Hot Mess (An Iron Tornadoes MC Romance Book 5) Read online

  Thanking her again, I rush up to my place.

  Earplugs is sitting at my desk looking at a book of Harley collectibles. It's probably the only thing on my shelves that can capture his interest.

  Kristal is in my bed, fully dressed, and fast asleep.

  Daniel stands and speaks softly.

  "Pat gave her a double scotch to calm her down," he says. "And I don't think she's much of a drinker 'cause she went out like a light."

  I nod and make a mental note of the fact that my girl doesn't hold her liquor well. Good. The contrary would probably have annoyed me.

  "Thanks, bro," I tell him as he puts the book back on the shelf.

  "Don't mention it." He looks in her direction and smiles. "I like her, you know. I think she's sweet."

  "Since when do you like sweet?" I can’t resist teasing him.

  The corner of his lips twitches a bit as he looks me straight in the eyes to answer, "Well Master Everest, as you know, in love I do favor spicy, but I like my friends sweet."

  Yep, the man has changed in the past months. Everything made him blush when he first visited Styx. Not anymore. He now owns who he is. It doesn't get better than this.

  Silently closing the door behind him, he tells me to call if I need anything. I won't. I have all I need for the night right here.

  The real question is what will happen tomorrow.

  What will I do with Kristal then?

  Fuck, we really need to talk but that's not what I want to do now.

  The time we'll have tonight is precious.

  I want it to be all ours.

  It want the rest of the world to wait.

  But I know better.

  First we do need to talk and make some serious decisions.

  21

  I kick off my boots, hang my jacket on the back of my chair and make my way to my bed. Sitting on the edge, I rest a hand on Kristal's shoulder. My touch startles her. She turns abruptly as if ready to bolt and then stops as she recognizes me. Her smile of relief doesn't stay on her face long. Almost instantly it turns into a look of despair.

  "I'm so sorry," she says sitting up. "I know I shouldn't have run, but when I saw him, I couldn't think straight anymore."

  "Yeah, I saw that," I answer with the lightest tone I can muster. Surprise makes her eyes grow wide.

  "You're not mad at me?"

  "At you, no." And it's true. Now that I know she ran to me, all my anger has vanished.

  "Did you arrest him?"

  "Your father?" She nods. "We sure did."

  "What's going to happen to him?"

  I can't figure out why she wants to know. Is she worrying about him getting another get out of jail free card or about him doing serious time?

  "If I were you, I would be more worried about what's going to happen to you," I snap back.

  She pulls away as if I had slapped her and stands.

  "Do you think I'm a complete idiot?" she asks. Without giving me a chance to answer, she paces the room and rants away. "You don't have to rub it in. I am naive and stupid. I should have known better. My mother was a smart woman—well, maybe not that smart since she got knocked up by a low life—but anyway, I should have understood that she must have had good reasons to lie to me and tell me my father was dead."

  I open my mouth to protest, that I won't belittle her for following her heart instead of her brains, but I remain quiet as she upholds up a silencing hand.

  "See, I had these romantic ideas about my father, deep down I knew they didn't make sense. After all, it seems he was blackmailing my mother all those years.” I raise an eyebrow. That’s news to me. “Yeah, and the insurance contract in his name was the balance money for him to leave me alone after she died.” She shrugs. “I refused to understand it at first. I clung to my little girl’s dream and i didn't want to let it go," she explains. "I knew you were not lying to me when you showed me he had knowingly asked me to deliver drugs, but I still wanted to believe he was a victim, you know, that someone was twisting his arms." Her hands fly in the air in exasperation. "I mean, what sort of man puts his daughter in danger like that?”

  She stands in front of me, defiant, daring me to answer her question. I won't. I don't need too. She knows what sort of man does that. A selfish bastard. A low life.

  "I needed to find out for myself, and I when I did, I couldn't handle it." She laughs sadly. "It took watching him walking down the street towards me, free as a bird, chatting away that other guy for me to finally see the light. No one was forcing him to do this to me. No one was holding a gun to his head, nope. For all I know, he saw me as the perfect patsy and orchestrated the whole thing."

  "But he'll pay for this. He's going away for a long, long time." Somehow I'm not sure it's much of a consolation to her.

  "Too little, too late," she spits out and resumes her pacing. Her bitterness is palpable. "Kids died because of him!" Her voice drops to a whisper as she adds, "Kids died because of me too."

  I catch her arm as she gets closer and pull her to me. She wipes her eyes and sighs. "Don't look at me, I'm a mess."

  I want to laugh. Of all the times to worry about the way she looks. "Yes, that you are," I concur as I ruffle her already messed up hair. "But let me tell you, you're a hot mess. The hottest one I've ever laid my eyes on."

  She rolls her eyes at me, but the corner of her lips twitches. She cradles my face with her hands and rests her forehead against mine. "I'm sorry we had to meet this way."

  I hush her and pull her onto my lap. "Well, I'm not," I tell her. "Not one bit."

  A sad smile lightens up her face and she sighs. She tries to free herself from my embrace, but I won't let her go. The struggle doesn't last long. She sighs again and then rests her head on my shoulder.

  "You have to let me go," she whispers against my neck.

  "Why did you come back here?"

  I hold my breath waiting for her answer.

  It doesn't come right away.

  Does she really have to think about it or is she searching for her words?

  She takes a big breath "Because I trust you and ... when I thought I was going to die, I realized I wanted one more chance to see you again."

  I start breathing again.

  She is truly mine.

  When someone tried to kill her, I'm the one she runs to for protection. I'm the one she turns to for solace.

  "I'm happy you did," I tell her.

  "But I shouldn't have. I'm putting you and your friends in danger," she protests.

  "Don't you worry about that for now. We know how to hold our own."

  "But there's something else I should worry about?"

  "Yes, you have some hard choices to make," I tell her. "No matter what you decide, I will protect you."

  Cradled in my arms, she nods and listens to her options in silence. She stiffens but doesn't interrupt me when I mention the jail time option. When I'm done, she sits up and looks at me solemnly.

  "Will you wait for me while I do the time?" she asks.

  I nod and smile. "It's not as if I have a choice."

  She frowns. Does she not understand?

  "You’re mine, and I always protect what's mine."

  For the first time, a real smiles spreads on her lips.

  "I don't have to surrender tonight, do I?" she asks.

  "No, tonight is ours."

  She stands again and her eyes lock on mine, I can't help but feel an odd pull at my heart.

  I've never felt this way before.

  Not even with Bunny, who I loved with the passion of adolescence.

  Was it only three days ago that I thought she was involved in something as terrible as drug trafficking?

  Now I know better. She had her reasons for acting as she did, and I understand them. Somehow I will find a way to make sure the D.A. does too. I'll hire a good attorney for her. Yes, someone who will work out a good plea deal. Thanks to Catherine, I know Captain Steven will help.

  Fuck, it has to be a really goo
d deal because I don't want to let her go for a long time.

  There's nothing I wouldn't give to keep her here with me, but there's no other way.

  Six months is as good a deal as she's gonna get. It could be more, but whatever they give her, she needs to take it and serve it.

  Somehow we need to sell to her father that she was not cooperating with us. He must cancel the contract on her head. The sooner the better. I'm thinking about a few ways to blackmail him into doing so.

  All I need is to find a way to be alone with him for a few minutes. I'm sure that can be arranged.

  But right now, I need to chase her old man out of my head and concentrate on her.

  This night is all we have for now.

  Whatever will happen in the future, no one can steal from us.

  22

  In the darkness of my room, Kristal clings to me, attempting to hide her fear, but I can tell by the way her jaw contracts and her shoulders square, that the reality of the situation is catching up with her, and quickly.

  Poor woman, not only has her old man proven himself to be a total sleaze-bag, but she's lost pretty much everything she knew before. Every comfort, every connection... everyone but me, and she knows it.

  Something has changed.

  Yesterday, she reached out for me, too, but it was something totally different. We couldn't keep our hands off of each other. It was primal, unshakable, wild.

  Tonight, the look in her eyes, the trembling of her lip, everything about the way she looks up at me tells me this is a whole different deal. She's not just vulnerable--she's ready to shatter at any moment, and who could blame her?

  When her full lips part, she has my total attention, no matter what they're parting for. Her confidence is all but gone as she speaks.

  "Ernest... I know what I have to do, but I'm scared. Right now, six months to a year doesn't seem like a long time, but it will be an eternity. It may be a short spin for people who have already been locked up, but I've never ... I'm not sure I'm strong enough to do it, but I have no choice, do I?"

  I hold her tightly but remain silent.

  It has to be her decision.

  "No, you don't, because I don't want to lose you."

  Her eyes squeeze shut along with her lips, but she doesn't have to say another word. I know exactly how she feels.

  Poor baby, first losing her mother turned her world upside down and now it's her father's betrayal that will twist it inside out.

  "I know, Kristal. I won’t lie to you. It's gonna be hard, very hard on you, but you're a strong woman. But... until then..."

  She reads my mind and comes up on her toes to press her warm lips to mine, her arms wrapping around me. Funny how her need for comfort is what made me fall for her first. Still, it was nothing like this. Her despair was not so dire then. And now, well, she needs me just as much as I need her.

  The next few months aren't going to be easy for either of us.

  She pushes me toward the bed, her arms tightening around me as she does. As we sink down on it again, her legs close around my waist, her kissing becoming more and more desperate.

  I slip my arms beneath her and pick her up, moving her up to the head of the bed properly. Being picked up so easily draws a breathy moan from her, and the moment I'm between her legs again, I can feel her radiant heat against me. She sits up just enough to start pulling her shirt off herself, but lets her hands drop to her sides when I tuck my fingers into the bottom hem. The shirt and bra are both tossed to the side quickly along with my own shirt.

  The feeling of her breasts moving beneath me as our hips rock together is unbelievable--so incredibly soft, ample, warm. I slip down a bit, arching my back as my lips close around one of her prominent, beautiful nipples. Her pleasure is obvious, one hand shooting to my hair to hold me against her, whimpering and moaning as I suck more firmly. A light dragging of my teeth over the sensitive nub sends her shivering beneath me as she brings her other hand to squeeze and pull at her other nipple.

  "Oh, that's... so good. Just... just as hard as you want. Suck, bite, pull... anything." Her words are cut short repeatedly as I pull and lap, and her sentence is punctuated with a hard moan when my tongue begins flicking rapidly over her nipple.

  I push her other hand away, eager to feel the other breast under my hand, her hardening nipple between my fingers. She cries out and twists beneath me, and as my eyes meet hers, I find her bottom lip caught firmly between her teeth. Her back arches hard against me, pressing her soft belly and breasts against me, seemingly unable to get enough of the feeling of our skin together.

  She gives a soft whimper of protest when I pull away from her nipple, but it's quickly replaced with a half-giggled moan as my lips trail down her belly, and she seems content enough until I trail down to her waist. Her hand tightens at my hair and she half sits up, shaking her head. "N-no... I need you inside me. I can't wait any more. I want you. Give me everything you have. This night is all I’ll have to hold for a long time. Six months to a year is forever. Make me scream, please."

  The smile that pulls at my lips almost feels cruel, predatory, but she knows exactly what she's just gotten herself into. I hook my fingers into her waistband and quickly toss what little remained on her to the side and against the wall, and the moment I do, she sits up to hurriedly unbutton my pants.

  I can't help the low moan that escapes my lips as she grips my cock firmly, stroking from base to tip, a moan of her own accompanying mine. With an almost mischievous grin, she brings both of her heavy breasts up to envelop my cock, pumping slowly as she looks up at me.

  God, I see it for the first time, but I'm certain I'm gonna dream about that look.

  She knows exactly what she's doing to me. As incredible as it feels, it's nothing short of a tease--a tiny taste of what it's going to feel like to fuck her properly. She's teasing me, and for now, I'm happy to let her. My hips shift and rock against her, and before long she's got the head of my cock between her lips as she pumps the shaft with those beautiful breasts.

  Totally unable to take the anticipation, I shove her almost roughly onto her back, prompting a loud half-moaned gasp from her, but she knows exactly what she's done. She spreads wide in anticipation, her knees drawn nearly up to her chest and her hands firmly cupping her breasts. Her lips part slightly, the look in her eyes pure primal need. She's about to beg, but she doesn't need to.

  Her head is leaned slightly to the side, exposing her neck and shoulder, shuddering breaths coming quicker by the moment. I can't help myself--she's opened herself up in every way, completely at my mercy. I take a condom from the nightstand. I tear the foil open and she takes it from my hands. I watch her slowly unroll it on me and when she's done, I bring my head down, kissing and biting softly at her shoulder as I push forward.

  When my cock slides into her, she cries out and brings her hands to my back. Her nails dig in a bit as she pulls me further up, urging me deeper into her, but I resist. I'm enjoying her squirming desperation far too much. Her hips begin pushing down, legs descending to wrap around my waist.

  Her whispered pleading and the feeling of her drawing me in breaks my resolve, and I plunge forward to bury my cock to the base inside her. The sudden stretching causes her to cry out, her eyes rolling as she leans her head back, her mouth dropped wide open--seemingly equal parts shock and ecstasy.

  After struggling for a moment, she manages to speak, soft and low. "Oh, god... yes." Her eyes meet mine, full of longing.

  Without hesitation, I start pounding into her, leaning down to hold her tightly and bring my lips to hers. Just as the first time I felt her against me, we're completely lost in each other. Before, I was trying to keep at bay the idea that this would be our last time for a long time, but nothing could be further from my mind now. Nothing matters but the way she feels, how good she's making me feel, the comfort she needs--no, we need.

  No words are necessary as my pace picks up, and her hand comes to rest at my cheek as we kiss. While this wh
ole thing started out playful and sexy, it's pretty clear to me what it's become. It's not about pleasure, or comfort, or anything like that--it's cleaving tightly to each other, not wanting to let go.

  No matter how much we try to ignore it, we both know what has to happen in the morning, and there's no better way to use the little time we still have than to get lost in each other.

  My pace slows in time with the kisses, both becoming more tender and loving as she moves her hands to my back, stroking softly. I reach down, grab her hips, and urge her up to straddle me as I roll to my back. I can't keep my hands off her beautiful, thick thighs as she gasps, her position driving my length deeper inside her.

  Slowly, she begins rocking and bouncing, both hands coming down to rest at my hips as she bucked down harder. After a few moments of eager bouncing, she leans down and presses her lips to mine, seemingly helpless to resist the magnetic pull between us. It's as intimate as I've ever been with another person, and it almost feels alien--but it's completely right.

  The trembling of her hands, the tightness of her thighs on either side of me, the rapid rise in her breathing tells me all I need to know. She's just as close as I am, and trying to hold back the cresting orgasm rapidly building inside her. Her pace slows further, more rocking her hips against me than anything, both of us entirely consumed with the meeting of our lips and the feeling of simply being joined as we are.

  Tonight, nothing can pull us apart.

  Soon, the pressure is too much. After bouncing atop of me for a few brief moments, she's screaming into the pillow beside me, her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders. I pick up the pace immediately, slamming up into her, just as eager to make her shatter as I am to get off myself.

  Neither of us wants to break the embrace or our joining, and before she's even come down properly, she's bouncing atop me again.

  Over and over, we bring each other to roaring climaxes, completely tangled up in each other.

  Only once we can't possibly go on do we slow, and even then, it's not exactly a full stop.