daughter that she could build to the perfect revenge that ass Blackwater deserved.
Talon was over waiting for that time to come—this guy was a thorn in his ass. This go ‘round, Blackwater had taken his time building to the sleaze of a lawman that he was in front of Reveca. Talon was sure it was because he was around now. He clearly intimidated the fucker. Blackwater rarely met his eyes and when he did, even if he made some sly comment, Talon knew he was scared shitless. As he should be.
Blackwater had done what he could to get rid of Talon and Thrash. That was the reason for all the undercover, the reason one of the clinics was raided, and a host of other issues.
“You paying attention?” Talon said in a low tone to Judge.
One nod.
One of the reasons they were always so far ahead of Blackwater was because Judge could see what the guy was up to and where that would lead him. Sometimes they just let it play out; others they engaged. It just depended on where they wanted to steer him, what they wanted that to lead to.
Blackwater glanced around the lot, clearly looking for Reveca’s bike. Good luck with that, buddy, Talon thought to himself. He’d been calling her all night with no such luck. His jealousy even got the best of him at one point. He’d made sure King was in his room alone, that he and Reveca were not off somewhere again.
He was.
And when Talon opened his door without knocking, King met his stare with a cool ease and said, “Twenty miles due east.”
That really pissed Talon off—that he knew he was looking for Reveca and had flat out claimed he knew where she was, exactly. Talon knew the only person who Reveca knew in that direction was her sister, and under the best of circumstances Reveca wouldn’t spend that much time with her.
He tried calling a few more times, had a pot of coffee, and was on his way to figure out what the hell she and Saige were up to when the call came out that the pig had arrived.
So he wouldn’t look like a fool for sitting in his car, Blackwater finally got out, strolled nice and slow up to Talon and the others.
“Morning.”
The boys gave no response.
“Quiet here.”
“What do you want?” Talon said with bite to his tone.
“Just doing my part, making it look like I’m doing my job.” He lifted his chin. “I liked it better when I was trying to catch you instead of covering your asses.”
Talon stepped forward but Thrash cleared his throat, a near silent reminder that they had plans for this ass, and taking away Reveca’s revenge would do nothing but put them all in the hot seat with Reveca, or rather they would all get a cold shoulder—which was hell on earth as far as the Sons were concerned.
In the past that cold shoulder of hers had been known to last for years. The boys survived, but it was never the same without Reveca. There was something about her that kept everything rolling steady. Everyone knew they were a force to be reckoned with apart—when they were together they were unstoppable.
Always keep momma happy, that was the silent oath all the Sons took.
Right then the sound of Reveca’s bike could be heard coming down the highway then turning in the lot. She took her time parking, getting a bag out of her saddlebags.
“Morning boys,” she said coolly as she walked up to them.
“Just getting in?” Blackwater asked. “Late night.”
“It was,” Reveca said. “I’m exhausted. All night bible studies will do that to you, but you wake feeling really good—awesome energy.”
Every one of the men before her furrowed their brow like she was speaking another language. “What? I’m serious.”
“You’re telling me you were at a bible study all night?” Blackwater said. “You want me to put that in a report?”
“Why the fuck do you care where she was?” Talon said, shifting his confused stare to anger as it landed on Blackwater.
Reveca knew why. In the middle of the night, right as one of the awesome women she was with the night before began to testify, Reveca felt a call. It was Erio, her guardian of the Edge.
Reveca had bowed to her knees, closed her eyes, felt the hands of Saige and Thelma Ray on her shoulders. They were helping her make it seem as if she was just moved by the moment. And she might have been if her attention was not needed somewhere else.
In her mind’s eye she saw her Edge, then her soul jolted forward. Erio had caught a soul before the Unclaimed took it, a soul that had perished because every one of the bones in her body had been broken and struck vital organs.
The girl was young, run down, vile. She was laughing at death, taunting it.
Reveca asked her nice and slow who had taken her life and where. The soul laughed and said it was her— that Reveca had killed her.
From that point Reveca and Erio broke her soul down. The process allowed them to see what she had done in life. It didn’t take Reveca long to figure out she had common enemies with the soul. That one of them thought it would rock to get rid of the girl and frame Reveca for it.
Reveca added the girl’s soul to the ones that she set aside for Crass then awoke back in Saige’s front room. She spent the early hours of the morning with Reverend Bradshaw and the others.
When they all left Reveca glared at Saige. “You set an alibi in place. You know who’s doing this, just like I do. You tell Jamison and Zale we need a meeting, today.” And then she left.
Her finding Blackwater in her front lot was no shocker.
“Why do I care?” Blackwater almost yelled. “The department pulled her in for questioning on murder and that went to hell in a hand basket, now everyone is looking at you, not just me. O’Brian is out for blood.” He looked at Reveca. “I was with him and the chief last night going over the years and years of files I have on you when a report came in of a new body, same wounds.” He looked back to Talon. “You weren’t here, neither was Reveca. Want to tell me where you were so we can make sure all our stories are in sync?”
“It’s none of your fucking business where I was,” Talon shot back. “Or her.”
“Well she better come up with a more believable alibi than being at church.”
“Fuck off, Blackwater. I was at a bible study, all night long. I’m an innocent bystander pulled into this hell. I know what’s going on.”
A sick smirk grazed Blackwater’s sweaty lips. “Do you? Then inform me. Because I’m lost on how or why you kill these girls for sport. Why you started with Newberry. I can’t figure out why you used a bigger gun and fire to cover up your friend’s death.”
“Oh, so you are pinning all of that on me?” Reveca said with an easy smile. She could have seen that coming from a mile away.
“I’m telling you what I agreed to. What is going on on my side. It’s all theories now. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that you knew Holden was undercover and framed him. Why you chose Newberry’s murder makes no sense. Neither does what went down at your friend’s house—but these are murders done by a woman; insanity should be expected.”
Reveca smirked when all the boys had to stop themselves from charging Blackwater. Then she slowly looked back to Blackwater. “You and your boys are pissed that your undercover blew your case, years of work. Now to get us you’re framing me. All you’re doing is making yourself look like
a fool.”
Blackwater nearly turned purple with rage. “Holden didn’t kill Newberry. I know that to be fact. His story is too robotic, and yes, he did blow a case but do you think I give a fuck about that? No. I wanted one last payday and then I was off to a beach to retire in peace.”
“You’re not making money off this Club, Blackwater, ever. Beyond that, you and I both know you were knocking on the wrong door. We don’t deal Black.”
Blackwater shook his head. “You do. But that’s a moot point now. Listen,” he said, moving his hand over his balding head. “Next time they bring you in they’re going to have solid evidence. Evidence or a witness that is half reliable. Until then, they’re going to keep building what they do have, and they will start with shooting holes in weak alibis. So there you go, pay someone else off to cover for all of you last night.”
“Ah, so now all of us killed someone last night, rode up on our bikes, did the deed, then drove away.”
Blackwater glared. “The boys. We both know they are moving drugs. They will pin one side of this organization and hope it flips on the other.”
Reveca held the most serious expression she could on her face. “We don’t turn on each other. I don’t care how the fuck you do it; you get this shit to go away. Because I swear to you the next time your department throws a kink in my day, your story and all your wicked deeds will be front page news.”
Blackwater glared a moment longer, then stormed off to his car.
“Bible study,” Talon said with only a hint of humor in his tone.
Reveca grinned.
“They don’t let you answer the phone when you’re reading the good book?”
“I was busy,” Reveca said, holding his dark stare. They were both trying to figure out what the other had accomplished the day before.
Feeling the tension, Judge and Thrash went about their way.
“How did it go with you last night? I saw the souls in the Edge so I’m guessing well.”
“You went to the Edge?” Talon asked, losing his calm.
“I told Erio to catch souls that came through with those wounds.”